Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Advice on $1200 gaming rig
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sam432   06-23-2009 at 02:26:55 PM

Hi, im looking at putting together an AMD gaming rig for $1200. This is what i have so far, however I'm open to anything.


Amd Phenom 2 X4 940 @ 3.0ghz
Asus M4N82 Deluxe Sli motherboard
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel Case
Kington HyperX 4gb 1066
XFX Gtx 260 core 216
750 watt corsair psu
750gb 7,200rpm hard drive

i put in such a big case and psu because i want to be able to add another gtx 260 in the future

Also, any comments on 4gb vs 8gb of ram? my current system has 2 and i use all of it a lot, but is 8gb overkill?


Message edited by sam432 on 06-23-2009 at 02:47:21 PM
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kubes   06-23-2009 at 02:42:04 PM
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you might want to consider WD Black 640gb or WD Black 1TB for your hard drives

Reply to kubes
sam432   06-23-2009 at 02:49:19 PM
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thanks i will put one of those in, probably the 640gb, they look nice and their cheaper than some other brands

Reply to sam432
Helloworld_98   06-23-2009 at 02:56:19 PM
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swap the GTX 260 for a 4890 which will cost a bit more but have far better performance, then swap the motherboard for one with a 790X or GX chipset.

Reply to Helloworld_98
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-23-2009 at 03:01:04 PM
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Hi...
Just a general suggestion...SLI mobo apart from X58 don't have much good reviews...
So before going with them, check their reviews properly, see if they have any compatibility issues and then go with them...
For AMD CPUs, crossfire is the best option

And for less than $1000, I would do this...

CPU + Graphics card

1. SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
2. AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.199014

Mobo
GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378

RAM
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231189

HDD -
WD Black 640GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151171

CASE -
CM 690
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137

PSU - Corsair 750TX - If you want to crossfire the HD 4890...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Total - $930 | $885 After $45 Mail-In- Rebates...
And this PC would be more powerful than the one you had listed...

Reply to gkay09
sam432   06-23-2009 at 03:24:53 PM
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yea thanks for that config it looks nice just one question the mobo you suggested only has 1 PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 and the other one runs at x8 , does this matter for crossfire

Reply to sam432
Helloworld_98   06-23-2009 at 03:28:03 PM
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^ not with single GPU cards.

however if you used two 4870 X2's then you'd have a problem.

Reply to Helloworld_98
sam432   06-23-2009 at 03:30:41 PM
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ok so i could run two 4890 1gbs no problem

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Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-23-2009 at 03:30:47 PM
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+1 helloworld It doesn't matter for 2 HD 4890s...
But as 2x 4870X2 have 4 graphic chips, each chip would be limited because of that bandwidth...


Message edited by gkay09 on 06-23-2009 at 03:33:24 PM
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sam432   06-23-2009 at 03:31:35 PM
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ok thanks that helps

what are your thoughts on getting more ram? is it worth it
specifically 4gb vs 8gb


Message edited by sam432 on 06-23-2009 at 03:43:44 PM
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Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-23-2009 at 03:48:10 PM
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For gaming more than 4GB of RAM would be of no use...8GB is only required only if you are into Video editing/ rendering, for and other intensive multimedia apps...

Reply to gkay09
sam432   06-23-2009 at 03:50:07 PM
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ok yea thats what i thought just wanted another opinion.... and anyways i can always upgrade to more

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sam432   06-23-2009 at 04:05:21 PM
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ok im looking at the case that you recommended, do you actually have it, and if so, how loud it is, because noise is a big factor for me


CM 690
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137


Message edited by sam432 on 06-23-2009 at 04:05:58 PM
Reply to sam432
kubes   06-23-2009 at 04:58:38 PM
- 1 +

Both the Antec 900 and the CM 690 are solid cases. Really can't go wrong with either one. I'd say the Antec 900 has a slight edge for cooling preformance and the CM 690 more geared towards silent running. Really can't go wrong with either case. I'd say go with what ever your prefference is.

Reply to kubes
sam432   06-23-2009 at 06:08:53 PM
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ok thanks i think im gona do the cm 690 because noise is more important to me
could anyone recommend a good am3 mobo that supports sli? i like the config that gkay09 put up there, but i always use nvidia cards

Reply to sam432
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-24-2009 at 11:38:03 AM
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I doubt anyone would recommend SLI mobos apart from the X58 as SLI on other mobos tend to have some issue or other...So before going with an SLI mobo, check the reviews properly and then buy them...

But instead of buying a SLI mobo which might give probles, why not get the best SLI mobo config ???
This config should bring smiles on your face and it Totals - $1070...

CPU + Mobo
i7 + P6T - One of the best mobos for i7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.197094

RAM -
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231247

CASE + PSU
COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W + CM 690
This 700W PSU from the CM is one of their best and can easily handle 2x GTX 260 SLI no problems and is 80+ Silver certified...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.199397

But still if you want to play safe, then get the Corsair 750TX...

HDD -
WD Black 640GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151171

Graphics card -
XFX GTX 260 + has 2 games free...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150329

Total - $1070

Reply to gkay09
sam432   06-24-2009 at 02:26:10 PM
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wow thanks i added a 22 inch monitor and vista and its still under $1400 which is okay for my budget- awesome

One thing, could you recommend a good brand of ram for only 4gb? because i don't think i'll need all 6

And what's your opinion of the two different builds up there. Because the one with the i7 is a good $200 dollars more than the AMD, and the amd has a slightly better graphics card. which is more important for gaming?


Message edited by sam432 on 06-24-2009 at 02:48:52 PM
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kubes   06-24-2009 at 02:52:16 PM
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if your using an i7 i'd heavly reccomend buying your ram kits in sticks of 3. The i7 takes advantage of tripple memmory channels. So Your better off buying 3x1gb's or 3x2gbs (which is more the norm). Ontop of that its much harder to find ddr3 kits that are 2x2gbs that are below the 1.65voltage safety limit your cpu stesses on your ram kits.

Reply to kubes
mc_coy   06-24-2009 at 02:54:26 PM
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This could clarifie about your 3-way GPU question : MSI Eclipse Plus: Does nForce 200 Boost 3-Way SLI?


I would recommend going with Windows 7 RC and saving on an OS for latter. This RC will expire in march, then you can buy Windows 7. Why buy a product that is being replaced?

As for memory, your better to spend 5$-15$ more and get 6gb. OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail

It's 80$ after rebates.

Mc-Coy


Message edited by mc_coy on 06-24-2009 at 02:55:38 PM
Reply to mc_coy
sam432   06-24-2009 at 03:00:15 PM
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ok thanks i didn't know that i guess i'll just go with 6 so i don't have to upgrade later

yea thanks for that article but i don't think i'll be doing 3-way sli anyway


ok ive been looking around and i think im gonna go with a slightly changed version of gkay09's first build- here's what i've got

amd phenom 2 x4 955
Sapphire 4890 1 gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.199014

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128387

coolermaster rc-690
COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.199397

OCZ 4gb ddr2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227362

Western Digital 750gb hd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136283

LG dvd drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136147

Asus 21.5 inch 1080p Hd monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236051

any suggestions? this all comes out to $1,143 so have a little room for upgrades

Also, i like the suggestion of using windows 7, and i can take $100 off of that if i use that- what are opinions on that?


Message edited by sam432 on 06-24-2009 at 03:24:27 PM
Reply to sam432
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-25-2009 at 06:49:12 AM
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Hi...if you are planning the AMD route(Which I would highly recommend), it is better you go the AM3 + DDR3 way...
Though you wont notice much performance gains with DDR3 now but it is a better upgradeable platform than DDR2 as all the future CPUs would go the DDR3 way...
And you will be able to reuse the RAM and maybe even the mobo in your future build...

CPU + Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.203158

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231189

Graphics card -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161276

And change the Hard drive to the WD 640GB...It is newer and more efficient than that old 750GB drive...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

Rest same...
And I don't think there would be any significant change in the budget with these changes...

And one more thing...If you are planning for HD 4890 crossfire anytime soon, then change the PSU to Corsair 750TX as that 700W might be little close...And it is better to have some headroom...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Reply to gkay09
sam432   06-25-2009 at 01:59:38 PM
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wow thanks i added all of that and the total with vista comes to $1171 which is awesome, and yea i put the corsair in there because when i crossfire i don't want to have to add in a new psu

one thing- what exactly is the difference between the 640gb hard drive you put on and the 750 i had? is it a big difference? because if it isn't i might do 750 for the extra space

Reply to sam432
Helloworld_98   06-25-2009 at 02:08:03 PM
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the 750GB has lower density platters, this means that the read write rate is lower.

example, 750GB = 3x 250GB platters, 640GB = 2x 320GB platters.

Reply to Helloworld_98
kubes   06-25-2009 at 02:12:39 PM
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higher density platters = higher preformance
less platters = lower engery cost (ussualy)

if your looking for more space look into the WD Black 1TB - it's 3x 320 = 960gbs (WD just marks it as a 1tb drive however...shrugs)

*note* You'll see the preformance gains when dealing with load screens and boot times mostly having a higher preforming hard drive.


Message edited by kubes on 06-25-2009 at 02:14:39 PM
Reply to kubes
sam432   06-25-2009 at 03:17:21 PM
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ok yea so i guess ill go with the 640gb i mean i can always add another later.

Can the mother board that gkay09 recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131366 run two 4890s with only one x16 slot?

Reply to sam432
Helloworld_98   06-25-2009 at 04:59:36 PM
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^ it has two x16 slots but one runs at x8, however the 4890's can still run in x8.

Reply to Helloworld_98
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   06-26-2009 at 06:45:33 AM
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^+1
Like helloworld has said, that mobo has 2 PCIe slots...
And you wont notice significant real world performance difference between setups running @ x16x16 vs x8x8...But sure this would change when we get faster CPUs, that can keep up with that much graphics power...

Reply to gkay09
sam432   07-14-2009 at 02:37:57 PM
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hey okay thanks one more thing can you mount an am2+ heatsink on an am3 motherboard and cpu? because im looking a heatsinks for it and there are very few am3 ones

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