TUTORIAL: Buying a Computer for StarCraft 2 for under $650

Technically, he's only paying $600 for hardware. $100 is eaten by a Windows 7 license.

 

So you think it's a little overpriced...but.....still......not bad?

 

Okay price but you might want to consider doing a custom build on the CyberPowerPC website. Upgrading from 9800GT to GTS 250 shouldn't cost much. Maybe just an extra $20-30 bucks.

 

Phew, wow...i don't know that much about "what I should get" or "what not to get" on these custom pcs...so many options and brands and ahhhh!

Any idea of "which" one to customize? haha thanks for the advice though.

like power supply? 500 or 750? lol

 

I know this is proly a newb question, but are all the video cards compatable with this motherboard segested in this build? Im just wanting to spend around 100 for the vid card and still max out sc2. Im thinking of thishttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

What do you think of this tower insteadhttp://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5520044&Sku=T925-3018&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=iFudSkud_Rc-_MLbbDhyZYmQIjSpYnytew

Will it saport the motherboard? Its a bit cheeper and I have no plans of over clocking. The only game I play on the compy is Starcraft. Im hoping to change that soon to starcraft 2

Thanks for all the advice and your time

 

Well the case is too small for these video cards. It's a Micro ATX and you need at LEAST a Mid ATX to fit everything in there.

All video cards that use a PCIe slot will be compatible with this motherboard. Although the one you picked actually has LOWER specs than the one I suggested.

 

The case is Mid-Tower ATX.
Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower Case - ATX, Micro ATX, 120mm LED Fan, 4x 5.25 Bays, 5x 3.5 Bays

@jhibby
Yeah, the case should be a decent enough replacement.

Last I checked, the first post linked to a GeForce 8800 GT (out of stock) and he selected a 9800 GTX+ running at full speed (none of the "green" crap present in a lot of GTS 250 models). I fail to see how his card can have lower specs than the 8800 GT.

@jhibby
I tried searching Newegg for full speed GTS 250 (738MHz Core Clock) 1GB cards but there weren't many of them. There's an ECS GTS 250 512MB card for $100 which should perform the same as the EVGA 9800 GTX+ you selected but quality-wise, I think I'd trust EVGA more.

 

Thanks for the info, I would rather use the evga also but had trouble finding any. I love the enternet, Its prety cool to get expert opinions for free. Thanks for all the help, I rely apriciate it.

 

In short:

DDR3 SDRAM is an improvement over its predecessor, DDR2 SDRAM, and the two are not compatible. The primary benefit of DDR3 is the ability to transfer at twice the data rate of DDR2 (I/O at 8× the data rate of the memory cells it contains), thus enabling higher bus rates and higher peak rates than earlier memory technologies. In addition, the DDR3 standard allows for chip capacities of 512 megabits to 8 gigabits, effectively enabling a maximum memory module size of 16 gigabytes.

With data being transferred 64 bits at a time per memory module, DDR3 SDRAM gives a transfer rate of (memory clock rate) × 4 (for bus clock multiplier) × 2 (for data rate) × 64 (number of bits transferred) / 8 (number of bits/byte). Thus with a memory clock frequency of 100 MHz, DDR3 SDRAM gives a maximum transfer rate of 6400 MB/s.

More on the subject:

DDR2

DDR3

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2232

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/ddr3.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pc-memory,1698.html


And a decent explanation why DDR3 is getting cheaper than DDR2: FOr the same reason DDR is more expensive than DDR2. More in the link below:

http://www.techeye.net/chips/why-ddr2-is-more-expensive-than-ddr3

 

@ Rui-no,

GAH I thought I still had a GTS250 linked in the OP. My bad. I found the same ECS card you were talking about above, linked that and another XFX card that are REALLY cheap with rebate ($80). Here's that link if you missed it.

@ Darkblade,

Yeah I did my homework after you guys called me out on the DDR2 vs. DDR3 compatibility problem. I really had NO idea you couldn't interchange the DIMMs. Of course I've never actually TRIED I always just order whatever the motherboard requires with the highest clock speed and timing. My bad.

But I'll be sure to keep those in line for future articles. Thanks for your guys' help in straightening me out on that, always learning something!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134064&cm_re=gtx_250-_-14-134-064-_-Product

So that's the card I was comparing to the one you had linked. But these ARE cheaper than your 9800 and performed better under my SC2 tests that we did last year in our StarCraft 2 System Reqs article which is now obsolete

 

Is it nesisary to have a 700 wat power suply if im only runin dual core and 2 gig ram if I use this tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

Also if I use a hard drive out of one of my other computors with vista on it will I have to buy another copy of vista and instal it?

Will dual core and 2 gigs with the graphics card you mentiond max out sc2?

Sorry to ask so many questions, Im just geting my list finalized before I buy.

 

2 GB of RAM can max it out with the right video card, and no, you don't NEED a 700W power supply. But the reason I recommend it is that it will ENSURE you have enough wattage for now and a good time into the future for little to no extra cost.

It will also help to eliminate irregularities in your power supply.

 

That seems like a good idea, and its not much more than the 500w. Im planing on geting the graphics card you recomended.

 

The case you recomended is on sale! http://www.xoxide.com/coolermaster-haf922-case.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016BL5M4/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A3IOLVR47AS679

I have never built my own computer and would like to know if this video card will work with the equipment and is better or comparable to the one listed in the original list. Some things aren't available anymore so I had to compromise.

 

@joneagle

I've been doing research into building a dedicated gaming computer (especially one that will run SC2 at ultra settings). I found your tutorial really informative, but I have a question. As I have been cautioned away from AMD processors, I've decided to shell out the cash for an Intel processor and well-matched motherboard (preferably ASUS). I don't, however, care to spend money on DDR3 RAM, which it seems is not worth the cost. Since the i5-matched motherboard in the OP is DDR3-built, could you suggest a good (and cheap <$120) motherboard to match? Or should I bite the bullet and go DDR3?

Thanks so much for advice and for the tutorial

 

Memory controller for the Core i-series is on the CPU, not the chipset. If you want a Core i5, you have no choice but to go DDR3.

 

Would this be a better vid card if im using a 22'' monitor? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130514

Would you even notice frame rate drop off with a 512 mb card.

 

@jhibby,

It has the same specs (except for the memory increase) as the card I recommended so essentially you'd be paying $100 for a 512 MB VRAM memory increase. I'd go with the one I had suggested but that's just my opinion. But no difference in the actual card specs. If you REALLY need the extra VRAM later just upgrade with the $100 you saved. Or you could just buy TWO of the cards I suggested and run them in sync but that's over my head so you'd have to find another tutorial.

@tiefighter,

DDR3 is significantly faster than DDR2. Unless you're strapped for cash I would spring for this upgrade. That's why I suggested it in the build. Plus as rui was saying, the newer processors often come with DDR3 requisite chipset (@rui-no, I thought the processor's chipset IS the CPU?) so you're really not left with much of a choice. In order to be sure your system is compatible I recommend the DDR3 build.

 

Thanks for the advice, guys- I ended up finding some sexy DDR3 RAM for $100, so the choice is clear.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231319