Building a computer

[knorren]

I think the main reason why you load faster than others might be that alot of people just installe the OS on the SSD but installs BF3 on another drive. It also depends on what kind of SSD you have. The first map takes ages on a mechanical drive when on a SSD it takes a few seconds, it's not that long ago that I switched to SSD and it had a huge improvement in loadingtimes.
I have the 120GB Intel 330 SSD and I love it, today I would probably get 180 or 240GB instead cause they are known to be faster than the 120GB disc and the price difference is so low.
The reason why I got Intel is because they are the only ones that support raid, if you ever want to do that, with the TRIM command active.

Well anyway, when you have an SSD, no matter of size, you install/reinstall games/apps in seconds. For example when we were playing a Main Battle once I did a complete repair of BF3 in about 30-40 seconds.

[Shrapnel]

Due to the lack of reply I'll assume you only need CPU, GPU, RAM and mobo.

Everything but GPU is based on CPU so we'll start with that.

CPU:
I recommend:
Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge $299.99

Read more here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the- ... 300-tested
Especially telling are the gaming benchmarks: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the- ... 0-tested/5

So, it outperforms the AMD equivalent in all but a few tests. It is $100 more but I think the added performance, especially in gaming, is worth it.

Motherboard:
I'm partial to ASUS so I tend to recommend that. Anything that fits your slot needs, has a 1155 CPU slot and the latest chipset (Z77) should be good though. It is important to look at the lay out of the board before purchasing. Just because it says it has a certain number of slots doesn't mean all are usable. Modern graphics cards take up 2 slots of space so anything under the GPU slot will be unusable.

I recommend the ASUS P6Z77-V Deluxe $289.99
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5833/asus ... w-your-sku

A good solid performer for the price point. Tests at the top or within a few tenths of a millisecond of the top for Z77 chipsets. Only draw back is it doesn't have older PCI slots. However, it does have two usable PCI x1 slots even if using SLI. This is important if you pan on running, or want to run a sound card and PCI SSD in the future. Newer cards use these slots, though if you want to run older cards this board won't work.

RAM:
Unless you're planning to overclock the CPU stick with DDR3 1600. Here again you're fine with most reputable manufacturers, though I have personal biases. 8GB is good enough for most things though you may want to leave room for expansion later.

I think the Mushkin Redline 2x4GB (8GB total) (CAS 7) is a great deal. $83.99

This leaves $526 for your GPU.

GPU:
For Single Card performance you really can't beat the GTX690 right now..however, that costs your entire budget so it's out. If you prefer nVidia cards then the 680 is good. If you prefer ATI then the 7970 is your card. The 7970 just barely edges out the 680 in the benchmarks and can be had for slightly less so that's what I recommend.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6025/rade ... to-gtx-680

There are many manufacturers of this card but I think the XFX Double D 7970 GHz Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150632) is a great buy. $449.99.

Which leaves around $75 for cooling solutions.

Unfortunately the 1155 chipset doesn't seem to have many options yet, but Zalman, Thermalright (not ThermalTake), Scyth and Xigmatek are good brands to look at. You budget will certainly allow for any of these.

I say not Thermaltake because they tend to perform below average and have high noise compared to the brands I mentioned, though there are always exceptions.

You can look at the reviews at http://www.overclockers.com/reviews/cooling if you want specifics on these.

I think this is a good build for performance out of the box but also leaves room for expansion if you want to add more memory or a second GPU, SSD or soundcard.

[TheYonderGod]

He said he needs everything except a hard drive on the first page.

[Shrapnel]

Well he certainly has a keyboard, mouse, monitor and case. The only problem with what I listed would be if he needed a more powerful PSU. In that case I would recommend trying to save on the mobo.

[TheYonderGod]

Well he certainly has a keyboard, mouse, monitor and case. The only problem with what I listed would be if he needed a more powerful PSU. In that case I would recommend trying to save on the mobo.

I have all the peripherals already, although I'd be open to suggestions for a keyboard/mouse. Already have 2 monitors. I'm giving away my current desktop, so nothing reusable there except a 1.5TB HD that I'll pull and keep. So I'd probably just want a smaller SSD for the OS/games. Oh, and I don't really want to deal with overclocking.

For budget, let's say $1200.

Thanks guys!

[knorren]

And then we have the Nvidia vs AMD fanboy discussion!
I for one is a Nvidia-fanboy for sure, I've owned two AMD/ATI-card once and after that I went back to Nvidia.
At the moment it seems like AMD is a bit faster in the midrange models even though it's so close it probably won't matter.
I've seen most people here recommend AMD but that won't matter to me, my next card will still be a Nvidia, I guess it's about drivers mostly.
Nvidia's drivers has been way better for a longer time than ATI/AMD's has. Alot of games have problems with ATI cards when they first come out, when Nvidias are working like a dream. It's probably like always, the ones who pumps the most money in wins and for a long time Nvidia has been winning that challenge.

But like I said in the beginning, you buy what you like, or you buy for best performance!

[Fields]

My own computer runs BF3 @ ~90 fps (at low resolution) and with a more powerful GPU I could easily run it at 1080 with the same framerate.

i7-2600 (Not the K series)
50$ biostar motherboard (H61MGC)
The cheapest 8gb of ram I could find
Radeon HD 5770 (my antique, the thing I need to upgrade)
SATA 500GB 5 year old HDD (no clue what rpm it runs at)

I have enough CPU power to run BF3 flawlessly and more leftover to encode my stream with no noticeable lag. I'm a big believer in getting only the bare minimum of what I need and spend as little money as I can, so I don't see it necessary to buy a more powerful CPU or some sort of expensive motherboard.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and no matter what CPU you decide to get make sure you get a cooler master hyper 212 CPU cooler. The cooler is 30$, and with an extra fan you can improve the performance. It's easily the best cooler you can get for under 100$, and has a pedigree behind it.

[undrt0w]

Fields, what are the other video settings u are running except the low res ?!

[TheYonderGod]

And then we have the Nvidia vs AMD fanboy discussion!
I for one is a Nvidia-fanboy for sure, I've owned two AMD/ATI-card once and after that I went back to Nvidia.
At the moment it seems like AMD is a bit faster in the midrange models even though it's so close it probably won't matter.
I've seen most people here recommend AMD but that won't matter to me, my next card will still be a Nvidia, I guess it's about drivers mostly.
Nvidia's drivers has been way better for a longer time than ATI/AMD's has. Alot of games have problems with ATI cards when they first come out, when Nvidias are working like a dream. It's probably like always, the ones who pumps the most money in wins and for a long time Nvidia has been winning that challenge.

But like I said in the beginning, you buy what you like, or you buy for best performance!

Lol, I just get whatever will give me the most fps per dollar at the time I buy it. I currently have a 7870 because it was the best deal in my price range at the time I bought it, and probably still is. If the fps per dollar was the same, however, I would go with the Nvidia card. The new Nvidia drivers just came out and I don't know if they changed it, but the 7970 was better for a lot less money.

My own computer runs BF3 @ ~90 fps (at low resolution) and with a more powerful GPU I could easily run it at 1080 with the same framerate.

i7-2600 (Not the K series)
50$ biostar motherboard (H61MGC)
The cheapest 8gb of ram I could find
Radeon HD 5770 (my antique, the thing I need to upgrade)
SATA 500GB 5 year old HDD (no clue what rpm it runs at)

I have enough CPU power to run BF3 flawlessly and more leftover to encode my stream with no noticeable lag. I'm a big believer in getting only the bare minimum of what I need and spend as little money as I can, so I don't see it necessary to buy a more powerful CPU or some sort of expensive motherboard.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and no matter what CPU you decide to get make sure you get a cooler master hyper 212 CPU cooler. The cooler is 30$, and with an extra fan you can improve the performance. It's easily the best cooler you can get for under 100$, and has a pedigree behind it.

The hyper 212+ is definitely not the best under $100, it's one of the best for around $30 and a great deal, but there are plenty that are better - Noctua D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow, Phanteks whatevertheirstupidnamingschemethatnobodycanremeberis, H80, H100, etc

Fields, what are the other video settings u are running except the low res ?!

Low I'm sure. When I had a GTX 460 and a 1280x1024 monitor I was getting around 90 fps on low/medium I think, and the 460 is better than the 5770

[Fields]

Fields, what are the other video settings u are running except the low res ?!

Everything low/off except for mesh quality. The game looks virtually the same too me

[Shrapnel]

I have all the peripherals already, although I'd be open to suggestions for a keyboard/mouse. Already have 2 monitors. I'm giving away my current desktop, so nothing reusable there except a 1.5TB HD that I'll pull and keep. So I'd probably just want a smaller SSD for the OS/games. Oh, and I don't really want to deal with overclocking.

For budget, let's say $1200.

Thanks guys!

Oops, guess I missed that. Well he could certainly get a cheap case and a cooling solution for the $75 left over. The bigger problem is needing a PSU and optical drive. I'd cut back on the mobo first to budget for these as there isn't as big a performance bottleneck there, though it may limit upgrade options later. Definitely pass on the SSD for now. You'll get far better performance by getting a better CPU/GPU and adding a SSD later when you have more funds.

I'd also wait on getting a new keyboard/mouse for now. Unless you really need them.

[Fields]

The hyper 212+ is definitely not the best under $100, it's one of the best for around $30 and a great deal, but there are plenty that are better - Noctua D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow, Phanteks whatevertheirstupidnamingschemethatnobodycanremeberis, H80, H100, etc

Yes it is

[TheYonderGod]

Oops, guess I missed that. Well he could certainly get a cheap case and a cooling solution for the $75 left over. The bigger problem is needing a PSU and optical drive. I'd cut back on the mobo first to budget for these as there isn't as big a performance bottleneck there, though it may limit upgrade options later. Definitely pass on the SSD for now. You'll get far better performance by getting a better CPU/GPU and adding a SSD later when you have more funds.

I'd also wait on getting a new keyboard/mouse for now. Unless you really need them.

You can easily get a 7970, 3570k, and an SSD in a $1200 budget. Check out my build I posted on the first page too, and that's even including a mouse and keyboard that he doesn't really need.

The hyper 212+ is definitely not the best under $100, it's one of the best for around $30 and a great deal, but there are plenty that are better - Noctua D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow, Phanteks whatevertheirstupidnamingschemethatnobodycanremeberis, H80, H100, etc

Yes it is

notsureifserious.jpg

There are lots of better coolers under $100. I listed 5 of them, and there are lots more.

[Fields]

notsureifserious.jpg

There are lots of better coolers under $100. I listed 5 of them, and there are lots more.

I know you're from gladius, so you may not know me, but I'm always serious 100% of the time.

I think you're misunderstanding, though. I don't really care what coolers you think are better. My opinion is that the cooler master one is the best for a sub 100$ cost. Certainly for a typical non-overclocked CPU, it's one of the most affordable and effective options available. It has thousands of positive reviews and is probably one of the most commonly used coolers (that's because it's very cheap and very good). You can keep saying it isn't, but I'll just keep saying it is; this is how opinions work.

[KoffeinFlummi]

I'm always serious 100% of the time.