New Gaming Rig 4 friend

[airborne11b]

Hello everyone. I'm looking to build a system for a friend who wants to get into PC gaming. He doesn't have a "budget" for say, but doesn't want to spend too much money.

1st and for most, this is going to be a Gaming Rig. He won't be using it for anything other then gaming, and maybe downloading a few movies/songs, and web surfing here and there.

Personally I went with an i7 build for my latest rig, but I wanted to know some opinions on a 100% gaming rig and what would be the best value. either a Core i7, or an AMD build? Keeping in mind that this is just going to be a gaming machine.

He will be playing games at 1920 x 1080 resolution, and was curious if anyone out there could point me toward a solid AMD CPU/Mobo/ram that will work great with 2x 275 GTX's in SLI and not cause any sort of "bottle necking". I hear a lot of intel/nvidia fanboys say that AMD CPU's bottle neck top of the line GPU's when it comes to gaming, and I find it hard to believe.

I've been out of the loop concerning AMD for a long time, and could really use some suggestions as to what some good top of the line quality mobos/cpu/ram combos are out there for AMD

My personal build--

Core i7 920
Foxconn Bloodrage socket 1366
6GB (2GB x 3) Gskill DDR3 1600 ram.
2x 285 GTX in SLI

I was going to suggest for him

Core i7 920
EVGA X58
6GB DDR3 1600 ram
2x 275 GTX in SLI
Corsair 850 Watt PSU

Thanks in advance for the advice AMD peoples!

 

[airborne11b]

I see a lot of views but no replies. All i'm asking for is an opinion on a good gaming rig set up that uses an AMD CPU (If there are any).

 

[xthekidx]

The PII option will get you more for your money, but if you want to SLI, then you should be considering the x58 chipset. I would also get the Asus P6T Deluxe V2, it has the best board layout for going with a dual card setup.

Otherwise go with a PII 940 on the 790gx and a couple 4890's.

 

[batuchka]

Well those Intel/Nvidia fanbois were partly correct: the K8s and Phenom Agenas to a certain extent would bottleneck when it came to hugh end multi GPU set ups but withthe Phenom Deneb time and again it has been shown that for gaming the P2X3 720BE actually reigns supreme in price-to-performance!
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3533&p=9

Final Words

The question we wanted to answer in this article, “Is the Phenom II X3 720BE an alternative to the Phenom II X4 940 for a mid-range gaming system featuring CrossFireX?” We have to enthusiastically answer with “Yes!” to that question based on our experiences with the games we tested today and several others offline.

In fact, we think it even compared well to the Q9550 in our gaming tests. The Phenom II X3 720BE does not match the performance of the X4 940 or Q9550 in application testing, but it is no slouch either, especially considering the $136 price tag and overclocking capabilities. Compared directly to the $215 X4 940, we think the X3 720BE is a better value if gaming is your priority. Sure, any performance differences might be greater with a GTX 295 or 4870X2 at 2560x1600 resolutions, but we are discussing the performance capabilities of mainstream processors and video cards at two of the most popular gaming resolutions today.

When it came to actual game play experiences, our opinions still have not changed when it comes to a choice between the Phenom II or Core 2 Quad. The Phenom II processors are a better choice in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and Crysis Warhead due to fluidity of game play, especially with background tasks running or CPU utilization near 100%. In the four other titles, we could not tell any real differences in the quality of game play between the Phenom II X4 940, Phenom II X3 720BE, or Core 2 Quad Q9550.

The price differential for a cheapo 790GX + P2X3 720BE and DDR2 vs an i7 platform is mind boggling for a pure gaming rig!

 

[airborne11b]

Hmm, Why do you think the Asus V2 has a better board lay out then the EVGA x58 or Foxconn bloodrage?

 

[xthekidx]

Look at the layout of the PCIEx16 slots. All high end GPU's these days are dual slot, so if you want adequate cooling for your GPU's then you need 2 slots between your PCIEx16 slots, AFAIK the Deluxe and V2 are the only MB with that kind of spacing. Otherwise if you put those highpowered GPU's right up next to each other you have potential for heating issues because you don't get much airflow between the casings of your GPU's.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

The resolution and soze monitor should dictate "the budget" although 2 GTX 275s on an X58 isn't a budget build. I would drop the dual GTX 275 and get the GTX 295 just to avoid any potential SLI stuttering and GPU heat issues.

I built a "budget" SLI rig last year. Asus P5N-D and 2 9800 GTs. The first 30 minutes CoD4, Crysis, were always super smooth until both GPUs went past 75 C and then I had to set the fans manually to 100% (and turn up the game audio to block the annoying fan noise). I wound up replacing the 9800 GTs with the new version GTX 260 for less price and hassle and better performance.

 

[airborne11b]

Well the foxconn and X58 ECGA boards are both tri SLI boards, and with only 2x GPU's in it, there is decent amount of space, and ofcourse given a nice case (like antec 900/1200) I don't think heat would be an issue (it's not an issue with my foxconn bloodrage + 2x 285 build. I could see on older SLI boards where the 2 PCIe 16x slots are right next to each other, or using a tri-sli configeratiion might cause a ton heat issues, but I don't thank that's the case with either EVGA or foxconn.

I appreciate all the input. I'm not a fan of ATI GPU's, and I guess you're suggesting that Nvidia and AMD don't mix well? so I guess i'll just build the new system on i7.

And I just looked up the V2, and it seems to have about 1 slot of extra space between 2 cards in SLI. I might consider this for his build. The price is right, but the foxconn just seem so much better of a deal considering it comes with superior auido, and is about $40 cheaper (And there is plenty of space between 2 double slotted cards. Hard choices. The V2 just feels so plain compared to the EVGA or Bloodrage boards.

Is the ASUS V2 pretty user friendly or would it require bios flashing and all sorts of junk to just get it up and running?

 

[rewindlabs]

I wouldn't cancel out going for a cash saving amd build just because YOU don't favor ati cards....i doubt your friend has any preference nor would there be any performance loss vs the nvidia card its suited against...

 

[megamanx00]

You may notice that there are no nForce AM3 boards. NVIDIA hasn't updated their chipset lineup lately, and they haven't extended SLI support to AMD chipsets. You need to do some research to see what SLI boards will support the Phenom II. That said this setup would do pretty good

ASUS M4N72-E and PII 955 Combo $359.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.186491

Whatever nforce board you're thinking for a PII just make sure to research if it has AM3 support out of the box. The ASUS should, but it just depends on the BIOS they ship it with .

 

[airborne11b]

I wouldn't cancel out going for a cash saving amd build just because YOU don't favor ati cards....i doubt your friend has any preference nor would there be any performance loss vs the nvidia card its suited against...

I just have better experiences dealing with EVGA nvidia cards then I do with ATI cards. EVGA offers step up program and awesome warrenty and RMA support. ATI cards are, as you said, on par with nvidia when it come to gaming performance. But if i'm going to build a machine, i'm going to go with Nforce mobo's. Something AMD seems to lack. And i'm going to go with EVGA graphics cards for their awesome customer support.

Well thank you all for your suggestions and input. I'm either going to go with Foxconn or V2 for his build (leaning more toward V2 now.) I really hope that AMD can get back in the game soon. I was a huge fan of them back in the late 90's. But just seems that they don't offer many solutions.

Thank you all for the input. You guys are pro.

 

[Helloworld_98]

well in some benches the 4890 edges out the GTX 275, but then when PhysX is involved the GTX 275 will leap ahead, but if Havok is involved then the 4890 should be ahead but I haven't seen any benches with the 4890 and Havok enabled games.

and once oc'd the 4890's perform a lot better, especially if you oc to the max with a non-reference cooler.

 

[nerrawg]

If you are really looking for the best bang for the buck and don't have any bias regarding components check this article for better insight into how to get the most for your money over time:http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264181-31-best-bang-buck-spend-system

I think one important thing to keep in mind is that your own previous personal experience with customer service may be deceptive when regarding the entire picture, as the companies deal with thousands of customers, and a lot of times it just comes down to who is on the other end of the phone - If you were lucky and got that guy who is passionate and proud about his job, or the temp. who is a slacking a**hole and doesn't give a crap. It is true though that some companies are better than others.

Otherwise I would listen to xthekidx, he generally knows what he is talking about

 

[airborne11b]

Ya I think xthekidx makes a good point with V2 board having better cooling. I don't have any bias when it comes to parts, I'm up for anything. ATI, AMD, Intel, Nvidia, don't really matter to me. I tend to gravitate toward what i'm used to using (in this case, intel/nvidia) but if there is a lot of money to be saved without sacrificing any performance, then i'll go with whats best. And customer support isn't just "luck". EVGA is very famous for customer support and they put out a high quality product to boot, no luck involved there. Maybe I just had bad luck with powercolor/saphire support in the past and it put a little sour taste in my mouth.

Just seems to me that Intel has nice nforce boards, and I do like the idea of physx support, and it seems that the price difference between quality AMD/intel are not that great to boot when looking at the AMD suggestions here.

either way, two 275 GTX's are pretty damn powerful and will be getting awesome FPS in games at 1080p/max settings for a long time to come. and look like the V2 board will help keep the cards nice and cool.

And you can't really say "it performs a lot better" when it comes to 4890 OCed, GTX 200 series OCs well too, and even if some people are able to get slightly better FPS with an OCed ATI card, the differences in FPS are too small to really matter. At least thats what I took from the articles here on tom's. Besides, my friend is not very PC savvy. I could OC everything for him, but I think if a problem came up it would just scare/confuse him, so his system is going to be pretty stock when it comes to part speeds.

 

[nerrawg]

Ya I think xthekidx makes a good point with V2 board having better cooling. I don't have any bias when it comes to parts, I'm up for anything. ATI, AMD, Intel, Nvidia, don't really matter to me. I tend to gravitate toward what i'm used to using (in this case, intel/nvidia) but if there is a lot of money to be saved without sacrificing any performance, then i'll go with whats best. And customer support isn't just "luck". EVGA is very famous for customer support and they put out a high quality product to boot, no luck involved there. Maybe I just had bad luck with powercolor/saphire support in the past and it put a little sour taste in my mouth.

Just seems to me that Intel has nice nforce boards, and I do like the idea of physx support, and it seems that the price difference between quality AMD/intel are not that great to boot when looking at the AMD suggestions here.

either way, two 275 GTX's are pretty damn powerful and will be getting awesome FPS in games at 1080p/max settings for a long time to come. and look like the V2 board will help keep the cards nice and cool.

And you can't really say "it performs a lot better" when it comes to 4890 OCed, GTX 200 series OCs well too, and even if some people are able to get slightly better FPS with an OCed ATI card, the differences in FPS are too small to really matter. At least thats what I took from the articles here on tom's. Besides, my friend is not very PC savvy. I could OC everything for him, but I think if a problem came up it would just scare/confuse him, so his system is going to be pretty stock when it comes to part speeds.

275 GTX or ATI 4890 is a matter of taste from what I have seen, both are excellent cards. If you good performance on the cheap is what you really want then I would go with the really cheap 4870 512 MB versions out there that are getting dropped at $130-140, or 4830/4850 CF solutions - those are good deals if performance per dollar matters (they have their flaws as well) - but from the looks of the build you have enough to spend on luxuries and a GTX 275 SLI solution is pretty sweet

 

[airborne11b]

he wanted to get a great system for around $1500

V2 mobo,
i7 920,
2GB x 3 DDR3 1600 ram,
Two 275 GTX's in SLI, an
Antec 1200 case,
and a 850watt Corsair PSU
500 GB 7200 RPM Sata II HD
DVD/RW SataII

comes up to about $1500. So I think this will be perfect for him. We could go ATI, but I think it's safer to buy x58 mobo and stick to nvidia, instead of mix and matching parts that might have issues or a lack of support with each other.

 

[croc]

Ya I think xthekidx makes a good point with V2 board having better cooling. I don't have any bias when it comes to parts, I'm up for anything. ATI, AMD, Intel, Nvidia, don't really matter to me. I tend to gravitate toward what i'm used to using (in this case, intel/nvidia) but if there is a lot of money to be saved without sacrificing any performance, then i'll go with whats best. And customer support isn't just "luck". EVGA is very famous for customer support and they put out a high quality product to boot, no luck involved there. Maybe I just had bad luck with powercolor/saphire support in the past and it put a little sour taste in my mouth.

Just seems to me that Intel has nice nforce boards, and I do like the idea of physx support, and it seems that the price difference between quality AMD/intel are not that great to boot when looking at the AMD suggestions here.

either way, two 275 GTX's are pretty damn powerful and will be getting awesome FPS in games at 1080p/max settings for a long time to come. and look like the V2 board will help keep the cards nice and cool.

And you can't really say "it performs a lot better" when it comes to 4890 OCed, GTX 200 series OCs well too, and even if some people are able to get slightly better FPS with an OCed ATI card, the differences in FPS are too small to really matter. At least thats what I took from the articles here on tom's. Besides, my friend is not very PC savvy. I could OC everything for him, but I think if a problem came up it would just scare/confuse him, so his system is going to be pretty stock when it comes to part speeds.

Nvidia makes Nforce chipsets, not Intel. And I wouldn't have an Nforce chipset stuffed up my a** sideways if I were using an Intel CPU. Nforce are designed for AMD procs, and 'usually' are good choices in that space. (the 750 based chipset pretty much sucked...)