building a computer for starcraft 2

[Ketvanin]

I am building a computer for Starcraft 2.

I posted this request on 4chan and got this back

built a PC for SCII for pretty cheap.

AMD555+BIOSTAR 880GB+ = $99
Asus 5770 = $100
4GB Corsair XMS3 RAM @ 1333MHz = $60
OCZ 600w PSU (modular and 80+) and Sony CD/DVD = $40
Antec Three Hundred = $40
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB = $40
G500 Mouse = $30

Playing everything at Ultra comfortably.

Still using my iMac's keyboard but will probably pick up Logitech's illuminated keyboard once they have a sale.

Prices after rebates and whatnot, but just use slickdeals.net to find some good prices. If you want some better brands (e.g., Corsair PSU), you can pay more, but just do some research instead of buying everything at one place.

For example: http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/37846/c ... wer-supply

Anyway, I need help with this because I don't really know what I'm doing. I will be updating this as I figure things out.

[Phauss]

I'll go over the parts and make sure everythings compatible, but if this guy is playing SC2 on ultra without problems, chances are it's a solid build.

[Phauss]

Turns out the motherboard/processor combo (AMD555+BIOSTAR 880GB+ = $99) was a deal gong on at Fry's, and an excellent one at that. You'll end up spending a little more money for the same parts.

Processor - AMD Phenom II X2 555 - $100
Motherboard - Biostar TA880GB - $80
Videocard - Asus 5770 - $160 ($20 mail-in rebate available)
Memory - Corsair XMS3 4GB 1333MHz - $90 ($15 mail-in rebate available)
Power Supply - OCZ 600w - $70 ($20 mail-in rebate available)
Case - Antec Three Hundred - $70 (+$15 shipping)
Hard Drive - Western Digital 750GB - $70
Optical Drive - DVD+RW/CD+RW - $25

I don't know what sale this guy hit, but I wish I knew about it. This is (almost) the same computer he built, except with a bigger drive and a different disc drive.

That comes out to $680 (that's including the $15 shipping for the case). With rebates, it's $625. I'd expect things like shipping and/or taxes to bring it up to around $700, or $650 with rebates.

I took a couple creative liberties with the hard drive and disc drive. I should also mention some particulars about the case. The power supply will be mounted at the bottom, so the case will need to be on something flat and preferably off the floor. There's a case with the same model name as this one for $10 cheaper, but this one has the 14cm front fans included, so it's a savings overall. The fans have blue LED's in them, so it will look a little flashier. To bad the case won't have a window; all the components look really good together. Everything's black.

The power supply is modular, which means there will be internal power cables that you have the option of using or not. Spare power cables don't have to sit wrapped up in the case, since the ones that aren't needed simply aren't plugged into the power supply (modular - plug them in when you need them.) It might make things a little confusing at first, but it's really no different.

Also, don't forget that your computer will need an operating system, so factor in what that would take. Maybe Windows 7, perhaps a throwback to XP, just make sure you get a full install and not an upgrade.

[Ketvanin]

Thanks a lot! This will really help.