I5 Gaming Computer

[fatjesus]

My computer is starting to get on the old side so I was thinking about getting a new computer. Looking to spend up to about $1250 and maybe a bit more.

What I was thinking.

Mobo-Gigabyte GA-P55 - UD4P
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GA-P55-UD4P-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B002MAPTGQ

CPU-intel Core i5 750 Processor
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-Processor-LGA1156-I5-750BOX/dp/B002KQ5KDY/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b

RAM- Not sure on any specifics.

Optical- I have a DVD drive I can just transfer from my old computer.

Hard Drive- I have a Seagate Barracuda 1.5 TB that I could just transfer from this computer. Would it be worth it to get a SSD or should I just get a faster/small HDD to run all my programs off of?

GPU- I was thinking about two Radeon HD 5850 or would it be better to just go with one card?

PS- I have a Corsair CMPSU-650TX in this computer that I could transfer to the new one. Would it be strong enough to power two 5850s?

 

[MadAdmiral]

Here's what I would build:

CPU: i5-750 and Asus P7P55D-E Pro $375
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
GPU: HD 5870 $420. Better to go with one card. You don't lose an upgrade path right away. Also, not every game supports Crossfire right now, so you may be paying extra for something you can't use. Either this or the the HD 5970 ($700)
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55. This will be a lot faster than that old drive. SSDs are too expensive right now.
PSU: 650W would be enough for dual 5850s, but not dual 5870s. I would still use the old one until you decide to upgrade.
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebate
HSF (if OC): Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $35

Total: $1,114

 

[banthracis]

Here's a build I put together earlier today. the 5870 is a great card, but I've never really liked it price/performance ratio. It's 33% more expensive than a 5850, but only offers a 10-15% performance advantage.

You're not gonna fit 2 5850's into your budget and definitely not a 5970. Still though, I've had no issues playing even Crysis at max settings 4xAA at 1920 x 1080 with a single 5850. I do have it OC'd to max Catalyst lets me, but 99% of 5850's can easily do that OC.

Also, you could wait a week or 2 to see if Fermi (coming out friday) causes ATI/resellers to drop prices.



Ok here's a full i5-750 build w/ a 5850.

Optical Drive
Asus $23.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Case
HAF 922 $99.98 w/ $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
Antec 902 is sold out atm, and the HAF 922 is a cheaper, but just as good case.

GPU
5850 $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884


RAM
G SKill Ripjaw 7-8-7-24 DDR 1600 $114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

HSF
CM Hyper 212 Plus $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

PSU/HD
OCZ Stealthxstream 700W and 7200.12 500 GB $114.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.347460
The OCZ PSU is a solid PSU for a low price. It'll handle xfire 5850's no prob. Spinpoint F3's are sold out ATM, but the 7200.12 comes comboed for a nice discount and has about the same performance for the same price.

MOBO/CPU
Asus USB 3.0/SATA 6.0 MOBO and i5-750 $374.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.354339

The new mobo I upgraded you to has xfire potential for the future, and has USB 3.0/SATA 6.0 done properly.

Total: $1063.97 before $40 MIR and Shipping

After Shipping to NYC and MIR: $1036

Technically you have enough money to add in an 80 gb X25-M SSD, $220 ATM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016&cm_re=x25-m-_-20-167-016-_-Product

That's the cheapest SSD I'd recommend using, the budget ones actually perform worse than fast magnetic drives in a few benchmarks.

The 650 you have will run 2 5850's but lacks the necessary connected. You could just buy a 2 molex to 6 pin converter cables though.
$2.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812887001&Tpk=molex%20to%206pin

 

[MadAdmiral]

Just for kicks, you CAN fit the 5970 in the budget:

CPU/Mobo: X3 440 and Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 $160 after rebate
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
GPU: HD 5970 $700
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55
PSU: Corsair 750W 80+ $90 after rebate
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebate
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $24
HSF (if OC): Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $35

Total: $1,269. Granted, that's only slightly more than the $1,250, and extremely unbalanced...

 

[real world]

The prices for the 5850 are already beginning to come down from some jacked up highs over the last month or so. I bought a 5850 in January for $299 (less $25 BCB), and shortly thereafter supplier jacked them up to $320-30+. With the release of Fermi coming in the next few days, the 5850 is back down to $299 with free shipping on mutliple models. I say wait and see if Fermi's actual release drops that down even further. It may as well since the card had an original MSRP of $259 back in October or so.

I agree with the builds above. Solid components, most of which I ended up using in my 1-2 month old build. These are parts I used, and recommend, that are all mentioned above:

i5-750
ASUS P7P55d Evo
Ripjaws 4GB 1600
CM Hyper 212 hsf
Sapphire Radeon 5850 (you can use any 5850 basically)
Any optical drive

Don't buy a PSU cuz you don't need one. I have a Corsair 650, and its more than enough. I believe a single 5850 uses under 200 watts (something like 160 I think), and the ripjaws are low voltage. If you want to spend the $55 for a new drive, go for the one mentioned above, or a Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB. They're the same price, and each are excellent drives. Personally, why spend money if you don't have to? I'd invest the savings in something more tangiable, like a new monitor (or two more for Eyefinity). The HAF 922 is a great case. I considered it, as well as a 900, but instead opted for the CM StormScout since I got it for $49 with free shipping at Newegg on Black Friday. It's a terrific case.

I agree with the poster above with respect to the 5870 vs 5850. The 5870 is $130 more. The price to performance ratio is really not worth it. The 5850 will run every thing on high settings as is. I'm currently running BF Bad Company 2 maxed out without issue. It's a kick ass card, and well worth the $299 price tag. In a couple of years when it's time to upgrade, put that $130 you saved toward a 2nd 5850. By then they'll probably be about $150-$200.

 

[banthracis]

Yea, last few months have been pretty bad for PC buying.

I did an i5 based build with xfire 5850's and a x25-M back in October and now, 5 months later, the same build would cost ~$100 more. Definitely, not the sort of price change you normally see in the tech industry.