Budget Rigs for ARR - First Timer

[Oriana]

hey i see you trying to build a pc well i was checking some stuff in ebay and i found a really good computer there for 900 maybe u can get it cheaper if you talk to the people but idk but here in the website this might help you there http://www.ebay.com/itm/221168532125...84.m1555.l2649

[Aenarion]

It's not so much that nvidia are optimized for intel cpu (it doesn't really work that way), but rather that nvidia as a whole tends to have better driver support. Software optimization depends on each specific program, and there will be games that runs better on one or the other.

Personally, I place significant weight on power efficiency and thermal envelop when it comes to GPUs, so I was solidly in AMD's camp with the 5800 series when Nvidia was the powerhog, their position have since reversed, with Nvidia's 600 series being the efficient one.

Edit:

lol @ the obvious self-advertisement

An used Phenom II system with gtx460 for $900? {Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.}

[Naraku_Diabolos]

Thank you, I've heard that as well but Nvidia's seem to be slightly more expensive I've noticed. But it turns out for 12 dollars less I can actually get a GTX 660 ti 2gb. I'll probably go with that instead.

Yeah, I was telling Babydoll that earlier about the GTX 660 Ti card. I may see if Best Buy has any deals for the card, but money is tight for me right now so I have to wait.

[Oriana]

lol @ the obvious self-advertisement

An used Phenom II system with gtx460 for $900? {Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.}

is not self-advertisement i like to check stuff in ebay and i think it was good and she said her price range was 900 idk if is really good or not but is looks decent

[Aion]

actually, ati hd 8000 series will come in few months,if you able to wait, maybe you should check that. If it isnt, gtx 660ti is solid choice, hell 670 will be perfect. common perception is, if you are going to use higher res than 1080 and higher AA, go to ATI high end card (not saying you should btw)

[Aenarion]

is not self-advertisement i like to check stuff in ebay and i think it was good and she said her price range was 900 idk if is really good or not but is looks decent

Outdated cpu that was underwhelming when new, coupled with a gpu that was mid range two generations ago.

Not good at all.

actually, ati hd 8000 series will come in few months,if you able to wait, maybe you should check that. If it isnt, gtx 660ti is solid choice, hell 670 will be perfect. common perception is, if you are going to use higher res than 1080 and higher AA, go to ATI high end card (not saying you should btw)

She's operating under a pretty strict budget, and new GPUs will carry a premium for awhile, so probably not a good fit there.

[Tsukichu]

Motherboards

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H -- 1x PCI-E 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0

MSI Z77A-G41 -- 2x USB 3.0

Which do you believe is better? I save 40 bucks by switching to either one.

[Nix]

Yeah, I was telling Babydoll that earlier about the GTX 660 Ti card. I may see if Best Buy has any deals for the card, but money is tight for me right now so I have to wait.

If you have the time to wait, I'm a huge fan of crawling Newegg for their daily deals. Took me a while to get my pc giblets but I saved so much money D:

[Aenarion]

Motherboards

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H -- 1x PCI-E 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0

MSI Z77A-G41 -- 2x USB 3.0

Which do you believe is better? I save 40 bucks by switching to either one.

both looks pretty even, I'd go with the gigabyte purely because of more usb 3.0 ports for normal use. If you're looking to OC your system, then more detailed research into both would be required.

[Naraku_Diabolos]

If you have the time to wait, I'm a huge fan of crawling Newegg for their daily deals. Took me a while to get my pc giblets but I saved so much money D:

My laptop NVIDIA card has 3GB of RAM built into it. Hopefully in the years to come, there will be a way to freely switch your graphics cards by just taking out the chip and popping in a new one, much like putting a game card into a Nintendo DS.