Please help me spend $650

[Guest]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Now
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: 1- Gaming. 2- Streaming audio, video, photos to ps3 via tversity.
3- home video editing. 4- internet
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor (24" widescreen 1920 res.)
Keyboard and mouse
speakers
power supply
video card- Currently have 8800 gt Maybe buy new one if it fits in the budget, or upgrade sometime soon
down the road
Dvd roms / burners
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: dont care, I assume newegg
OVERCLOCKING: i dont know. I never done it before, so I am timid to try it
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I basically need case, mobo, cpu, ram, hd. I have done some research, and I cant decide if I should go
with AMD 720, 940, or 955. Not sure about ram, if I should go with ddr2 or ddr3. I have about
$600-$650 to spend If I can fit a new video card in this budget that is fine, but I dont mind if I have to
stick with my 8800gt for about 6 months to save for a new one. Ideally this is for gaming. I currently
have a gateway pentium D 820 with 3 gig of of ram - pc2-5300 (33 mghz). Just looking for a big upgrade
from this 5 year old machine.

 

[Guest]

Forgot, I also need OS

 

[drunknmunkys]

case: Antec 300

cpu: PII 720 x3

mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P

hdd: WD 640GB Black

ram: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066

gpu: sapphire 4870

Total: 613.51$ not including 15$ MIR.

You'll need a better gpu if you want to do any real gaming. That build also gets you the option to get a 2nd 4870 if you want, and a future upgrade path with the AMD AM3 socket.

What PSU do you have, that might be a problem.

Use Windows 7 RC. I'm using it and its great.

 

[Guest]

This is my psu
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NjY=

How much better is the 4870 over my 8800gt?
What would you suggest for a significant improvement for gaming with this setup?

 

[drunknmunkys]

This is my psu
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=NjY=

How much better is the 4870 over my 8800gt?
What would you suggest for a significant improvement for gaming with this setup?

Wow, somebody who already owns a decent PSU. That's a first.

At 1920x1200 res. you won't be able to play much of anything. The 8800gt is comparable with the Radeon 3850/3870. That's not good.

Here's some old benchmarks with the 8800gt and Crysis. Not even playable frame rates on high settings at 1024x768. I recently purchased a 4890, which is just a souped up 4870, and play Crysis on my 24'' monitor at 1920x1200 with everything maxed out, even AA.

 

[christop]

Get a nivida 260

 

[aford10]

^ For gaming, the e8xx series cpu is a better bet than the AMD.

 

[Guest]

We'll do you think the 4870 will work, or should I save for the 4890

 

[aford10]

The 4870 is a great card. It'll play all the current games on high settings with your resolution.

 

[aford10]

If you wanted to upgrade later, get a board that supports xfire, and add a second 4870 down the road. Just keep that in mind when choosing a psu.

 

[drunknmunkys]

^ For gaming, the e8xx series cpu is a better bet than the AMD.

I went through this same thought process 2 weeks ago, and I'll agree that the e8400 has slightly better benchmarks for gaming due to its higher clock speed, but its a dead end. Not to mention that the 3rd core can be very valuable when multitasking while gaming. Take into account that the PII 720 x3 OC's to 3.6-3.8GHz without breaking a sweat, I think its a no brainer.

 

[Guest]

how much does xfire help. Is 2 4870's better than 1 4890

 

[drunknmunkys]

how much does xfire help. Is 2 4870's better than 1 4890

Read the lasest Graphics Card roundup on Tom's. Yes, 2x 4870s are better than a single 4890. 2x 4770s are better than a 4890 as well, it just depends on your needs.

 

[aford10]

I went through this same thought process 2 weeks ago, and I'll agree that the e8400 has slightly better benchmarks for gaming due to its higher clock speed, but its a dead end. Not to mention that the 3rd core can be very valuable when multitasking while gaming. Take into account that the PII 720 x3 OC's to 3.6-3.8GHz without breaking a sweat, I think its a no brainer.

Ya, this always sparks a debate. However, it's a no-brainer that the high end dual core is better for gaming. The OP wants to build a PC with gaming as top priority. The e8400 can get up to 4Ghz on the stock cooler.

 

[drunknmunkys]

Read through this post or just search the internet for 720 vs e8400. Also, he listed video editing in his needs which the 720 will excel at compared to the e8400. We could argue all day but it's up to him. There are pluses and minuses, but both are great cpus.

 

[Guest]

Read through this post or just search the internet for 720 vs e8400. Also, he listed video editing in his needs which the 720 will excel at compared to the e8400. We could argue all day but it's up to him. There are pluses and minuses, but both are great cpus.

What do you like better, the 720, or 940 (obviously I will have to stick with ddr2 if I choose the 940)

 

[aford10]

If you are going AMD, the 940 is the better choice if you can fit it in your budget.

 

[IzzyCraft]

CPU: AMD 720 or 940 good choices Intel E8400/8500

Personally i'd go with 940 it's a more rounded cpu and will go farther possibly in games made in the future. But no one can doubt that a strong dual core is usually best in games currently released - a few good games that have decent coding to make use of more cores.

I'd consider upgrading that gpu to a 4870 or gtx260 for that monitor resolution it's more of a mild upgrade from a G92 8800gt but quite a good one for your monitor resolution.

I'd say 4890/GTX275 but at that budget with an os it gets a little harder to breathe.

The rest is up to you more or less.

 

[Guest]

This case just went on sale today, is this any good
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811215006

 

[Guest]

I think I am really leaning towards the phenom x2 550, or the phenom x3 720. Which one would you prefer and why? what ram should I use? ddr2 or ddr3. What mobo would go good with this.