Hello,
I'm trying to setup my friends gaming rig. Mostly he wants Starcraft 2: HOTS to run on high settings with 4v4....

Any help / criticism / price matching / price vs power type discussions welcomed!! Here's my rough draft before shopbot n matching prices....just went to Memoryexpress.com and started building...

PRICE WITH TAXES WE WANT IS AROUND $800.



Cpu: i5-3470 Processor
Intel Core
motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK Motherboard
Intel Core
COMBO PRICE: $324.99 After Rebate

Case: Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W
Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W at Memory Express
Psu: Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W
Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W at Memory Express
COMBO PRICE: $119.99

Ssd: Crucial M4 2.5in SATA III Solid State Drive, 128GB
Crucial M4 2.5in SATA III Solid State Drive, 128GB at Memory Express
PRICE: $119.99

Dvd: Asus DRW-24B1ST 24x DVD-RW Drive, SATA, Black, OEM
PRICE: $19.99

Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB PC3-14900 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB)
Corsair Vengeance 8GB PC3-14900 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB) at Memory Express
Price: $59.99

Video Card: XFX Radeon HD7870 Core Edition 2GB
XFX Radeon HD7870 Core Edition 2GB at Memory Express
Price: $229.99 After rebate

Total before price matches: $874.94 + $104.99 12% Tax = $979.93

ooo okay i get it

Try this.

its called resource monitor.

go to start -> type in "resource monitor" [run it as admin]

should look similar to this. http://puu.sh/1XfnF

If you figured out what the problem is, just right click and end it or close w.e it is.

You can also after do a pc optimization (if your using a HDD not an SSD)

start -> run -> cmd -> chkdsk /f -> reboot computer and let chkdsk run and do its thing.
once its done my computer -> your hard drive right click it -> properties -> tools -> defragment.
^ do this in your spare time as it could be time consuming. you dont have to do anything, its just that its time consuming XD its like watching a loading bar hit 1-100% but takes like 1 hour

the reason why it says 100% is because thats how much ur disk is "spinning". it doesn't necessarily have to be writing at 100% of w.e it can do.

there could be something stupid like a windows update, automatic defrag or w.e running in the back ground (some MicrosoftCrap update). so use the resource monitor and see if it can help you pin point what your disk is doing.

Dun worry about it being 100%, its the fact that your computer is slow is kinda the worrying part. Also give you computer a scan with an anti virus. too many pronz sometimes give you things you dont want.... its almost like aids.

For your budget, I would suggest you to go i5 3570k (if you go Intel route).

change processor to 3570k for intel Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail set up or 8350 for amd AMD FX-8350 8 Core Processor Socket AM3+ 4.0GHZ 16MB 125W Retail Box set up. If hes going to stream with xplit (like onto twitch as well) get a 8350.
why? 3570k is the same price and at stock pretty much performs better in everysingle aspect. Also its a K variant so easier to overclock and stuff :) get more outta your cpu for less! and 8350 is on par sometimes a little less some times a little better than a 3570k. it really shines when your using like fraps or xsplit though. the 8 cores really help! :)
be sure to get an after market heat sink as well, get like a 212+ evo super cheap and makes a HUGE difference Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120mm

case is really nice and silent. My cousin actually has the same one as you i think and he LOVES it. cept the looks imo arnt the best xD i wouldve personally went for a fractal r4. but case is personal preference.

Crucial m4 128gb is really reliable and good. but for uh like 15$ more you can get the king. Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5in SATA3 MDX Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD - DirectCanada samsung 840 pro hands down is pretty much the upgrade from m4 from back in the days. their controller is reliable, faster than pretty much m5p, 520, u name it. and its not a stupid sandforce ssd (lolocz).

video card looks good. good bang for the buck :)

EDIT1:

also i forgot to put, you dont need fast ram lol. ram hardly matters. pick the one that you think looks cool, and im not even joking. atleast 1333. or just w.e the motherboard supports. cheap ones work too. it honestly doesnt matter at all unless your going to use a cpu with a gpu built in, or your trying to like break records or w.e

edit2: i just realised how cheap tht ram is... nvm lol.

fuck I picked the wrong processor haha.... I meant to use the 3rd gen one i5-3570K
Thanks for correcting me...wasn't paying attention properly I thought it was that with the bundle....

OK ROUND 2 spent some time poking around for prices... still over $800 lol


Price matched all items @ Memoryexpress.com: (price before price match is $979.93)

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K = $212.47
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...32-225915588-2

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V = $113.77
ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ATX LGA1155 Z77 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SATA3 SLI DVI HDMI DP USB3.0 Motherboard - DirectCanada

Case: Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W = $119.99
Antec Sonata III Quiet Mid Tower w/ EarthWatts 500W at Memory Express
(MEMORY EXPRESS HAS THE BEST PRICE FOR THIS)

HDD: Crucial M4 128 gb = $119.37
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5in 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - DirectCanada

DVD WRITER: ASUS DRW-24B1ST = $16.64
ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer OEM Black - DirectCanada

Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB PC3-14900 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB) = $59.99 (MEM EX BEST PRICE)
Corsair Vengeance 8GB PC3-14900 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB) at Memory Express

Video Card: XFX Radeon HD7870 Core Edition 2GB (OUT OF STOCK ORDER FROM NCIX) = $202.49
NCIX - Buy Computers, Computer Parts, Laptops, World's Leading Discount Computer Store
Price: $222.49 - $20 rebate = $202.49 Valid from Feb 01, 2013 to Feb 15, 2013.



EXTRAS =
Monitors:
Samsung SyncMaster S24B30BL 23.6in Widescreen LCD = $139.99
Samsung SyncMaster S24B30BL 23.6in Widescreen LCD at Memory Express

Heatsync: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo $28.74
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler at Memory Express
(Price match from here: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366/1155/1156/2011 120mm)



= NO MONITOR PRICE $864.72 - $20 mail in rebate = $844.72 + $101.37 tax = [b]$946.09[b] <-- trying to build ~$800
With Monitor + heatsync = $1013.45 + $121.61 tax = $1135.06

looks good :)

for monitor though i wouldnt get that especially if your friends serious on sc2. spend a little extra money and get a monitor that will actually show the results of your video card.

heres the problem with that monitor.

1.) its a matte black screen so for color contrast and stuff its not the best.. for gaming i personally prefer and would recommend a glossy finish so you can see how everything is meant to be seen. you dont want to miss anything.

2.) doesnt say but im like 99.99% positive... its 60 hz. you have a pretty main stream video card, your going to hit near 100 fps in ALOT of the games you play. with a 120hz monitor you'll see exactly what your video card shows. i mean its like buying a blu ray player and playing it on a crt tv... blu ray shows like 1080p but the tv cant produce it.. so its like why buy the blu ray player. some people say they can notice it, some say they cant. i say why the eff not xD its really worth it imo.

3.) 5ms vs 2ms. RTS get the 2ms. especially if you game a lot. (less input lag)

heres wut i recommend.

NCIX - Buy Computers, Computer Parts, Laptops, World's Leading Discount Computer Store

you can price match for like 190$. its the cheapest one i can find |:

A thing about glossy monitors. Try it out in a store if possible first. Sometimes the reflections off the glossy screen are super annoying. Unless your room is pretty dark most of the time.

Looking for a standard 7200 rpm hdd, probably in the 2TB range. But it isn't too urgent.

It seems to me that prices have been more or less stable for at least the past 4+ weeks (that's when I have more or less started looking), and it is hovering at ~$90 mark for a 2TB hdd. Would you guys have any idea when the next price drop on hdd might come around?

if its for just storage and your not going to put your Operating system on it... get a western digital green. if your going to put your OS on it and you tend to move your files alot and back them up, get a western digital black.

Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green SATA3 Intelli Power 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD
Green Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 64MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5in SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM
Black Drive

and theres also a the barracuda drives. they are excellent as well in terms of performance.
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Drive

i guess in your price range get a WDgreen if its just storage, get a barracuda if your using it for multipurpose (putting your os, games, movies, pictures etc.)

I'm looking to sell my desktop because I don't play games often anymore - I just want a laptop now. Based on the specs, what is a reasonable price I could get for this unit? I'm thinking $700. Everything's in really good condition and the specs are as follows:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k
Mobo: ASUS p8p67 Deluxe
RAM: 16gb Mushkin Silverline
PSU: Corsair 650W V2
Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
HDD: 2x 1TB Seagate Barracudas
GPU: ASUS GTX 560Ti
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912
CD/DVD Burner: ASUS something

for those wanting a new gpu
Asus ENGTX580 DirectCU II GeForce GTX 580 1536MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort in Clearance at Memory Express

150$ for cpu
150$ for mobo
70$ for ram
if its a 650w txv2 then prob uh 50$ (depending on its age)
10$ for heat sink
40$ each for 1tb seagate barracudas
120$ for gpu
40$ for case
10$ for cd/dvd burner

thts prob what i would expect if i were to buy refurbished parts at an ncix sale. prob around 700$-800$. and also depends on how long you've had it for. assuming these are all 1 year old and used for 365 days.

you can probably find 660Ti for cheaper...pretty much same performance...AND uses less power and heat

and possibly a current free game or two..

hey quick question guys, I know some of you would know the answer to this....
I have my PC hooked up to my bigscreen in the living room so I sit about 10-15 feet away from it. And I have to enlarge everything using the "make text and other items larger or smaller" I have it set to 150% which is perfect, I can see everything clearly... but no matter what, the typical text in things like folders mostly still stays tiny and small, I don't know why ? is there another option I'm missing or something ?

basically if you look at my desktop pic here, it's pretty much all the text inside the folder there, every single letter

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...psced039a7.png

SSD taking it's sweet ass time starting up, specifically at the "Starting Windows" page with the low-res flashing logo.

It's speedy after I pass that page, it's just that particular screen that takes a hella long time to load for some reason.

^ do you have lots of things installed? how full is your ssd?

23GB left with page file and hibernation disabled. It's a 64GB Plextor M5S

You should be able to change the font sizes in the appearance section of windows. Right click on desktop and choose personalization.

Ive read that if theres less then half the space left on SSD drives, the speed of the drive will decrease... not sure if its true or not...

step 1: right click desktop then select screen resolution http://puu.sh/1XS12
step 2: click 'Make txt and other items larger or smaller' http://puu.sh/1XSrC
step 3: click 'larger - 150%' http://puu.sh/1XSu2

I want to note this doesnt really work that well with web browsers. like the urls and tabs wont enlarge. What you can do is lower your resolution lol. that will enlarge and stretch the screen [step 1].

Few possibilities.

Three most common are:

1.) You have a shit ton of services. Did you install a bunch of random stuff? to find out, click start -> run -> type in 'msconfig'. like mine looks like this. http://puu.sh/1XTu4 If you install bunch of random tool bars and stuff, you will have a long as hell list (just make sure you check the box 'hide microsoft services')

2.) You have a virus. Use spyware scanner, antivirus, and malware scanners. Make sure they are legit goods ones. Make sure you don't have multiple ones to avoid conflict. Antivirus like Avast and malware scanner? like hit man. Just make sure they are from legit sources (ie. CNET)

3.) Your computer isn't optimized or it was a bad windows install. Run a chkdsk /f. This will check if there's any errors on your drive. This could help optimize/ help your computer. To do this, Press start -> run -> type in 'cmd' -> type in 'chkdsk /f' -> reboot your computer, and let your computer run the chkdsk. [note that it wont appear like in windows environment when you run it so don't be alarmed]

Try those solutions out. Also try not to have a full capacity SSD as it slows it down by a lot.

Oh yea and one last thing, make sure you have the latest firm ware. As I know some brands such as the super reliable crucial m4 had some problems that were fixed later on with a firmware upgrade. Just check out your manufacture's website for more info.

That is true. You shouldn't see a huge difference though until your SSD drive is nearly at 100% capacity. You never want a full SSD, you want it around 80% full at most. also the performance decreases if the size of the SSD is smaller. meaning if i had a 128gb m4 ssd vs a 64 gb m4 ssd, they are the same but the 128gb is going to have better performance.

yea I have the text and other items larger option set to 150% already, if I go any bigger other things aren't able to fit on the screen. This option enlarges everything else fairly well, but inside of folders where my main issue is, it barely makes a difference. My resolution is 1920x1080 and the tv is a 60 inch, I like watching you tube and videos/movies and gaming in 1080p , so don't really wanna mess with resolution.
As for the browsers I use Chrome and I just use the page zoom function which works well for the most part.

I guess I'll dig around the windows customization sites see what they got to offer, my windows options are exhausted if you guys say there's no other options for this.

So need help with water cooling or air cooling??

stock i7-3770k possibly i5-3770k ... would you do a H60 vs H70 vs Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo $28.74 Air cooler?

TD has a sale for H70 for like $40 but has no FANS on it?.. but h60 is like $60 w a 120mm
what about air cooler?

won't OC the comp so whats a good quiet / cheap advice!?

if your looking for good quite / cheap get the 212 Evo. Easy to find, and reliable, tons of reviews. I think at low settings with its stock fans, its like 30.0db that i read. The lowest is like 28.0db, but all of those models are hard to find, compatibility issues and yeah... and they look ugly.

Air is better than water cool in terms of noise : performance ratio. But water cooling has better cooling performance in high temperatures.

For the H70, thing is you can swap fans. So in theory you should get close to same sound levels, but better performance, depending on your fan choice. Like Scythe fans on the h70 would be nice. But again, price, quite and performance is best for air.

So I would recommend you get a 212 Evo.