Starcraft 2 Core i5 750 feedback

[Aldin_d2x]

Hello Everyone,

About three weeks ago the computer I had at the time went thermo nuclear. The mobo, gpu, and psu all got toasted. I figured it was time to purchase a new computer.

Purpose: A gaming setup that aims to maximize Starcraft 2 performance, on about a $1000 CDN budget. In addition, this will be the computer that I use for my university studies.

Based on the this review by techspot on starcraft 2. I have decided to put together the following build:

- CPU = Core i5 750 Processor ($199.99)
- CPU Cooler = Noctua NH U12P SE2 ($59.99)
- MOBO = ASUS P7P55D-E LX ($138.99)
- GPU = MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone ($209.99)
- MEMORY: 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600Mhz ($50.99)
- PSU: OCZ GameXStream 850 W ($119.99) or Corsair HX 650 W ($119.99)
- CASE: Antec Nine Hundred Two ($109.99)
- Hardrive:WD Caviar Black (640 GB, 64 Cache, 7200 RPM) ($59.99)

Total: $949.92

Please comment on the selection of parts, the value of items (buck for bang), and whether you feel the two purposes of the system will be achieved adequately.
Thank you,

Aldin

[Ikthus]

Where are you buying from? You can get the i5 760 for about the same price. I'd also be wary of OCZ power supplies, they are mediocre at best so go for a better brand name like Seasonic/Corsair/Antec. Otherwise build looks pretty solid. If you buy from NCIX make sure you price match all your parts, that should save you a good $100 or so.

[bf1]

looks like a solid build to me, id personally get the 650 lol

[ZZLEE]

Think on a SSD fore arund 100$ it will speed things up Huge. ? SSD fore boot and game

[Keltron 3030]

you know your stuff kid looks like a solid build! btw what res are you playin at?

[Aldin_d2x]

Originally Posted by Ikthus

Where are you buying from? You can get the i5 760 for about the same price. I'd also be wary of OCZ power supplies, they are mediocre at best so go for a better brand name like Seasonic/Corsair/Antec. Otherwise build looks pretty solid. If you buy from NCIX make sure you price match all your parts, that should save you a good $100 or so.

I am comfortable buying parts from two local stores: PcCyber.com and CanadaComputers.com as well as Newegg.ca, Ncix, and Tiger Direct. I had no idea that NCIX did price-match. I really like them as a shipping company - never had problems with them in the past.

Originally Posted by bf1

looks like a solid build to me, id personally get the 650 lol

Yeah, I am leaning towards the HX 650. It seems like a super kickass product: 7 year warranty, great reviews, modular, and its backed by Corsairs brand.

Originally Posted by ZZLEE

Think on a SSD fore arund 100$ it will speed things up Huge. ? SSD fore boot and game

I thought about including an SSD but they are just so expensive right now. When they drop in price I will consider buying one but I don't think 2 second load time on the Caviar black is something I'd fuss over much.

Originally Posted by Keltron 3030

you know your stuff kid looks like a solid build! btw what res are you playin at?

Thanks Keltron. I really did a ton of reading, asking around, and still am getting advice. I will most likely be playing on 1680x1050 settings with hopefully ultra high settings. I have yet to get some of the parts and assemble it.

On a side note, what is your opinion on the P7P55D-E mobo?

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by Aldin_d2x

I am comfortable buying parts from two local stores: PcCyber.com and CanadaComputers.com as well as Newegg.ca, Ncix, and Tiger Direct. I had no idea that NCIX did price-match. I really like them as a shipping company - never had problems with them in the past.



Yeah, I am leaning towards the HX 650. It seems like a super kickass product: 7 year warranty, great reviews, modular, and its backed by Corsairs brand.



I thought about including an SSD but they are just so expensive right now. When they drop in price I will consider buying one but I don't think 2 second load time on the Caviar black is something I'd fuss over much.



Thanks Keltron. I really did a ton of reading, asking around, and still am getting advice. I will most likely be playing on 1680x1050 settings with hopefully ultra high settings. I have yet to get some of the parts and assemble it.

On a side note, what is your opinion on the P7P55D-E mobo?

On a single card Ultra you'll run fairly well so long as the board doesn't get too too cluttered.
I've run into interesting FPS jumps with a SLI'd pair of 460's.

Otherwise it looks solid, you could also consider getting a Silverstone 750W which should be cheaper than the Corsair unit. You lose out a bit on warranty, but you still get a very decent unit.

ST

[h0nam]

I have to say, I just got an SSD (OCZ Vertex 2 60GB), and Windows does load much faster. For SCII though (which is pretty much the only game I play on PC at the moment), I would have to say it made a marginal difference. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, I don't know. All I have on my SSD is Windows 7 and SCII, everything else is stored on a separate drive. Also, do note that when playing online in SCII you have to wait for everyone to finish loading before the game starts anyway, so regardless of how fast you load you will still have to wait for the slowest person!

First of all, I would agree with Ikthus and go for the i5 760.

And by the way, I'm assuming you are not going to SLI/Crossfire in the future? In case you missed out on some small details, the P7P55D-E LX doesn't support it.

Also, if you don't mind changing the brand, I think you can get the GTX 460 for cheaper (eg. Gigabyte).

Hope my opinions are of some use to you!

[wonton1017]

Get the Antec Truepower New 650, it's probably the best one for the price!

[Galcobar]

Although you've probably already been persuaded, also advising against OCZ as a power supply. I've had two GameXStream fail on me -- well, actually, the fan was the issue both times. One developed a whine, the other, an RMA unit, arrived with a whine. In between were two EliteXStream failures. The reputations for the OEMs used by OCZ are not good for a reason.