Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
Mad Cow! Holiday Computer building (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Drifter
- Start date
Zasada
Footballguy
IMHO you won't find a better CPU/mobo combo deal than that (for those parts). If it is better you might save $10 or $20, but you risk the vendor running out of stock in an instant or having to wait in line.
Drifter
Footballguy
Is it a current gen processor as opopsed to a cutting edge?
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
Agreed. The MC deals just cannot be beaten for CPU/Mobo combos.
)
Drifter
Footballguy
So the Zasada/Mad Cow hive brain is in agreeance that this should be the deal I go with for the heart of my new machine at $250 after tax and shipping?
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Can your buddy in Denver pick up one for me too?ETA - Does Microcenter post somewhere how long these deals will last? I'll be driving through Ohio next week, where they happen to have Microcenters.
Last edited by a moderator:
Zasada
Footballguy
Can't speak for MC, but if I were building a gaming rig for myself right now I would have already jumped on this deal.
Drifter
Footballguy
Account set up with designated pick up person and in my cart. Just confirming that my buddy can pick it up.
Zasada
Footballguy
First, the deals come and go, but generally last a while. I read in another thread that the Houston Microcenter is advertising this through the end of the month so I assume that will be true for all the stores (can't be sure though).
What you might want to do is pick a store you plan to be driving by and order it online for in-store pickup. That will lock in the price and then you have three calendar days to go pick it up. That way you know the price and you know they have stock.
What I'm waiting for is their "buy any Sandy Bridge CPU and get $40 off any mobo" deal to swing back around again. The Core i3 & H67 combo for $120 is just sick. And it's going to be the core of my HTPC.
Zasada
Footballguy
Oh and FYI on Microcenter deals. Both times I have bought a CPU/mobo combo from them in the last six months, they have sent me an email with a bunch of X% off coupons for other components (cases, RAM, PSUs, etc). Which are great because you wait for other parts to go on sale with a big MIR and you get the % off the pre-MIR price, and then the absolute MIR to bring the price down even further.
IIRC they come about 3-4 days after you make the combo buy. And they have a very long expiration as long as you don't click the links in the email to display the specific coupon codes. Just let the email sit and then when you finally decide to pull the trigger, click the code and it will display a unique coupon for you to print and bring in.
So Drifter, tell your Denver buddy to sit on the mobo and CPU for a week or two in case these coupons come through for you and you want to use them on a BF deal and ship it all at once.
IIRC they come about 3-4 days after you make the combo buy. And they have a very long expiration as long as you don't click the links in the email to display the specific coupon codes. Just let the email sit and then when you finally decide to pull the trigger, click the code and it will display a unique coupon for you to print and bring in.
So Drifter, tell your Denver buddy to sit on the mobo and CPU for a week or two in case these coupons come through for you and you want to use them on a BF deal and ship it all at once.
Last edited by a moderator:
Drifter
Footballguy
Okay, Mr Conflicting info guy. "Here's what you should do but here's what I'm going to do."Talk to me here.
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
For gaming, get the i5. He is saying i3 for an HTPC.
Zasada
Footballguy
I'm building an HTPC, you're building a gaming rig. If I were building a gaming rig, I would get what you're getting. But I'm not building a gaming rig. I want a low-power CPU with onboard graphics on the cheap, which is great for an HTPC but not great for gaming.Clear?
Last edited by a moderator:
Drifter
Footballguy
Gotcha. I've been out of the hardware game for a good long time so you need to help me with some baby steps.
Zasada
Footballguy
What's your overall budget? This will help determine if we're in SSD territory or not. Do you need a new monitor as well?
Drifter
Footballguy
Don't really have a budget. I'm looking to build off of the best deals the season has to offer. Probably want to keep it under 1k but ideally would be a few hundred less than that by snagging great deals.
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Cool, if this deal will last, that's exactly what I'll do. I can order it on Monday and pick it up on Wednesday.BTW, I have an i3 HTPC, it's the perfect processor IMO.
Last edited by a moderator:
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
Absolutely. AMD mobo's are gonna be cheaper as well.
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
What am I looking for in an AMD motherboard? Socket AM3 - any particular northbridge or southbridge? Or just select based on # of SATA II/III, USB 3.0, etc?Some other Microcenter AMD deals. Any of these better? The Black Edition means the X2 can be unlocked to X4, right?
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
No, Black means the multipliers are unlocked for easier overclocking. Unlocking cores is a different matter altogether.
MaxThreshold
Footballguy
Fook! I just dropped $115 on the X4 965. Aggggggh!
Zasada
Footballguy
SC2 isn't that demanding but is more dependent on CPU performance than your typical game. Without a monitor and without an SSD, you could probably put together a decent SC2/Skyrim box for $550 or $600. But if you're looking for the "sweet spot" and strong capability with the more demanding games (e.g. BF3), I would say you're in the $850 range sans-monitor, including SSD (which is what I'm roughly targeting for Drifter).
tdoss
Footballguy
What are the advantages of SSD for gaming? Are they faster?I realize they're probably more stable since there's no movement and cooler as well...but is there some special reason for SSD?Also...when I was considering SSD...I was thinking of a smaller one for the operating system and some other programs like Office and such and put everything else on the larger, regular HDD. Have I got it backwards?
Last edited by a moderator:
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
They just run faster, start faster, etc. I have my home rig set up with a 128 GB SSD which I use for the OS and only certain games I play more than others. The wife and kids get to share the other 4 TB of HDD in this rig for their installs, but they do not get SSD installs.
tdoss
Footballguy
Cool...then we're of the same mind...just wanted to make sure there wasn't more to it.They just run faster, start faster, etc. I have my home rig set up with a 128 GB SSD which I use for the OS and only certain games I play more than others. The wife and kids get to share the other 4 TB of HDD in this rig for their installs, but they do not get SSD installs.
Zasada
Footballguy
Once you get an SSD it's really hard to go back. Computers just feel "snappier". IE loads almost instantly. My PC only takes 40 seconds from hitting the power switch to having a usable desktop. The dark side of SSDs is that once you get one, you start wanting to put more and more on it.Cool...then we're of the same mind...just wanted to make sure there wasn't more to it.They just run faster, start faster, etc. I have my home rig set up with a 128 GB SSD which I use for the OS and only certain games I play more than others. The wife and kids get to share the other 4 TB of HDD in this rig for their installs, but they do not get SSD installs.
I started with a 60GB Vertex and used it as a boot drive with 1-2 games. Then I wanted to put a third game on it, so off to the store I went to get a 128GB drive. Now I find myself wanting to have both WoW and SW:TOR (50GB combined) on the SSD and thus I'm now pining for a 256GB drive.
One thing is for sure, though. Media on an SSD is a waste of time. Media plays slower than all platter HDDs are fast, so aside from a fraction of a second benefit you get starting the file, it makes no difference. My 8.5TB media server is all spinning platters (I shudder at what 8.5TB of SSD storage would cost).
Last edited by a moderator:
Mad Cow
Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
I am IN! How much $ do I get to spend?
Zasada
Footballguy
Yup, be sure to get a SATA III capable drive though, since the Z68 supports 6Gbps.A word of caution is that that Sandforce drives (OCZ Vertex 3) have had BSOD issues in the past, but supposedly they're fixed now.
Intel's drives are a bit higher on the ranking in terms of being bug-free, and the Crucial M4 is tops in terms of consumer-level reliability. FYI.
Zasada
Footballguy
It's been down to $60 once before, but $67 is a great price.Here's a good site to see where NewEgg prices have been on given components over time:
http://camelegg.com/product/N82E16817151096
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
I pulled the trigger on http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227737 for $92.64 less $20 rebate.
jamil
Footballguy
Will do tomorrow on my off day
Zasada
Footballguy
These are usually priced very well, but normally you get a less-than-great name on the mobo side (e.g. Biostar) and PSU (e.g. Rosewill). Also the cases tend to be very generic and enthusiast unfriendly.That's not to say that they're a great start for a real budget rig, but if you care at all about the parts, going with better names is worth the spend.Finally, you save so much on the Microcenter combos, it makes sense to buy the rest of the pieces individually and you can get within spitting distance on total price between the two options.All that said, if the right combo deal comes along, I'll bring it up here. I check the Shell Shockers every morning when I get up.
Zasada
Footballguy
Just ordered a 120GB Vertex 2 SSD as a Christmas gift for the in-laws... can't ignore these prices...
Zasada
Footballguy
For those of you planning to overclock and/or care about a quiet PC, this is the HSF for you. Basically head and shoulders above the competition on price/performance and is also among the best performers.
It's just coming into the market now, so availability at major retailers is non-existent. I'll advise when it comes in somewhere useful. Plan to spend $45-$50, shipped (which is about 2/3 the price of the competing coolers).
If you don't want to overclock and don't care about noise, then stick with the stock HSF that comes with the CPU.
It's just coming into the market now, so availability at major retailers is non-existent. I'll advise when it comes in somewhere useful. Plan to spend $45-$50, shipped (which is about 2/3 the price of the competing coolers).
If you don't want to overclock and don't care about noise, then stick with the stock HSF that comes with the CPU.
belljr
Footballguy
I had a friend look at mine while it's not the best I found it very reasonable and decent
This was my deal BUT I am just an average hardware person http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942 motherboardhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130605No idea if they are good, but everything cameout to like 450 pre graphics cardEdit: oops that was juist the processor out of stock - see if I can find the package. It was prett cheap for everything. I just had to upgrade my PSU because I bought a video card MadCow suggested
Last edited by a moderator:
Drifter
Footballguy
OCZ worth the extra money over agility in the SATA III drives?Pull the trigger here and on the PSU, yes?
![[icon]](/data/avatars/s/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
