First time builder, help a gal out!!!

[dinkydo]

Hi there!!


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (ASAP - next 2-3 weeks) BUDGET RANGE: (US$700-900)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (games/movies/music/misc)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, hard-drive, cd drive)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (newegg, but open to others!)

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type (None, I want the best bang for my buck!!)

OVERCLOCKING: I'd rather not, im not comfortable doing that yet.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (I have a 26" monitor I play games at 1440x900 or 1920x1200.whichever runs better. I'd LOVE to play games at 1920x1200 though!!! :lol:

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: ( My boyfriend is buying a new computer and I get to use several "old" parts from his computer. I have a 26" monitor, a raptor 10k 300gb HD, and a liteon bluray reader/writer)

I made a bet with him that I could research, buy, and put together a good gaming computer and I have picked out parts from newegg but before I go for it, I wanted to run them by some of you guys. I read the website here a lot and have tried to learn as much as I can, so here goes!!

from Newegg.com - I apologize but I couldn't figure out how to put a picture of what is in my cart like some people do.
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $65
ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $90
HIS H485FN1GP Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP $117
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready $65
mushkin HP 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) $90
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core $200

TOTAL: $627+shipping


As you can see, I am under even my limit. I am looking for any sort of advice on what would be better for performance and/or prices. I like to play WOW, champions online, Fallout3, Crysis, things of that sort that kill my little old desktop I have now. It would be great to be able to play games at 30+fps without feeling like I'm looking at a flipbook! lol

 

[hunter315]

Switch to a 4890 like this one, it will handle 1920x1200 much better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150360

I would swap the PSU out for either the OCZ modxstream 600 watt if you stick with that board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

or if you change you board to the 790x from asus(first link below) then you ahve the option of crossfire in the future and should get the 750TX from cosair(second link)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=750tx

Raises the price a bit but would give you an upgradable system that will handle any game at that resolution quite well.

 

[ragsters]

^+1

except I would go with this power supply so you don't have to worry about rebates.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

Also you can save $55 and performance is almost the same if you go with this video card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394

Definitely consider Cross fire like hunter315 said.

 

[ragsters]

Also consider this ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231259

 

[dinkydo]

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $65
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $120
XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP $145
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 $100
G.SKILL Trident 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $95
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core $200

TOTAL: about $725+shipping....

Will I need a cooler for the CPU or is the stock one good enough if I'm not OCing?

Also is crossfire really a worthwhile thing? I've read things saying games just don't use it right so it isn't much faster or its worse *I'm not a super nerd-girl so I don't know, please don't flame me if I'm wrong "

 

[hunter315]

Crossfire will be usable by more and more games as time goes on, most games do use it right now and it will provide you a cheap upgrade option in the future, you will just be able to get another 4870 for 80ish instead of having to put up 200 for a 5870 that will perform about the same, if you arent going to upgrade the system though it isnt worth including.

 

[ragsters]

You can't go wrong going with one of these coolers,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574%204025&StoreType=-1&CompareItemList=N82E16835207004%2cN82E16835233029%2cN82E16835103065&page=6&bop=And

 

[dinkydo]

well thats good to know... but what about the heatsink?

also, lastly, and I'm sorry guys for being such a bother, but..... I am not stuck on ATI, AMD, NVIDIA, INTEL.

Would what I have chosen and what you have shown me, be the best/just as good as If I went Intel/nvidia?

Edit: I lied, one more thing :lol: If I have 4gb of ram, would it be of any use to get more later if I have a 64bit OS or will it just sit unused?

 

[ragsters]

well thats good to know... but what about the heatsink?

also, lastly, and I'm sorry guys for being such a bother, but..... I am not stuck on ATI, AMD, NVIDIA, INTEL.

Would what I have chosen and what you have shown me, be the best/just as good as If I went Intel/nvidia?

Edit: I lied, one more thing :lol: If I have 4gb of ram, would it be of any use to get more later if I have a 64bit OS or will it just sit unused?

1. The options I gave you are heatsinks.

2. Unless you are getting a core i7 system then I would go with AMD.

3. 4GB is definitely enough but a 64bit OS is better regardless.

 

[ragsters]

well thats good to know... but what about the heatsink?

also, lastly, and I'm sorry guys for being such a bother, but..... I am not stuck on ATI, AMD, NVIDIA, INTEL.

Would what I have chosen and what you have shown me, be the best/just as good as If I went Intel/nvidia?

Edit: I lied, one more thing :lol: If I have 4gb of ram, would it be of any use to get more later if I have a 64bit OS or will it just sit unused?

1. The options I gave you are heatsinks.

2. Unless you are getting a core i7 system then I would go with AMD.

3. 4GB is definitely enough but a 64bit OS is better regardless.

 

[dinkydo]

1. The options I gave you are heatsinks.

2. Unless you are getting a core i7 system then I would go with AMD.

3. 4GB is definitely enough but a 64bit OS is better regardless.

Dunno what is with the site or my internet but I didn't see your post even though I kept hitting refresh...
plus every time I try to post I get a "site not available" but it posts my reply anyway.

I think I'll go with the coolermaster

Also, i checked the manual for that motherboard.... they do not list the specific RAM you chose as a Qualfied vendor type... do you think it would really be a problem?

 

[Twoboxer]

Also is crossfire really a worthwhile thing? I've read things saying games just don't use it right so it isn't much faster or its worse *I'm not a super nerd-girl so I don't know, please don't flame me if I'm wrong "

Crossfire/SLI has not been terribly helpful in MMOs. In some (eg, EQ2, WAR) you will often get lower FPS and stutter when you least want it - in cities and in Raids. These are more cpu-dependent, and the extra load of managing 2xVid is an unnecessary brick. Crossfire/SLI is much more helpful in FPS games, often achieving 75% higher frame rates in many (though certainly not all) FPS.

Personally, I'd buy a single card that will handle the games I want, set up the rest of the system so it can run a second vid card (mobo, psu), and take a wait and see attitude about the cost, heat, and power consumption of that second card. ESPECIALLY if I am majoring in MMOs.

Re PSUs: Please stick with Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Antec Earthwatts for your psu . . . unless you can be pointed to a specific review of the recommended model done by a reviewer who does his own (a) examination of INTERNAL construction and (b) testing. Ignore all other reviews and recommendations. "I had a Tagan 1000W that caused me trouble within 3 months" . . . "I have an OCZ pumping clean power for three years now" . . . both are true, but neither is relevant to your purchase.

Also, i checked the manual for that motherboard.... they do not list the specific RAM you chose as a Qualfied vendor type... do you think it would really be a problem?

Dam, the girl RTFMs too lol! Most likely, no. Mobo manufacturer's don't reprint their manuals often, and don't even update the website as they move on to other issues. It's possible you might have a problem, but not much more of a chance than you might get a defective stick.

 

[dinkydo]

Crossfire/SLI has not been terribly helpful in MMOs. In some (eg, EQ2, WAR) you will often get lower FPS and stutter when you least want it - in cities and in Raids. These are more cpu-dependent, and the extra load of managing 2xVid is an unnecessary brick. Crossfire/SLI is much more helpful in FPS games, often achieving 75% higher frame rates in many (though certainly not all) FPS.

Personally, I'd buy a single card that will handle the games I want, set up the rest of the system so it can run a second vid card (mobo, psu), and take a wait and see attitude about the cost, heat, and power consumption of that second card. ESPECIALLY if I am majoring in MMOs.

Re PSUs: Please stick with Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Antec Earthwatts for your psu . . . unless you can be pointed to a specific review of the recommended model done by a reviewer who does his own (a) examination of INTERNAL construction and (b) testing. Ignore all other reviews and recommendations. "I had a Tagan 1000W that caused me trouble within 3 months" . . . "I have an OCZ pumping clean power for three years now" . . . both are true, but neither is relevant to your purchase.

Dam, the girl RTFMs too lol! Most likely, no. Mobo manufacturer's don't reprint their manuals often, and don't even update the website as they move on to other issues. It's possible you might have a problem, but not much more of a chance than you might get a defective stick.

:lol:

I paid attention when the bf was spreading his words of nerd-dom. Why is there a difference between the Antec-truepower and the Antec-earthwatts..... you'd think same company.. same quality.... shame on them for doing anything else

 

[ragsters]

In this case the truepower new is better then the earth watts.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=163
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=140

Read the summary of the first link.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Well...since you already have a monitor, a cd drive and hard drive leaving 900bucks left for the rest of the hardware, I think you might be able to squeeze in an i7 budget, it will be tight though. Your choice.

 

[ragsters]

Blackhawk1928 really has a point. I think you guys know what I am getting at when I ask how close are you from a Microcenter dinkydo?

 

[dinkydo]

about 400miles in another state.

I'm at work so I can't go around looking at the moment, but would you guys have suggestions on if I did want to pursue an i7 rig?

And would that perform better than a phenom based system?

 

[dinkydo]

also... looking at the gpu charts from toms it says:

ATI Radeon HD 4870 CrossFire
(2x512 MB) in Fallout3... 1920x1200, 8AA, 15AF, Very High Quality... 86.90fps.
Now... thats just insane to me... but I have a question.

On newegg it has
XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail for about $145.... the 512mb one is a few bucks cheaper... same clock speeds/core speeds... any reason not to go with 2 of the 1gb ones, as opposed to 2 of the 512mb ones?

Once again I hope I'm not being a thorn in anyones side.

 

[obsidian86]

the 1 gigs tend to be a bit faster an work better on higher resolutions an bigger screens

 

[AMDThunder]

Since you already stated you will not be over clocking, you do NOT need to spend money on an aftermarket CPU cooler. The stock HSF will even allow for some moderate OC if you're so inclined in the future.

You will NOT notice a difference between the 955 and i7 in gaming. Only way you would see an appreciable difference would be in bench marks and CPU intensive apps and heavy multi-tasking.

To answer your questions about the 4870 1GB cards, because its over kill. To get exceptional performance at 1920 X 1200, you can get by with 2 4850 512MB cards. Reference the latest Tom's article here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2387.html
Yes, you have a large monitor, but you go by resolution, not necessarily screen size.

Its always easy to spend someone elses money. I think sometimes we get carried away when doing so. Unless you just have money to burn, stick with what you need, not what you "can" get.

 

[obsidian86]

instead of 2 cards now get a single 4890

 

[dinkydo]

instead of 2 cards now get a single 4890

I've been considering that as well. I can't afford the 2 of anything at the moment anyway. I am simply trying to setup myself for later so when the bf is bragging his $500 video card is still playing games at max res/detail, I can say mine will too, and I'll have spent only about 1/2 as much as him! :lol:

Since I wouldn't be getting a second card until Nov/Dec I may just go with the 1 4890 for the time being, but it will probably be a last minute decision as to which way to go. Too many choices and no clear cut answers. Who knows what game could come out in 5 months that the 2 4850s just wont cut it on 1920x1200... but who knows of 2 of the 4890s would... but they would probably have a better chance.

I hate computer technology sometimes, :lol:

 

[obsidian86]

2 4850s are a lil better then a single 4890 but the question is what to get after 2 4850s ? 3 4850s a brand new top line 5xxx series at $$$$ you could get a single 4890 now an add a second later when you need to up a bit an still be running max on almost anything

 

[AMDThunder]

Here's what I would do with the budget you listed. Only using one vid card for now.

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

G.SKILL Trident 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBTD - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231259

Combo:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.237374

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378

The combo deal with the 4890 makes that PSU a better choice for the same $99 as the other one. That Corsair PSU is a solid choice, especially if you add another 4890 later on. You can't go wrong with either Asus or Gigabyte for the mobo. I chose the Gigabyte one because it's only $7 more, but comes with free shipping. Pretty much a wash. Grand total is $787.89 shipped, and you get another $45 in MIR.

 

[dinkydo]

which would be better for xfire?


Gigabyte
ASUS