SRL Archive - Technology

Hello guys! It has been awhile since I've really been here or posted! It feels good to be back! Summer is just around the corner for me and I hope to be more active then!

Anyway I am looking to build myself a new desktop! I would love to go the custom route but I have looked at some pre-built towers and they don't look great.

Its been about 10 years since I've built my last computer and I don't know much about what is good and good for the price anymore. My budget is around $500 for right now and I would like to be able to run WoW at decent settings.

This is my current computer (laptop) it can run Wow pretty decent. Anyone willing to help? I also do not need a case, mouse, keyboard or monitor. I do not have an OS but I think I may just run Linux.

Component Details Subscore Base score
Processor Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4400 @ 2.20GHz 5.6 3.3
Determined by lowest subscore

Memory (RAM) 3.00 GB 5.5
Graphics Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family 3.6
Gaming graphics 1308 MB Total available graphics memory 3.3
Primary hard disk 67GB Free (221GB Total) 5.9
Windows 7 Home Premium

System
——————————————————————————–

Manufacturer eMachines
Model eMachines E725
Total amount of system memory 3.00 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2

Storage
——————————————————————————–

Total size of hard disk(s) 221 GB
Disk partition (C:) 67 GB Free (221 GB Total)
Media drive (D:) CD/DVD
Media drive (E:) CD/DVD

Graphics
——————————————————————————–

Display adapter type Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Total available graphics memory 1308 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 64 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 1244 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.15.10.1892
Primary monitor resolution 1366x768
DirectX version DirectX 10

Network
——————————————————————————–

Network Adapter Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter
Network Adapter Atheros AR8132 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20)
Network Adapter Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter
Network Adapter Applian Miniport
Network Adapter Applian Miniport
Network Adapter Applian Miniport
Network Adapter Applian Miniport
Network Adapter Applian Miniport
Network Adapter Applian Miniport

Notes
——————————————————————————–

The gaming graphics score is based on the primary graphics adapter. If this system has linked or multiple graphics adapters, some software applications may see additional performance benefits.

Wouldn't advise linux if you are using it for gaming / WOW, not even sure if WOW has a native linux client. Just get an illegal copy of Windows 7/8. Also how are you planning on building a tower without a case? You've been pretty specific as to your old system but you sure as hell can't build a computer without a case unless you are using test bench (also isn't recommended as it is pretty unsafe for long term use). Reason being, you need to make sure the parts fit inside your case.

Is there any other uses other than WOW? Your budget it pretty low, but it can be done.

You're better off going with Windows as Kasi said, I'm a lover of Linux myself but as far as gaming goes there is no other way than Windows. It is bloated but with a pirated copy of Windows and a program like nLite, you can modify the base operating system easily and make it a bit more light weight/less bloated. Last I checked nLite only supported up to WinXP but with a bit of googling you should be able to find something.

Also your budget is very tight, why not wait until you have at least $1000 to spend on a decent machine? Blizzard is certainly good at making most of their games run on anything short of a Celeron, but there is nothing worse than a computer that constantly lags/freezes and carries on. If you're going to do it, do it right the first time to save headaches :) However if you decide to stick with the planned budget, have a look at AMD/ATI hardware. Not as much of a performer in the gaming side as Intel, but certainly better bang for your buck.

Just my 2c :)

Why not one of these:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3vFNX

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJvW

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2NjJp

I bought and built the middle one and I am incredibly impressed with part quality and power of the system. I am hoping to buy myself the top one sometime soon. It is not easy building the tower yourself but if you got patience and are careful, you should be able to do it,

I would go ahead and get an i7 4770 right off the bat so you don't end up lacking later. Also, you don't really need an expensive motherboard for gaming (especially WoW) and you can start with 8GB of RAM and upgrade later if you really need to. This way, you can offset the initial cost without later discovering that you didn't buy powerful enough components. The integrated graphics of the i7 4770 are good enough to run WoW and when you need to play more graphic intensive games you can just install a dedicated card. Finally, I would go with the psu that is listed in the links DemiseScythe posted.

Just what I've learned through trial and error over the past few years :)

From: Foundry
I would go ahead and get an i7 4770 right off the bat so you don't end up lacking later. Also, you don't really need an expensive motherboard for gaming (especially WoW) and you can start with 8GB of RAM and upgrade later if you really need to. This way, you can offset the initial cost without later discovering that you didn't buy powerful enough components. The integrated graphics of the i7 4770 are good enough to run WoW and when you need to play more graphic intensive games you can just install a dedicated card. Finally, I would go with the psu that is listed in the links DemiseScythe posted.

Just what I've learned through trial and error over the past few years :)

With his budget that wouldn't be advisable, also there is no need for that hyperthreading performance if he is just gaming, might as well get a i5/i3/AMD. The motherboard would have to be of decent quality. Honestly, what other people have touched up on; substandard CPU and an average GPU would be fine for your requirements, i would invest more in PSU/Motherboard as these components have the greatest effect on component longevity which seems like it would benefit you greater.

Guys, he wants to game, not bot :P
For a cheap gaming computer:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Kingston Blu 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card ($134.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $431.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-23 21:10 EDT-0400)
That build will give you some sick performance and any spare cash could be put towards a SSD

Since @cause; gave you an Intel build…Here is my AMD. No case though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($96.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.07 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $499.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-23 22:46 EDT-0400)

Things i would potentially add in future would be;
extra stick of ram (Taking advantage of that dual channel + takes strain off the independent stick)
secondary storage - Pretty self explanatory.
Aftermarket CPU cooler - Stock coolers are nasty, cant overclock, sound terrible, they don't efficiently cool. Even if you get a cheap $20 cooler, it would make a massive difference.

I'd definitely recommend an SSD, even if it's just a small one to store your OS and the programs you use most. I just replaced my laptop HDD with a Samsung 840 Evo and the speed boost is definitely noticeable, especially on boot up. The time from pressing the power button to desktop has pretty much halved with the SSD. Well worth it.

Thanks for the help guys! I will look into the suggested builds but they look good! I didn't need a case because I already have one.

From: Element17
Thanks for the help guys! I will look into the suggested builds but they look good! I didn't need a case because I already have one.

Be sure to get your GPU at newegg, i think they give you a couple games, you could sell / make a little bit of money that way. Might wanna make sure the PSU / mobo is compatible with the case. highly unlikely that it wouldn't be.

Tbh, I would totally avoid an AMD CPU unless you could get a screamin' deal at a microcenter. The pentium blows the fx 6300 out of the water on gaming benchmarks (especially CPU heavy gaming, like WoW).

From: cause
Tbh, I would totally avoid an AMD CPU unless you could get a screamin' deal at a microcenter. The pentium blows the fx 6300 out of the water on gaming benchmarks (especially CPU heavy gaming, like WoW).

Wouldn't say blows, nor would i say CPU heavy. Single core; Of course, it is marginally better than the FX 6300. But multithreaded games (like WOW), the FX 6300 will out-perform the G3220. Dont get me wrong, overall the G3220 is better price for performance and i usually prefer intel CPUs but the FX 6300 is a better CPU when it comes to Multithreading.

From: Kasi
Wouldn't say blows, nor would i say CPU heavy. Single core; Of course, it is marginally better than the FX 6300. But multithreaded games (like WOW), the FX 6300 will out-perform the G3220. Dont get me wrong, overall the G3220 is better price for performance and i usually prefer intel CPUs but the FX 6300 is a better CPU when it comes to Multithreading.

I think people think they multithread more than they actually do. Unless you are editing, you shouldn't really need a fx 6300.

From: cause
I think people think they multithread more than they actually do. Unless you are editing, you shouldn't really need a fx 6300.

Future proofing; if you have noticed the trend, more and more games utilize multiple cores. WOW would definitely run smoother on a FX 6300. This is what OP wants. He also doesn't seem like the type of person who builds a new computer every couple years. Building a computer which is relatively future proof for the next 10 years or so would be the way to go. Also i don't see myself as being particularly avaricious but my current build has an i7 3770k, when i built it i had the knowledge that i wouldn't ever use it to its potential. I only got it because i didn't want the slightest bit of lag whilst doing general stuff. I also figured that I would rather invest money now and build a decent computer which over-preforms then build another one in half the time which would potentially cost more.

tldr; What would you rather have? a shi*ty Prius or Mustang?

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

From: Kasi
Future proofing; if you have noticed the trend, more and more games utilize multiple cores. WOW would definitely run smoother on a FX 6300. This is what OP wants. He also doesn't seem like the type of person who builds a new computer every couple years. Building a computer which is relatively future proof for the next 10 years or so would be the way to go. Also i don't see myself as being particularly avaricious but my current build has an i7 3770k, when i built it i had the knowledge that i wouldn't ever use it to its potential. I only got it because i didn't want the slightest bit of lag whilst doing general stuff. I also figured that I would rather invest money now and build a decent computer which over-preforms then build another one in half the time which would potentially cost more.

tldr; What would you rather have? a shi*ty Prius or Mustang?

Sorry but I think your logic is wrong. According to this:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/62

the fx-6300 scores 79.4 fps while the G850 gets 89.6 fps and is worse than the G3220 that I recommended.

G850 scores 2687
G3220 scores 3130
(passmark scores)

So to compare and review:

Intel build:
CPU + mobo = $115 getting you 15-20 fps more? (Also, can upgrade to i5 later)(uses almost 50% less power)

AMD build:
CPU + mobo = $215 getting you noticeably worse performance. Plus you need to buy a non-stock cpu cooler to overclock, so that's another $30.

Sorry, AMD does not offer value for these purposes or even for "futureproofing".

From: Kasi
tldr; What would you rather have? a shi*ty Prius or Mustang?

depends if you want better gas mileage or to look cool. And if you were spending the same on a mustang that you would a prius, you would end up with a shi*ty mustang.
seeing as youre buying a shi*ty prius, youll have an extra shi*ty mustang.

tl;dr. bad analogue.

From: cause
Sorry but I think your logic is wrong. According to this:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/62

the fx-6300 scores 79.4 fps while the G850 gets 89.6 fps and is worse than the G3220 that I recommended.

G850 scores 2687
G3220 scores 3130
(passmark scores)

So to compare and review:

Intel build:
CPU + mobo = $115 getting you 15-20 fps more? (Also, can upgrade to i5 later)(uses almost 50% less power)

AMD build:
CPU + mobo = $215 getting you noticeably worse performance. Plus you need to buy a non-stock cpu cooler to overclock, so that's another $30.

Sorry, AMD does not offer value for these purposes or even for "futureproofing".

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1781&cmp[]=2020
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=404

Passmark shows the FX6300 is 2x more powerful. You also seem to miss out the point that Fraps isn't multicore optimized. Considering i have already said that single core the G3220 would win hands down, your point seems to be somewhat invalid. Yes, upgrading to an i5 later would make a massive difference to benchmarks, and in that case, it would be a better build, right now with the G3220, it isn't. It uses almost 50% more power, but it also provides (in Passmark Scores) 50%+ more power.

Your second point about the AMD build being a noticeably worse performance is also invalid. if you click on the link i posted above (Anandtech, with the alternative CPU you supplied) the FX wins in 24 out of 29 times. May i also add that these categories in which it lost to are;


Regarding these results; 2 of which clearly state single core/thread. And the rest are games. Another part in which Intel has ALWAYS excelled at is intergrated graphics. Which would explain these results. Comparing all them games with the same GPU shouldn't make a difference / Or even better the FX 6300 with the R7 and the g3220 with the 7790. You will find that my build will outperform yours.

Buying an aftermarket cooler is what i do personally. Stock coolers are crappy, i've already stated my reason in a different post. Also, you can't really talk about overclocking whilst comparing these two CPU's because the G3220 can't be overclocked.

From: Turpinator
depends if you want better gas mileage or to look cool. And if you were spending the same on a mustang that you would a prius, you would end up with a shi*ty mustang.
seeing as youre buying a shi*ty prius, youll have an extra shi*ty mustang.

tl;dr. bad analogue.

Seeing as the FX 6300 uses 2x as much wattage i would think it is a perfect analogy; FX 6300 - More powerful, less energy efficient. G3220 - Less powerful, more energy efficient. Looks don't come in to it with CPU's, you can't really see them when there is a cooler blocking them.

From: Kasi
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1781&cmp[]=2020
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=404

Passmark shows the FX6300 is 2x more powerful. You also seem to miss out the point that Fraps isn't multicore optimized. Considering i have already said that single core the G3220 would win hands down, your point seems to be somewhat invalid. Yes, upgrading to an i5 later would make a massive difference to benchmarks, and in that case, it would be a better build, right now with the G3220, it isn't. It uses almost 50% more power, but it also provides (in Passmark Scores) 50%+ more power.

Your second point about the AMD build being a noticeably worse performance is also invalid. if you click on the link i posted above (Anandtech, with the alternative CPU you supplied) the FX wins in 24 out of 29 times. May i also add that these categories in which it lost to are;


Regarding these results; 2 of which clearly state single core/thread. And the rest are games. Another part in which Intel has ALWAYS excelled at is intergrated graphics. Which would explain these results. Comparing all them games with the same GPU shouldn't make a difference / Or even better the FX 6300 with the R7 and the g3220 with the 7790. You will find that my build will outperform yours.

Buying an aftermarket cooler is what i do personally. Stock coolers are crappy, i've already stated my reason in a different post. Also, you can't really talk about overclocking whilst comparing these two CPU's because the G3220 can't be overclocked.




Seeing as the FX 6300 uses 2x as much wattage i would think it is a perfect analogy; FX 6300 - More powerful, less energy efficient. G3220 - Less powerful, more energy efficient. Looks don't come in to it with CPU's, you can't really see them when there is a cooler blocking them.

Kasi I think you are getting away from the point of the matter which is, frames per second for World of Warcraft. Passmark is irrelevant.

From: cause
Kasi I think you are getting away from the point of the matter which is, frames per second for World of Warcraft. Passmark is irrelevant.

As i said, recording with fraps would give a biased result. Fraps, afaik hasn't got multicore support therefore would give distorted results. In any case, The GPU (R7 260x) with the AMD CPU would perform better. I felt i had to justify myself as you said the G3220 was much better than the FX 6300 which clearly isn't true. Either way, they are both good builds.