starcraft build for friend

[CTA]

i want to know if intel duo and quad core are good enough... or is it better to use amd? or even new i5 (non-sb or sb)

starcraft 2 still uses directx 9c... since upgrade from intel duo/quad for gaming is not big different... :/ but i want to build that can last more than 5 years because he is so cheap... -_-;

his budget is about 700 without tax... so please suggest... thanks...

[draemn]

SC 2 is CPU bound, so if you're really pushing for consistent no lag gameplay, you're going to want a high Mhz with at least a dual core. I personally suggest you look at reviews of how well Sandy bridge IGPs perform in SC 2 (and at what settings), as you might be able to get away with the k series (IGP 3000 series) and save $. He can always buy a dedicated GPU in the future and plunk it in.

Technically, as a dx 9 title, SC 2 won't take much advantage of more than 2 cores, but the future will! Also, since you can o/c sandy bridge on a stock cooler (2600k or 2500k only) to 4.4 Ghz or higher, that will beat the pants off pretty much any other CPU.

As for graphics, medium settings turn on 60% of the eye-candy and high is almost everything on. You really don't need anything more powerful than a $160 card for SC 2 at anything short of 2560x1600. Really focus your budget on CPU.

i.e.
$230 CPU - (i5-2500k)
$130 mobo - (can go as low as $100)
$70 memory - (4GB)
$55 storage - (500GB is a bit small, but you can always add another later)
$80 case - (can always cheap out on the case if you want...)
$100 PSU - (550w will be enough to add 1 GPU in the future)
$20 optical drive?
//
$130 GPU - (GTS 450 or similar)

This would be over budget at $815 and assumes you don't need to buy a monitor, speakers, operating system (windows). You can only really knock off $100 at most, unless you use the IGP in Sandy Bridge and don't buy a GPU (that knocks off $130 by itself). If you are going to get a dedicated GPU, you'll have to go with a CPU priced around $150 or less and then you can probably pick up a decent mATX mobo for about $70-90. If you aren't going to overclock, you can cheap out on the PSU if you want (I never would) and get a PSU in a case or something.

[kendallcschm]

Originally Posted by draemn

SC 2 is CPU bound, so if you're really pushing for consistent no lag gameplay, you're going to want a high Mhz with at least a dual core. I personally suggest you look at reviews of how well Sandy bridge IGPs perform in SC 2 (and at what settings), as you might be able to get away with the k series (IGP 3000 series) and save $. He can always buy a dedicated GPU in the future and plunk it in.

Technically, as a dx 9 title, SC 2 won't take much advantage of more than 2 cores, but the future will! Also, since you can o/c sandy bridge on a stock cooler (2600k or 2500k only) to 4.4 Ghz or higher, that will beat the pants off pretty much any other CPU.

As for graphics, medium settings turn on 60% of the eye-candy and high is almost everything on. You really don't need anything more powerful than a $160 card for SC 2 at anything short of 2560x1600. Really focus your budget on CPU.

i.e.
$230 CPU - (i5-2500k)
$130 mobo - (can go as low as $100)
$70 memory - (4GB)
$55 storage - (500GB is a bit small, but you can always add another later)
$80 case - (can always cheap out on the case if you want...)
$100 PSU - (550w will be enough to add 1 GPU in the future)
$20 optical drive?
//
$130 GPU - (GTS 450 or similar)

This would be over budget at $815 and assumes you don't need to buy a monitor, speakers, operating system (windows). You can only really knock off $100 at most, unless you use the IGP in Sandy Bridge and don't buy a GPU (that knocks off $130 by itself). If you are going to get a dedicated GPU, you'll have to go with a CPU priced around $150 or less and then you can probably pick up a decent mATX mobo for about $70-90. If you aren't going to overclock, you can cheap out on the PSU if you want (I never would) and get a PSU in a case or something.

go for a ati 5770 , those things are awesome.. lol won't be future proof but it'll run star craft like a champ.. try an AMD CPU f its a low budget build

[Kilauea]

On my gf's computer, I run SC2 on a stock i3 530 along with a GT 240 DDR5. I am able to max out the graphs at 1920 x 1200, but I am pretty much bordeline.

Based on that, I'd probably get at least a GTS 450 (leaves a bit more headroom), but try for something a little better(and hope he wants to buy another GPU along the way). As for CPU, I'd look at a quadcore that can be oc'ed decently, possiblly SB, but that depends on the rest of the part.

Be back later with more info.

[CTA]

thank you for information... pretty useful...

i thought for a while... sandy bridge is too new and not cheap... therefore sc2 use 2 cores cpu heavily...

the specification that you suggest seems "not right" class... but he said that his computer is already 6 years old... and still use...

i think intel duo is enough so i can use better video card since not many game use more than 2 cores and some applications too... he will use mostly sc2 (and older game such as aoe2), ms office, surf the internet and watch some movies...

find mobo is no problem since i owned two mobo ( p5q and striker II)

i think this specification is enough...

e8400 (need to find one) - 100 - used
ocz vendetta 2 cooler - 25
p5q (own) - so 50 for friend only ;p - used
2gb (4gb for 64bit so he wont use it anyway)... 60 if agree
gtx 460 -150 (see AMD Radeon HD 6870 & HD 6850 Review ) - possibly new
600+ watts psu (undecided) suggest?
wd 640 black - 60 - of course new
silverstone ps04b - 35 - new
pioneer dvd-rw? - 30 - new

total: 510 without psu... that saves a lot of money... what do you think?

also see E8400 for Starcraft 2? - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

[GameOnTurtle]

You could just as easily go for an i3 combo and be under budget after taxes.

NCIX.com - Buy NCIX Overclocking Bundle Deal Intel Core i3 550 CPU & MSI P55A-G55 SLI & Xfire DDR3 USB3 Motherboard - i3 550 + MSI P55A-G55 In Canada.
$199
(i3 + MSI DDR3 mobo)

Pair that with a GTX 1gb for about $170ish (1gb recommended for 1920x1080 gaming)
And then just mix and match the rest; fairly standard, on sale or price matched parts.

DDR3 4gb: $60
Case: $60
PSU: $60
HDD: $45
DVD-RW : $20

[Bond007]

I am not a fanboy of any brand, but from what I have read, Starcraft II runs substantially better on intel and nvidia. Also, it seems a quad core helps, but a fast dual core is good enough. Given that my vote goes for either a i3 540 (if you want to keep cost down), or a i5 2500k if you have a few extra bucks. Pair that with a gts 450, gtx460 768mb, or 1gb depending on how much you have left in your budget. The i3 and gts 450 would be a great lower cost solution if you just want to play and have it look good, whereas the 2500k and gtx 460 will for sure max the graphics out and be a little more future-proof (if I dare say such a thing).

EDIT: Actually the bundle linked above would be a pretty solid lower priced cpu setup.

[CTA]

i3 package is good... almost same cost without taxes...

i am just concerning about i3 performance... will i3 540 oc beat e8400 oc?


about psu... i would like to know what psu do you recommand...

thanks again

[jcmaz]

I'm pretty sure that the i3 540 will smoke the OC'd E8400.

[draemn]

I'd say go 3GB or 4GB of RAM... although they don't suggest mixing 1GB + 2GB sticks, you can do that to get 3GB, but it's usually easier/cheaper to install 4GB and let the system limit it.

Check some quick benchmarks of the i3-540 to see how it over-clocks (or search the internet for people's o/c on air with that proc) and compare it to what the E8400 can do. Do note that you'll probably want to invest a bit more in an air cooler since your budget is nice and low... that way you can get that better o/c as clock speed is mighty important for SC 2 (I'm not sure how much the architecture of clarkdale improves performance).

As for a PSU? Do you want to get one with a rock solid reputation, or one that will probably last the life of this build? As I said, you don't really need more than 550W and Corsair and seasonic are two of the top brands (just be careful as the corsair VX and CX lines are their 'lower end' quality) and anything with a +4 year warranty is usually pretty safe indication of quality. Heard bad things about coolmaster and rosewill for sure. Heard mixed reviews of NZXT and OCZ power supplies. Other than that I don't really keep tabs as I'm just a corsair fanboy anyways :P

NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX650W 650W ATX 12V 52A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan - CMPSU-650TX In Canada.