Rebuilding Gaming PC questions on compatability/experiences

July 6, 2010 12:43:32 AM

Currently running:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.666ghz (currently OC'ed to 3.03ghz).
MOBO: P45T-A
RAM: 8gb's Crucial Ballistix Tracer ddr2-800, (4-2gb sticks)
Video: GeForce 8800 GT

The hardware is just starting to get and feel a little dated. I've been out of the market for a-while and obviously things have changed a ton so I was needing some advice on if some new hardware I've chosen will be A) compatible and B) advisable. (would you have better/cheaper recommendations)

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Most likely this week or next

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:Gaming (Mass Effect 2, MW2, Crysis, Singularity etc...), internet surfing, watching movies.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, sound card, case, power supply (Ultra 500 or 600W Sorry limited info atm...), speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Use newegg mostly but I have no preference of company/site (especially if cheaper etc...), I live in the United States.

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preference

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (funds permitting)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC)

Here is what I'm currently looking at (subject to modification and advice!):

MOBO: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Video Card: VisionTek 900301 Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I'll be running Windows 7 64 bit.

Any advice or changes/ compatability etc...? My budget for these 4 items is under $600. Thanks a lot guys! Let me know if I missed anything or you need more info.

- Josh

More about : rebuilding gaming questions compatability experiences

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geofelt

July 6, 2010 1:24:11 AM

You will probably get a lot of approval from the posters here, but let me give you an alternative.

Gaming is primarily driven by the graphics configuration, not the cpu. This is particularly true with graphics intensive shooters like crysis. Read the following article and consider trading some of the cpu $ or number of cores for a better graphics card.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i3-gaming,2588...

Is there any reason why a P55 micro atx motherboard and a i5-530 would not do better? they would be $100 less than your picks, which would let you get a better graphics card like a 5830 or 5850.

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Hobogaragesale

July 6, 2010 2:45:34 AM

Read the attached article, interesting.

I want to purchase a processor and MOBO that I can hold onto for at least a little while and then I was possibly planning on eventually Cross firing two of the Radeon cards.

I suppose the real question comes down to: Would I be able to get by fine for a while on a slightly less performance intensive MOBO and processor, and in the end get better life and performance spending the money saved on a better graphics card?

I'm not married to any brand or manufacturer, I'm also not trying to build a ridiculous system. I want something stable, overclockable, and able to play the latest games (as well as hopefully ones in the near future, I understand how quickly computer hardware becomes outdated). I also do a fair amount of multitasking so a decent processor would be nice. Thank you for your reply, I'm completely open to recommendations... any others?

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geofelt

July 6, 2010 4:51:14 AM

If you are planning on a 2560 x 1600 monitor or a multi monitor eyefinity system, then The only way you can drive them well is with multiple vga cards. If you are planning on 1920 x 1200 or less, then a good single card like a 5850 or GTX470 will give you excellent gameplay today. Who knows what the future will bring, but it is likely that there will be single cards better than the 5970, giving you an upgrade path keeping a single card.

I am not much in favor of sli if you have an alternative. To get SLI. you have to spend more up front for a SLI capable mobo,a
more powerful SLI capable PSU, and better case cooling. Upgrading a single card later with a
second equal card does not get you 2x increase, it is more like 1.3x to 1.8x depending on the game.
At that time, you will still be paying top dollar for a second card that is closer to
being obsolete.
It would be better to sell the old card and use the proceeds
towards a better new generation single card.

At the end of the year, "sandy bridge" will launch, bringing 32nm quads and an improved architecture, along with a new 1155 socket.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever. Are games really using more than two cores? Some are, but game developers will
sell fewer games if they require quads to run. It is harder to develop
programs that can use many cores. What is the advantage to the developers?
If your game is FSX or one of the few that are cpu limited and can use more than two
cores, by all means, get a quad.

If you are into overclocking, the 32nm chips, (available only as duo's today)
will overclock easier and higher.

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