Good Value? I would appreciate community feedback on a new gaming pc.

[silversurfernhs]

So i decided a new is necessary to replace my old gaming laptop (HDX20.1 C2d2.1Ghz 4GB5300DDR2 8800mGTS512MB)
I use to build my old systems, but since i've been stuck with a laptop, i haven't been tinkering upgrading, swapping out as much as i used to. So now i look at the sites like Newegg and Fry's.com and see that my configuration from iBUYPOWER will be cheaper/ the same as building my own with the same components but will have all the odds and ends sorted out that i would normally have to do. I am much more busy these days and it would be difficult to spare the time to satisfy my old obsession with hardware.

Anyways i would like to ask that the community share there opinions, suggestions and thoughts with me about the prices, performance and such. I know it will be much better than my laptop, but what kinds of margins... anything will help. Also i may be adding a gt 260 216 core as a dedicated physx card and a pci N wireless networking card. I think its a good value.

Gamer Paladin F725 ($2170.00 Shipped)
Case ( CoolerMaster HAF 932 Full Tower Gaming Case - Black )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light - Red )
Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7 930 Processor (4x 2.8GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Memory ( 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333 - Corsair Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( ATI Radeon HD 5970 - 2GB - Single Card )
Motherboard ( [3-Way SLI] ASUS P6T )
Power Supply ( 800 Watt -- Power Supply - SLI Ready )
Primary Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black )
Meter Display ( NZXT Sentry 2 LCD Touch Screen Fan Controller /w Temperatures Display - Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard ) [might upgrade later for the awesome sound of Asus or Creative, plus i want full EAX]
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only ) [I have 7Ult64 licence]
Monitor ( None ) [HP w2207h - HDMI 1680x1050]
Speaker System ( None ) [I have a Logitech X-540 5.1 system]
Wireless Network Adapter ( Zonet ZEW2545 802.11n 130Mbps Wireless USB Adapter ) [not gonna use... but its free]
Advanced Build Options ( iBUYPOWER Specialized Advanced Packaging System - Protect your investment during transportation! )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

 

[Alvin Smith]

PSU
RAM
HDD
COOLER

ALL ... C R A P ! ... Whaddaya bet ?! (The system price, no doubt).

GPU ? ... I know a couple of other techs who would just love to go on, about that !

The Case is JUST WONDERFUL ! (seriously) ...

With the size of investment, in such an extreme build, I WOULD NOT LET *ANY*BODY* choose my parts, for me ... no way !!!

DUDE ! ... It is easier than EVER ... WE WILL HELP !!! ... Now and Later !

= Alvin = (The 5970 ? ... Couldn't get by with a 5870 ? ... Cool ... 5970 rocks!.)

 

[Alvin Smith]

The glaring lack of specific brands and models is a huge red flag ...
... prolly got agents in the orient trolling for "funky junk". ... All they gotta do is juggle your issues for 30 days, then ... you can go directly to whatever manufacturers they chose, for any support which might exist ... sure.

... Of course ... I'm talkin' to a guy who games on a lap-top ... Darwin exemplified !

= Al =

 

[silversurfernhs]

I put together the p6t, i7, 5970, 1TB seagate, 800w ocz and the case on newegg and it came out to around the same price. And i will definitely be going to a 1080 120hz monitor (60 bugs the crap out of my eyes, like headaches and such). The idea here is that i don't run into this kind of bonus ($) very often and i want this to last. My HDX is 5 years old or so and still runs most games on high/no aa (sometimes) and 2/4af. I want to see my gta iv settings sucking up all that ram at 1080p (only game i know shows you it can). So what components do you suggest? Links? Newegg? Fry's Mobos are too expensive...

 

[Alvin Smith]

On newegg ...

Goto: mobos>intel>hit-[power-search] and select (checkbox) ...

Gigabyte + ASUS + X58 ... Choose a board that meets your needs and budget.

I am not yet convinced it is worth my Sunday Afternoon to dig out all the links ... BUT I also hate to see you go off to slaughter ...

... Point is ... We will save you from yourself, but we will not drag you kicking and screaming ... know what I mean ?

If you really want to cost out a decent quality build, I would advise you to start a new thread.

"Please Advise on quality EXTREME gaming rig" ...

... Cut and paste this thread into your openning post ... you can bring that build-spec list with you.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

also ...

Read all the other sticky threads, at the top of this page ... the ones that interest you.



= Al =

 

[silversurfernhs]

Thanks a lot guys, i appreciate the feedback. I did more digging and came up with these components:

Same Cooler master haf
same mobo
same proc
gskill 6gb ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
antec ps 850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009

anyways: 1140.90 wow
was about to order this morning... thanks for pulling me out of the path of that bullet

I do like that all the components are covered in the warranty for 3 years, as opposed to keeping track of each component/ different warranties.

Do you think they really would put crap components in there. PS and Ram Worst case scenario. I'm so depressed i wen't with a laptop back then, cuz its kept me from staying in the know about all this stuff. (although this could have screwed up my studies... lol)

Also i don't intend to OC anything but the proc to 3.2 (i heard its fairly easy to get it there on stock cooling...)
I also tend to like that microsoft keeps whql drivers for components that are direct from manufacturers and not crap generic drivers (is this bad). I still use the latest drivers when necessary (like when new games or features come out), but once windows is installed, i enable Printers and Devices to install latest drivers/ icons; windows update to automatically install drivers, and then i check hardware and devices panel to check what drivers are missing.

 

[Alvin Smith]

OK ... Stand back ... Just wanted to see if you were too lazy ... you are not.

G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler
Hyper 212 Plus wins a 10/10 review from Maximum PC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212-_-35-103-065-_-Product


SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100281VX-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102872&cm_re=5870_vaporx-_-14-102-872-_-Product

Shall I go on ?

 

[silversurfernhs]

OK ... Stand back ... Just wanted to see if you were too lazy ... you are not.

G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler
Hyper 212 Plus wins a 10/10 review from Maximum PC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212-_-35-103-065-_-Product


SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100281VX-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102872&cm_re=5870_vaporx-_-14-102-872-_-Product

Shall I go on ?

God no i'm not lazy. I'm an entry level computer technician. I love mulling through pages of hardware, specs and reviews, i just haven't done it for a serious build in about 2 years cuz of the laptop i chose to buy for school. (which worked well for my circumstances!!!! and price range at the time). I know that GTA IV can go well over a gig when maxed out so i think i still want to go with 2gb.

Anyways i want all my games to never dip below 60 for now (refresh rate) with lots of head room. Thanks a lot Al for those recommended parts, i'll definitely consider the ram and cooler. (will the cooler matter that much for life and temp)

The more i look at the ibuypower system in my cart the more i feel like I'd have been buying a dell.

 

[silversurfernhs]

Are there any video cards with multiple hdmi outputs? considering a new gfx card for my next monitor should i look for eyefinity and displayport for the monitor? I will be using 2 monitors (video turorials/books/movies on one and light video/photo/audio and gaming on the other.

 

[silversurfernhs]

Get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127482
The Vapor-Xs are rev.2s which cant voltmod.

Thanks for that, i took that a bit further and found this cuz of the 2gb thing...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127482&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

@Al you know you couldn't resist posting your recommendations!

Also another reason for the 5970 before was that i like using 2 monitors for doing work so i would probably use them for gaming two. Would two 1080p monitors in eyefinity warrant the 5970 more or still overkill (2 5870s, which is what the 5970 is... lol)

 

[Alvin Smith]

Get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127482
The Vapor-Xs are rev.2s which cant voltmod.

OK ... I'll buy that ... Good to know.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

Are there any video cards with multiple hdmi outputs? considering a new gfx card for my next monitor should i look for eyefinity and displayport for the monitor? I will be using 2 monitors (video turorials/books/movies on one and light video/photo/audio and gaming on the other.

The DVI ports can take a $12 [DVI-male>>HDMI-female] adapter ... that is par-for-the-course and most cards come with (at least) one adapter.

= Al =

 

[silversurfernhs]

The DVI ports can take a $12 [DVI-male>>HDMI-female] adapter ... that is par-for-the-course and most cards come with (at least) one adapter.

= Al =

But will it have similar multimonitor functionality as eyefinity, which is why i wonder if i should look for monitor/gfx with eyefinity or multiple display ports.

 

[Alvin Smith]

Thanks a lot Al for those recommended parts, i'll definitely consider the ram and cooler. (will the cooler matter that much for life and temp)

The more i look at the ibuypower system in my cart the more i feel like I'd have been buying a dell.

I was a Level2 Corporate Tech Rep, for DELL ... Shhhudder !
(Truth? ... I trust them as much as HP, for whatever THAT is worth).

REMEMBER ... this is a "DECENT" quality build ... The main objective, of which, is to be certain that no "crappy" or "iffy" parts get into your build AND (VERY important) ... To choose manufacturers who actually answer the phone and stand behind their products with "productive" driver and bios updates and who have a large user base, to consult, if need-be.

So .. I COULD show you how do do a really cheap and crappy build, from out-dated parts or from vendors that can't find their ass w/both hands and a search-light. ... That build would cost less than the one we are now doing.

= Harumph! =

 

[Alvin Smith]

But will it have similar multimonitor functionality as eyefinity, which is why i wonder if i should look for monitor/gfx with eyefinity or multiple display ports.

Definately (Works great as is!) for a TWO monitor setup ... BUT ... I DO believe you would need (required) an "ACTIVE DISPLAY PORT ADAPTER" for a 3rd monitor.

You are "covered in spades" for Eye-finity, with 5870 or 5970.

The 5970 can run the harshest games at 2x1920x1200 and EVERYTHING on and will not drag by even 1fps ... I guess that is what you want ... Best to just do that.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

Not Metro 2033 maxed out DX11 effects..

NOTE TO SELF: Defer to Timop, who *is* better informed.

Timop? ... If you will commit to this client, I will skate along to other threads ... Your knowledge and advice ARE superior ... I defer.

= Later ! =

 

[silversurfernhs]

I was a Level2 Corporate Tech Rep, for DELL ... Shhhudder !
(Truth? ... I trust them as much as HP, for whatever THAT is worth).

REMEMBER ... this is a "DECENT" quality build ... The main objective, of which, is to be certain that no "crappy" or "iffy" parts get into your build AND (VERY important) ... To choose manufacturers who actually answer the phone and stand behind their products with "productive" driver and bios updates and who have a large user base, to consult, if need-be.

So .. I COULD show you how do do a really cheap and crappy build, from out-dated parts or from vendors that can't find their ass w/both hands and a search-light. ... That build would cost less than the one we are now doing.

= Harumph! =

I mean no offense! But i sold the worst of gateway and dell to customers that had no clue what they wanted or what they were getting when i worked at best buy, before i became a tech. Thats all i'm referencing. So what would be iffy? Powercolor... haven't heard of them being aggressive in the market since ati 9700 or somewhere around there anyway.


Ok, so i've concluded so far:

$24 LG DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177 - (rarely gonna use the drive, if at all)

$140 Cooler Master HAF 932 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 (sorry i just love this case)

$37 NZXT Fan controller - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811992005

$95 WD Caviar Black 1TB 64mb cache - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

$150 Corsair 850W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009

$10 Arctic Silver 5 TC - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

$190 or $170 Gskill - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

$220 Asus P6T - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

$295 i7 930 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
$480 MSI 5870 or a 5970 (if I can find one somewhere!) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127482

~$1630

I may or may not swap the gskill around or the 5970... what am i missing...? i feel like im missing something.

So this is a "decent" build quality. My budget was around 2k-2300 w/out tax and shipping. What could improve this as i have allocated more than this costs so far. Should i look to other sites to find a 5970? whats another good one that has it in stock?

 

[Alvin Smith]

The Hyper-212+ comes with plenty of premium thermal paste ... no need to buy.

The *CASE* (you forgot) can EASILY be a HAF-922 mid tower at only ~$90 ... It is ALL your system needs but the 932 (full tower) is just roomier and a lil more room for "dissi-PAY-shun" (Rocky Horror). ... Both (check) come with penetrations for your garden hose.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

For video cards ...

For ATi OR nVidia ... I like

(1st) Sapphire
(2nd) XFX

For nVidia builds ...

I hold PNY equal to Sapphire and EVGA equal to XFX.

Just my voo-doo opinion (and decades of familiarity).

MSI and HIS and ZOTAC WILL do fine in a pinch ... Gigabyte, too ... even ASUS.

I view ALL the rest as likely crap ... I won't name names ... at least one is our sponsor ... ask builderbob what HE thinks !



= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

YAY YOU STAYED! *EPIC HUG*
(that was odd..)

Not "odd" ... Just a lil awkward.

But if we ever share a room ... Let's go for the "double" rather than the "King" ... 'Kay?

= =

 

[silversurfernhs]

Ha. Funny guys... My first card was a Daimond Viper TNT 2 Ultra, they're 5970 looks pretty cool too. Asus needs to jam 4gb and do a warrantied overclock like the mars... Anyway i have another question. Is there an option in Catalyst control panel to disable Crossfire with the 5970? like for troubleshooting purposes...

 

[Alvin Smith]

Even a 1GB card is a bit over the top ... Look at a $700 workstation Quadro, for comparison ... Quadros usually have half the RAM as their gaming "equivilents" ...
... Know why?

I havenot seen benches between 512GB and 1GB gaming cards (all else equal).

I'd wager, tho ... ...

2GB is of very dubious value (unless it is a 5970 for 3x-mons).

= Al =

 

[silversurfernhs]

Best answer selected by silversurfernhs.

 

[Alvin Smith]

Hey! THANKS for that !

Too bad we can't share ... huh?

It all comes out in the wash.

= Al =