My friend was looking to buy an Alienware, to which I promptly decided to be a smartass and tell him why he should build instead, so I came up with this.
Which comes to a total of around $800 - $820 with a mouse and keyboard. The computer itself, without the OS and without the monitor is around 580 dollars which is pretty good.
He plans on going to microcenter, so that's why all of the prices are from there. (The mobo is $0.00 because it comes in a combo with the CPU) He said the Alienware he was looking into was about $854 and had an i5. The CPU isn't quite an i5 but if he isn't rendering videos or something, I figure an AMD CPU will do just fine. (I'm actually unsure of the comparison from that CPU to an i5, but I've always been under the assumption that most AMD processors are slightly worse than intel but cheaper)
Are there any incompatibilities with this build? Anything that could be changed to be better? I'd prefer it not be much higher than the price now, as the whole point of getting the build was supposed to be because it was cheaper. I whipped it up in 20-30 minutes of just browsing, so I wasn't too thorough on finding the best deals.
EDIT: I also realize I could cut down the 1TB to 500GB probably.
Do you have to use microcenter? You can get better deals online and places like newegg typically ship in like 2 business days.
Also, the build does need revising.
Do you have to use microcenter? You can get better deals online and places like newegg typically ship in like 2 business days.
Also, the build does need revising.
He plans on heading up to microcenter tomorrow, so I'd imagine so.
And do you mean it needs revising as in it's not as good as it could be, or needs revising as in there are incompatibilities?
It is not as good as it could be. You will save a lot of money though by buying online. Keep in mind the tax you have to pay at microcenter too. For example, the cheapest amd 7950 is $280. But online you can get one for like $220.
He said the Alienware he was looking into was about $854 and had an i5. The CPU isn't quite an i5 but if he isn't rendering videos or something, I figure an AMD CPU will do just fine. (I'm actually unsure of the comparison from that CPU to an i5, but I've always been under the assumption that most AMD processors are slightly worse than intel but cheaper)
AMD processors work just as well as Intel processors in every day computing and gaming. Also, AMD will work for editing videos. I have an AMD Phenom II 1100T Black Edition (6 cores at 3.3Ghz), and it preforms very well while editing and rendering the gaming videos I make. Intel CPUs would only show there power when making videos with CG and LOTS of major editing.
AMD processors work just as well as Intel processors in every day computing and gaming. Also, AMD will work for editing videos. I have an AMD Phenom II 1100T Black Edition (6 cores at 3.3Ghz), and it preforms very well while editing and rendering the gaming videos I make. Intel CPUs would only show there power when making videos with CG and LOTS of major editing.
Yeah, I (used to) render a lot and I also have an AMD processor. It's definitely passable, but I've heard from a friend of mine with an i5 that he can do real-time renders, whereas for me, a render would take roughly 2 to 3 times longer than the video.
That being said, I only have a Phenom II X4, I'd imagine an FX is much more comparable to an i5 than my old hunk o' junk, haha.
Get a 6300 for the cpu, swap the psu to a higher quality 650 or even 550w unit (an xfx or seasonic would be ideal), 7870 would be a better choice for gpu or 7950 if you can afford it. HDD could be swapped to a seagate barracuda if possible too, it's probably cheaper and performance will be basically identical (maybe even faster).
CPU: FX 6100 Black Edition 3.3GHz Hexa-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor ... $109.99
http://www.microcent...Boxed_Processor
Motherboard: M5A78L-M LX PLUS Socket AM3+ 760G mATX ... $0.00
http://www.microcent...AMD_Motherboard
GPU: 02G-P4-2662-KR NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Superclocked 2048MB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 ... $199.99
http://www.microcent..._x16_Video_Card
RAM: HyperX Red 4GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL 9 Desktop Memory Module (x2) ... $73.98
http://www.microcent...p_Memory_Module
PSU: PDA-750BW 750W ATX Modular Power Supply ... $69.99
http://www.microcent...ar_Power_Supply
HDD: WD Network Red 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (NAS) WD10EFRX ... $75.99
http://www.microcent...RX_-_Bare_Drive
Case: HAF912 Mid Tower ATX Computer Case ... $57.99
http://www.microcent...X_Computer_Case
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit OEM ... $99.99
http://www.microcent..._SP1_64-bit_OEM
Monitor: e2252Swdn 22" LED Monitor ... $99.99
http://www.microcent..._22_LED_Monitor
Which comes to a total of around $800 - $820 with a mouse and keyboard. The computer itself, without the OS and without the monitor is around 580 dollars which is pretty good.
He plans on going to microcenter, so that's why all of the prices are from there. (The mobo is $0.00 because it comes in a combo with the CPU) He said the Alienware he was looking into was about $854 and had an i5. The CPU isn't quite an i5 but if he isn't rendering videos or something, I figure an AMD CPU will do just fine. (I'm actually unsure of the comparison from that CPU to an i5, but I've always been under the assumption that most AMD processors are slightly worse than intel but cheaper)
Are there any incompatibilities with this build? Anything that could be changed to be better? I'd prefer it not be much higher than the price now, as the whole point of getting the build was supposed to be because it was cheaper. I whipped it up in 20-30 minutes of just browsing, so I wasn't too thorough on finding the best deals.
EDIT: I also realize I could cut down the 1TB to 500GB probably.
Also, the build does need revising.
fm87!He plans on heading up to microcenter tomorrow, so I'd imagine so.
And do you mean it needs revising as in it's not as good as it could be, or needs revising as in there are incompatibilities?
fm87!AMD processors work just as well as Intel processors in every day computing and gaming. Also, AMD will work for editing videos. I have an AMD Phenom II 1100T Black Edition (6 cores at 3.3Ghz), and it preforms very well while editing and rendering the gaming videos I make. Intel CPUs would only show there power when making videos with CG and LOTS of major editing.
My youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/thegoofygoober95?feature=mhum
Yeah, I (used to) render a lot and I also have an AMD processor. It's definitely passable, but I've heard from a friend of mine with an i5 that he can do real-time renders, whereas for me, a render would take roughly 2 to 3 times longer than the video.
That being said, I only have a Phenom II X4, I'd imagine an FX is much more comparable to an i5 than my old hunk o' junk, haha.
A 6300 overclocked to 4.5 GHz performs within 10% of a 3570K, and you could easily reach that on a Respire T40.