Sandy Bridge PC Build Thread

• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-18 21:28
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=sandy+bridge&x=0&y=0
  
  as you now see
  Intel recently released a LOT of different variants of Sandy Bridge
  what is Sandy Bridge?
  the most cost efficent processor out on the market
  
  but anyways this thread is made to us build a PC based upon using the Sandy bridge CPU
  
  is it possible to use AMD graphic cards with it?
  because AMD is kind of cost efficent too
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-06-18 22:34
  Just to clarify, there is no such thing as "the most cost efficient on the market", as it depends on which market you're referring to. :P (ie. budget, mainstream, performance, enthusiast etc).
  
  But yes, if you are building a mainstream or up-level PC, Sandy Bridge (Intel Core i5/7-xxxx) is the way to go. If you want to build a gaming PC on a tight budget, AMD chips can be more cost efficient. Especially with AMDs soon-to-be-released A-series Llano "APU" CPUs.
  
  Yes, you can use both NVIDIA and ATI. ATI is superior to NVIDIA in performance per cost in most price ranges, however.
  
  Sandy Bridge Buyer’s Guide
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-18 22:38
  are the cheaper sandy bridges good?
  or the $200-300 ones the only good ones
• bidoof wrote on 2011-06-18 22:48
  My build:
  Intel Sandy Bridge i3-2100
  4gb DDR3 1600 RAM
  AMD Radeon HD 6850
  Biostar TH67B
  430w Rosewill Green series
  
  Works perfectly for me.
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-06-18 22:55

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;480808:

  are the cheaper sandy bridges good?
  or the $200-300 ones the only good ones

  
  
  AMD is a better value in the low end:
  

  The Pentium G620 is inferior to the AMD Athlon II X3 line—and since it is either about the same price or even more expensive, I do not recommend the Sandy Bridge Pentiums right now unless you are interested in upgrading the CPU itself later to a more powerful Core i5 or i7 model. The Core i3-2100, on the other hand, performs about the same as the AMD Phenom II X4 940, so that’s what we’ve used

  
  If you want something inexpensive, go with what they suggest. Here's some benchmark comparisons of 3 Sandy Bridge CPUs vs older Intel and AMD chips: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20
  
  But as I said, in the lower-end segment, AMD might soon bring even more value with their new APUs.
• Shirayuki wrote on 2011-06-18 23:16
  I'm using an 15-2500K with an nVidia GT 430 and 4 GB of 1333 Mhz RAM.
  
  It's pretty cheap since I got the graphics card for only around $40, but it still performs well enough in most games.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-19 02:03
  The cat has an Intel Pentium 4
  alongside : Radeon X1300/X1550 Series
  
  will increase cpu power make the difference when running starcraft 2?
  (the computer slows down during intense fights)
  or should cat go low end and boost graphics card
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-06-19 02:46
  In that specific case, it's hard to say exactly, since the parts are so old. D: SC2 does tend to stress the GPU hard when there are lots of units fighting on the screen; a slow GPU becomes the bottleneck. But in general, if you are building a gaming oriented PC, it's a safe bet to save a bit on the CPU to get a better GPU. Even the low end Core i3-2100 would be a massive upgrade over your P4. I would still recommend you save up a bit for an i5-2500/2500K. The integrated GPU in the 2500K is more powerful than your old dedicated GPU.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-19 03:38
  wait wiat the i5 -2500k can produce graphics on its own?
  so the cat doesnt need the radeon card anymore?
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-06-19 03:50
  All (most?) Sandy Bridge chips can. The GPU is in fact part of the CPU itself. It's still weak-grade, integrated stuff, but they were able to make it powerful enough to match some low-end or old dedicated graphics cards. Here's a hierarchy chart where you can compare performance approximately: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-7.html (Sandy Bridge's GPU is indicated as Intel HD Graphics 2000 or 3000)
  
  The only requirement to make it work is to have a motherboard with a H61, H67 or Z68 chipset. Otherwise, the GPU component of the CPU will not be usable. It should be noted that H61 and H67 will not let you overclock the CPU, so getting the unlocked "K" variant is mostly a waste in that situation.
• Shirayuki wrote on 2011-06-19 03:52

  Quote from Yoorah;481239:

  All (most?) Sandy Bridge chips can. The GPU is in fact part of the CPU itself. It's still weak-grade, integrated stuff, but they were able to make it powerful enough to match some low-end or old dedicated graphics cards. Here's a hierarchy chart where you can compare performance approximately: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-7.html (Sandy Bridge's GPU is indicated as Intel HD Graphics 2000 or 3000)
  
  The only requirement to make it work is to have a motherboard with a H61, H67 or Z68 chipset. Otherwise, the GPU component of the CPU will not be usable. It should be noted that H61 and H67 will not let you overclock the CPU, so getting the unlocked "K" variant is mostly a waste in that situation.

  
  
  Just to add on a bit, I believe Intel said that the new 3000 graphics on the Sandy Bridge processors can replace any GPU's up to around $50 in price.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-19 03:53
  build for the cat!