Bad build example thread.

[Davidh373]

I was wondering if we could do a "Bad" Build example thread? It seems every time I log on here and some guy wants a 2k computer and it's the most unbalanced turd I've ever seen. I was thinking since most people ignore the positive build advice thread, where they get advice on what to put into their computer build, maybe they won't ignore one where they are warned not to do some basic things.

Today I was in one of two computer labs at school, and during digital audio production two people were piecing together a build for 2K. Unfortunately I wasn't there pre-order, so I couldn't alert them of their many holes in their logic. The build was as follows...


Case (NZXT Phantom)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...067&cm_re=nzxt_phantom-_-11-146-067-_-Product

PSU (1200W Corsair HX)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...orsair%201200W

Motherboard (ASUS Crosshair [better be coated in gold for that price] 5x PCI x16)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-667-_-Product

Processor (Phenom II X6 BE)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-849-_-Product

RAM (12GB Corsair Dominator)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-312-_-Product

Graphics (5970)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-887-_-Product

[The build didn't end up working because of a DOA 5970]

HDD (WD 2TB RE5)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-579-_-Product

Blu Ray Burner (LG)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-181-_-Product

Total: $2179.91

The 5970 is old news, and will be even older news in a month when the 59xx's come out. That 2TB HDD is not gonna be a good boot drive, especially when SSD is so cheap compared to his budget. For the most part DDR3 is DDR3. RAM doesn't need a fan system, and if it did I would bet $200 it wouldn't cost $200.

---Now just glancing at that build I know I could "trim the fat" so to speak, off this build.---

Something like this maybe?

Case (same)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-067-_-Product

PSU (seasonic M12II)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-093-_-Product

Motherboard (ASUS 890GX)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-631-_-Product

Processor (Same)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-849-_-Product

RAM (GSKill Ripjaws 12GB DDR3 1333Mhz)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-356-_-Product

Graphics (GTX 580)

SSD (Vertex 2 60GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-550-_-Product

HDD (2TB Samsung F4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-245-_-Product

Blu Ray (same)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-181-_-Product

Total: $1656.43

See, now that wasn't so hard. Better performance for $600 less. My build is better because it shaves off a lot of premiums the owner would never utilize. The 5970 can only do 2 way CFX, because it's already a dual GPU to begin with. The SSD will also be faster to boot from. Plus, it is $1650 compared to $2200

I also see this build a lot.

Case (Antec 900)

[because it looks so spiffy! ]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-021-_-Product

PSU (1200W Antec)

[because they want to bring down the power grid when they boot]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-039-_-Product

Motherboard (ASUS Rampage III)

[who doesn't want to pay $200 more for 2 PCI-E slots they'll never use]

Processor (i7 950)

[The higher numbers means it's better right...? RIGHT....!?]

RAM (6GB Corsair dominator DDR3 1600)

[It looks all sleek and spiny... it must be for "pro" gamers... <_<]

Graphics (Gigabyte 5770)

[because they ran out budget at the items they "need" for gaming]

SSD (Crucial C300 256GB)

[WAIT, LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT NOW... YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO INSTALL EVERYTHING ON AN SSD!?!]

Optical (TEAK DVD-RW)

[Wait... THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!? ... NAAAAAAAH!]

Total: $1911.90

Alright... I'm gonna give all of you some very good advice. BIGGER #'S DO NOT ALWAYS MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM AND THE LOWER #'S MAKES IT THAT MUCH BETTER! As a matter of fact the i7 9xx series is worse in many games than the i5 760, which is $100 less and also uses less expensive motherboards and RAM than the former. The i7 9xx series also has many issues (or rather, used to have issues) with it's memory controller. Also, for the most part, all DDR3 is the same. don't pay just as much for 6GB as you can for 12GB, it's just a waste of $80. Also, like DDR3, most DVD-RW drives are the same. If it's out of the $28 range shipped, they are ripping you a new one.

Here's a great intel build.

Case (Antec 300)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-042-_-Product

PSU (Seasonic 520W)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-093-_-Product

Processor (i5 760)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115067&cm_re=i5_760-_-19-115-067-_-Product

Motherboard (ASUS USB 3.0/ SATA 3.0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-634-_-Product

RAM (8GB GSkill)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-311-_-Product

[more than needed... but ram is the cheapest part of the systems we build these days...]

Graphics (HIS Radeon 6870)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-349-_-Product

[you could swap this with a 470 if you're an NVidia fan. They are around the same price]

SSD (Vertex 2 60GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-550-_-Product

HDD (2TB Samsung F4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-245-_-Product

Optical (LG Blu Ray ROM, DVD-RW)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-183-_-Product

[heck... $60 for Blu Ray...]

$1117.08

Save $800 again for a build of better performance and reliability. The i5 benches better in most games per clock over the i7 9xx series and you get 2GB more ram for $20 less. I guess you could shove the 8GB in and have the i7 run it in dual channel, but with a premium like that wtf would you!?

Anyone else here had the urge to have this thread? Anyone else have any builds that were worse? I think I'm going to show this thread to my friend who built the first machine listed. It will be discrete, as I don't want to upset the owner. His build wasn't bad, but he was putting WAY too much money where the owner would see zero performance benefit. Anyway, lol, what do you guys think?

 

[lid73]

This thread unfortunately applies most to the people who build stuff BEFORE researching, or asking anyone who knows. The people who will benefit the most will see this after they build. But, very true how people see numbers/price and assume bigger is better.

 

[Davidh373]

This thread unfortunately applies most to the people who build stuff BEFORE researching, or asking anyone who knows. The people who will benefit the most will see this after they build. But, very true how people see numbers/price and assume bigger is better.

I suppose. There would be some who benefit I'm sure. A lot of people could compare and contrast their builds they are asking about to the ones mentioned in this thread.

 

[MisterDonut]

Iono, I feel like 2000w powering my i7-9000 is pretty good.

 

[Davidh373]

Iono, I feel like 2000w powering my i7-9000 is pretty good.

lol

 

[MisterDonut]

I know what you mean though. Lots of people going around picking excessive parts. Gamers trying to piece together 1366 thinking that'll future-proof the build while skimping on the graphics card (e.g. I've seen quite the few builds pairing an i7-950 with a 5770).


EDIT: I noticed you put together a build that said exactly what I did (i7-950 + 5770)

 

[Maximilian]

Case (NZXT Phantom)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-579-_-Product

Yeah i would say using a hard drive as a case is a good way to start a bad build :thumbsup:

Also the intel build is missing a processor, definitely a bad build if theres no CPU.

 

[Davidh373]

Also the intel build is missing a processor, definitely a bad build if theres no CPU.

good lord I missed that... It musta been too late at night lol!

 

[Blain]

The mods should start a "Help me build" forum so this one can get cleaned up.
But it may be easier to simply change the name of this forum and start a new "Other than Help me build" forum.

 

[mfenn]

Hmm, now I wonder if somebody's just gonna copy David's bad builds and think they got some hot stuff. :thinking:

But seriously, 1366 + low-midrange GPU is one of the most annoyingly common mistakes that people make it a "gaming" PC.

 

[Davidh373]

The mods should start a "Help me build" forum so this one can get cleaned up.
But it may be easier to simply change the name of this forum and start a new "Other than Help me build" forum.

lol

But seriously, 1366 + low-midrange GPU is one of the most annoyingly common mistakes that people make it a "gaming" PC.

No joke dude, I feel like a broken record saying that sometimes.

 

[pcsavvy]

It somewhat ironic how some people will ask for advice without really thinking what they want to accomplish with their new build. It seems they just want bragging rights or something.

 

[MisterDonut]

@pcsavvy, those bug me the most. A lot of people with a $2k budget looking for a gaming rig, with a complete disregard for saving money for future upgrades.

 

[fffblackmage]

@pcsavvy, those bug me the most. A lot of people with a $2k budget looking for a gaming rig, with a complete disregard for saving money for future upgrades.

Who needs upgrades when your rig is future-proof? :awe:

 

[Davidh373]

Who needs upgrades when your rig is future-proof?

haha!

 

[Zorander]

Just a year ago a friend wanted to build a new system "so he can play the upcoming Starcraft 2". He had a budget of some AUD$2500-3000 and pieced together a Nehalem-based rig with 6GB of overclocker memory, P183 case, etc. Basically he picked off expensive components to "fill up" his budget (strangely he picked a cheap $70 video card and he never heard of SSDs).

After helping him revise that list, he ended up with the (much) cheaper Lynnfield-based system, 4GB of standard-speed RAM, HD4870 (the HD5xxx was not out yet), Antec Sonata case, etc. No SSD (he can't accept the GB-per-dollar factor against HDD). That's half of his original budget.

And the kicker? He never ended up playing SC2 and instead immerses himself playing Farmville and watching Youtube. Still does even now.

 

[Carver_inc]

I would have been one of those "bad thread" people, if it hadn't of been for folks like mfenn and fffblackmage. Now my rig is almost complete,

i5-760 ($170), 4gb DDR3($50), hd5870 (@$215), 550w corsair($59), 1tb Sam. HDD+ CM 690 Case ($65 combo)

Total so far: $559. Not bad, but all thanks to you guys!

 

[MisterDonut]

Who needs upgrades when your rig is future-proof? :awe:

Haha those same people don't believe in future-proof . When SB comes out, they'll be ready to dump 1366 for the next expensive piece.

 

[mfenn]

I would have been one of those "bad thread" people, if it hadn't of been for folks like mfenn and fffblackmage. Now my rig is almost complete,

i5-760 ($170), 4gb DDR3($50), hd5870 (@$215), 550w corsair($59), 1tb Sam. HDD+ CM 690 Case ($65 combo)

Total so far: $559. Not bad, but all thanks to you guys!

:thumbsup: