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Picking components for $800 gaming pc.

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I'm building a new gaming pc in the next few weeks. I've done quite a bit of research and this isn't my first system. Just looking for some feedback and suggestions on if I have picked good components that will work well together, or if someone has a better idea for a component I would love to hear it =).

Italics is my reasoning.

Motherboard - ASUS M4A79T - $219.99
Reason: From what I read, asus makes very solid mobos, this one looks pretty solid, couldn't find anything bad about it.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 920 - $149.99
Not super sure if I'm going with AMD or Intel, any advice in this field would be greatly appreciated. As far as AMD goes, not sure how this stacks up.

GPU - XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition - $189.99
Everything I read says this is by far the best for the money. The 216 core GTX260.

Memory - Corsair Dual Channel 4096MB PC12800 DDR3 - $97.99
Another one I'm not to sure about, DDR3 worth it? I will probably upgrade to 6GB at some point.

Any advice you can provide I would greatly appreciate, just trying to get the best I can for the money =)

Thanks.

Message edited by heifinator on 06-20-2009 at 12:36:56 AM

Add a reply

Hmm, from what i've heard AM2+ cpus cant fit in AM3 sockets, only AM3 cpus can fit in AM2+ sockets. If you wanted to you could go with the X3 720be which would work well, or a X4 810.

Reply to bige420

Well, I might be able to save you some money.....

MB: I found this at a irresistible price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 813130224R
It got DDR3/AM3, good reviews etc.
I'd go with DDR3 for a new system

CPU: I recently got a AMD PII x3 720; costs less with highest spec HT speed, AM3 etc
I was my understanding that for gaming, a 3-core should be sufficient. Not too much advantage of 4 cores. Make sure you get the Black Edition, so you can crank up the speed a bit...

GPU: Yes, that's the one I got. Works well; 53FPS at far cry 2, 1920x1200, Very High, 4x AA. (I run with DDR2-800)

Mem: 4G should be ok. Observe that MB is not a tri-channel

Reply to gunnarhx

Just read previous reply:
Yes, both my MB and yours are AM3. Your choice of CPU will NOT fit. You'd have to pick 720, 940, 945 etc.

If you are really budget, do consider AMD PII x2 550 @ $100. It seems to be the consensus that 2 cores play a vast majority of games equally well as 3<= cores.
However, I went with 3 just to be safe....

AM2+ sockets will fit AM3 CPUs though, but then you're restricted to DDR2, I believe

Reply to gunnarhx

I personally wouldnt go with open box mobos. They dont come with anything, no sata cables, no manual, no nothing, just the mobo.

Reply to bige420

Mr BigE420,
There's the choice of paying $40 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130224
and you get all the cables

Reply to gunnarhx

Ok, well at this point my biggest question is which should I go with for the 125-160 range on a processor. AMD or Intel.

Also, is going to a 175-200 processor going to make a huge difference in performance, and in that case, which should I go with?

Reply to heifinator

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX <$125 after mail rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378

If you are on a tight budget, the PII X3720BE is an awesome cpu.

You can upgrade to better CPU later on without changing anything else (if you ever need to). The cpu is a strong performer already.

Reply to Ken168

I would go with AMD simply because of the upgrade path. Intel's LGA775 isnt going to be having any major new processors released for anymore, while AMD's AM3 is a their brand new socket which will probably be around for quite a while.

That being said, the Phenom II X3 720be is only $120 and its AM3 so you can use DDR3 memory. Its also a black edition so you can easily overclock it by just bumping up the multiplier to add some more performance.

But, alot of new games are going to be coming out optimized for quad cores, so if you really want a quad core and you want to go AM3 then your choice is either a X4 810, 945, or 955. The 810 is $140, has only 4mb of cache compared to 6mb on a normal X4, not a black edition. The 945 is just the AM3 version of the 940, its $225 with the full 6mb of cache. and of course the 955 is the most expensive and its a black edition so overclocking friendly.

It really depends on what you want to do. If your doing alot of multitasking and video editing/encoding, then a quad core is the way to go. But if your mostly playing games and web surfing then the X3 would probably suffice, but you wouldnt get the full performance out of games that are optimized for quad cores in the future. I would personally go for either the 945 or 955 if I had the money.

Message edited by bige420 on 06-20-2009 at 02:54:21 AM

Reply to bige420

The 945 and 955 are overpriced. Either downgrade to AM2+, or get a 720 instead.

------------------------------ Phenom II X2 unlocked to four cores @ 3.8gHz,1.45V. 4GB DDR3-1600 Gigabyte 785g ATi Radeon HD4870 1GB
Run Folding@Home! Support Toms Hardware Guide, Team 40051!
CPU Buyer's Guide
Reply to smithereen

+1 to that.

DDR3 just isn't worth it and I don't see that changing within the next 6 months - 1 year. I mean, you can probably get a 945+am3 mobo for $100 more than a 940+am2 mobo, but I can't see it ever being worth $100 more. You'd be better off saving that $100 towards your next upgrade.

Reply to jennyh

You do have the option to go with an AM2+ motherboard and get DDR2 memory. The 945 is really not much of an increase from the AM2+ 940, it only has the ability to use DDR3.

Reply to bige420

I think Im going with this, tell me if this will all work together and you think its a good buy overall for mid-range gaming.

Motherboard $149.99

Processor $149.99

Memory $97.99

And then the XFX GTX 260 Black Edition for the video card.

Seem good?

Message edited by heifinator on 06-20-2009 at 06:43:49 AM

Reply to heifinator

Yeah that would all work, but you can get it all for cheaper at Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131366

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145198

Reply to bige420

I7 920 - 279.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115202

MSI X58 M - 169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130227

G.Skill Trichannel DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231224

Sapphire HD 4770 X 2 - 219.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102835

Total of 729 dollars and so much more potential then the X4

------------------------------ Core I7 920 D0 @ 4.2Ghz
MSI X58 Pro-E
32GB SSD, WD Blacks In R0
Sapphire HD 5870's In XFire
Reply to PsychoSaysDie

Quote :

Thats great, but the issue is that I need to build the whole tower for under 800, not just the bare bones. The bare bones should be about 600-700 max.

I am aware that for 800 even I could do a lot better, thats why what I picked was just under 600.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to heifinator

heifinator wrote :

Quote :

Spend the extra money and build it right.

------------------------------ Core I7 920 D0 @ 4.2Ghz
MSI X58 Pro-E
32GB SSD, WD Blacks In R0
Sapphire HD 5870's In XFire
Reply to PsychoSaysDie

Not in the cards. Plus, from what I understand, an i7 is hardly necessary. I'm pretty sure I can put something together for 800 total that will do what I want it to. I'm not looking to max out everything on crysis.

Reply to heifinator

CPU - 720 BE X3 $119 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

Mobo - 790FX $89 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813153129

Memory - 4gb ddr2 800mhz $47 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227420

Total cost = $255. You could stick 3x 4770's into that and it would outperform Pyscho's i7 and still cost 50% less. Sorry Psycho but I had to say it

Message edited by jennyh on 06-21-2009 at 01:15:06 AM

Reply to jennyh

Stick with Asus or Gigabyte for the MB -- you want a good-quality MB and BIOS updates as long as possible.

The Phenom II x4 920 is a good choice, and has a special bundle price w/ASUS M4A79 Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail for a total bundle price of $285 now at newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131361

Get good quality 1.8-1.9V 2x2GB DDR2 RAM for about $50

Spend $200 on a good video card and you're up to $535.

------------------------------ e2160@3GHz: OCing my way to Ubuntuland!
Reply to Mondoman

Phenom 720BE / Asus 790GX AM3: $180 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.203011

G.Skill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600: $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231225

XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB: $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150394

PsychoSezDuh

Reply to wisecracker

jetway motherboards are junk

Reply to BadTrip

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817182072 u said gaming computer for 800 bucks i just built this one about 2 weeks ago it will run anything u have to and its a complete system except case and os

Reply to red235

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