First Build

[mmuncy]

I have decided to build my first computer and I was wanting to get some insight on the things I want to buy. I have only had a couple hours to research but I have found a CPU and Motherboard so far and want to know what you guys think. Also this is going to be a gaming rig, mainly WOW, Civ 4, Sims 3, and also something that I can watch videos and music and stuff like that without lagging or freezing.

Motherboard - ASUS M4A77TD AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=13-131-603&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=-1&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Page=1&Keywords=%28keywords%29

CPU - AMD Phenom ii x4 965 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_re=amd_phenom_ii_x4_965_black_edition-_-19-103-727-_-Product

Should I got for the 125w or the 140w on the CPU?

Any suggestions on what to buy would be helpful. I am trying to keep this machine under $700 if possible, but I really dont want to have to replace things 6 months from now either.

 

[sirheck]

Looks good so far, now you just need memory, a video card and all the rest.

 

[xaira]

looks gr8, but looks like a bit of overkill on the part of the cpu for gaming alone, but hey, if uve got it spend it, im guessing by ur choice of board, that ur not really a fan of multi gpu technology, so id say a 5870 and a corshair 600watt shud look quite nice on that list qith some 4gb of ddr3

 

[saaiello]

Get the 125 watt Phenom II. I wouldn't say its overkill for gaming that will make a great rig. For the games you play a HD 5770 will be plenty of GPU for your needs but if your budget can fit it the 5850 or 5870 would be nice too. Get at least 4 GB of some nice ddr3 RAM my favorite is G-Skill Ripjaws no need to really get anything faster then 1333 RAM but if its not too much more grab 1600 RAM. For your PSU a Corsair or Seasonic 550 watt PSU will be more then enough power to run any single GPU with the exception of the HD 5970 and the GTX 480.

Good Luck and Welcome to the forum

 

[mmuncy]

Can someone explain the reasoning behind running two video cards over one? And if it is better then what kind of motherboard should I be looking for?

 

[flaminggerbil]

Can someone explain the reasoning behind running two video cards over one? And if it is better then what kind of motherboard should I be looking for?

Well in very simple terms it'll give you more graphical power, higher fps etc.

On the downside not every game will benefit properly from it, you'll need a better power supply, you dont get double the power from having two cards and it's more prone to having 'issues' then a single gpu.

If you've got the money, go for it. Otherwise I'd say stick with the single card.


Edit: Forgot to mention that for the motherboard it depends whether you want to dual GPU with nvidia(Sli) or Ati(Crossfire). Crossfire tends to be considerably cheaper as Sli motherboards are normally a good bit more expensive.

 

[sirheck]

Hmm, really its just for kicks, not needed at all.

if you get a mid to high end GPU then there isn't a need to
crossfire or SLI.

Example, 2 ATI 4770,s in CF outperform a single ATI 4890
in almost all games.

But you also have to consider running 2 cards in CF or SLI will take up
more space, probably produce more heat and usually consume more power.

For a mobo you would look for one that is CF ready with 2 PCIe slots
or SLI ready with 2 PCIe slots

The mobo you have listed is single but will work just fine if you get
a decent GPU.

 

[mmuncy]

OK so I think I am just going to go with the one video card. Seems easier and I dont play any high end games since I have a PS3 so I doubt I will need much power. Anything will be an upgrade over my laptop.

I took the advice and looked at the HD 5770 and I am impressed with it and by the reviews it has received.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5599121&pagenumber=1&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=MAIN#ReviewStart

So when it comes to RAM i know to look for 1600 and to get at least 4gb. I plan on using Windows 7 x64. Anything else I should look for in RAM? Would 8GB to 16GB be overkill?

 

[sirheck]

The 5770 is a great card.
As for ram, nothing too special, just get some DDR3 (2x2 gig sticks)
or more of what ever brand you want or can afford.

 

[mmuncy]

For RAM would this suffice until I can grab more?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Memory+(Desktop+Memory)-_-Corsair+(XMS+Series)-_-20145260

 

[sirheck]

That should work fine.

 

[flaminggerbil]

That's the same ram I use with my i5, great stuff.

4gb is plenty for current gaming, some people seem to have the impression that wacking tons in will improve performance but at this point in time it'll make no difference whatsoever.

 

[liquidchild]

Just my 2 cents...save 30 bucks and get the 955, and just do a simple little overclock to match the 965...30 bucks moves you up a notch in the graphics card department

 

[mmuncy]

My plan was to find best products in my budget then to look for cheaper alternatives in the end so I can get a better monitor.

 

[subinjose]

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H is good. Support USB 3 and SATA 3. Good for future expandability too...

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=3342

ATX, AMD890GX, 5200 MT/s, AM3, 4xDDR3(1866)/1333/1066MHz, PCI-E V2.0, G-LAN, SATA3.0, SATA-RAID 0/1/5/0+1, 2xPCI-E x16 (16x, 8x), VGA onboard, DVI-D, HDMI, FireWire, USB3.0

 

[mmuncy]

I have a quick question if anyone can answer. While looking at Motherboards I noticed the one I put on here says CPU TYPE Phenom II /Athlon II /Sempron 100 Series Processors. Is this going to be a problem since I am using PHENOM II x4?

 

[mmuncy]

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H is good. Support USB 3 and SATA 3. Good for future expandability too...

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=3342

ATX, AMD890GX, 5200 MT/s, AM3, 4xDDR3(1866)/1333/1066MHz, PCI-E V2.0, G-LAN, SATA3.0, SATA-RAID 0/1/5/0+1, 2xPCI-E x16 (16x, 8x), VGA onboard, DVI-D, HDMI, FireWire, USB3.0

Yeah but I dont want on-board video card.

 

[flaminggerbil]

Yeah but I dont want on-board video card.

You can just disable onboard video, it makes no difference whatsoever.

 

[subinjose]

Yeah but I dont want on-board video card.

Me too doesn't like that either I've one Radeon 5970 instead of that. If you want USB 3 and SATA 3 buy this and forget about the onboard graphics.

 

[Kralnor]

OK so I think I am just going to go with the one video card. Seems easier and I dont play any high end games since I have a PS3 so I doubt I will need much power. Anything will be an upgrade over my laptop.

I took the advice and looked at the HD 5770 and I am impressed with it and by the reviews it has received.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5599121&pagenumber=1&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=MAIN#ReviewStart

So when it comes to RAM i know to look for 1600 and to get at least 4gb. I plan on using Windows 7 x64. Anything else I should look for in RAM? Would 8GB to 16GB be overkill?

Got that exact video card and I am very pleased with it. Low power usage, runs quiet, cool and gives nice value for the money. My only complaint is that my E6600 is bottlenecking it :lol: If you think you might want to play newer FPS games, a 5850 might be a good idea. For what you listed in the OP though, a 5770 is definitely enough. What resolution you are going to play at also matters a lot.