Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > ~ $1000 Game Build
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Edxactly   05-12-2009 at 09:18:58 PM

First and foremost - Thanks.
This forum and responses I have read so far are great.
I am in the situation of having to upgrade. I really have not kept up on anything over the past 3 years.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:Within 1-2 weeks.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming - This is going to be a game only system. I will use my current PC for all the "junk" stuff I do.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have a monitor I will use in the short term (19 in LCD) - but in the long term will go bigger and better.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No Preference - It's all about the $ but a little convenience is nice if can get all from one site.

PARTS PREFERENCES: No Preference. Always used Nvidia & AMD before - but I have no emotional attachment to anything.

OVERCLOCKING: No - Maybe in desperation later on.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Either - one card for now but build to add one later.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080++ in the future. Might look into a box or monitor that can show 2 systems or switch between two- again in the future.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My only preference really is that it is open for upgrades. Drop in a 2nd card, upgrade chip, add memory is what I would expect to do over the next few years.

Also - I'll need to get some version of windows. I still have XP Pro and have held onto it with a death grip. I don't like a stage show in my OS - it is just an OS, I didn't buy a PC to use "windows" I bought it to use the apps I purchase - call me crazy I guess. So for me light and fast is what I want out of the OS - as little non-functional bells and whistles, but I'm not sure if that is even an option anymore.

Again truly thanks.


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fullmetall   05-12-2009 at 09:23:44 PM
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Since you have a 19" already, you can use it now, and later buy a new one, same as the card.

But, what would get the Budget? before I get started.

Reply to fullmetall
Edxactly   05-12-2009 at 09:38:51 PM
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Not sure what you mean by "what would get the Budget?"
My budget without monitor is about $1000.00 US.

Reply to Edxactly
fullmetall   05-12-2009 at 10:28:32 PM
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Phenom x3 720 Rig, i've done like 3 or 4 of these today.

Reply to fullmetall
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 02:03:36 AM
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Wow - I'm looking around at all the posts and still having trouble finding a "clear" build out list. I saw in one post you were going to post a link to a build out - did oyu ever do that?

thanks

Reply to Edxactly
fullmetall   05-13-2009 at 04:46:34 PM
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You can build a 4890/x3 720 rig here for that price.

Will get you one going shortly, at work and kinda busy a.t.m.

Reply to fullmetall
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 05:59:41 PM
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Cool - thanks so much for your time.
This will really really help.

Reply to Edxactly
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 06:11:03 PM
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Anything higher than a 1920x1080 resolution will need SLI or CrossfireX ^_^

Reply to Kill@dor
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 06:33:13 PM
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Thanks for pointing that out - I definetly want a board to support SLI or CrossfireX in the future.

What Board would you suggest to replace it with - I do not believe this one support either from my quick read of the specs.

Reply to Edxactly
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 06:42:59 PM
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Let me see if i can find good parts for your build...i can't see what short stuff posted for some reason...keeps crashing my interent explorer. I think he haxed my work PC LOL!

Reply to Kill@dor
shortstuff_mt   05-13-2009 at 06:47:04 PM
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I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. That M4A79T Deluxe board has 4 PCI-E slots and supports full speed 16x crossfire.

You could actually save a bit and get this motherboard and RAM and still have the option of crossfire:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378 $139.99 - $15 MIR

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227297 $64.99

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to shortstuff_mt
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 06:47:26 PM
- 0 +

He posted this thread

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] 0#t1936992

Thanks for the help - I might even buy 2 Vid Cards out right depending upon price.

I am really just looking for a good config for about $900-$1000 that will allow me to upgrade over the next few years.

Reply to Edxactly
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 06:48:24 PM
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If the link still crashes - the name of the thread is "Gaming PC $800 - $1000"

Reply to Edxactly
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 06:51:35 PM
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shortstuff_mt wrote :

I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. That M4A79T Deluxe board has 4 PCI-E slots and supports full speed 16x crossfire.

You could actually save a bit and get this motherboard and RAM and still have the option of crossfire:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378 $139.99 - $15 MIR

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227297 $64.99



Since it did not specifically say "crossfire" in the specs on newegg (anywhere I noticed) I didn't really make the connection.
My Bad.


Reply to Edxactly
shortstuff_mt   05-13-2009 at 06:54:42 PM
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Here's what the full build looks like:

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649 $139.00

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378 $139.99 - $15 MIR

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227297 $65.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319 $74.99

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102801 $189.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006 $119.99 - $20 MIR

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137 $74.99

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136153 $24.99

Total - $829.93 - $35 MIR's

Reply to shortstuff_mt
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 06:55:12 PM
- 0 +

The problem on that board is you can run cross but one card will run x16 and the other x8...which will unbalance them...

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Kill@dor
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 06:56:27 PM
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But then again...1 card is always a good choice. You really don't need crossfire...

Reply to Kill@dor
shortstuff_mt   05-13-2009 at 07:01:13 PM
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Kill@dor wrote :

The problem on that board is you can run cross but one card will run x16 and the other x8...which will unbalance them...


That's not true. Both cards will run at 8x link speed when in crossfire mode. That really doesn't cause any performance issues according to the latest benchmarks.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 07:04:35 PM
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It's never cut and dry is it *sigh*.
Does Crossfire (or SLI) really do more then a 25% bump. When it 1st came out and I was doing my last build the SLI/Xfire was not adding much to frame rates - it got you a good "bump" for the $'s - but did not double it of course.
I'd be ok dumping $ on an extra card in a couple years (or even now and having it last a couple extra years) to keep thing rolling well with new games.

I guess my thing is I don't want to be too limited - I expect that my income level will drastically drop in a couple years - so want o build out something that I can bump up a bit over the next couple years then be good with for a few years with no bumps.

Reply to Edxactly
Helloworld_98   05-13-2009 at 07:19:24 PM
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most of the time it will give you a 75% bump, sometimes it will give you even more than a 100% bump because the GPU was at 100% load and now it isn't.

Reply to Helloworld_98
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 07:22:59 PM
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Well then it makes sense to do the Crossfire Right - with that in mind is the x8 link on this board OK?
Or is one that does the full 16x worth it?

Also - Can someone recommend the windows version that would be best?

Reply to Edxactly
Helloworld_98   05-13-2009 at 07:24:48 PM
- 0 +

it does full 16x, it's just that in CF it split's it to 8x each, and that's enough for even top single GPU cards.

 

oh and vista64 FTW!!!


Message edited by Helloworld_98 on 05-13-2009 at 07:26:11 PM
Reply to Helloworld_98
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 07:27:11 PM
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Awesome!!!
So in general it is a good build no matter how you look at it.

Now - I still need to get windows. I guess I have to go vista for latest direct x right?

Reply to Edxactly
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 07:28:27 PM
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i guess x8 is according to the post...

Reply to Kill@dor
fullmetall   05-13-2009 at 07:35:45 PM
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I like shortstuffs build, if you want to lower the price a little, get the Asus 790GX and x3 720be Combo, its AM3 aswell.

Reply to fullmetall
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 07:44:33 PM
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Just read up on windows 7 upgrade paths - so if you build your own - you can kiss the free upgrade away.

Maybe I should just get a mac.

Reply to Edxactly
tecmo34   05-13-2009 at 07:44:38 PM
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My board in my original build ( http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] 0#t1936992 ) runs at 16x in Dual, 16x,8x,8x in Tri and 8x in Quad. All you need is to run Crossfire with both at 16x and you get the full power of both your cards. shortstuff_mt's build is a good build, which saves you money over mine. Performance wise, I think you might see a little benefit with my board but I'm not sure if enough to cover the cost difference though.

shortstuff_mt: Thanks for linking my build in to this thread. I'm glad it gave a good starting point for another build.

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
 Reply to tecmo34
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 07:48:56 PM
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Noooo...don't submit to MAC's LOL

Reply to Kill@dor
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 07:52:28 PM
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TECMO - Your link isn't working.
What board is it? And I assume it would be compatible with the rest of this build.

Also - if I wasn't a gamer I'd probably get a mac. Every none-gamer I know loves theirs.

Reply to Edxactly
Kill@dor   05-13-2009 at 07:57:00 PM
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They are solid PC's, no question about it ^_^. Not so sure about gaming on MAC's...

Reply to Kill@dor
tecmo34   05-13-2009 at 07:58:36 PM
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ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131363

It is compatible with the rest of your build. shortstuff_mt just switched out my pick of MOBO/Memory combo for a different MOBO and Memory.

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
 Reply to tecmo34
fullmetall   05-13-2009 at 08:01:07 PM
- 0 +

Yea i looked at that board, theres a combo deal with that board and the x2 730, also a combo deal with the 790gx and that cpu. Should look into it.


Message edited by fullmetall on 05-13-2009 at 08:40:58 PM
Reply to fullmetall
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 08:45:04 PM
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So If I were to go 'all-out' so to speak (8gig and 2 vid cards)

1 - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30
Item #:N82E16827136153 $24.99
2 - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 100259-1GL Video Card -$10.00 Instant $399.98 $379.98
2 - OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory -$15.00 Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $179.98 $149.98
1 - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W Power Supply -$60.00 Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $179.99 $119.99
1 - Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive $74.99
1 - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case -$10.00 Instant $84.99 $74.99
1 - ASUS M4A79T Deluxe ATX DDR3 AMD Motherboard
with/ AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
-$6.00 Instant
-$20.00 Combo
$344.99
$318.99


Grand Total: $1,143.91


Message edited by Edxactly on 05-13-2009 at 08:48:25 PM
Reply to Edxactly
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 09:00:59 PM
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Also - Why get Vista instead of XP 64?

Reply to Edxactly
shortstuff_mt   05-13-2009 at 09:05:19 PM
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Support for 64-bit XP is pretty poor. I would suggest just using the 64-bit Windows 7 RC for now. The performance of Windows 7 is actually very close to that of XP.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
Edxactly   05-13-2009 at 09:07:37 PM
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Ohh.. that is an excellent idea.
Tide me over until 7 comes out for free.

Reply to Edxactly
tecmo34   05-13-2009 at 10:24:32 PM
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Excellant Build... You will be very happy with your new system!! :D

I don't know if you truly need 8GB of memory but if you are going "all out" than why not. Here is a good article that compares 3GB, 6GB and 12GB and how there is very little difference between the three of them.... http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2264.html

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
 Reply to tecmo34
Edxactly   05-14-2009 at 03:26:39 AM
- 0 +

I figure as much but for ~$70 to go from 4 to 8 - it really seems hard to pass up.

Reply to Edxactly
Shnur   06-09-2009 at 04:40:55 PM
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I would say go with Windows 7 RC until it stops working (May 2010), and I would stick with 4GB now; you only have 4 slots, you're better buying an 8GB kit in a year or so when it'll be as affordable/needed as now...
The rest of the build is looking good =)

Reply to Shnur
Edxactly   06-09-2009 at 04:48:38 PM
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Too Late.
I broke down and got the extra 4 GB - figured good to get now and have 4 sticks all exactly the same since it was pretty cheap ($70 more).
And I am running Win 7 - No real problems yet.
Since this is only a gaming rig - if Win 7 costs too much I will just get a version of XP 64 and install it next year.

Reply to Edxactly
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