More Computer Stuff
Well, for months I've been talking about getting a new computer for gaming, and up until recently decided against getting another laptop to replace the one I have now, opting for a desktop instead. While shopping around for one, though, a thought had crossed my mind that I never thought of until now. As much as I love computers, I've never taken an initiative to build a computer of my own. I'm not sure what prompted this out of me, but I guess I was not really satisfied with all the pre-builds I was shopping around for. Maybe building a system my own way will yield better results than anything that was pre-manufactured. Well for the past two weeks, I've been researching parts and watching building videos on YouTube (thank you Newegg for yours...it was the most helpful) and at first I came up with this configuration:
ASUS P8Z77-V ATX Motherboard
3.5GHz Intel Core i7-2600K (Quad-Core)
1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (by Zotac)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB Hard Drive
OCZ Technology ModXStream Pro 700W Modular Power Supply
Kingston HyperX Blu 12GB DDR3-1600 (Triple Channel Kit)
MSI 24x DVD Burner
Thermaltake Commander MS-I Snow ATX Mid-Tower
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (OEM)
Nice config, right? Well, it's a pretty pricey one at that (see the parts in bold...those are what really makes this build pricey). Without taxes, this build would cost me a whopping $1011.62! Imagine if I got a pre-built computer with those exact same specs? Now I thought about downgrading the processor to an Core i5 Quad, but one thing I hate about those is they don't have HyperThreading like the i7 Quad does, which makes it really bad a multitasking (and considering the line of work I'm getting into, I'm going to need something that can multitask really well. Now this config will run Skyrim really well, but I just thought it was too pricey for me (and I want to save a little bit of that school money). So after doing some further research, I made the decision to switch CPUs, going for the AMD processor (which I kind of prefer anyway) and forgoing my favored Nvidia card for an AMD card. So, those parts in bold, I swapped those out for the following:
ASUS M5A97 ATX Motherboard
3.1GHz AMD FX-8120 Black Edition (Eight-Core)
1GB AMD Radeon HD 7770 (HIS iCooler)
Boy did that bring the price down! Minus taxes, of course, I came down to a $784.63 build! Now mind you that processor might seem slower than that Core i7 I was planning on going with, but there's a huge difference between the two. The Core i7 is a Quad-Core processor with HyperThreading, which in a nutshell means the processor can simulate an extra set of "virtual cores" for every core it has, which in the case of the i7 Quad-Core, means the processor would have four more "virtual cores" making it feel like an Eight-Core. The AMD FX-8120 on the other hand is an actual Eight-Core processor, which will bring down speeds just a touch, but the eight cores tucked away inside can for the most part handle virtually anything you throw at it. So as far as processing power goes, I pretty much lose nothing, and AMD processors are better built for gaming as several websites report. As far as the graphics card goes, I can run Skyrim on high settings with that one, and if I want to, my motherboard is CrossFire compatible so I can get a second of the same card to put in my system (for those that don't know, CrossFire basically means I can use two of the same AMD video cards in tandem with each other...the Nvidia equivalent is called SLI).
So there you have it. Once my school money comes in, I'm going to be making my purchases of those parts and start putting together my machine. Wish me luck when I get them all and start building. For my first time doing this, I'm going to need it. Well, that's enough tech talk out of me. I have to get to bed. Late.
ASUS P8Z77-V ATX Motherboard
3.5GHz Intel Core i7-2600K (Quad-Core)
1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (by Zotac)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB Hard Drive
OCZ Technology ModXStream Pro 700W Modular Power Supply
Kingston HyperX Blu 12GB DDR3-1600 (Triple Channel Kit)
MSI 24x DVD Burner
Thermaltake Commander MS-I Snow ATX Mid-Tower
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (OEM)
Nice config, right? Well, it's a pretty pricey one at that (see the parts in bold...those are what really makes this build pricey). Without taxes, this build would cost me a whopping $1011.62! Imagine if I got a pre-built computer with those exact same specs? Now I thought about downgrading the processor to an Core i5 Quad, but one thing I hate about those is they don't have HyperThreading like the i7 Quad does, which makes it really bad a multitasking (and considering the line of work I'm getting into, I'm going to need something that can multitask really well. Now this config will run Skyrim really well, but I just thought it was too pricey for me (and I want to save a little bit of that school money). So after doing some further research, I made the decision to switch CPUs, going for the AMD processor (which I kind of prefer anyway) and forgoing my favored Nvidia card for an AMD card. So, those parts in bold, I swapped those out for the following:
ASUS M5A97 ATX Motherboard
3.1GHz AMD FX-8120 Black Edition (Eight-Core)
1GB AMD Radeon HD 7770 (HIS iCooler)
Boy did that bring the price down! Minus taxes, of course, I came down to a $784.63 build! Now mind you that processor might seem slower than that Core i7 I was planning on going with, but there's a huge difference between the two. The Core i7 is a Quad-Core processor with HyperThreading, which in a nutshell means the processor can simulate an extra set of "virtual cores" for every core it has, which in the case of the i7 Quad-Core, means the processor would have four more "virtual cores" making it feel like an Eight-Core. The AMD FX-8120 on the other hand is an actual Eight-Core processor, which will bring down speeds just a touch, but the eight cores tucked away inside can for the most part handle virtually anything you throw at it. So as far as processing power goes, I pretty much lose nothing, and AMD processors are better built for gaming as several websites report. As far as the graphics card goes, I can run Skyrim on high settings with that one, and if I want to, my motherboard is CrossFire compatible so I can get a second of the same card to put in my system (for those that don't know, CrossFire basically means I can use two of the same AMD video cards in tandem with each other...the Nvidia equivalent is called SLI).
So there you have it. Once my school money comes in, I'm going to be making my purchases of those parts and start putting together my machine. Wish me luck when I get them all and start building. For my first time doing this, I'm going to need it. Well, that's enough tech talk out of me. I have to get to bed. Late.