| |
BGonline.org Forums
tweeks...
Posted By: Matt Cohn-Geier In Response To: tweeks... (Chuck Bower)
Date: Tuesday, 5 July 2011, at 4:48 p.m.
1) I didn't see a system power supply in your list, and I did check that your recommended case doesn't have one built in. That's going to add another $50+.
Also noticed and included one in the response, costs $20.
2) IMO the SSD is overkill. For the price difference I'd apply that $85 to upgrading the CPU to the i7-2600 -- and I think the $85 covers the upgrade, although I don't know how the two candidates benchmark with XG which is the only reason to go with the more powerful CPU in the first place.
I do think you will get better bang for your buck with the SSD in terms of everyday stuff (loading windows, other commonly used programs), but if what you are mainly looking for is XG performance then the SSD will make almost no difference at all and the 2600K should be better.
For programs that don't use more than 4 threads (i.e., the vast majority), you will see almost no difference between the 2500K and the 2600K since they are basically physically the same chip.
3) What about the (Windows) OS? One (big?) cost advantage of buying prebuilts is that they come with Windows-7 Home. I think the big manufacturers get significant discounts from Microsoft, although I've never really looked into that since my connection with a university gets me many Microsoft products for next to nothing.
You can do whatever you want for your OS, I don't count this as an advantage in my book, but to each his own. You can also compare Newegg prices to ordering from another place, not forcing you to buy from Newegg, just outlining what kind of parts you would want and how much it would cost. My guess is Newegg is cheaper.
4) You didn't include shipping. For small items that tends to be minimal but buying a case through the mail? I scrounged a reject case at the university (for 'free') and bought two at Fry's Electronics brick-and-mortar store in Indianapolis. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Fry's has a store near Jason. (They used to, when he lived in California and Nevada. :) Or is that :( ?
Many of the items at Newegg have low or free shipping, including cases and monitors. Some have higher shipping prices. Just look around for a bit.
BTW, I'm a firm believer in getting a good (aftermarket) CPU cooler, especially if you're overclocking but even if you're not planning that. I'm assuming the one you've chosen for Jason will handle the extra heat or you wouldn't have recommended it. (Five eggs at Newegg is usually a good sign, although I didn't read any of the many responses.) It's not officially "liquid cooled" although the heat pipes contain liquid so it really is, technically. I did read on the Newegg site that your recommended CPU cooler runs even better if you add a second fan. I suspect that's ballpark $10 and if anyone is going to overclock with this fan, why not buy this "insurance policy"?
The CM Hyper 212+ is not in the elite class of air coolers (like the Noctua DH-14 and the Prolimatech coolers), but it is what I would say is 2nd tier. It ought to be very easy to install, much easier to install than those coolers, and you may be able to find it at a cheaper price. Adding a second fan makes sense and will get you cooler temps, should be ~$10. Even without the 2nd fan you should be able to hit 4-5Ghz, depending on the luck you have with your specific CPU & mobo.
Water cooling will be better than any air cooling by a huge margin but I don't have the patience to mess around with water (and of course it will be more expensive). If you do get a water cooled machine my guess is the difference between the 2500K and 2600K for XG will become bigger (because you can reach higher clocks without nearly as much heat). If I was going to buy a computer like Neil suggested from Digital Storm I would seriously consider getting water cooling since I don't have to install it, but any leak would drive me nuts.
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.