ASUS Maximus VI Extreme Z87 motherboard review
ASUS GeForce GTX 780 DirectCU II OC review
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 review
Corsair Vengeance K70 review
MSI GeForce GTX 770 Lightning review
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 SC review
Plextor M5M 256GB mSATA SSD review
AMD A10 6800K review
SanDisk Extreme II 120 - 240 and 480 GB SSD review
ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard review
Guru3D PC Buyers Guide Winter 2012
Guru3D offers you their bi-annual PC Buyers Guide, this is the 2012 Winter slash Christmas edition. This article brings you a set of recommendations of products we feel are great components to build yourself a nice gaming rig. We go from low-end targeted at gamers, to high-end for the enthusiast fragger. Again, we make these guys with gamers in mind.
You can read this Guru3D Guide right here.
Why Guru3D probably never will review Ubisoft titles anymore - Anno 2070 - 01/14/2012 05:54 AM
So it's Thursday in the 2nd week of January 2012. I
Guru3D PC Buyers Guide Summer 2011 - 07/29/2011 09:46 AM
Guru3D offers you their bi-annual PC Buyers Guide, this is the 2011 Summer edition. This article brings you a set of recommendations of products we feel are great components to build yourself a nice g...
Guru3D PC Buyers Guide Winter 2010 - 12/10/2010 12:11 PM
Guru3D offers you their annual PC Buyers Guide, this is the 2010 Winter edition. This article brings you a set of recommendations of products we feel are great components to build yourself a nice gami...
Guru3D PC Buyers Guide Summer 2009 - 07/10/2009 09:39 AM
Guru3D offers you their annual PC Buyers Guide, this is the 2009 summer edition. This article brings you a set of recommendations of products we feel are great components to build yourself a nice gami...
A decade Guru3D photo contest winners - 07/06/2009 08:45 AM
The primary photo contest from a Decade Guru3D.com celebration finished just over a week ago. In total we received roughly 250 Guru3D themed photo's. And boy, did we have a hard time sifting through t...
Hilbert Hagedoorn
Administrator
Posts: 17252
Joined: 2000-02-22
Administrator
Posts: 17252
Joined: 2000-02-22
#4475910 Posted on: 12/10/2012 09:14 AM
The guide is just the overall PC build, no mouse, keyboards and monitors.
The guide is just the overall PC build, no mouse, keyboards and monitors.
HonoredShadow
Maha Guru
Posts: 2409
Joined: 2007-05-27
Maha Guru
Posts: 2409
Joined: 2007-05-27
#4475912 Posted on: 12/10/2012 09:16 AM
Ok. Cheers Don. Thought I read monitors too! *drinks more coffee fast*
Ok. Cheers Don. Thought I read monitors too! *drinks more coffee fast*
Hilbert Hagedoorn
Administrator
Posts: 17252
Joined: 2000-02-22
Administrator
Posts: 17252
Joined: 2000-02-22
#4475915 Posted on: 12/10/2012 09:18 AM
LOL quote from first paragraph in article: "Monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers are not included. We do this for brevity's sake, as the monitor alone would require its own guide, especially if I were to cover LCD monitors."
LOL quote from first paragraph in article: "Monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers are not included. We do this for brevity's sake, as the monitor alone would require its own guide, especially if I were to cover LCD monitors."
HonoredShadow
Maha Guru
Posts: 2409
Joined: 2007-05-27
Maha Guru
Posts: 2409
Joined: 2007-05-27
#4475917 Posted on: 12/10/2012 09:20 AM
DOHH!
Can we have a monitor guide then? lol
Soooo want an expert opinion and round-up of latest and greatest monitors for gaming. Will mooch around The HTPC, HDTV & High Definition section instead!
DOHH!
Can we have a monitor guide then? lol
Soooo want an expert opinion and round-up of latest and greatest monitors for gaming. Will mooch around The HTPC, HDTV & High Definition section instead!
kanej2007
Ancient Guru
Posts: 5768
Joined: 2007-08-07
Ancient Guru
Posts: 5768
Joined: 2007-08-07
#4475939 Posted on: 12/10/2012 10:08 AM
DOHH!
Can we have a monitor guide then? lol
Soooo want an expert opinion and round-up of latest and greatest monitors for gaming. Will mooch around The HTPC, HDTV & High Definition section instead!
This. Would love in depth reviews regarding monitors/tv's ranging from 24-32'' .
DOHH!
Can we have a monitor guide then? lol
Soooo want an expert opinion and round-up of latest and greatest monitors for gaming. Will mooch around The HTPC, HDTV & High Definition section instead!
This. Would love in depth reviews regarding monitors/tv's ranging from 24-32'' .
mohiuddin
Master Guru
Posts: 435
Joined: 2010-11-06
Master Guru
Posts: 435
Joined: 2010-11-06
#4475956 Posted on: 12/10/2012 10:55 AM
7850HD low-range???
Then what category am i into?
Lol, with 6850, i am may be in no-range category.
And, in low range i think fx6300 would be better option than i3-3220.
Nice guide though.
7850HD low-range???
Then what category am i into?
Lol, with 6850, i am may be in no-range category.
And, in low range i think fx6300 would be better option than i3-3220.
Nice guide though.
Wanny
Ancient Guru
Posts: 6993
Joined: 2006-09-24
Ancient Guru
Posts: 6993
Joined: 2006-09-24
#4476002 Posted on: 12/10/2012 12:44 PM
I would love monitors guide as well.
I would love monitors guide as well.
Zboe
Master Guru
Posts: 534
Joined: 2011-01-16
Master Guru
Posts: 534
Joined: 2011-01-16
#4476087 Posted on: 12/10/2012 02:53 PM
7850HD low-range???
Then what category am i into?
Lol, with 6850, i am may be in no-range category.
And, in low range i think fx6300 would be better option than i3-3220.
Nice review though.
My "lan rig" (which usually sits under my desk opposite my main rig but I digress) has a ECS mobo ($50.00 ), Intel G540 (2.5Ghz no HT, also $50.00), 2x2Gb of the cheapest DDR3 ram kit (18.99 at time of purchase) on newegg and a 6870 and it still does better in games than most people here would even be willing to admit to
Even in RTS games it has managed to impress me quite a bit.
Since most games still support DX9 our "old" cards are more than overkill if you aren't worried about running with the latest 32xSLIQXSGAA and post processing "injectors", etc, etc.
7850HD low-range???
Then what category am i into?
Lol, with 6850, i am may be in no-range category.
And, in low range i think fx6300 would be better option than i3-3220.
Nice review though.
My "lan rig" (which usually sits under my desk opposite my main rig but I digress) has a ECS mobo ($50.00 ), Intel G540 (2.5Ghz no HT, also $50.00), 2x2Gb of the cheapest DDR3 ram kit (18.99 at time of purchase) on newegg and a 6870 and it still does better in games than most people here would even be willing to admit to
Even in RTS games it has managed to impress me quite a bit.
Since most games still support DX9 our "old" cards are more than overkill if you aren't worried about running with the latest 32xSLIQXSGAA and post processing "injectors", etc, etc.
Sarex
Newbie
Posts: 27
Joined: 2011-03-21
Newbie
Posts: 27
Joined: 2011-03-21
#4476115 Posted on: 12/10/2012 03:48 PM
I see the OCZ Vertex 4 is not recommended. Is it because of the memory controller, and is the Samsung 840 pro 128gb really better than the Vertex 4?(I'm planing to buy a SSD and was going to go for Vertex 4)
I see the OCZ Vertex 4 is not recommended. Is it because of the memory controller, and is the Samsung 840 pro 128gb really better than the Vertex 4?(I'm planing to buy a SSD and was going to go for Vertex 4)
Zboe
Master Guru
Posts: 534
Joined: 2011-01-16
Master Guru
Posts: 534
Joined: 2011-01-16
#4476121 Posted on: 12/10/2012 04:03 PM
I (and I think most people here) would tell you to go Samsung over OCZ any day of the week. Even if OCZ made a faster drive I think the reputation Samsung has built vs OCZ speaks for itself.
I see the OCZ Vertex 4 is not recommended. Is it because of the memory controller, and is the Samsung 840 pro 128gb really better than the Vertex 4?(I'm planing to buy a SSD and was going to go for Vertex 4)
I (and I think most people here) would tell you to go Samsung over OCZ any day of the week. Even if OCZ made a faster drive I think the reputation Samsung has built vs OCZ speaks for itself.
mohiuddin
Master Guru
Posts: 435
Joined: 2010-11-06
Master Guru
Posts: 435
Joined: 2010-11-06
#4476132 Posted on: 12/10/2012 04:25 PM
My "lan rig" (which usually sits under my desk opposite my main rig but I digress) has a ECS mobo ($50.00 ), Intel G540 (2.5Ghz no HT, also $50.00), 2x2Gb of the cheapest DDR3 ram kit (18.99 at time of purchase) on newegg and a 6870 and it still does better in games than most people here would even be willing to admit to
Even in RTS games it has managed to impress me quite a bit.
Since most games still support DX9 our "old" cards are more than overkill if you aren't worried about running with the latest 32xSLIQXSGAA and post processing "injectors", etc, etc.
yeah.I agree.
But the funny thing is, in game, your lan-rig is powerful than my/our main-and-only pc.
Strange.
My "lan rig" (which usually sits under my desk opposite my main rig but I digress) has a ECS mobo ($50.00 ), Intel G540 (2.5Ghz no HT, also $50.00), 2x2Gb of the cheapest DDR3 ram kit (18.99 at time of purchase) on newegg and a 6870 and it still does better in games than most people here would even be willing to admit to
Even in RTS games it has managed to impress me quite a bit.
Since most games still support DX9 our "old" cards are more than overkill if you aren't worried about running with the latest 32xSLIQXSGAA and post processing "injectors", etc, etc.
yeah.I agree.
But the funny thing is, in game, your lan-rig is powerful than my/our main-and-only pc.
Strange.
naike
Maha Guru
Posts: 1975
Joined: 2009-08-02
Maha Guru
Posts: 1975
Joined: 2009-08-02
#4476134 Posted on: 12/10/2012 04:35 PM
I really think the guide should mention the something like the A10-5800k for budget gaming (like really budget). You can do with the integrated graphics on that one and it overclocks really nicely. Not to say that the i3 3220 is a bad choice, but still I think the AMD deserves to be mentioned
Performance wise they are pretty much in the same league and it's cheaper (plus you don't need a dedicated GPU).
Good guide, a monitor guide would be interesting I agree.
I really think the guide should mention the something like the A10-5800k for budget gaming (like really budget). You can do with the integrated graphics on that one and it overclocks really nicely. Not to say that the i3 3220 is a bad choice, but still I think the AMD deserves to be mentioned
Performance wise they are pretty much in the same league and it's cheaper (plus you don't need a dedicated GPU).
Good guide, a monitor guide would be interesting I agree.
David
Moderator
Posts: 3396
Joined: 2001-08-17
Moderator
Posts: 3396
Joined: 2001-08-17
#4476145 Posted on: 12/10/2012 04:57 PM
You'll note that I did not recommend any of the new SSD's, for Samsung I recommended the 830's. Reliability of SSD's has been... disappointing. So many firmware problems and drive failures, so it's really best to let the new drives have some time on the market to see if they're going to be worth buying and any bugs get resolved with firmware updates. Even then well... Crucial's latest firmware update failed to work on my 256 GB Crucial M4. If I had to choose I'd definitely take the Samsung 840 Pro over the Vertex 4, both for performance and past reliability.
Monitors are tricky to make a guide to because different people want different things from their monitors and what one person can see another cannot, which can make such a guide rather subjective.
The 7850 is a fantastic deal and I'm glad I could put it in my budget gaming PC guide, you can find these for as low as 160 USD. I really wish Intel would make a K series for the i3 series, something for the overclockers on a budget. Overall though the price of the low end gaming PC even with a 3570K and 7850 would run you only about 800 USD, that's not a lot. There was a time when I set my guides by budget and the budget gaming PC was 1000 USD
You'll note that I did not recommend any of the new SSD's, for Samsung I recommended the 830's. Reliability of SSD's has been... disappointing. So many firmware problems and drive failures, so it's really best to let the new drives have some time on the market to see if they're going to be worth buying and any bugs get resolved with firmware updates. Even then well... Crucial's latest firmware update failed to work on my 256 GB Crucial M4. If I had to choose I'd definitely take the Samsung 840 Pro over the Vertex 4, both for performance and past reliability.
Monitors are tricky to make a guide to because different people want different things from their monitors and what one person can see another cannot, which can make such a guide rather subjective.
The 7850 is a fantastic deal and I'm glad I could put it in my budget gaming PC guide, you can find these for as low as 160 USD. I really wish Intel would make a K series for the i3 series, something for the overclockers on a budget. Overall though the price of the low end gaming PC even with a 3570K and 7850 would run you only about 800 USD, that's not a lot. There was a time when I set my guides by budget and the budget gaming PC was 1000 USD
David
Moderator
Posts: 3396
Joined: 2001-08-17
Moderator
Posts: 3396
Joined: 2001-08-17
#4476156 Posted on: 12/10/2012 05:05 PM
I really think the guide should mention the something like the A10-5800k for budget gaming (like really budget). You can do with the integrated graphics on that one and it overclocks really nicely. Not to say that the i3 3220 is a bad choice, but still I think the AMD deserves to be mentioned
Performance wise they are pretty much in the same league and it's cheaper (plus you don't need a dedicated GPU).
If you're using integrated graphics, you're not building a gaming machine. Integrated graphics are fine for some light, casual gaming; nothing more. At least not right yet. I expect this will change with future generations. I really wish I could could have recommended an AMD processor, the new Piledriver is a definite improvement over their Bulldozer fiasco. Head to head they do very well with Intel's processors (especially for multithreaded tasks) for the money... except for gaming. That poor single core performance means in any game not GPU limited they get stomped by Intel processors. And a gaming PC guide was what I was putting together.
I really think the guide should mention the something like the A10-5800k for budget gaming (like really budget). You can do with the integrated graphics on that one and it overclocks really nicely. Not to say that the i3 3220 is a bad choice, but still I think the AMD deserves to be mentioned
Performance wise they are pretty much in the same league and it's cheaper (plus you don't need a dedicated GPU).
If you're using integrated graphics, you're not building a gaming machine. Integrated graphics are fine for some light, casual gaming; nothing more. At least not right yet. I expect this will change with future generations. I really wish I could could have recommended an AMD processor, the new Piledriver is a definite improvement over their Bulldozer fiasco. Head to head they do very well with Intel's processors (especially for multithreaded tasks) for the money... except for gaming. That poor single core performance means in any game not GPU limited they get stomped by Intel processors. And a gaming PC guide was what I was putting together.
Click here to post a comment for this news story on the message forum.
Maha Guru
Posts: 2409
Joined: 2007-05-27
Nice guide. I can't seem to find anything about suggested monitors in there. I will look again as I have just woken up