Building a new system

Might want to follow the guidelines from the thread in my signature...

Switch the GPU for an HD 5850 (or HD 5870, if you can afford it). It's better, newer, and cheaper (a tab more for the 5870). It's more future proof with DirectX 11 support. You'll actually be able to play Crysis with the 5870...

Ditch the WD for a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB. You'll save some cash, and get a far superior drive. If you can't get one of those, get a Seagate 7200.12. The same is true for that, but it's just slightly worse than the F3.

What's the CAS Latency on the RAM? You want it to be CL 7 at the most.

Spend a little extra for the P7P55D-E Pro. It's super future proof with USB 3 and SATA 6 GBps ports.

Ditch the i7-860 and grab an i5-750. It's better for gaming and a whole lot cheaper.

Spend an extra $10 on the case and get the best case made: HAF 922. It's only $80 right now. Actually, with shipping, it's the same price.

+1 look at this build:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

final cost is 1185.89$ and that includes the os if you need it. get the 1 tb version of the f3 when it is available, and you can get the 1600 MHz version of the ram if you want.

Here is my post following the template

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Whenever I get enough money to afford it, 4 weeks or so depending on the price if its around 1300

BUDGET RANGE: The set up I have now is around $1300 I’d rather not spend much more than that if possible

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Mostly gonna be used for gaming and possible watching HD movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have a mouse monitor keyboard and speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Up to you guys I don’t mind just want the best I can get for the cheapest price I can get

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.

PARTS PREFERENCES: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail

EVGA GeForce GTX 275 CO-OP PhysX Edition 012-P3-1178-TR Video Card

Sony Optiarc DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

ASUS P7P55D ATX Intel Motherboard

RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB Foldout MB Computer Case With Side Panel Window

Intel Core i7-860 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor



OVERCLOCKING: Yes if I can figure out how to do it, new to system building

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in the future doubt I can fit it into my budget for now

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024 not 100% certain though I can check when I get back home

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My first build hoping to get something that will last me for a little while that I can use to play games towards the max settings and still have a decent fps. Thanks for your help

I would ditch the GTX 275 for a 5850 or 5870 like MadAdmiral said. There's absolutely no compelling reason to buy an Nvidia GPU right now IMO. AMD/ATI's king of the hill until Nvidia releases their next cards. We'll see what happens then.

Of course, all of the GPU's we're talking about are MASSIVE overkill for a 1280x1024 resolution. Are you planning on upgrading to an LCD monitor anytime soon?

That's a really tiny resolution. You could play games maxed out on any GPU that's being sold new these days...

I would go with the stuff ares posted and grab a new monitor soon after. They're usually $150.

Yeah im planning on going dual monitor set up and using my other one to have the web and such open while i play games and picking up a new lcd monitor in the near future, and it seems like everyone is saying get the 5850 or 5970 so im gonna go with that thanks so far everyone keep the tips coming.

Like i said im not 100% sure on the resolution, I'm at work right now and ill be home in around an hour, ill post my resolution again then

To be honest, with the 5850 or 5870 (the 5970's out of your budget at $650+), your resolution won't matter. Even if it's 1900x1200, the cards will be just fine for anything. The 5850 might struggle a little with Crysis turned all the way up, but that's true for everything except the monster 5970...

Ok cool thanks again, will the 5870 work with my mobo or will i need a diff one? same with the i5, im a total newbie at this, I know how to put them together just a little hazy on which parts can work together and which parts cant thanks for the advise

The 5870 and i5 will work just fine with the ASUS P7P55D.

Ok so i got home max res is 1400x1050 no the greatest but i am planning on getting a new monitor, wanna finish the tower first.

New set up thanks to your guys suggestions, thanks ares for finding the combo deals, went with the 5870 instead of the 5850 though.

Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model AD-7241S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBECO - Retail

Case/ PSU combo

mobo/i5 combo

5870/win7 combo

It's a very nice setup. The Ripjaws currently have free shipping, so they're $6 cheaper.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail $99.99

Cool thanks again i guess ill start ordering the parts soon probably within the next month gotta wait for a couple pay checks. Time to start looking for a good monitor and how to overclock then.

Before you start overclocking, make sure to get an aftermarket CPU cooler. Stock only does so much. I highly recommend the Coolermaster Hyper 212. It one of the best coolers, and fairly cheap at $30. You don't need to buy this right away, just get it before you start messing around with the CPU settings.

Ok thanks for the heads up, ill save the thread for future reference

One other question, you guys all say get the HAF 922, it looks like an awesome case but i was wondering if you guys knew of any good cases that had the green lights instead of the red?? If not thats fine ill go with the HAF 922, rather have something that works good than something that is aesthetically appealing to me and is complete crap. I know thats probably something that is hard to look for just based on color, but if i find any ill post them here and see what you guys think.

The only one I can think of is the RAIDMAX Smilodon. Which is a lower quality case for about the same price.

meh forget it then ill just stick with the HAF I doubt many people will be seeing it anyway.

ASUS MS226H Glossy Piano-Black / White 21.5" 2ms Ring Stand & Ergo-Fit HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor What do you guys think about this monitor for gaming and such? Will it work well with the 5870?

the 5870 will run 3 of those if need be

Lol ok thanks