Here is a build that I threw together today. Is this overkill? Core i3 CPU instead of the i5 and a better GPU? Any compatibility issues that you see? I am not on a tight budget, so I may be willing to spend more than this to achieve the results that I want (max settings on 1920 x 1080 res). I want to get the most bang for my buck. I don't want to overpay for a system that goes way over the top of what I need. Please critique my build and make any suggestions that you deem necessary. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827106289 DVD/CD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136073 HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814133266 Graphics Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820145260 RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128405 Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115215 CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.432087 Case/PSU Combo
Diablo 3 might turn out to be quite demanding on your system, but there's obviously no real specs released for that. As for specs for Starcraft 2, there's a whole bunch of threads on this forum dedicated to just that, including a sticky thread. Lastly, anything that runs Starcraft 2, will easily run wow.
Maybe you'd better be with an AMD - CPU?`Since you wanna most bang for your buck, AMD Systems are cheaper at equal specs. For example an AMD Phenom II X4 965 comes for 179 Dollar - with 3.4 GHz per core!
How come the Gigabyte motherboards don't list 1600 mhz DDR3 in their specs? That is one of my concerns. It skips from 1333 to 2200mhz.
Thanks for the suggestion. The i5 750 beat out the Phenoms on the benchmarks that I read, and I don't mind spending 20 more bucks for it. Amazingly, I think it even beat out some of the core i7's. I'm not even sure I need all this power though. I'm wondering if a core i3 530 will get the job done for 85 dollars less...
You just made a hypocrite out of yourself. The i5 750 beats anything AMD has on the market. Then you go on to say AMD beat out some of the core i7's which additionally makes no sense since AMD is nowhere near as good as Intel, and the i7 series is far more powerful than the i5. It seems you are confused. You can't go off of processing power in Ghz when comparing AMD, sure the 965 has 3.4 Ghz but look at is L2 and L3 caches and compare it to Intel and get some more benchmarks. Intel always comes out ahead in processors vs AMD.
You need to read more carefully. Then again, perhaps my previous statement was too vague. I apologize if that is the case. Here is the deal: I meant to say that I saw the i5 750 beat out all of the AMDs on a benchmark I saw on anandtech. It also beat out at least one of the i7s. Look I'm not here to argue. I am a noob, but I am educating myself. I am not here to debate. I just want some help so I don't make a noob mistake such as paying for power that I don't need. That's why I'm here. My biggest concerns are overpaying for a CPU or GPU or even selecting the wrong ones. That is what I need the most help with. Obviously, if there is anything else wrong with my build or if any money can be shaved off the bottom line, feel free to let me know, but I'm mostly concerned with my CPU and GPU selection.
One thing to consider, LGA-1156 is a dead end socket. If you go for a Core i3-530 now, realize that the highest you can upgrade to is a quad-core i7-800 series which performs just a wee bit better than the i5-750 in some applications owing to hyperthreading. There are more and more games taking advantage of quad-cores. Getting an i5-750 means slightly better longevity than if you go dual-core now. Sure, a processor released a couple of years down will beat the i5-750 and will likely be cheaper. The issue is you're going to have to change the motherboard at the same time, maybe even the RAM, and I think total cost of upgrading will be more than $85.
