Brotips for building a new PC?

Discussion in 'Computer Games and General Discussion' started by Quick-zeno, Feb 25, 2012.

Feb 25, 2012
  1. Quick-zeno
    OP

    Member Quick-zeno GBAtemp Regular

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2009
    Messages:
    151
    Country:
    Canada
    So I've been thinking lately about building a gaming PC and I haven't built a computer in years because my primary machines are macs after my last pc had its head fall out its ass. I'm thinking along the lines of the following if its possible:

    i7 (idk lol..)
    16GB of RAM
    1x 256 SSD for Windows
    1x 500 HDD for Hackintosh or Linux.
    1x 2TB HDD for storage between the two OS's @ 7200rpm
    A decent graphics card that can run BF3, Skyrim maxed out without a hitch and hopefully wont be old news in a year.
    No water cooling (Am I being optimistic..?)
    And, well a motherboard that works with OSX, But I doubt anyone could help me with this.

    Not sure if you could call this a tall order or what, as I said I havent really done this in a while.
     
    Quick-zeno, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #1
  2. I2aven's_Sag

    Member I2aven's_Sag GBATemp Otaku

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2009
    Messages:
    726
    Location:
    Northern Virginia
    Country:
    United States
    I2aven's_Sag, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #2
  3. OSpencerO

    Member OSpencerO GBAtemp Regular

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2005
    Messages:
    107
    Location:
    From Nashville, Tennessee In Knoxville, Tennessee
    Country:
    Iceland
    In my opinion as far as picking out components everything comes down to your budget even when building a hackintosh.
    With that said, your budget looks to be great based off the components that you mentioned.
    I am a certified computer technician & would be willing to help you as much as I can if you let me know how much you want to spend on everything. "Total"
    However, I do think you should look at...
    http://lifehacker.co...ng-a-hackintosh
    &
    http://www.hackint0sh.org/
    to help you find more information about building a hackintosh.
    I am confident that between those two places you will find almost everything if not everything you want/need to know.
    I buy most of my components from Newegg / Newegg Business.
    The down side for me is that they charge tax in my state. "Tennessee"
    Sometimes the extra tax kills some of the deals you can find on FatWallet or SlickDeals.
    "They also charge tax in California & New Jersey."
    I also use PriceWatch & eBay from time to time however I will not buy from places/people I don't know unless they take PayPal.
    Anyway, If I can be of any more help please feel free to let me know.


    Thank You,

    Spencer

    :yaynds:
     
    OSpencerO, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #3
  4. Midna

    Banned Midna Banned

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2008
    Messages:
    3,336
    Country:
    Albania
    You don't need water cooling. Nobody needs water cooling. If you do need water cooling, it means you jumped the gun and bought a graphics card before it's technology was efficient enough for normal use. You can definitely get a graphics card that can do Skyrim and BF3 and be passively cooled.

    As for i7, don't do it. The difference between the i5 2500k and the i7 2600k is basically a slightly higher clock speed on the i7 and the i5 not being able to do hyperthreading. The latter bit is useful to almost no one, and certainly not a gamer. The i5 2500k is about the point where going any higher starts to diminish value for what you're paying.

    The RAM is also a tad overkill. I'd get a mobo with 4~ RAM slots and just fill two of them up with dual 4GB sticks. You'll be ready for a quick upgrade if you ever need it.

    Oh and one last thing. Get a nice PSU. That's important. Everything in your PC relies on the PSU. Higher wattage is better. Much better.


    http://tinyurl.com/falconguide

    That's the /g/entleman's guide. It's a good resource. Either use that to pick out parts from newegg, or find a reliable parts store in your city and get them to help you. I'm lucky enough to have several NCIX locations here.
     
    Midna, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #4
    2 people like this.
  5. Rydian

    Member Rydian Resident Furvert™

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2010
    Messages:
    27,883
    Location:
    Cave Entrance, Watching Cyan Write Letters
    Country:
    United States
    Yeah most games are GPU-limited and not CPU-limited, you won't notice the benefit of the i7 family over the i5.
     
    Rydian, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #5
  6. exangel

    Member exangel executioner angel

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2010
    Messages:
    1,574
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Country:
    United States
    Regarding the difference between i7 and i5, anyone have any real world experience on a difference in PCSX2 or Dolphin performance comparison?
    I got PCSX2 running real nice on an i7 last summer, has made me want for one ever since, but if i5 is veritably the same even for emulation, I'd love to save myself a hundred bucks.
     
    exangel, Feb 25, 2012 Top
    #6
  7. Rydian

    Member Rydian Resident Furvert™

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2010
    Messages:
    27,883
    Location:
    Cave Entrance, Watching Cyan Write Letters
    Country:
    United States
    Well in general no. Some of the differences that used to exist may or may not with new models, the differences are a little flakey. Can't tell without the actual models.
     
    Rydian, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #7
  8. Midna

    Banned Midna Banned

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2008
    Messages:
    3,336
    Country:
    Albania
    Sandy bridge wasn't out last summer. The i7 you used is probably less powerful then the i5 2500k. The 2500k will do just fine for PC2X and Dolphin
     
    Midna, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #8
  9. Sora de Eclaune

    Member Sora de Eclaune Baby squirrel, you's a sexy motherfucker.

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2011
    Messages:
    2,800
    Location:
    123 Fake Street
    Country:
    United States
    Unless you're doing all that on a laptop. Then you'll need an entire freezer. I swear, laptops are the hottest things ever, besides pans on a stove.
     
    Sora de Eclaune, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #9
  10. Originality

    Member Originality Chibi-neko

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2008
    Messages:
    5,304
    Location:
    London, UK
    Country:
    United Kingdom
    What do you expect when you cram a powerful CPU (and GPU) in a tiny space with tiny heatsinks and virtually no airflow?

    BTW, I have water cooling for my CPU, in the form of the Corsair H60 cooler.
     
    Originality, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #10
    1 person likes this.
  11. KingBlank

    Member KingBlank King of Nothing

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2008
    Messages:
    549
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Country:
    New Zealand
    In NewZealand, i found that the 2600K was cheaper than the 2500k and ram only costs about 10$ a gig, however, unless you are hosting some server with 10+ clients, you dont need more than 8 gigs of ram.
     
    KingBlank, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #11
  12. exangel

    Member exangel executioner angel

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2010
    Messages:
    1,574
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Country:
    United States
    No, it was a 2600K.
    It was available in August.

    I'd still like to hear if anyone has compared the i7 2600K with any Sandy bridge i5's. For emulation, specifically.
     
    exangel, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #12
  13. I2aven's_Sag

    Member I2aven's_Sag GBATemp Otaku

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2009
    Messages:
    726
    Location:
    Northern Virginia
    Country:
    United States
    Obligatory I love my laptop post.
     
    I2aven's_Sag, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #13
  14. Midna

    Banned Midna Banned

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2008
    Messages:
    3,336
    Country:
    Albania
    The only difference between the two is a 100MHz clock speed difference (Try overclocking if you really care), and the i5 is gimped out of hyperthreading. You can read up on hyperthreading if you want, but the long and the short of it is that it really won't help emulation or gaming at all.

    So go for the 2600k... if you can't keep your money in your pockets. Hell, the Ivy bridge series hits really soon. There is no bloody point in buying the very best in a line that will shortly be out dated.

    Edit: Yeah I was wrong about the Sandy bridge thing. Sorry bout that.
     
    Midna, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #14
  15. xephos

    Newcomer xephos Advanced Member

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2012
    Messages:
    55
    Location:
    U.S.A
    Country:
    United States
    Hey one motherboard that I know of that works with mac is the Gigabyte UD3H-B3, real great board, lots of features, great price too.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498
     
    xephos, Feb 26, 2012 Top
    #15
    1 person likes this.

Share This Page