Lookin to experiment

mode7

New member
Hey guys,

I'm gonna be starting college(game programming) come September end and I'm getting a new rig for the same. My past 3 rigs have been me trying out new stuff(new for me, not people in general).

This time around I wanted to make a build with a "small but powerful" theme in general (past ones being "over the top", "over the top mid-range version" and "just right"). As you can see, I'm moving towards lower end specs while maximizing their performance. This only means that I will cut on the core components while spending whatever necessary on the "accessories"(Case, cooling, etc). Kinda like going aftermarket with a cheap "tuner" car (I hope I got the comparison right).

So the AMD APUs and the lower end intel core processors have caught my eye recently and a few other ideas:

1. Case must, MUST be a silverstone ft03. I'm actually in love with it
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.

2. Get the fastest possible GPU which wont get bottlenecked by the CPU.

3. I'll be setting up the cooling however you guys think best. It has to be keeping with no.5, though.

4. Make the rig as silent as possible (a task in itself if I am to go by Tom's review of the case).

5. Give it a 2-tone color theme if possible (white case with 2nd color interiors).

6. Use an SSD for boot and programming tools, IDE.

Things it will to do:

1. Run 2 instances of VS2010 without a hitch. Specially the debugger(one at a time). I <3 VS debugger.

2. Run COD4 @ 125 FPS locked with full AA.

3. Run BF3 without a hitch @ medium.

Both 2 and 3 preferably at 1080 but res is not a big criterion.

4. Mobo should accommodate my xonar DX (just a heads up, though I don't think you guys need it).

Things you guys should know:

1. Budget = 1000USD though I dont think I will reach it.

2. Things I dont need: mouse/KB, optical drive.

3. I'm open to modding the parts to get the color theme right (wire sleeving and the likes, nothing too extreme).

4. I live in India and college is in Singapore. This means that some prices are extremely bloated(the case is for 250$ instead of the 160$ in US). While others are on par. Therefore I need more time to get the parts organized.

Also, I've been collecting CDs and lossless audio for the past year and added the sound card a month ago. Now I'm looking for a decent pair of on-ear cans. I've shortlisted the Klipsch ImageOne and the Grado SR60. Is this too much or is the soundcard good enough to drive these?

Thanks in advance
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I've been looking around and it seems I'm going to have to dump the FT03... the thing is almost 2x the cost compared to US/UK. Saw the TJ08-E and decided upon this one. Here's a config I came up with, could someone rate/suggest improvements? The case and keyboard are indulgences and I won't be changing them unless I can find something better for the keyboard around here. The razer blackwidow expert seems likely at this point, its 40S$ cheaper.



Name ..........................cost(Singapore $)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

CPU - Intel Corei3 2120 (combo with mobo)

Mobo - Asrock H67M-GE ----------335 /

GPU - Leadtek GTX560 OC 1GB ----260 /

PSU - Silverstone 500W ST50F-P -110 /

SSD - Crucial 64GB M4 ----------185 X -> Replaced with Kingston 64GB v100S2 @173$

HDD - WD 1TB black -------------115 /

RAM - G-Skill RipjawX 2x4GB ----100 X -> Replaced with same @ 91$

Case - Silverstone TJ08 E ------155 /

LCD - Dell IN2030M -------------189 X -> Replaced with Benq G2220HD @ same price

K/B - Filco Majestouch Ninja ---189 /


Total = 1492 S$ = 1236 USD

After replacements total = 1571 S$ = 1219 USD

I've checked both Indian and Singapore market prices and the ones with "x" next to them are cheaper by about 5-15$ in India.

Reference:

Indian site

Singapore: (price list links)

KB and Displays

CPU + mobos

Memory, storage, PSU, GPU and chassis
 
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