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Hardware PC Hardware Buyer's Guide May 2012

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by brumgrunt, 18 May 2012.

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  1. brumgrunt

    brumgrunt What's a Dremel?

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    brumgrunt, 18 May 2012
    #1
    r3loaded likes this.
  2. 3lusive

    3lusive Minimodder

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    About time :). Been waiting a long while for this. Was one of the reasons I came to the site in the first place. I still think you should do it quarterly and not monthly though.
     
    3lusive, 18 May 2012
    #2
  3. GeorgeK

    GeorgeK Swinging the banhammer Super Moderator

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    In the Gaming Workhorse, do you mean Asus Xonar DX for the soundcard? I thought the DS was PCI and that board doesn't have any PCI slots!...
     
    GeorgeK, 18 May 2012
    #3
  4. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    Well spotted GeorgeK. I've updated the system to now include the DX.
     
    Combatus, 18 May 2012
    #4
  5. cookie! nom nom

    cookie! nom nom Minimodder

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    yay :D
     
    cookie! nom nom, 18 May 2012
    #5
  6. GeorgeK

    GeorgeK Swinging the banhammer Super Moderator

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    Good - wasn't my morning tiredness playing tricks then! I'd recommend that sound card too - paired with SP2500s the sound is fantastic!

    And - as cookie and 3lusive - awesome to see this feature back :D
     
    GeorgeK, 18 May 2012
    #6
  7. Carrie

    Carrie Multimodder

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    Good to see it back. Now tell me to ****** off if you like, but how about an additional category for htpc since there's a lot of it about, frequent questions on recommendations and most people would be looking for sff with a different emphasis?
     
    Carrie, 18 May 2012
    #7
  8. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    It is something we've been considering but we'll need to get some HTPC-specific gear through our lab first in order to make some recommendations. I'd be interested to hear what's people's budget for such a system is too - the bare minimum to handle 1080p content, Netflix and BBC iPlayer HD, or something a little fancier?
     
    Combatus, 18 May 2012
    #8
  9. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    +1 I'm going to be building one soon myself.
     
    Teelzebub, 18 May 2012
    #9
  10. tad2008

    tad2008 What's a Dremel?

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    +1
     
    tad2008, 18 May 2012
    #10
  11. Shirty

    Shirty W*nker! Super Moderator

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    Nice to see it back!

    Typo on the Gaming workhorse page, 2nd paragraph "out list" should read "our list".
     
    Shirty, 18 May 2012
    #11
  12. Carrie

    Carrie Multimodder

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    So go get it! :D How about 2 versions - an entry level and premium? Since components/functionality would be listed people can then simply pick and choose to meet their requirements.
     
    Carrie, 18 May 2012
    #12
  13. Tangster

    Tangster Butt-kicking for goodness!

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    Not the DGX? I assume because you haven't had one in for testing?

    I was also somewhat surprised by the 3770K in the premium player, I was expecting an X79 system.
     
    Last edited: 18 May 2012
    Tangster, 18 May 2012
    #13
  14. do_it_anyway

    do_it_anyway Minimodder

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    Yay!
    Amazed by the impact that some price changes have had.

    The amount of processing power you can get for not a huge amount is great.
    £300 basically gets you top level processing power, and with SSd's being so cheap the total system prices are really coming into budget.
    Motherboards are still difficult to recommend because the prices are higher than they used to be, and the features you need are so individual, but overall a great selection.
     
    do_it_anyway, 18 May 2012
    #14
  15. Kovoet

    Kovoet What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks guys about time it came back.
     
    Kovoet, 18 May 2012
    #15
  16. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    It was a tricky decision but in the end we felt that an X79 system would only be significantly faster in a very select few tasks. In fact even the Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is actually slower in several key tests than the 3770K - not really what you want to hear when you're spending £600 more on a CPU and nearly £100 more on a motherboard. We'll add more info on this decision next time but we felt it was more important to consider the PC for general usage rather than just for rendering and video editing where it's extra cores come into play.
     
    Combatus, 18 May 2012
    #16
  17. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    oops duplicate post.
     
    Combatus, 18 May 2012
    #17
  18. do_it_anyway

    do_it_anyway Minimodder

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    Ooo, while I think about it, the gaming workhorse and premium player both have the same motherboard listed (the maximus gene V) but at different prices.

    Is it the same motherboard and the prices are wrong, or is there a typo and its a different model mobo?
     
    do_it_anyway, 18 May 2012
    #18
  19. Ljs

    Ljs Modder

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    Recommending a 1200w PSU to power to power a 3770K, 680 and a few HDs? Are you sure?!

    I would have thought a decent 850w would have been more than enough to even use for SLI.

    Anway, glad to see it back - I know it is such a handy resource that many people find useful... :thumb:
     
    Ljs, 18 May 2012
    #19
  20. Mentai

    Mentai What's a Dremel?

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    I'm about due for that Gaming Workhorse. I really don't need it since most of the games I play are still running great at 1080p on my 4 year old hardware, but it's been a while since there's been such a really great cpu + gpu combo.

    Anyway, I'm glad that this article is back.
     
    Mentai, 18 May 2012
    #20
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