Seeking experts advice for $900-$1000 game build for old guy like me?

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ask80

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Happy Holidays everyone. My computer is close to 6 years and looking to get a new one finally. I'm seeking the experts advice on what to get. Thanks :D

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within 1 week

BUDGET RANGE: $1000ish after taxes/shipping

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: GAMING, internet, movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com , Microcenter and/or FRYs since i live close to both in Orange County, CA

PARTS PREFERENCES: doesn't matter. preferably ATI graphics card?

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe. I've never done it but am open to it

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024 19inch lcd

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: looking for a good gaming rig that will last for a while as i'll only be using a 19inch lcd. I love to play FPS and other action games. and i'd love to play GTA 4.

would like a good case that has good cooling and setups but not super flashy with all those lights

possibly an ATI 4870 1gb card? since it's better than the 5770 and direct X 11 is not being used much? not sure...

will also be running windows 7 64bit? so 4 or 6 gb or 8 gb ram?

hard drive preference : at least 1 TB.

motherboard: no clue

CPU: AMD phenom x4 or i5? hmm...

aftermarket cooling?
 
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MothMusic

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AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103692
$186 -Freeshipping

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
$100 -Freeshipping

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231278
$110 -Freeshipping

SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857
$310

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
$60 -Freeshipping

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product
$55 -Freeshipping

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ700FTY 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341023
$60 -After rebates

$881 -After rebates
 
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MothMusic

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1 TB drives move too slow for games. The Samsung f3 is one of the fastest hard drives out right now. But if you want to add a 1 TB they go as low as $80 on Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145287
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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At 1280 x 1024, you do not need a great graphics card. A 5770/4870/GTX260 would all do the job and then some. I might favor the 5770 because of the 40nm technology and dx 11. I like XFX for the warranty, support, and better cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-447-_-Product

The card will give you good performance in most games at 1920 x 1200.

A i5-750 and a P55 motherboard will be a good competitor to the amd 965 offering, take your pick.

For gaming, 4gb is plenty. For multitasking, I like a bit more, 6gb or 8gb. I think 6gb is the sweet spot for most of us which makes for an interesting consideration. A i7-920 has been available at microcenter for a good discount. The required X58 motherboard will want 6gb of ram, which will cost less than the 8gb you might otherwise get for multitasking.

Price out the different options. Use the most basic of motherboards and the least expensive ram. The added enthusiast motherboard features are probably of little use to you. Faster ram and better timings do not help real application performance to the Intel cpu's, perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.

The Antec 200 is a great value basic case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129070

The Antec 300 is also good:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
 
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MothMusic

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So your suggesting a cheaper build?


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103692
$186 -Freeshipping


Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
$55


GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
$70 -After rebate


A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333G (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1333GB2G8-AG - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410
$89


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$55 -Freeshipping


XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447
$180 -Freeshipping


OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
$45 -After rebates


LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276
$20 -Freeshipping

HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.B HD31000 IDK/7K (0S00163) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145287
$80 -Freeshipping


Total = $780 -After rebates

 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)

$26.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192



COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$25.00 Instant $84.99
$59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137



SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102864
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$164.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864
1
OCZ Diesel 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Model OCZUSBDSL4G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227331
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$13.99 Saving $13.99
$0.00



OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817341022
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)

-$15.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$84.99
$69.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022



G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231276
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276



GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128404
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)

$149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404



Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Return Policy
$104.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Subtotal: $676.93
Tax:
$55.85
Calculate ShippingZip Code: GO
Shipping: $11.87

Redeem Newegg Gift Cards
Card Number: Security Code: Apply


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Subject to credit approval.

Grand Total: $744.65 ( note this is tax and shipping i used my zip 92688 ) OC also


Microcenter for the i5 750 149.99

Pick up this HSF if you like to try OCing really no need to tho with this system and that rez http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

about 1K without the HSF but with a OS

My 2 cents the others are all on the right track
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Lower prices is good if it does not upset the balance of components.

Perhaps there is enough of the budget left over to buy a second monitor(24"?) which is a very useful addition to a PC

I think I would not cut corners on the psu. Look for a tier 2 unit on this list:
http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/154057-jonnyguru-power-supply-buyers-guide-updated.html

A corsair 550 unit would be good at $70 a/r:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Perhaps the hard drive configuration should be a combo SSD and storage drive.
Use a kingston 40gb SSD for the os and current games
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139081
and a 1tb drive for storage.
 
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MothMusic

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For a gaming machine the gpu is the heart of the build! i5 vs. 5850 =5850 :kaola:

 
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ask80

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i already have windows 7 already so that should save me some money. i might look into the i5 since it's at a good price here at microcenter. just not sure on which motherboard is good with it?

and is it better getting a samsung 1 tb or 2 samsung 500gb HDs?

and i'm probably gonna stick with my 19in LCD unless it craps out on me.

a good power supply and case is also what i'm looking at too.

i guess the 4gb ripjaw memory is popular. i'll get that.

what power supply wattage? if i don't plan on crossfire. 600 watt?

thanks to you all
 
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MothMusic

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Ssd and extra 24 inch monitors are nice, but they are a luxury, and not necessary. It would push the build over budget. :(
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Really ? And a 5850 is over kill for that rez and a waste of money also.

Did you miss this part ( ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: looking for a good gaming rig that will last for a while as i'll only be using a 19inch lcd. )

Only using a 1280x1024 19inch lcd

He dont need a HD 5850 m8 thats rubbish

 
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MothMusic

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Yea guess your right. I just figured with such a large budget he would want the best of the best in gpus for a gaming system. But at that resolution it would be a waste, sorry for suggesting it. He should just go with niklas_13's build then.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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A single 1tb drive will be cheaper and faster for the OS. The 1tb drive is denser, so the performance on the outer parts where the OS is loaded will be faster. I like the WD caviar black also as a good 1tb drive.

Get two drives if you do a lot of file editing where you can put the source on one drive and the output on the other.

For a PSU, the simpleminded configurator rule is that if it has enough pci-e power connectors for your graphics cards, a quality psu will be able to deliver sufficient power to the whole system. It does not hurt to have a slightly larger than required psu. They operate most efficiently in the middle third of their range. The wattage is not as important as the amps on the 12v rails. Cheap psu's will have high wattage in the wrong places. Stick with tier 2 units in the 500-600 range.

---good luck---

For any ram you are considering, do your own homework.
Go to the ram vendor's web site, and access their configurator.
Corsair, Kingston, Patriot, OCZ and others have them.
Their compatibility list is more current than the motherboard vendor's QVL lists which rarely get updated.
Enter your mobo or PC, and get a list of compatible ram sticks.

Here are a few links:

http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx

http://www.corsair.com/configurator/default.aspx

http://kingston.com/

http://conf.ocztechnology.com/index.php?c=1

http://www.patriotmemory.com/configurator/index.jsp

...also... check out the combo deals on newegg. sometimes you can get a motherboard and ram at an additional discount.

Cpu performance is not very sensitive to ram speeds.
If you look at real application and game benchmarks(vs. synthetic tests),
you will see negligible difference in performance between the slowest DDR2 and the fastest DDR3 ram.
Perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.
Don't pay extra for faster ram or better timings unless you are a maximum overclocker.
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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I dont think IMHO raid setup is worth it, for your needs

That GPU would be grate for your rez and even down the road if you move up to a 22" 1680x1050 would be good. If down the road you move up to a 1980X1080 i would say for 30 bucks more if you dont care about Dx11 the 4890 would be a better pick.

A good 550W PSU will be all you need even if your OC that i5 750 with 1 GPU and a few HDD DVDs For 20 bucks more the Corsair is a grate pick but the OCZ will work just fine.

The CM-690 is a grate Case with good air flow / a Antec 900 would be a grate next step up





 
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ask80

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thanks everyone i appreciate all the advice... i didn't know $1000 was overkill for my budget. lol... i just want to be able to play all the cool games that i've missed out the past 4 or 5 years like rainbow six vegas and current games too.

i don't plan on doing raid. i'm just used to having dual 80 gb HDs (one for data and the other just for programs). but i guess a single 1 tb will do since technology has advanced past my WD 80 gb HDs.

so i'm guessing the consensus would be a ATI 5770 over the 4870?

how is samsung's reputation with their HDs in term of reliability? have they always been in the HD market? i always thought WD was the leader.. but this was back in the days.
 
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MothMusic

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http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/MW2_AA4_01.png

There both neck and neck. But right now the 4870s are more expensive on Newegg than the cheapest 5770s. Plus the 5770s support dx11 and use way less energy than the 4870.
 
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ask80

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thanks...nice chart...

well hypothetically, IF i did want to crossfire 5770's in the future. what should I take into consideration now? I'm guessing a larger power supply, more ram, and of course a good crossfire motherboard, and a bigger case?
 
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MothMusic

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You don't need more ram, just a mobo that supports crossfire, a cpu that won't bottleneck the dual gpus, 600-650w psu, and case with good cooling.

For the cpu go with the i5: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317379

Here are some ideas for a crossfire case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&cm_re=cooler_master-_-11-119-137-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&cm_re=antec_900-_-11-129-021-_-Product

For psu look only look at theses three:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Brand=1516&SubCategory=58&N=2%2050001516%2040000058

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2%2050001550%2040000058&Manufactory=1550&bop=And&SpeTabStoreType=1&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=PRICE

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2%2050001459%2040000058&Manufactory=1459&bop=And&SpeTabStoreType=1&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=PRICE

Any mobo by ASUS or Gigabyte are good. Look here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000280&Description=LGA%201156&name=Intel%20Motherboards
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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IF you planned on crossfire in the future, then you would need:
1) A motherboard that had two pci-e x8 or x16 slots and supported crossfire. It will make the motherboard a bit more expensive.
2) A slightly larger psu to power two cards, something closer to 600w than 500w. The 5770 is more efficient, so less would be needed than for two 4870 cards whicn are similar in capabilities.
3) No more ram is needed.
4) No larger case is needed since the cards are shorter that an ATX motherboard. Two cards will generate more heat, but a decent case can handle it.
5) With the cpu's you are considering, no more cpu power would be needed.

BUT... I don't think crossfire is the greatest of ideas for anything but a top end system. Namely one where the single fastest card will not do the job. Currently, that is the $600+ 5970.
1) You don't get twice the frame rate. How much improvement you get is game dependent. Some games do well, but some are not improved at all.
2) In the future, there will be better and cheaper cards. Buying another 5770 will be more expensive than selling your old card and getting the next best thing.

I would agree that raid-0 or any other type of raid is probably not the right thing to do for a number of reasons.
 
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ask80

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ok cool. i was just looking at that posted chart and the 5770 crossfire smoked all the cards. but of course that was only for COD MW2... so i though a dual crossfire would bump up the framerate significantly
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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The mobo in my post will xfire @ 8x8x all you would need to do for xfire is change out the 550W PSU to a Corsair 750W

With 2 5770 you would be good to go for a rez of 1920x1080


If you dont like the micro mobo get the one in my sig P55-UD4P

gl with the build and enjoy
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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For the most part yes but if you can buy it @ microcenter for the same price do so, just in case a part is DOA you wont have to wait for the mail

 
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