Approx $2000 gaming PC(First Time Build)

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 4, 2010

Niklas_13 · Jun 4, 2010

Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model AD-7241S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118032
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$21.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119197
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$109.98
$89.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148433
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $10.99
• 2 year: $18.99
$79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Item #: N82E16824236049
Return Policy: Monitor Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $25.99
• 2 year: $45.99
-$30.00 Instant
$259.99
$229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

XFX HD-587X-ZNFV Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814150490
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$409.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150490

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...
Item #: N82E16817139006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8TU-6GBPI
Item #: N82E16820231247
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247

Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
Item #: N82E16835608004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608004

• ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131641
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
o 1 year: $25.99
o 2 year: $45.99
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Combo
$339.98
$319.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.395009

• Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930
Item #: N82E16819115225
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
o 1 year: $29.99
o 2 year: $59.99
• Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835242001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$12.99 Instant
-$8.00 Combo
$364.98
$343.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.374131
Subtotal: $1,811.88

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 4, 2010

Wow thanks! That was quick. I read that the i7s even clocked at lower speeds than the AMDs still outperformed some of them on certain applications. I take it thats the thinking behind this build?
Also, a friend of mine mentioned it'd be beneficial if I got an SSD, a small one, and installed my OS on that and use it as my boot drive. Thoughts?

ckim2116 · Jun 4, 2010

Why not get a 5970? I had a lower budget than you and managed to squeeze it in, and it leaves room for a second one in the future.

And since you're into multitasking, consider buying a couple more monitors (maybe later on if it doesn't fit in your budget). Having three (or even two) monitors is amazing; let's you do so much more. You can connect all three to a single ATI 5xxx series card btw.

mosox · Jun 4, 2010

Niklas_13 · Jun 4, 2010

TheAmazingNaz :

I picked the X58 platform for one reason

1. Video Editing

The i7 930 has HT that will help in programs like photoshop, also the x58 platform gives you 6 gigs of ram vs 4 that will help in Video Editing.

If this is just a hobby and you want to save some money vs time and gaming is 80% of your thing you can look into a i5 750 or a AMD 955, all will game on par with each other give or take a few FPS.

SSD are nice but IMO still cost to much, when you can pick up a 120 gig SSD for 200 bucks i will buy one.

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 4, 2010

Niklas_13 :

Since you put it that way, then I guess it would make more sense for me to go with the AMD 965 as it's an overall cheaper build. Because yes while I do video editing, it's just a hobby and gaming is gonna be the main job.

@ckim2116: I had previously found a 5970 that was at a really good price but they ran out and I haven't been able to find one at the same price. I'm still looking though!

@mosox: I actually initially picked the exact same motherboard.

So it definitely looks like I'll go with the AMD build it looks like. I'll try and find a 5970. I'll post back the final build in a few

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 4, 2010

Alright. So I've assembled my final list

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-8GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231325

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128441

HIS H587FN1GD Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161329

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

LG E2350V-SN Glossy Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD monitor 250 cd/m2 DC 5,000,000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005150

Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608004

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022

Nippon Labs Delux 3.5" Internal All In One Card Reader/Writer with USB2.0 & eSATA Ports Model ICR-BB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820816001

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

A big factor in my choices was price. I was trying to bring the cost as low as I could while maintaining performance. So....Did I forget anything?

anarxi · Jun 4, 2010

with the 2k budget, I would only consider i7, I put 965 with ~600$build, just because I got it for the same price as 955

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 4, 2010

so then lemme ask. As far as gaming goes, which is better? an i7 2.8Ghz with 6GB RAM, or a 965 3.4Ghz with 8gigs?

coldsleep · Jun 4, 2010

Differences in gaming with a 965 vs. an i7 is pretty minimal, or unlikely to be more than 5% or so at any reasonable resolution for most games. GPU matters a lot more than CPU at decent resolutions.

AM3 is also going to be a viable socket (well, at least for a year) longer than 1366. If video editing is really suffering or it becomes more important, next year you could look at putting a compatible Bulldozer chip in.

There's no reason to go i7 if your usage doesn't require hyperthreading. Furthermore, with the monitor included, this is more of a $1700 gaming build plus monitor, which is still pretty clearly Phenom II vs. i5 territory.

I think the build looks good. 8 GB of RAM isn't necessary for gaming, but it will come in handy for video editing. Unsure what your total is there, but if you have some extra budget, you could consider any of the following:
* add an SSD
* 850W power supply if you think you may CrossFire that 5870 someday
* A slightly more expensive 890FX board - conveniently, THG just reviewed 5 top-end boards

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 5, 2010

wow, thanks for that. Yeah, I just added an SSD actually, a 30GB(If that's not enough space then screw SSDs). I figure I'll install the OS on it then move my Users files and stuff as well as my pagefile to the 1TB Samsung. I have a 750W power supply wouldn't that be enough for Crossfire? I'm not doing that yet, though I may in future.
As for the motherboards, honestly, how would I choose between those five? The most expensive out of all of them is $40 more than my current and I can afford another forty. But how to decide?

coldsleep · Jun 5, 2010

The ATI specs suggest that all you need is 600W for 2x 5870...but you need 4x 6-pin connectors, which are likely to be scarce on a power supply of that size. I'd aim for between 750-850 if you intend to overclock.

Anyway, I guess I was overestimating, 750W should be fine, 850 if you want major overclocking headroom.

30 GB should be enough for your OS, but not a whole lot more. The results from that review indicated that there really wasn't a lot of difference in performance...they're all within a couple percent of each other. I'd read the specs in-depth and see if there are any features that sound interesting or that you could use.

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 5, 2010

nice! Thanks a lot you guys! I'll order everything tonight. I got a 750W power supply. Once I pick the Mobo, I'll order. Again thanks for the advice!

coldsleep · Jun 5, 2010

TheAmazingNaz :

P.S. I just bothered to look at the specs for the PSU you chose, and you're fine, it comes with 2x 6-pin and 2x 6+2-pin. That'll learn me to actually look at specs before mouthing off.

As another note, I've got the Asus Crosshair IV for my rig, and while it's a nice mobo, it's probably overpriced. I really did like the color scheme though.

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 10, 2010

Alright. So I assembled everything last night and everything went great! But one problem....when I fired it up, there was no video on the monitor. I reattached a lot of things and eventually, gave up. But when I woke up this morning and turned it on, it worked! So I attached the keyboard and restarted and then there wasn't any video Anymore. WTF is going on?

coldsleep · Jun 10, 2010

I'd run though this thread: Perform these steps, etc.. My first thought though is that there might be a short somewhere? Really hard to say without actually being able to look at it.

If it hadn't worked this morning, I'd guess the video card was not seated correctly, but if it worked without changing anything, that's kinda weird.

TheAmazingNaz · Jun 11, 2010

I fixed it! You were right. I figured it was because I hadn't seated something properly so I re-installed the graphics card and the RAM. Everything worked(This was all yesterday)! It's soo fast! The system rating is a 7.4!! Now my only problem is that the stupid mobo only recognized 4 out of my 8GBs of RAM. I figure I'll have to update the BIOS. At least I hope that's the only problem. But still THANKS YOU GUYS!! Everything bloody works!!!! Yes!!

Approx $2000 gaming PC(First Time Build)

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