How to make my build cheaper?

[hokxj]

Hi,

This is my build for a quiet, budget gaming pc that will be used to play games like bf3, mw3 at a highish setting on 1920x1080. I will be overclocking this in the future. Please keep in mind this is Australian prices so a recommendation of a substitution of an item would be greatly appreciated.

CPU: i5 2500k $219

MOBO: AsRock z68 pro3-m - $119

PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520 - $67

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600mhz 2x4gb - $65

Case: Fractal R3 - $142

GPU: Powercolor 6950 1gb - $219

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $57

Fans: Nexus Real Silent 5 pack - $49 + $12 Shipping

Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ $32

Monitor: Benq 24” e2420 - $175

I think I can cut costs in the ram (1333 v 1600 for overclocking?) , fans (probably don’t need an extra 5 fans) and case. However keep in mind that I need it to be quiet.

Thanks

 

[SPS]

6950 is not really 'that' quiet maybe try and get a 560Ti? (might be a bit more expensive though, hmm...)

I'm not sure whether you will need to buy additional fans as I think they are quiet in the R3 already (double check that though)

 

[Scoob]

Hi,

I think you've spec'd yourself a nicely balanced system there. I agree with SPS that 5 extra fans sounds excessive but if they are required to replace known noisy ones that come with the case etc. then I get where you're coming from.

Graphics card will be one of the noisier components I imagine. I think at the time I bought by 570 the 6950 was considered noisier than the 570, and that (albeit with my own more agressive fan profile) does get louder when pushed. I floor-stand my kit but if it was right next to me on the desk I think I may find it irritating, as it is it's fine - at least for me.

It's a difficult line of compromises to get value while keeping the performance you need and staying quiet.

Best of luck to you.

Scoob.

 

[RedgyK]

If im correct the stock fans in the R3 are as close to inaudible as you'll get a computer case. A friend of mine has an R3 with a 6850 and the only thing you could hear was the GPU fan. And I even had too listen closely to hear the GPU fan..

So, just do some research on a quiet GPU, nvidia 5xx serier are apparently much more silent than AMD 6xxx series.. And get some noctua, fractal or any other silent fans with the case if you want more than the stock fans and it will stay very quiet..

 

[KaraMurat]

Here are my thoughts:

MOBO: AsRock z68 pro3-m @ $119 - Wouldn't really recommend AsRock for a build like this, I know they are cheap and that's what you're aiming for but I don't think you should be skimping on important parts such as the motherboard, try something like an asus / msi / gigabyte board.

PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520 @ $67 - Again, would suggest you pick another psu brand. Antec do make decent psu's but a psu is the last thing you want to skimp on, if anything the psu is the most important part of a rig and should not be an after thought - corsair / seasonic / mushkin / enermax is what you should be aiming for, 600watts+ should be fine (to enable room for overclocking and some additional components as you might be adding fans and a fan controller).

Case: Fractal R3 @ $142 - Here is where you can make a decent saving, I know the R3 is a very good case but tbh I would rather spend money on components rather than a case. I would suggest a cheaper case if possible (not saying you need to buy the cheapest piece of tat, just that you could make a saving) - BitFenix Shinobi / CoolerMaster CM 690 II / Xigmatek utgard - asgard - midgard are examples of cheap but good cases.

GPU: Powercolor 6950 1gb @ $219 - Would suggest the 560 ti, it's around the same price bracket (in uk, don't know about aus) but performs better due to drivers and the amount of applications which are compatible with nvidia (not suggesting the 6950 is bad, just saying there are alternatives at the same price point), + the 560ti draws less power and is quieter.

Fans: Nexus Real Silent 5 pack @ $61 - I guess you could hold back and wait for them to become a bit cheaper but if you need them, you could tie this in with the case suggestion I made, if you go with the R3 I think the fans are already pretty quiet as mentioned by SPS, however if you go for a cheaper case as the case fans would be louder you could get these fans to compensate.

Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ @ $32 - Would this cool the i5 2500k efficiently? It's a pretty cheap and good cooler for low power cpu's but would it be enough for the i5, especially if you're going to overclock later on.

Monitor: Benq 24” e2420 @ $175 - Possibly a cheaper monitor or use a tv as an alternative if you have one which supports pc inputs.

Also would it be possible to link the website you will be using to purchase the items, so we could help search for cheap substitutes and get some knowledge of the prices.

 

[WYP]

if you want your pc to be quiet, i would suggest you get a gpu with a dual fan cooler (asus direct cuII msi frozer or sapphire dual fan) and use msi afterburner to adjust fan profile (speeds) to your liking. the dual fans will keep large airflow even at low speeds but dont go too low or you will cook the gpu

 

[hokxj]

Here are my thoughts:

MOBO: AsRock z68 pro3-m @ $119 - Wouldn't really recommend AsRock for a build like this, I know they are cheap and that's what you're aiming for but I don't think you should be skimping on important parts such as the motherboard, try something like an asus / msi / gigabyte board.

PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520 @ $67 - Again, would suggest you pick another psu brand. Antec do make decent psu's but a psu is the last thing you want to skimp on, if anything the psu is the most important part of a rig and should not be an after thought - corsair / seasonic / mushkin / enermax is what you should be aiming for, 600watts+ should be fine (to enable room for overclocking and some additional components as you might be adding fans and a fan controller).

Case: Fractal R3 @ $142 - Here is where you can make a decent saving, I know the R3 is a very good case but tbh I would rather spend money on components rather than a case. I would suggest a cheaper case if possible (not saying you need to buy the cheapest piece of tat, just that you could make a saving) - BitFenix Shinobi / CoolerMaster CM 690 II / Xigmatek utgard - asgard - midgard are examples of cheap but good cases.

GPU: Powercolor 6950 1gb @ $219 - Would suggest the 560 ti, it's around the same price bracket (in uk, don't know about aus) but performs better due to drivers and the amount of applications which are compatible with nvidia (not suggesting the 6950 is bad, just saying there are alternatives at the same price point), + the 560ti draws less power and is quieter.

Fans: Nexus Real Silent 5 pack @ $61 - I guess you could hold back and wait for them to become a bit cheaper but if you need them, you could tie this in with the case suggestion I made, if you go with the R3 I think the fans are already pretty quiet as mentioned by SPS, however if you go for a cheaper case as the case fans would be louder you could get these fans to compensate.

Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ @ $32 - Would this cool the i5 2500k efficiently? It's a pretty cheap and good cooler for low power cpu's but would it be enough for the i5, especially if you're going to overclock later on.

Monitor: Benq 24” e2420 @ $175 - Possibly a cheaper monitor or use a tv as an alternative if you have one which supports pc inputs.

Also would it be possible to link the website you will be using to purchase the items, so we could help search for cheap substitutes and get some knowledge of the prices.

I'm using http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=5 and http://www.msy.com.au/default.jsp

I'm planning on putting a noctua P12 on the cooler master hyper 212+ so that it will be a bit quieter and then also grabbing a scythe slipstream as another intake to create positive pressure. Probably going to drop the ram down to 1333 as well, from what i understand the difference is minimal between 1600 and 1333 when overclocking.

I've also heard that in recent times asrock has come a long way so the quality of their motherboards makes them worth considering.

had a look at the 560 ti and it actually costs a bit more

 

[SPS]

I'm using http://www.umart.com...ex2.phtml?bid=5 and http://www.msy.com.au/default.jsp

I'm planning on putting a noctua P12 on the cooler master hyper 212+ so that it will be a bit quieter and then also grabbing a scythe slipstream as another intake to create positive pressure. Probably going to drop the ram down to 1333 as well, from what i understand the difference is minimal between 1600 and 1333 when overclocking.

I've also heard that in recent times asrock has come a long way so the quality of their motherboards makes them worth considering.

had a look at the 560 ti and it actually costs a bit more

I own a 6950 and while I think price for perfomance is great it's really loud. Maybe the TwinFrozr II models are quieter, or much quieter all together in the R3 itself.