Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

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Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby nub on Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:19 am

Waddup 'Lopers. I'm planning on doing a very budgeted, progressive upgrade to a new PC. I'm going to start by getting a new case, motherboard, CPU, PSU, and RAM to start. I'm going to use my 2 hard drives (320gb for OS and 1tb for general data), my disk drives, and the GPU from my current rig until I get more money. I'll probably just keep my disk drive and 1TB HDD, then replace the 320gb HDD with a SSD. The GTS 250 will definitely have to get replaced with something newer in the future. But once I do replace the GPU and the OS HDD, I'm going to slap those back in to this old Dell so that the family can use it for themselves. It might be outdated, but it runs great (just not in modern games).

My budget is $700, but the lower I can get it, the better. If $700 is impossible to meet, I can go up a bit. But remember, this is WITHOUT a GPU, hard drive, or disk drive.

Anyway, so far I have the following picked out:

Case - $199.99 (with discount)

CPU - $209.99

RAM - $52.99

After-market CPU Cooler - $29.99 (with discount)

Total: $492.96


The case is pricey but I really liked the features it had. I watched the Newegg video that showed it off and it looks like a really well-built case for its price. It looks easy to clean and the boxy design appeals to me personally. The price is the only thing I dislike. I'm totally open to suggestions though. Something practical with high accessibility that's easy to clean. I'd prefer a full tower over a mid tower, for better airflow.


Anyway, what I really need assistance on is picking out a good PSU and motherboard that are both suitable for a budget system and are going to be stable and reliable.

For the PSU, I was looking at two different models that are in entirely different price ranges. First, the Corsair HX750. Modular, 80 PLUS Gold, 750 watts. But as I said, I don't know if this is a reliable model. Alternatively, there's the Corsair CX600, which is non-modular (sad-face), but is at least 80 PLUS Bronze, and it's only $69.99 ($49.99 with a $20 rebate). A much more attractive price, but again, I don't know if it's reliable. Also, I don't know if 600 watts will be enough for my system once I get the new GPU installed.

As for a motherboard, I honestly don't even know where to begin, aside from which socket I need. I tried to find the cheapest board that was up to date. I'm trying to build as future-proof as possible. So far, the ASUS P8Z77-V LK seems like a decent buy, but I'm not entirely sure. It's got Intels Z77 tech, USB 3.0, and SATA 6gb/s. The last two are practically standard nowadays but yeah, you get the idea.


Anyway, feel free to give me any suggestions you have. It doesn't have to be just the mobo or psu.
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby SotaPoika on Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:31 pm

If I had 700$ budget, here's what I'd buy and get damn nice bang for my buck (very-likely):

*Case: Fractal Design Define XL

This case won't be scaring chicks away, like the hideous thing you had there chosen. It's also labeled "silent", which means it runs.. quiet. My own PC-case is Antec's P182b, which runs so quiet people usually don't realize my PC is actually running.

*Motherboard: Asus P8B75-V

Good motherboard if you're not going for overclocking and SLi/Crossfire configurations (which really aren't needed anyway). It has one slot for GPU and 4 slots for memory if you want to go for more than the 2 sticks.

*Processor: Intel Core i5-3450 (3.1GHz)

Very good processor that runs 3.5GHz on Turbo mode, which is more than enough. For comparison, my ~3 years old Core i7 920 @ 2.66GHz can still run games 'n shit really nicely these days.

*Processor Cooler: Scythe SCKTN-4000

Nice CPU-cooler for the price. Basically, you don't need aftermarket CPU-cooler unless you want to overclock your processor more than necessary, but I included one because the PC-case is silent type where airflow isn't necessarily the best for stock CPU-coolers.

*Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu, 2x4GB (1333)

Kingston is the way to go to be honest. Why would you need some fancy (ugly) looking "Vengeance" memory, that can run 1600Mhz, but which is pretty much insignificant gain from 1333Mhz on normal/gaming use without overclocking. Also, these Kingston ones are low-profile too. Save the space!

*Powersupply: XFX P1-650X-XXB9 650W

650W is to my knowledge, enough for a setup with even rather powerful GPU (when you're bying one), unless you're going to be overclocking stuff. XFX powersupplies are reliable from what I've been reading, so I'd trust this one if you're having your PC on normal/gaming use.

All that makes it 596.94$ according to Newegg's cart.
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby nub on Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:01 pm

I'll stick with the CPU I picked since the price difference is pretty negligible. 't make much of a difference at all so I might as well go one step up. I don't really plan on overclocking, so getting that additional stock speed helps.

I like the case you posted. Definitely digging the minimal, sharp design. And the fact that it's designed to be quiet is appealing. I still like the Thermaltake case I picked out, but the cheaper the price the better, so I swapped them out. One thing I dislike about it is the front panel door. I like the function it serves, but it looks a bit tacky when you open it up. I can deal with it though.

Switched from the Corsair ram to the Kingston ram. You make a good point. But if I have some wiggle room in the future, I might just go for something way above 1600 just for the additional speed.

I don't know about that XFX PSU. It only has one review, whereas the Corsair CX600 has 278 reviews and is still 4 eggs. Most of the 1-egg reviews are people complaining about DOAs so it doesn't have me too worried. I do like the fact that the XFX PSU is modular, but it's also more expensive. If I can find one in that price range that's modular, at least certified PLUS Bronze, and has lots of reviews, then I'll think about it.

The CPU cooler you posted is open box, plus I've heard tons of good things about the Cooler Master Hyper 212, and it's only like $6 more. Actually, there's a $10 mail in rebate for the Hyper 212, which knocks it down to $19.99.

Lastly, the motherboard you posted looks fine, but the one I picked is from Asus's newer lineup. It has the Intel Z77 Chipset and Asus's new tech as well. I might stick with the one I picked even though it's more expensive just because it's what I care about the most. I'll allot the most money in to the motherboard and PSU if I have to. Besides, I'm at $589.95 now that I swapped out the case and ram. That's a really comfortable price for me. If I play my cards right and snag a deal on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, then I might even be able to lower the price even more, or stay at a similar price and get better components.
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby SotaPoika on Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:30 pm

Yeah, valid points there.. I didn't notice the open-box thing for the CPU-cooler, never heard of that stuff before.

Only thing to pick, is the memory speed. Like I said, the speed gain from 1333Mhz to 1600Mhz is nothing in normal desktop usage and going even higher than 1600Mhz is just even more waste of money. You only get good points in PCMark/3DMark with some +1600Mhz speeds, but nothing that benefits you when you play games, do mapping or some other everyday tasks on your PC.
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby cz_squishy on Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:40 pm

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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby nub on Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:52 pm

SotaPoika wrote:Only thing to pick, is the memory speed. Like I said, the speed gain from 1333Mhz to 1600Mhz is nothing in normal desktop usage and going even higher than 1600Mhz is just even more waste of money. You only get good points in PCMark/3DMark with some +1600Mhz speeds, but nothing that benefits you when you play games, do mapping or some other everyday tasks on your PC.

I see. I'm happy with the ram you recommended anyway.



Right now I'm leaning more towards Nvidia, but if I can be convinced to go with ATI then I might just go with that card. But as it stands, I'm thinking about a GTX 680 or something along those lines. I've just heard things about ATI users having trouble running games that basically force you to use PhysX and whatnot. If you don't have PhysX support, all that shit gets thrown to the CPU for calculation, which bogs it down a lot. Hell, even the PhysX processor in my GTS 250 isn't sufficient enough. Last time I tried to play Mirrors Edge with PhysX enabled, I got literally 1 frame per second.

Additionally, I've been told the catalyst drivers are hit and miss, and I've also heard things about shadow filtering (I think?) in certain games not being compatible with ATI cards. It's probably nothing I should worry about, but I've just always been satisfied with my Nvidia cards.

Anyway, I appreciate the recommendation.
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby zombie@computer on Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:07 pm

Btw, if your case supports 'wire-smuggling' like that fractal designs thing (leading the power cables behind the mobo) modular vs nonmodular becomes a non-issue. As for wattage, there are psu calculators (google) that can estimate a psu wattage for you. You rarely need to exceed 500 watts unless you go for sli or shitty brand or something. Or you have a shitload of hdds.

Also, since you are on a budget, i wouldnt buy an aftermath cooler. If, during operating, you find the stock cooler to noisy you can always get a better one.

Personally i wouldnt spend that much on a case, but thats me. My latest case is a cooler master silencio 550 and its cheap as shit and whispersilent. The noisiest part of that pc is the harddisk :)
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Re: Need suggestions on mobo and PSU

Postby nub on Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:58 pm

I was hoping you'd post, z@c. I took a look at that Silencio 550, but it's a mid tower and I really want to get a full tower. That's partly why it's so cheap compared to the Fractal Designs case, I guess. Plus I like the Define XL's look over the Silencio 550.


Also, thanks again to everyone for throwing some suggestions out there. I feel satisfied with what I have picked out at the moment. Hopefully I can actually start ordering some parts in the near future.
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