Multitasking/Gaming Build ~1000

[saulty]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This Week Hopefully
BUDGET RANGE: ~1000
SYSTEM USAGE: surfing the internet, gaming, watching movies
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca (or others that dwelve into the canadian market)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: canada (winnipeg)
PARTS PREFERENCES: don't care (going with AMD base though for financial reasons)
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (may buy second card down the road)
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080 (not sure, it's 19" though)

Note: This is my first build

Here's my build thus far (completely open to change):

Windows 7 home edition 64 bit: $108.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

CM690 II: $109.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache: $109.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136592

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V: $117.49
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz: $181.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Radeon HD 5770 or 5850?? would i notice a performance increase worth the extra dough... also what is a good brand of card for each??

Mobo - so many selections, i have no idea what to pick (since this is my first build i'm not sure exactly what slots, features, ect i'll need)
Is this overkill???
ASRock 890FX DELUXE3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX: 184.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157196

Memory... there are a ton of brands, prices, ect... is there a large difference between them? or can i basically just slap in any DDR3??

Thanks so much for your time,
Riley

 

[Silvune]

The 965 is the same as a 955, but with a factory overclock, so you could save yourself $9: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

If you're looking to crossfire cards that are slower than a 5870 then you don't need two x16 PCI-E slots. So I would recommend getting this one instead: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 $160 ($7.74 shipping)

For memory you want a 4GB set (2x2GB) of 1333 or 1600mhz. If you want it to be fast out of the box then you should try and get CAS/CL/Latency of 7 or 8 at the most. If you're willing to overclock to get speed then you want the voltage to be as low as possible, realistically 1.5V usually, so that it can be raised to maintain stability without getting too high.

If you're resolution really is 1080P then I think the 5850 is worth it over the 5770. If your resolution is below 1080 then I think the 5770 would be perfectly fine, altho the 5850 would go much longer without needing to be crossfired to maintain decent performance. As for brands, usually XFX, Asus, Gigbyte, HIS, Sapphire, MSI are the ones I'd go for. And then I think it's a good idea to check the fan on it, as I think it is better to get one that will be quiet and good at cooling the card.

For a power supply, for two 5850s you will only need a good 650W PSU with 4 6pin PCI-E connectors and for two 5770s you will only need a good 550W PSU with 2 6pin PCI-E connectors. You should probably stick with the 750TX if you decide you want to buy a 5850 and have the option to crossfire it later, as none of the options for a 650W PSU were significantly cheaper. The saving to get a good 550W PSU is a bit more significant, so if you decided to go for a 5770, then it would be worth checking out 550W PSUs.

 

[ionut19]

If i would want to buy a PC for that money this is what i would put in it on an AMD platform(witch you chose):

Software: Windows 7 64 bit professional -it gives you more options then the one you chose.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758
* $139.99 - $5.00 Instant = $134.99

I like that case as well. It has good cooling and you also have the option to expand with a more extensive water cooling kit.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216&AID=10592396&PID=3899435&SID=skim1402X558040&nm_mc=AFC-C8junctionCA
*$99.99 - $10.00 Instant = $89.99


Motherboard, Gigabyte makes good motherboards, i own one and it did not fail me. I chose this one because the gap from PCI express slo1 and the second PCi express slot is larger and that means better cooling for the first card if you plan to crossfire in the future. (heat is the biggest problem with dual cards setups)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128438
* price $139.99


Hard drive, same as yours:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136592
*$109.99


The PSU i changed to a higher quality from corsair:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012
*$139.99 - $20.00 Instant = $119.99
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-139-012


Cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
*$159.99


RAM, 4Gb kit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
*$109.99

Cd/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
*$25.99


Video card sapphire HD 5770 vapor-x, i own one and i play almost all games at 1920x1080 max detail(except crysis): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102898
* $174.99 $10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card14-102-898

($30 Mail-in Rebate Card)

Grand total: $1,065.91

That is ~ $ 1.000

All of the parts i chose i think are high quality and will last. If you want to play all games at full HD i suggest you buy a 5850 video card. I chose a 5770 witch is a little more expensive from the rest because it is more silent and runs cooler.

The 650W PSU can accommodate 2 5850 in crossfire or 2 5770.

Your choice here if you want to invest a little more. You can take the OS witch you chose and buy the 3.0 GHz processor from AMD and save ~$50-80 for a new cooler for CPU but that is your choice.

All components can be easily overclocked! If you decide to overclock the CPU you also need a better cooler but at 3.2 GHz i say it is enough for now.

 

[Silvune]

The AMD 955 with the product number ending in MBOX is the newer C3 revision which should be a better overclocker than the C2 IBOX version.
These are the two 650W PSUs I'd recommend, as they are both very high quality and a bit cheaper than either Corsair:
Antec Truepower New TP650 $102
XFX 650W $99 ($5.99 shipping).

 

[ionut19]

I changed it to the newer model, it was late and i did not have the time to check witch one is the newer revision. Thank you for the info.
PS: corsair make's very good power supplies now, especially the HX series witch are high quality.

 

[Jacks_85]

if you can afford the 5850 then i would go for that and maybe crossfire it in the future when you need to upgrade...

HDD i would personally go for the samsung spinpoint F3 1TB b/c they don't make 1.5TB and it runs faster and more quiet then the WD 1TB and i don't really think you'll need a 1.5TB HDD and if you need that much storage i would buy a second one when you need it.

 

[saulty]

Thanks for the input guys.

Edit to my build thus far:

Switched the HDD to the samsung spinpoint F3 1TB

@Silvune
do you think i can get away with this mobo
ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198
If i crossfire it, it will be running both cards at x8 bandwidth. Would i see a performance decrease compared to both running at x16?? (talking about 2x 5850)

Also changed CPU to the 955, thanks Silvune (saved $30 by combo with 5850)

I looked at ASrocks QLV memory list, and it is rather limited. I wanted to pick up some G.Skill ripsaws CL8 2x4GB. Will they be compatible????

THanks

 

[Jacks_85]

it is hard to say if it is not listed...it all depends on the mobo...take a look at asus and gigabyte and if the price is not too much then go for one of those instead.

when i had ram that wasn't compatible with the mobo for the first time i couldn't set it at the right voltage and timings and when i do set it at the stock settings it gave me blue screen when i run the system for a little while. the second time i used a different ram (company) i could do a cold boot.

So from my experience i would go for compatibility with mobo.

have you looked into SSD solid state drive...it will put you over your budget but i will increase your startup speed and the main programs you have on your SSD.

 

[Silvune]

That Asrock looks fine to me.

I wouldn't worry about the memory compatibility list too much. A good brand of RAM is unlikely to have problems and will work fine out of the box. OCZ are the worst atm for having problems. There's also the fact that not every RAM module can be tested as there are quite a lot of them.

 

[saulty]

Thanks for the replys.

I'm still torn on what mobo i should get. I noticed that the gigabyte 870
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443&cm_re=870-_-13-128-443-_-Product
is 10 dollars cheaper and has an 8+2 phase VRM, is a more reputable brand, but has no crossfire capabilities

The Asrock 870
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=870-_-13-157-198-_-Product
has crossfire capabilities but only a 4+1 phase VRM

Or i could just dish out the extra dough and grab a Asrock 890fx
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157196
which has the best of both worlds.

I am still uncertain whether or not i will crossfire a card in the future.
My friend told me that 8+2 VRM is more stable, but i could not find a clear answer on this. Is 8+2 better?? or will a 4+1 phase VRM suffice?? (i do plan on doing a slight OC on the cpu)

What mobo would you pick for this setup?? and why???

Thanks

 

[ionut19]

I would pick the gigabyte because i know thy make good boards. I do not know how good Asrock boards are in terms of reliability and performance.

PS: check my sys configuration, my CPU is at 3.4GHz on a gigabyte motherboard and i do not have 1 problem with it. RAM are also overclocked. And also from what i heard more power phases usually means more stability when overclocking. At list that is the principle of the new GTX470 video card from gigabyte.