Advise for a gaming system. Thank you

[highwind078]

Hi Everyone, I would like to seek the community's advise concerning a few parts of a gaming system that I'm assembling.

I'm focusing on future proofing for the next couple of years, durability and stability.

I would like some advise on a few components that I'm centering on.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:

Within 1 - 2 weeks, I'm not exactly on a tight budget.


SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:

The main function for this system is for gaming, i.e World of Warcraft, simulation RPG, and RTS games.


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:

I'm buying from a local store, so I may not have access to certain brands.


OVERCLOCKING:

I have no intentions to overclock my system.


These are the parts that I require the community's kind advise:-

Motherboard:

Asus P7p55D, but which version should I go for?
There's the Pro, Evo, E-Evo and Deluxe versions.

CPU

I've centered on the I5 750, however is it better that the C2Q 9400 that I'm currently using?

RAM

OCZ PC3 1333MHz Plat CL7 6GB

(should be a pair of 2 x 3GB) however I feel that 6 GB may be rather overkill and I have selected another possible alternative, which is the OCZ 10666/1333 DDR3 CL9 2 X 2GB

Will this be a good choice? the CL9 is much cheaper, but I fear I may be sacrificing performance.

GPU

Sapphire HD5770 Vapor-X 1GB GDDR5

I've gotten a ASUS HD4870 about 1/2 yr ago, somehow online reviews say that the 4870 is slightly better for recent games that the 5770? I'm rather confused which should I go for.


Hard Disk

WD 500GB 32MB (Caviar Black)

I was deciding between this and the 1 TB version. Is there any performance difference? as I do not need so much space. Thought I would save a few bucks here.


I apologise if this post is over lenghty, and appreciate any advise the community can provide.

Thank you

 

[gkay09]

^ IMO your PC - Q9400 + HD 4870 should be good for the games that you play..Is it not ? Do you feel that the games run slow ?
I frankly dont see the point upgrading to i5 750 over an Q9400...
And also you have heard right about the graphics card...the HD 4870 is faster than the HD 5770...Only thing that is a plus is DirectX 11 and lower power consumption...

 

[highwind078]

Hi gkay09,

Thanks for the reply.

Indeed currently my existing system is running smoothly, even when I max out the settings during gameplay.

Though I was hoping to get a better performance for the same amount of money I paid when I gotten my Q9400.

The I7 would perhaps be a definite upgrade, however we'll probably agree its rather pricey at the moment, and as you have mentioned, the Q9400 is already pretty good. Which thus leads me to settle for something in between.

Just an additional question though, in your opinion should I purchase the 5770? its about 30% cheaper than the 4870? would I suffer much in performance should I decide on the 5770?

I did consider buying the 4870 actually, but my fear is that it may be less future poof than the 5770.

Any opinions on the 5850? its abit too much for what I'm budgeting for my GPU though.

Your comments are much appreciated, thank you

 

[gkay09]

I would suggest you to put on hold your upgrade for sometime...
The HD 4870 and the Q9400 that you have still have a lot of potential left...And also going with HD 5770 IMO is not worth it...
Don't jump on the DirectX 11 bandwagon yet...wait till Nvidia launch their cards(Mostly by March)...am sure then you will get good cards at better prices as things will become competitive and price war will start...
So I would suggest you wait till March/ latest till April...then you will get better CPUs and graphics card at cheaper rates too...and also like I said your current setup should be able to hold up till then...

 

[highwind078]

Thank you for the prompt reply.

I may have misled you abit.

I'm building a new system not as a replacement, but because I will be staying in 2 places in about 2 weeks time for a few days at each place in the week.

Therefore I'll require the 2nd system.

However thank you for sharing the note about Nvidia's launch. Guess if there's a price war coming I should really consider my options.

Maybe I should consider delaying my partial move into my 2nd home till the price war. LOL

Thanks for sharing

Cheers

 

[gkay09]

^ Ohh...if it is a completely a new PC, then the i5s would be a very good choice...
And also ATI might be launching the HD 5830s for ~$200-$230...they will be as powerful as the HD 4980s...So those would be a better option IMO...

 

[highwind078]

Woot!! thank you for the info concerning the 5830s

Any comments on my choice of motherboards and ram?

Cheers

 

[gkay09]

^ The PRO would be a good option...but wait till you can get your hands on the version that comes with USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s - ASUS P7P55D-E PRO

And as for RAM, go with either 2/ 4 stick and not 3 as populating 3 slots on these boards will lead to loosing Dual-Channel config...
And just make sure you get RAM that operates at 1.65V or less...

 

[geofelt]

1) What resolution are you gaming at now? What are the possibilities that it will go up?
2) Are your frame rates currently satisfactory?
3) Will you be building a new system, or are you considering an upgrade to your current system?
4) Are your games cpu intensive or multicore enabled? FSX, for example?

I see the 5770 as comparable to the 4870. Both are quite capable today. I would not do an upgrade unless you jump a couple of tiers in gpu power. Say to a 5870.

The same is true of the cpu. Yes, the 750 is stronger than the Q9400. But you will not see much diference in an upgrade.

The 1156 motherboards are dual channel. It is best to get 4gb or 8gb using 2gb sticks. The 6gb kits have 3 2gb sticks and are intended for 1366 motherboards.
More ram is good, particularly with windows-7 64 bit. It helps your minimum frame rates:
http://www.corsair.com/_appnotes/AN811_Gaming_Performance%20Analysis_6GB_vs_3GB.PDF

I do not like the cooler on the vapor-X. It does a good job of getting heat off the vga die, but it just dumps it into the case where case cooling has to deal with it. I like coolers that direct as much as possible directly out the back. Here is an example from XFX:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

I also like XFX for their warranty and usa support.

On the motherboard, don't spend more for enthusiast boards which make sense only to record seeking overclockers. Look for the features you need. I think the next year will bring us products that can use usb3.0 and 6gb sata, so those features might be good.