So, I posted about a month and a half ago brainstorming ideas for a kill your console build for a Christmas present for my brother (need to find synonyms for "for").
Ultimately, I was conflicted between spending too much to get a dedicated GPU that would worthwhile, or getting a fairly under-powered APU within budget. There was also the obstacle of getting some new peripherals to have a complete experience. Having a separate budget for my own overhaul, I saw an opportunity upgrade my GPU (getting a EVGA GTX 760 SC ACX to replace my old 2GB GTX 650) and re-gift my old GPU. This would allow me to have a GPU suitable for his purposes while staying withing budget (almost ~$565, after taxes for $550 budget). Here is what I came up with:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jerm1027/saved/2wOt
What do you think? What would you have changed?
Get an HD 7850 2GB instead of the GTX 650
No need for that CPU cooler
still not a bad build, though.
If im understanding it right, hes giving the gtx 650 to the person he is making the build for.
Some Tech Noob:
Get an HD 7850 2GB instead of the GTX 650
No need for that CPU cooler
still not a bad build, though.
Well, I already had the GTX 650, which is in my build now (until that 760 arrives), and I tested out Borderlands 2 with his res (1440x900, its one of the more intensive games he owns ATM, and can not play due to integrated graphics on Wolfdale Pentium machine) on my stock 2500k. Ran fluently 60+ FPS with high settings. Also, according to early reviews of the 650, it's capable of running BF3 on Ultra settings (DX11, Ultra mode, 4x MSAA enabled,16x AF enabled, HBAO enabled) at 32FPS at 1280x1024, which is actually slightly more pixels than 1440x900, which seems kinda future proof at his res. There is also GeForce experience, which can come in handy since he really doesn't know how to fine tune graphics settings. Knowing this, would you buy a 7850 instead of a free 650, which would probably mean no peripherals, a much weaker CPU, and weaker storage solution?
As for the CPU cooler, it kinda is needed as I do plan on OCing, quite heavily, at least as heavily as that cooler will allow.
BionicBunny:
Solid build.
Just what I was hoping for. Thanks.
AMD has Powertune or something which is simliar to the GeForce experience.
Well, since you had the GTX 650, and he's only playing at 1440x900, that'd be totally fine.
I normally prefer tower style coolers for overclocking. Be gentle on that motherboard though. It's better than most M-ATX AM3+ boards out there, but still isn't as good as your typical ATX boards for overclocking.
Precisely the reason why I got a down-firing cooler - extra airflow on the VRM components. I prefer tower coolers as well, normally, but I figure since it isn't the beefiest, it could use all the cooling it can get. Thanks for the feedback. I feel a lot more confident with this build. For some reason, I always get a bit of anxiety when buying parts.
I guess my last concern would be airflow- the case I believe comes with only a single 120mm intake fan. I'm hoping that since the PSU is top-mounted that the cooling fan for that would double as an exhaust fan.