First time building my own PC

Asleepdan

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Like the topic says first time building my own PC, right now i have only about 700-800 to work with.

I guess im lookin for a machine with some power and longevity on a budget(potential to upgrade), i was thinking a decent dual core 3.0 wolfdale(sp) , 4gigs of ram. thats what i could come up with on my own, now as far as the motherboard im not sure, i know ddr3 is out and soon will be getting cheaper so i really want a mobo that is ddr2/3 compatible also i wasnt sure if having the option to use 2 video cards in the future was worth the money now, or jus get a new mobo when the time came for me to use 2 cards b/c i mainly play warhammer, and i dont think it requires 2 cards, b/c mobos with two x16 slots are pretty expensive, and the other option would be to snag a mid ranged x16/x8 sli/xfire mobo.


And for video card im not sure what way to go, i know nvidia just came out with a few new versions of 260/280 gtx, and im not sure how it compares to ATI i really dont wanna make the decision blindly as this is a big part on how the PC performs.

I could use any advice on the PSU i would need to run a machine like this, advice on a case since ill be completely building this new, and as for the ram i really need to find a mobo i want to buy first so advice on that would be much appreciated too.



jus wanna say thanks in advanced to any advice anyone can offer, if maybe somone has built a machine on a budget already that would like to share, or if somone has a wishlist up on newegg im on there also.


Btw im not at all against AMD, im just more familiar with intel atm.


Mobo : ?
CPU : wolfdale 3.0 dual core
RAM : ?
GFX : ?
PSU : ?
 

Asleepdan

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i like that list, i just question the video card is that gonna kick out enough power? im only playing warhammer but in city seiges theres close to 200-300 ppl in the zones on my server, thats why i was kinda thinkin i needed something along the lines of a newer nvidia/ati, and would cost me around 250-300


im minusing 100$ from that list towards the card b/c i have a copy of windows to use, i should have stated that.

thanks for the speedy reply
 


This is a good start for a build. With your budget, I would replace the e5200 w/ the e8500. That leaves a little wiggle room for a better case of your choice.
 

Asleepdan

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Yeah i saw that, how does that CPU compare to the one i was thinkin of buying, jus about double the price, i wanna make sure i can put out enough power so i dont lag in warhammer while im out buyin a PC.
 

xthekidx

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Well at that resolution, I don't think you would really have too much of a problem, but if you wanted to go bigger on the card, then look at these and see if they fit in your budget:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
Unfortunately you would need to get a different PSU for that second card. Take a look at this one ($30 more after MIR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx
Or this one which could handle two of those 4870's in xfire:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011
 

Asleepdan

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How do you rate that video card, compared to ones that go for 50-100$ more?

the new 260/280 gtx and the new ATI the reason i bring it up is if the performance is major gaming wise i would rather skimp in other areas like a case and spend more on the card (50-100$)
 

Asleepdan

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Yeah i guess my whole thing for the video cards is im not sure how they stack up performance wise, i really only know whats new, so when i see a video card for 180$ or one for 240$ i can only assume the one for 240$ is clearly better, so i think im looking for a good performance card in the range of 200-300. i just cant figure out through all the number combinations and letters and prices what actually matters in a video card performance wise.
 
The gtx280 is a better gaming card than the 4870 IMO. However, it's also much more expensive. I don't believe it's worth the extra cost, as the 4870 will play all games that I know of today on high settings.

The case is the easiest to skimp on. I agree completely with you. However, if you don't get proper airflow, you can burn up your system.
 

xthekidx

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Going with those more expensive cards means you have to spend more on other components, not less. the more expensive cards are bigger, so they need a larger case, and use more power so need a better PSU. You could go with a cheaper mobo that will not allow xfire, but that limits upgrades in the future. I always like to have some room for expansion when going with a fresh build, not something that is maxxed out to begin with.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372
 

Asleepdan

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Thats what im not sure about either, im gonna go big on a card even if i have to wait a week or two, so i guess im gonna spend about 300 on a card.

So now would it be better to get 1 single card, or run 2 4850s like you linked (or another variation of cards)
 

Asleepdan

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If i wanted to run sli/xfire what mobo would i end up buying one that can run both slots at x16? or one that can run it at x16/x8 those are alot cheaper, but idk how they pan out performance wise.
 

xthekidx

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Having both slots at x16 isn't that important since the slave card (running x8 mode) won't have its full potential used anyways, the difference is like 1%, and not worth the price of going with a mobo that offers 2 x16 slots.
 

xthekidx

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So I'm sensing that there is a bit of flexablilty in this budget...you seem to be willing to break the $800 mark. How much can you actually spend, even if it takes you a week or two to save it up?
 

bonanzaguy

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For this price range and other things you're looking at I cant help but suggest the new 720 X3 BE.

It's cheaper than the 8500, over clocks like a beast and has the advantage of the extra core.
 

Akebono 98

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Right. For gaming, which generally doesn't need a third core... :pfff:
 

+1. Should be about $500-550. Up the board to a P45-UD3P or P45-DS3R and the CPU to E8400/E8500 and that should put OP in the $650-750. Don't forget a good PSU. I recommend 650TX, PC Power & Cooling 610 or Corsair 750TX or PC Power & Cooling 750. PSU depends on if OP is going to CrossFire/SLI or not.
 

Asleepdan

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Jus wanna say thanks to everyone for the responses im pretty close to ordering the rig.

One thing i jus wanna get clear is whats better to run, 2 4870s(1gb) wich would run me about the same $$ as a 280x/260x, what would perform better 2 cards or 1 mega card.


I jus want the best performance, so if 2 4870s would run better than 1 280x/260x
I would much rather buy 1 4870 for now and in 2 weeks get another.

I really dont wanna spend 400-500 on a card id say 350 would be my limit, and this is why i bring up the 2 cards over 1 because it will cost about the same i just dont know performance numbers etc.

Also if there is a better card for xfire than the 4870s, im open to other options, im jus going off what i know and what people have posted on this thread video card wise.


Also how big of a PSU am i looking at if i want to xfire 2 (1gb) 4870s
OR
1 280x/260x

*EDIT*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

I took this from a reply above, and im assuming this PSU would still be able to run 2 of the 4870s if they are 1GB instead of 512.

*EDIT*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

This psu was combo'd with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

But i am assuming 500w is not enough for Xfire, even though it says xfire compatible. since most PSU that have been linked are over 600W easily.







where can i find the toxic edition?
I havent seen it on newegg.


*EDIT*
This is what i have put together, video card i kinda just picked one based on reviews, since i dont really understand what makes one better than another, since the price differance on alot of the ones were 10-15-20$. (i searched 200-300$ range ATI /1 GB)

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=14899127


What are the opinions on RAM for gaming? I had in my mind 4gigs would be good enough for WaRhammer online, since its cheap how much would it effect performance if i went to 8 gigs.
 

Asleepdan

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See my post above this one

The only thing i really am willing to hold on or break my budget with is the video card/s
I explain why in the above post in more detail.