Need YOUR input on $1000 gaming computer first time builder

dimmzeta73

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Jan 20, 2010
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Hi guys, I'm a first time comp builder and am scouring the net for good deals on parts that do what I need them to and nothing more!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 weeks from now
BUDGET RANGE: 1000 dollars after with tax and shipping e.g. AT THE END ITS ALL CLOSE TO 1K

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming(aion, fallout3, L4D2, Modern Warfare 2) surfing net, playing some music..not much else

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: the egg or tigerdirect

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type :no preference, just want quality parts!

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION:1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Is the gpu i choose too strong for the cpu? If you say yes show me some benchmarks or tests or something! I would like it to be quiet as well =D.


PLZ COMMENT ON MY BUILD!

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK - Retail

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail

Rosewill RFA-120-BL 120mm 4 Blue LEDs LED Case Fan - Retail X2

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

GRANT TOTAL WITH S&h AND TAX IS 1,028.49

Ok so as you can see I am going for a solid dual core processor and splurging on the gpu. The case could also be cheaper but honestly i feel that the cooler master rc-690 is superior to the antec 300 and is only a little bit more so it is worth it. My gfx card selection is based on the fact that this set up is close to what techspot used to benchmark the phenom II x2 550 and it got solid fps numbers for demanding games, some of which I am interested in playing.

I won't be multitasking much at all, i can even play music off the sound system in my room instead of having to use itunes while playing/grinding during aion.

I posted another build last week and got a comment that the 5850 is overkill for aion, but it keeps up with more modern games on this dual core, but would i see drastic drops in fps with a 4850/70?

So yea, rant over, give me yo .02 cents so i can make my sexy new computer that will play the games mentioned above like a champ!

CHEERS!






 

a4mula

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Feb 3, 2009
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At normal resolutions cpu bottlenecking isn't a problem with any current gen cpu. You wouldn't want to drop to a single 4850/70 as you will start seeing performance degredation at 1920x1200. 5850 is a solid pick, it's far from overkill. You might check out the 5830 which is set to release Feb 5th. It should be around the 200$ mark. If price is your number one priority you could also consider running 2x 4850's in CF. While it won't give you 5850 performance it'll come close for 100$ less. Just keep in mind that you lose dx11 and any shot at Eyefinity.

For another 20$ you could go with the 690 II Advanced. It's the successor to the 690, has painted interior, better wire management, better cooling, top mounted sata hotswap, and support for 2x internal 2x120 rads w/o modding.

Also you haven't invested in a HSF. I have no idea which ones are suitable for AMD, but find one.

Those Rosewill fans are loud as hell, and burn up quick. The one and only time I used them, 2 lasted less than 6 months, and after a year all 5 were dead. Look into Yate Loon's. You'll have to pick them up from somewhere else, but they are in a whole nother league for the same (or lower depending on where you buy) price. D12SH-12 if you plan on running with a fan controller, D12SM-12 if not.


 

dimmzeta73

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@ares1214 -thanks for the tips! i really like your HDD and optical drive suggestion. Those parts are def. better and same/cheaper than the ones i selected, perfect!

Overall, now I don't know why honestly, when i put what you suggested on newegg the final count comes to 1,114.00. 8.00 dollars of that is accounted for me sticking with my original ram choice since it am looking at gets better reviews than the one you suggested.

As for the superior core choice, i agree that the x4 is a better core but with it comes an increase in price. I honestly have no use for a quad core since most games don't utilize them right now.

@Atomosk -thanks for the benchmarks! especially since aion is using a moded cry engine, it seems that the 5770's are at the borderline of being smooth all the time on my res, but the 5850 will play the game fine in all situations with an avg of 49.1

Keep this thread alive! Keep the comments coming!
 

dimmzeta73

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Jan 20, 2010
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@a4mula -thanks for the tip about the fans, i'll look in to the ones you suggested asap, i hate buying things that dont last
-i'm set on getting the 5850, it will last me well through the diablo 3/ starcraft 2, guild wars 2 eras and i could alwasy crossfire 2 of them for more mojo for crysis 2, i dont care about eyeinfinity but can't ignore how well the 5850 performs at 300bucks price point, plus dx11 is a plus when the games catch up to it
-The 5830 does seem inticing but i'm worried about getting it and having to wait a month untill the drivers mature. When the 5850 came out the aion community was not happy at first due to low fps cuz of drivers

-as for the case, i think with the 4 120s and extra 80 mm fans you can put into the rc-690 cooling will be fine, i just gotta make sure to buy the good fans you mentioned

@ares1214 -i put everything you linked in the shpping cart, with the cooler, and it comes out to 1,136.72.... i don't know how you are seeing it being 1k total, maybe your total before tax/shipping is 1,021?

Thanks for the fast replies =D
 

ares1214

Splendid
but think, right about when dx11 comes to be the main dx, then most games will be using quad cores, heres some benchmarks:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=4

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=5

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=6

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=7

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=8

for the first few, you were probs like, "woo hoo synthetics...nobody cares" but it has a pretty decent lead in games right now, imagine in just a lil time when more and more games fully utilize quads, think 102$ now and 150$ 2 years from now, or 160$ now. i have the 955 it is an amazing cpu, although i have made several builds with the 550, and it is pretty good.
 

dimmzeta73

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@ares1214 - the dual core lost to the quad by 6fps at the res i was interested in playing at. 6 fps isnt that much, especially since that is the avg fps, a couple split second spike in fps with a dual core can throw its average off during a benchmark. with devil may cry the difference was irrelevant since the fps was so high, kind of shows how well crysis is optimized(or just how awesome it is). The nice thiing about the am3 socket is that if in a year games utilize more quad cores then i can just swap out the cpu. The games that use 4 cores right now, gta and world in conflict, are two titles i don't care for personally.

Now say, if a quad core optimized mmo comes out eventually i'd probably be so excited to play it i would do a complete rebuild and drop some serious money into the venture. The reason i want to keep this first build low on cost is due to the fact that it is my first build.

I also don't see diablo 3 or starcraft 2 utilizing 4 cores because blizzard never really puts a game out that requires top notch stuff to play. If this comp can run those two titles, which i'm confident it will, i wont need to rebuild for a year or two after they are released...we all know how fun sc1 and diablo1,2 were...hell d2 is still fun i play it on my netbook sometimes!



 

ares1214

Splendid
fair enough, and i realize and agree with what you are saying, but still 100 now, 200 later, 165 now....and i can almost garunteed that once 6-core cpus and dx11 comes out from nvidia, which is coming very very soon, like few months or so, then just about every new game will switch to quad core, and besides, i got the quad core in your budget, why not??
 

dimmzeta73

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Yes, i'm trying to combo it up as much as possible....sometimes they have great combos that include everything but the gpu on newegg...man i love that site

I think the biggest problem is making a 1k comp all at once...maybe i should just drop 1k in a sick ass build and then get the gpu 2-3 months later as i save up my lunch money?
 

ironbarz

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ares1214, i really like this setup, i too am going to build my first gaming comp and found this very helpful. A couple of questions however, are all these parts compatable, do you have another hard driver recommendation since this one is out of stock, and do you have a good suggestion on a monitor around $200?
I will be using this mostly for MMO games, Aion in particular