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[Solved] New Budget Gaming Build (AMD/Crossfire) - Open to Alternatives

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Best answer from gkay09.

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Irishfist   10-29-2009 at 05:49:49 AM

Hello!

I'm attempting to build a cheap PC for gaming only, and I was wondering if anyone could have a quick look at what I've put together and offer any input regarding pitfalls, advice, and/or recommendations. Here are the details...

=====================================

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week. BUDGET RANGE: $600-850 USD After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preference.

OVERCLOCKING: I'm open to it. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I'm open to not using it, however the build I included does include using Crossfire.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

=====================================

(Qty. 2 for Crossfire) SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5750 100284L Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102859
$279.98

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151187
$30.99

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

COMBO WITH....

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649
-$5.99 Instant
-$16.00 Combo
-----------------
$212.99

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

COMBO WITH...

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137
-$15.00 Instant
-$45.00 Combo
-----------------
$99.98

Kingston HyperX T1 Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820104098

COMBO WITH...

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006
-$70.00 Instant
-$23.00 Combo
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
-----------------
$193.98

Total: $797.92 (after rebates)

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Best answer from gkay09
Well...you are spending that much money and not going AM3 ?
I wouldnt certainly do that...
You can go AM3 and DDR3 for less...
CPU + Mobo
x3 720 + 790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273353

RAM
GSKillz DDR3 4GB 1600MHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231278

And I would go with the above suggestion of a single HD 5850 instead of 2 5750...
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pepperman   10-29-2009 at 05:59:18 AM

This is better Ram, and its cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231166

Why not instead of CF-ing right now, get a 5850 (though you may have trouble finding one, but if you do, that would give you better performance)

The rest looks good, but if you want to OC, I recommend getting a new Heatsink/fan; this is a good one that will give you lots of headroom
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 0mugen%202

Reply to pepperman
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   10-29-2009 at 06:21:33 AM
Best answer

Well...you are spending that much money and not going AM3 ?
I wouldnt certainly do that...
You can go AM3 and DDR3 for less...
CPU + Mobo
x3 720 + 790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273353

RAM
GSKillz DDR3 4GB 1600MHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231278

And I would go with the above suggestion of a single HD 5850 instead of 2 5750...

Reply to gkay09
Irishfist   10-29-2009 at 04:00:37 PM

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll definitely check out your recommendations!

Reply to Irishfist
Irishfist   10-29-2009 at 08:57:27 PM

gkay09, I took your advice and upgraded the CPU, MOBO, and RAM, thanks!

Also, what video card do you think will give better performance?

SAPPHIRE 100269HDMI Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102852
($174.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)

OR

SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102859
$144.99

Thanks!

Reply to Irishfist
pepperman   10-29-2009 at 09:29:02 PM

The 4890 will give you better performance, but it doesn't support directx 11 or eyefinity. These features aren't being used right now (unless you want three monitors) and directx 11 won't become the norm for a few years, and even then, directx 10 will still be supported. In short, by the time directx 11 becomes standard, you will want to upgrade your gpu anyway (unless you get an HD 5800 series, but they're very hard to find).

Reply to pepperman
Bronze Home Brew badge gkay09   10-30-2009 at 05:23:57 AM

^ +1
If you can afford to spend say about ~$200 after 6 months or so on graphics card, then certainly go with the HD 4890 for now and later on when DirectX 11 becomes mainstream, upgrade your graphics card...

Reply to gkay09
Irishfist   10-30-2009 at 05:54:39 AM

I narrowed it down to the following:

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102849
($159.99)

AND...

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102858
($159.99)


In the end I went with the Radeon HD 5770 due to the following post, even though the 4870 wins in performance:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] d#t2006309

I also ended up bumping my CPU up to the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. Order placed! :D

Reply to Irishfist
pepperman   10-30-2009 at 05:59:37 AM

Good luck with the build and if you have any questions during setup, or afterwards, feel free to ask.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to pepperman
Irishfist   10-30-2009 at 06:09:52 AM

pepperman wrote :

Good luck with the build and if you have any questions during setup, or afterwards, feel free to ask.



Thanks pepperman, you've been helpful. I wish I could give 2 "best answers", but I gave it to gkay due to the insight to go with the faster mobo/ram combo.

Thanks again!

Reply to Irishfist
Irishfist   11-05-2009 at 02:28:02 AM

Well, I've got my PC all built, but I'm not getting any power to my hard drive or CD-ROM :( (SATA connection). When I go into the BIOS, it just says "not detected". Everything else seems to be working properly. Any ideas?

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-text-_-

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

CD-ROM:
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-text-_-

Thanks!

Reply to Irishfist
pepperman   11-05-2009 at 02:52:09 AM

Have you tried just connecting one at a time?

Reply to pepperman
Irishfist   11-05-2009 at 02:57:40 AM

Yes, I tried connecting each one independently. Still a no go. The CD tray won't even open. Everything else in the computer has power. Hmm...

Reply to Irishfist
pepperman   11-05-2009 at 03:06:48 AM

You connected the psu sata cables to the drives as well, right?

Reply to pepperman
Irishfist   11-05-2009 at 03:17:44 AM

/facepalm

I opened my case back up and sure enough, no sata power cables. It amazing how the small details are overlooked. Thanks pepper!

Reply to Irishfist
pepperman   11-05-2009 at 03:26:16 AM

Any time. If you need anything else, just ask.

Reply to pepperman
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