My brother's wife gaming pc

[SeekaX]

I used my iGPU for months before I could afford a dedicated card. Admittedly, it's a fair bit better than the HD2500 in the i3, but I was surprised at how it could play games. Now, the games weren't Crysis, but it played Borderlands with no real issues, for as long as I turned the settings down.

I figure it's nice to have a backup for if your GPU goes up in smoke and you don't have a spare one to hand.

Still, I believe Broadwell's going to be the big leap in terms of Intel's iGPU, so I guess we'll all have to review the situation in 18 months or so

still the appreciation/depreciation ratio is quite bad, i understand to include that with an i3 or an i5, but there should be an i7 model that doesn't have the chip, therefore more cores and isn't a fortune to pay. (i know 3820, i know it's overclockable, still not a fan)

 

[alienware]

i doubt it.
i think you won't find a whole lot of alienware fans in the enthusiast sector, they just are the "gaming" pc company for the simple minded with too much money in their pockets. i'm not even a big fan of their cases, but i can understand your decision to use one.

They serve a purpose and always have tbh.

They're not cheap but then at the same time they are solid and reliable unlike other companies around.

I've been using their chassis now for about seven years and have always liked them. Plus of course there's the main reason - resale value. Take a £300 PC and shove it in an Alienware case and it's suddenly worth twice that.

It's the same with Apple tbh. They sell for fortune.

I'll put up a thread some time showing the ones I've had. I used to work for a place in the USA selling them so I've always had a soft spot for them.

 

[s3ns3]

Also i've read that the a10-5800k > i3 3220 both in price and performance

the i3 kills it.the fx 6300 is on pair or better in some games tough.but this makes me sick you know,6 cores from amd to compete with 2 intel ones.i mean damn.tell your bro to save some cash,cut from ram couse it will do nothing in games really 8 is enough and go for a b75 board,i3 3220 and a gtx 660 or the hd 7870XT couse =~ 660Ti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_hps7TV4d0

and like mentioned before the athlon II X4 750K is the same chip as the a10 but w/o the gpu inside,no point going with an apu if you want a dedicated card.but its weak

 

[SeekaX]

They serve a purpose and always have tbh.

They're not cheap but then at the same time they are solid and reliable unlike other companies around.

I've been using their chassis now for about seven years and have always liked them. Plus of course there's the main reason - resale value. Take a £300 PC and shove it in an Alienware case and it's suddenly worth twice that.

It's the same with Apple tbh. They sell for fortune.

I'll put up a thread some time showing the ones I've had. I used to work for a place in the USA selling them so I've always had a soft spot for them.

can you buy a new alienware chassis without paying a fortune for the overpriced hardware in it? wouldn't really be worth it then.

 

[alienware]

can you buy a new alienware chassis without paying a fortune for the overpriced hardware in it? wouldn't really be worth it then.

Yeah. In 2006 just when Dell took over Alienware they signed an EU agreement to recycle their computer stuff.

So basically before 2006 if you ordered an Alienware then sent it back they used to throw it in a landfill

Because of EU law they could not re-use the parts as it was against the law to sell anything that wasn't new as new.

At first it made things really great because they would just auction off their stock in Ireland and then sellers would put it on Ebay. I got in with a few of them so I was always notified when stuff was coming.

It's not as good now because Dell have started their own outlet and most of it gets sold on there, but you can still bag deals.

I bought my Area 51 ALX chassis with a 1200w psu, DVDRW and BDR for £200 delivered. The light board was supposed to be faulty but it took me two minutes to fix it. I sold my Aurora for £250 so I actually made money even after fees.

You can't even get a good 1200w psu for £200 tbh, and the Area 51 chassis is pretty luxurious (especially the drive bays and the fact it's all alu).

Cable management isn't the best but it doesn't have a window so I don't really care

 

[zaft1g337]

So you guys are saying that a 2 core cpu will be more than enough for the next ~5 years?!

I think we could get a better idea of what to advise if you stated a price range for your budget. We would have a better idea of what you (or they, idk) can afford and would therefore be able to better advise you on which way to go.

I was actually thinking about that, but you see, the problem is that i live in norway, and the prices here are different. Also, 1£ equals almost 9.2NOK
I can list my initial rig with norwegain prices just to give you guys a pointer. But before i do that, i wanted to updated you on a possible upgrade. I met an old friend of mine today and found out that he had an i7 920 lying around that he didn't need. He have used it for a little over 2 years on stock clock. and upgraded to a i7 960 after his mb died. I could probably get that for half the price of i3 3220 if i asked him. Should i go for the a new 1366 mb + his old 920? The main problem of concern is the power usage of the 920. Anyone of you guys knows about a good and cheap mb with low power consumption? He also had a amd 4870x2 that's not in use, but i dont think there is any point in using that one, is there?

Price range in NOK: 3500-4000

CPU: I3 3220 - 940
CPU: I5 3470 - 1400
CPU: I5 3570 - 1500
CPU: A10-5800K - 940
CPU: FX 6300 - 1050

GPU: AMD 6670 - 580
GPU: AMD 7770 - 1300
GPU: AMD 7850 - 1500
GPU: NVIDIA 650TI - 1350
GPU: NVIDIA 660 - 1700

MB: Asus F2A85-M LE (FM2) - 600
MB: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 (AM3+) - 600
MB: Asus P6T WS Professional (1366) - 1870 (cheapest i found)
MB: Asus P8Z77-V Pro (1155) - 1550

RAM: 2x4GB 1600MHz Crucial Ballistix Sport - 300
RAM: 2x4GB 1600MHz Corsair XMS3 Vengance - 480
RAM: 2x4GB 1600MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum - 800
RAM: 4x4GB 2133MHz Patriot Extreme Performance Viper 3 DDR3 - 1000
RAM: 4x4GB 2133MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum - 1850

Cabinet: Carbide 300R - 600
Cabinet: NZXT Source 220 -450

 

[alienware]

I3 isn't two cores, dude.

It's 2 physical cores with two HT logical cores.

I highly doubt the PS4 and XB720 will use more than two, so yes, it should be fine.

I mean, you've seen what a 2 core Celeron can do when put against a I7 950

 

[s3ns3]

ok man get
-i5 3330p(powerfull quad core clocked lower,no igp)
-do not buy a z77 board if the cpu is locked(no K) no point in that,a good b75 will do the same job with a locked one and its around 600NOK
-gtx 660 or if you can find the hd 7870 xt(no point going for the normal one,same price)
-any 1600 ram,vengeance low profile 1.5v are great
-any case i don`t care she has to like it,the 660 fits in anything
-atleast a 450W good psu
its under 4000

 

[alienware]

So you guys are saying that a 2 core cpu will be more than enough for the next ~5 years?!

haha, even my rig won't last five years.

You'll be lucky to get two years out of a basic mid ranged rig in gaming terms tbh.

 

[zaft1g337]

haha, even my rig won't last five years.

You'll be lucky to get two years out of a basic mid ranged rig in gaming terms tbh.

Ofc it can. My brother have a p5q pro mb with a 4 cores intel duo or somethings. OC'ed to 3.4Hz + a 5770 gpu and he plays bf3 on high settings with a 1680X1050 with an avg fps of 45. It's into its 4 years now and i know he doesn't have any plans on upgrading anytime soon =)

ok man get
-i5 3330p(powerfull quad core clocked lower,no igp)
-do not buy a z77 board if the cpu is locked(no K) no point in that,a good b75 will do the same job with a locked one and its around 600NOK
-gtx 660 or if you can find the hd 7870 xt(no point going for the normal one,same price)
-any 1600 ram,vengeance low profile 1.5v are great
-any case i don`t care she has to like it,the 660 fits in anything
-atleast a 450W good psu
its under 4000

You sure you don't mean 3350p? there is no i5 3330p only 3330. Or at least i didnt find any in any norwegian stores. Also, what do is the xt in 7870xt? Btw, i've read on some forums that it is possible to oc a non k cpu with 2-4 bins over the turbo mode. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/356008-28-overclocking-3330 and some other places too. I might ask a stupid question right now, but since i've never had a i3 before, do they also have a turbo mode which could mean that they can be somewhat oc'ed?

 

[SeekaX]

Ofc it can. My brother have a p5q pro mb with a 4 cores intel duo or somethings. OC'ed to 3.4Hz + a 5770 gpu and he plays bf3 on high settings with a 1680X1050 with an avg fps of 45. It's into its 4 years now and i know he doesn't have any plans on upgrading anytime soon =)



You sure you don't mean 3350p? there is no i5 3330p only 3330. Or at least i didnt find any in any norwegian stores. Also, what do is the xt in 7870xt? Btw, i've read on some forums that it is possible to oc a non k cpu with 2-4 bins over the turbo mode. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/356008-28-overclocking-3330 and some other places too. I might ask a stupid question right now, but since i've never had a i3 before, do they also have a turbo mode which could mean that they can be somewhat oc'ed?

average 45 fps and 1050p. that thing will die in 1080p and 45 fps isn't playable. i switch my parts after max 2 years.

 

[s3ns3]

You sure you don't mean 3350p? there is no i5 3330p only 3330. Or at least i didnt find any in any norwegian stores. Also, what do is the xt in 7870xt? Btw, i've read on some forums that it is possible to oc a non k cpu with 2-4 bins over the turbo mode. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/356008-28-overclocking-3330 and some other places too. I might ask a stupid question right now, but since i've never had a i3 before, do they also have a turbo mode which could mean that they can be somewhat oc'ed?

yes that one my bad.i3 does not have turbo.if you want your 4 bins oc get the asrock z75 pro3 with any i5.
7870 xt review - http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/club_3d_7870_joker_xt_edition_review/1

the only thing that needs an upgrade in ~2 years is the video card.

 

[alienware]

Ofc it can. My brother have a p5q pro mb with a 4 cores intel duo or somethings. OC'ed to 3.4Hz + a 5770 gpu and he plays bf3 on high settings with a 1680X1050 with an avg fps of 45. It's into its 4 years now and i know he doesn't have any plans on upgrading anytime soon =)

If that's a Q6600 (and it must be if it's that old) then it was a top of the range CPU. Now you are really looking at an I7 3770 in the equivalent terms.

Things are moving faster than ever now tbh. I guess it all depends on what you see as acceptable for settings and so on