First System Build

[mattFrazer]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: approx christmas, but give or take a week

BUDGET RANGE: 1000 - 1500 canadian dollars

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Adobe Creative Suite

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: don't need os. i also don't really need a mouse / keyboard.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: no

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Eventually, but not off the top

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080 or 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Id like to keep this under 1500 (canadian dollars) but im also not one to skimp on parts. Quiet is always nice, but not really required.

 

[BohleyK]

Dispite popular demand, I've decided to build you a AM3 gaming rig. I had a feeling AMD was up to something and went with an AM3 rig a few weeks ago and look what happens. AMD lays out the road map for their entire line up to 2011. AM3 has a outstanding upgrade path at a very competitive price!

Anyways, here you go. This will do everything you will need. Including thrashing games. [:bohleyk:1]

PRICE: $1311.91

CPU: PII X4 955
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

MOTHERBOARD: MSI GD70
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223

VIDEO CARD: Sapphire 4890 1GB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102852

RAM: OCZ Platinum 1600 4GB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227482

POWER SUPPLY: Corsair 750HX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

HEATSINK FAN: Xigmatek S1283
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

HARD DRIVE: Samsung F3 500 GB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

OPTIC: Sony 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

MONITOR: Asus 23.6 1080p
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

CASE: Cooler Master 690
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

 

[mattFrazer]

you, sir, are a champion. i was actually thinking about a 5850 for graphics, but someone said it was over priced... is it worth the investment? or would it be better to crossfire two 4890's down the road?

 

[BohleyK]

LOL. Well thank you. Its about time I get a thank you. [:bohleyk]

Good luck on getting a 5800 series card at the moment. I've checked EVERYWHERE, name it and I've looked. Everybody is out of stock and when they get back in stock its a race. The 5800 series cards are expensive at the moment but the dollar to performance makes sense. Its not a rip off if you buy one its just extremely hard to get one.

A 4890 Crossfire setup is amazing. I've never seen one in action before but I've seen the benches and its pretty sweet. It will top a single 5850 for sure but 4890's run very hot and you will need at least a 750W to power two 4890's.

The 5800 series at the moment are a luxury. Nobody needs them but everyone wants them. By the end of the first half of 2010 a full line of DX 11 games should be released. There are already a few confirmed for that timeline like Dirt 2, AVP, and a few others I've forgotten.

For now a 4890 is a good choice for high end gaming. You can put a 4890's in Crossfire and beat or equal the 5800 cards and sacrifice the DX 11 but I don't think that is a wise idea. Best off with one 4890 and sell it when the 5800 cards become readily available.

I've decided to get a single 5770 for now and Crossfire another down the road. 5770's in Crossfire have been benched to be on par with the 5870. That is another option you may want to consider. It will give you DX 11 and solid gaming for current games.

 

[aford10]

Bohley's build is decent. I'd switch to an i7 920 and stay away from MSI motherboards. The 4890 is a great card. The main advantage to the 5xxx series cards is the dx11 support for windows 7. If you can find one and fit it in your budget, go for it. If not, the 4890 is very good.

I would swap the CPU/board/RAM for something like this combo.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.291078

 

[BohleyK]

There are some people that have had problems with MSI motherboards, it happens with every company. None the less the GD70 is a top AM3 board and it reviewed very well.

If you get the MSI scare like many people there are a few other top AM3 boards at about the same price. I went with the Gigabyte.

Gigabyte 790FX-UD5P:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128377&cm_re=790fx-_-13-128-377-_-Product

Asus M4A79 Deluxe:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131361&cm_re=790fx-_-13-131-361-_-Product

Asus Crosshair III:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131392&cm_re=790fx-_-13-131-392-_-Product

 

[aford10]

MSI is a decent mid level manufacturer. Gigabyte and Asus are head and shoulders above them in quality and features.

 

[obsidian86]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/790fx-socket-am3,review-31561-12.html

actually msi is coming into its own

 

[aford10]

That's 1 new MSI board.

And it didn't address driver availability and flaky BIOS issues. Not to mention they seem to lag in the OC department.

 

[BohleyK]

I've always trusted Bit-Tech. They don't hand out recommendations unless its completely warranted. Bit-Tech can be very harsh while reviewing a product. Just read some of their reviews and laugh at the final rating some reviews have recieved. I've seen more 5's and 6's then 8's and 9's.

MSI GD70 Review:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2009/05/04/msi-790fx-gd70/1

 

[mattFrazer]

well, my build time is approx christmas, so hopefully the 5800 series will be a bit less price and more available by then....

im actually leaning towards the AMD processor, i've heard good things.

as far as mobo's are concerned, thank you again bohley for the additional suggestions. ill do some more research and get some second opinions, but the msi model seems fine to me, especially considering the bit-tech review.

 

[aford10]

That board did review well. Hopefully their trying to make top tier boards to really compete with Gigabyte and Asus. Their competition only benefits us as consumers.

 

[BohleyK]

well, my build time is approx christmas, so hopefully the 5800 series will be a bit less price and more available by then....

im actually leaning towards the AMD processor, i've heard good things.

as far as mobo's are concerned, thank you again bohley for the additional suggestions. ill do some more research and get some second opinions, but the msi model seems fine to me, especially considering the bit-tech review.

If you don't mind hearing "my i7 920 pours pwnsauce all ovr ur 955, n00b" every once in awhile, you will be more than satisfied with you AMD setup. All those motherboards I listed are top notch and comes down to what you want. I picked mine due to personal preference and what I needed but I was seriously considering the GD70 with all those PCI 2.0 slots.

http://blogs.amd.com/unprocessed/2009/11/11/what-a-day-a-year-a-future/

If you do decide to go AMD you won't have to buy another motherboard when SCORPIOUS is released in 2011. All you have to do is update your BIOS and throw in a SCORPIOUS processor. AMD is keeping the AM3 socket all the way 2011 and probably a year or two beyond. I think AMD is the smart move but Intel is running the show on the performance level.