RESOLVED: am thinking of getting this PC, for both gaming and developing

General Discussions
#11

I went through similar hand-wringing last year and didn’t pull the trigger on anything. Riven gave some advice on going through a friend (checked, none are upgrading at the moment) or CraigsList (I think he said eBay, actually).

I am going to give that idea another go. It is scary buying from strangers not in an actual business. I don’t like the idea of dealing with illegal software copies (often the case). But at least, with the research and advice, I’m starting to get a better idea of what sort of cpu and graphics capabilities…

#12

I recommend you use: PC Part Picker

All CPU’s can be a minecraft server really, im sure the Intel Pentium G3258 at $60 could probably run one.

the Intel Pentium G3258 dual core CPU may be a good option if you really don’t want a good CPU, at around $60 and can be easily overclocked up to about 4.5ghz if you get the motherboard that allows overclocking. People compare it to the Intel i3 or i5 (cant remember which one) when its overclocked and it gives a great fight for its really cheap price.

That 750 TI, I saw one for like $128 on pcpartpicker, and it came with a $15 rebate, so it was even cheaper.

If you want the i3 dual core, I would seriouesly maybe take a look at the G3258 if you want to overclock it to get the best for your money, there should be a lot of tutorial or even videos for overclocking it, just do a little research before you buy it.

#13

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xpyPYJ

That should be a lot better, and probably the best you can get for $450 (well, $490, but $45 in rebates).

That motherboard I think lets you overclock, I believe a lot more motherboards got updates to allow for overclocking to use for the G3258, but you may have to update the BIOS to get it to overclock.

if it is to much, you could scale down a little on the GPU, and save a little bit.

EDIT: Oops, looks like I forgot to put a case, you could either reuse your case on your current PC to save some money, or press Edit on the page, and choose a case, you can sort by cheapest to find one. probably be about $500 after rebates, so you may want to scale down on the GPU to something like a Radeon r7 260x, or down to the GTX 600 series (where you could get a GTX 650 for like $60).

#14

Almost anything you get will be an upgrade over what you have, I imagine. You could transform your current desktop (I’m assuming it is a desktop) by adding an SSD running a recent version of Windows*. You could also get a GT750Ti video card - this is currently the fastest graphics card that needs no additional power leads, it gets all it’s power from the PCIe slot. That means it is friendly to your current power supply.

  • Get a retail version of Windows so that you can change the motherboard and CPU down the line - if you get a cheaper OEM Windows version, it is locked to the first motherboard it is installed in.

Plug alert! Hop over to my Headline Benchmark thread and download my benchmark - lets see how your current rig runs :slight_smile: Somebody uploaded an Android result yesterday that beats my 2007 laptop :’(

#15

@philfrei

I’ve got a spare rack-mount case I haven’t used in ~7 years if you’d like to grab it. From my quick reading of this thread I can also help you put together a box too as it seems like you might not have done this before. Besides we chatted previously about hanging out at some point. Not too many JGOers have historically been near SF Bay Area as far as I’m aware.

It looks like what @Phased posted is a good build out: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xpyPYJ at that price range. I’d switch to an ATX motherboard as that is what the case is unless you wanted to buy a microATX case. I guess you can put a microATX board in an ATX case; it’d look empty with the case I have…

I live close by to Central Computers in SF, so if there by chance is a missing cable it’s easy to pick it up. If you decide to pull the trigger on ordering those parts PM me…

#16

@Catharsis - Yes, am interested. I sent a PM.

Here’s a question.

Suppose we start with the purchase of the computer I listed earlier, and add another 4MB RAM for 8 total (16 possible):

[quote]CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2203 Desktop PC AMD FX-Series FX-6300 (3.50GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB HDD Windows 8.1 64-bit
[/quote]
How do I find out if it is possible to upgrade the graphics card to the recommended GT750Ti? (I’m thinking this should be no problem.)

How do I find out if it is possible to upgrade the CPU to the recommended FX 8320 CPU (3.2ghz 8 core)? (I know much less about how interchangeable CPU’s might be.)

I’m tempted to try and build, but I think my “angel” may be more comfortable with going with the existing pre-built unit.

#17

Upgrading the graphics card should be no problem. They all fit into the same standard PCIe x16 slot, and I think almost every motherboard has at least one of those.

Upgrading the CPU might be more tricky as some FX motherboards do not support 125W chips (like the 8320) but only 95W chips (like the 6300).

Anyway, here are some links comparing the FX6300 to various i5s… the FX is a nice chip.

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/359/AMD_FX-Series_FX-6300_vs_Intel_Core_i5_i5-4440.html
http://www.headline-benchmark.com/results/9cc0682e-c722-4ff9-b345-278845182aa8/826c8d55-650e-46b7-bd51-8a1e2869dae8

#18

Typically you want to have matched RAM. These days 8GB min; preferred 16GB.

The CPU will have a socket type the FX-6300 and 8320 are AM3+.

The PCPartPicker site is nice because it lists all the details you need to mix and match parts.

I’d recommend it for similar reasons folks above have mentioned: better quality parts, easily exchange / upgrade parts due to a case with space, plus then there is just having the satisfaction of knowing you had a hand in building what you are using daily and know exactly what to do to upgrade a part. Once you build one you’ll never go back to pre-built. It’ll take ~30 min to put it together.

#19

In such circumstances I’d keep that $400 close to my chest, just in case, say, the washing machine breaks… :-\

#20

Nah, fuck that.

Things humans want > things humans need.

#21

@Catharsis – Thanks for the plans you put together at PartPicker. My friend who is helping out with the purchase has some good reasoning about how much computing power is needed for the tasks that I have in front of me. But I also like the fact that with building one’s own there are definite benefits, such as knowing you what you will end up in terms of the supporting gear, and not leave the choice of mobo, power supply, etc., in the hands of companies that seem mostly interested in maximizing their short term profit over selling high-quality products. Fine points, like having matched RAM, are easier to accomplish when building one’s own.

I’m going to hit the reviews concentrating more on the supporting gear this time, and try putting something together that is solid, but looking forward to eventually getting the desired CPU and GPU, and see if I can bring this into budget. The lack of specs on the first computer I referenced, it could be a bit dicy planning on upgrading CPU & GPU sometime in the future when the other components could be weak.

@Catharsis, can you send me a link to the graphics Kickstarter project you mentioned? That sounded interesting, and I’d like to send it out via Facebook, etc., to various people I know who might be interested in checking it out.

@Riven – The funds have to be spent on upgrading.

#22

@Catharsis

I chose that motherboard over a full size one, as it was the cheapest motherboard that supports overclocking.

To my research on the G3258, there was really only one motherboard that allowed overclocking, but ASUS released BIOS updates to allow overclocking because of the release of the G3258. I believe the one I chose allows overclocking, and if he overclocked the G3258, he would for sure benefit a lot more.

A lot like to overclock the G3258, so it should be really easy to find a guide to get a stable overclock.

So the motherboard I chose was more to get the maximum power possible. if philfrei will for sure not overclock the CPU (I probably recommend at least looking up guides and deciding if you think you could do it), you could save around $20 and go for a cheaper board, that will most likely not support overclocking.

#23

Most definitely. I mentioned ATX, because if the case I have to give away (3U rack-mount) is used for the build out it would look “interesting” inside with all that extra space.

We’ll get @philfrei jamming soon enough with some new gear! ;D

Link for the Kickstarter is in my sig… hint hint… all of you… :wink: 4 days left… I can use all the help possible on getting the word out. I just couldn’t get it into the tech press which was what was needed…

#24

New computer built from parts is up and running!

I’m using an AMD FX 6300 CPU (6 cores). There is an 8-core available for a future upgrade.

I’m using a Saphire Radeon R7 260X GPU. It was listed as a good low-cost option for gaming PCs in a Toms article. (Ah, Phased recommended this GPU in an earlier post.) Upgrading to a 750 Ti can wait for a bit.

I found the process stressful and time consuming. Worst point: I case I bought (from Antec) came in with the back panel kind of misshapen, with the slots slightly skewed. Ended up forcing things in, and am hoping the angled video card doesn’t get damaged connections as a result. Was too impatient to send it back for another. Overall I like the model I got. Rookie mistake: bought the DVD drive after having installed everything else, and there was not enough clearance to put it in. Had to take out the MOBO to put in the DVD drive. Annoying. (I was hoping to use my existing DVD/CD drives, but they were not compatible.) Also, the CPU came with a fan, so the separate fan I purchased is going back.

Still, it is pretty cool having it actually up and running now. There is still the process of moving my software and files over, as well as setting up the Linux/Windows dual boot. So far, have downloaded Java and Eclipse but haven’t installed them yet. Much to do still.

I should try installing one of the games I have that wouldn’t run on the old PC. Also, have a coupon for two games from AMD according to a coupon that was sent with the Radeon GPU.

High on the agenda–figuring out how to kill all the ads that are popping up on the new browser.

Thanks, everyone!

#25

[quote=“philfrei,post:24,topic:52375”]
Seperate fans have the plus point of being quieter and allowing you to overclock the cpu more. But if that isn’t a requirement then you should indeed return it.

[quote=“philfrei,post:24,topic:52375”]
Adblock plus :slight_smile:

#26

How can much can you pay for a PC?
Are you going to buy also a monitor?

I can build one pc for you on newegg in 20 mins.

Just answer that and i can do it for you.
Also be sure to have a nice case. I recommend Thermaltake v4 or v3.

#27

Kinda late to the party. OP already built it.

#28

I wouldn’t think going from a Radeon 260X to a GeForce 750Ti would be much of an upgrade if any.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R7-260X-vs-GeForce-GTX-750-Ti

#29

It is not a upgrade, but he was on a really low budget, my suggestion was a 750 TI, and a Radeon 260x if he had to really save money (almost half the price in some cases). Especially when he noted his not a huge gamer, especially not with newer games that get released.

he also said the GTX 750 TI would be a future upgrade, though by the time you decide to upgrade @philfrei , it would probably be better to try going for something more powerful then the 750 TI.

From looking at graphics cards when I was looking one for a friend, a lot of people were suggesting the Radeon 260x over the GTX 750 TI, as it was cheaper and supposedly better in some cases.

Also from my looking around, most people on tomshardware tell people to not use gpuboss as its not a reliable way to compare them.

#30

I also suggested the 750Ti as an upgrade for his old system (limited PSU).

About GPUBoss, I agree, I was being lazy.