Hey all,
It's been a good 6 or 7 years since I built my last rig, and since then I have become frighteningly rusty. The time has come though, for me to build another, as "old faithful" finally died on me. It's amazing all the new stuff that can come out in that short a period of time. At this point, it's not worth trying to salvage it... it's time to look to the future.
I've been doing non-stop research over the past week or so, scouring Tom's HW, Newegg reviews, etc. and my head is literally spinning now. I have changed this potential configuration a dozen or more times, trying to find the "sweet spot" between performance, cost, and of course, compatibility. I'm hoping you guys can help to either validate or improve this tentative build. My big sticking point is the video card... more about that at the bottom of my thread...
==================================
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP BUDGET RANGE: ~$1000 before rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming / Movies / Surfing / Work (MS Office)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD Build, Mid-Tower - see below for specifics
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (eventually) SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (eventually)
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Quiet is nice, but not mandatory. I have listed some specific questions below...
==================================
Case: LIAN LI PC-B25F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W
---> Question: Is there a difference between the following two Phenom II X4 955 chips? They look identical except for the model numbers:
---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
HSF: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler
RAM: Two options. Both on QVL, but ECO has lower CAS latency (7 vs 9). Is that worth $15?
---> Option 1: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
---> Option 2: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
Video: This is where I've got a problem. To keep to my $1000 budget, I appear to be limited to something like the following:
SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
From what I can tell, people tend to recommend the 5870's or 5850's, if at all possible. I am struggling with sacrificing on the other areas, despite the fact that the video card is what gaming is going to be all about. Any recommendations on how I can squeeze an extra $200 or so from the other areas without sacrificing too much (and without jeopardizing compatibility and future growth opportunities)? The build above (including the 5770) runs $995 with shipping.
Another option would be to just deal with the 5770 for now, possibly Cross-firing it as a next step, and then, if need be, upgrade to something heftier at a later time. Thoughts?
Thanks!!
It's been a good 6 or 7 years since I built my last rig, and since then I have become frighteningly rusty. The time has come though, for me to build another, as "old faithful" finally died on me. It's amazing all the new stuff that can come out in that short a period of time. At this point, it's not worth trying to salvage it... it's time to look to the future.
I've been doing non-stop research over the past week or so, scouring Tom's HW, Newegg reviews, etc. and my head is literally spinning now. I have changed this potential configuration a dozen or more times, trying to find the "sweet spot" between performance, cost, and of course, compatibility. I'm hoping you guys can help to either validate or improve this tentative build. My big sticking point is the video card... more about that at the bottom of my thread...
==================================
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP BUDGET RANGE: ~$1000 before rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming / Movies / Surfing / Work (MS Office)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD Build, Mid-Tower - see below for specifics
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (eventually) SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (eventually)
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Quiet is nice, but not mandatory. I have listed some specific questions below...
==================================
Case: LIAN LI PC-B25F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W
---> Question: Is there a difference between the following two Phenom II X4 955 chips? They look identical except for the model numbers:
---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
HSF: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler
RAM: Two options. Both on QVL, but ECO has lower CAS latency (7 vs 9). Is that worth $15?
---> Option 1: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
---> Option 2: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
Video: This is where I've got a problem. To keep to my $1000 budget, I appear to be limited to something like the following:
SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
From what I can tell, people tend to recommend the 5870's or 5850's, if at all possible. I am struggling with sacrificing on the other areas, despite the fact that the video card is what gaming is going to be all about. Any recommendations on how I can squeeze an extra $200 or so from the other areas without sacrificing too much (and without jeopardizing compatibility and future growth opportunities)? The build above (including the 5770) runs $995 with shipping.
Another option would be to just deal with the 5770 for now, possibly Cross-firing it as a next step, and then, if need be, upgrade to something heftier at a later time. Thoughts?
Thanks!!