1400$ gaming rig. Any final suggestions?

bujinyun

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Aug 25, 2009
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Hello guys,

After some research, I've finally have determined all the components I wanna buy for my new gaming rig. So, I just hope that you guys can take a look and give me a better suggestion if you have one.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
CPU cooler: Corsair H50
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR3 1600Mhz CAS8 (2 x 2GB)
HDD: 2 WD Caviar Black 500GB in RAID 0
ODD: ASUS DVD Burner
PSU: Corsair TX750W
Casing: Thermaltake ARMOR A90
GPU: Radeon HD 5870/5850/ 2 x 5770 in crossfire

The problem is I still can't make a decision on which GPU I should buy. So, between those 3 choices, which one you guys think is the best? I'm gaming at 1920*1080 resolution. Any suggestion is really appreciated.

Sorry for my bad english :kaola:
 

asteldian

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Apr 23, 2010
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Firstly, I would replace the RAM with G Skill Ripjaw CL 7 as it is lower latency RAM than the Corsairs.

I would also replace the HDDs with Samsung Spinpoint F3 500gb, they really are the best performance HDD your money will buy.

I would actually replace the CPU with the 955 black edition because it is the same chip for less - all you do is change a number in Bios to turn it into the 965 for free.

For graphics cards, if you can afford it go with the 5870, it is a great card and will play your games at max well. In future you can then Crossfire them. The 5770 Crossfire solution is not great because XFire is never a guaranteed performance - some games scale well, some don't, and on those that don't you are left with less power than a 5870. Also, when the cards stop performing at max, you have to replace both cards.

In fact, to be honest, I personally would buy a 5850 instead of 2 x 5770, so if you can afford the 5870 definately get it
 

bujinyun

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Aug 25, 2009
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Thanks for the quick reply.
Before this, I actually gonna buy the 955. But, when I heard that a new revision of the 965 is out, I switched to the 965 simply because it's more overclock friendly(I'm aiming for 4Ghz :) ). Sorry I haven't say this before, but I'm going to overclock everything on my rig.

About the RAM, I'm actually still considering between those 2. If I'm willing to splurge a little bit more, I'll be getting the G-Skill, because I'm trying to save for the 5870.

As for the HDD, I also have think about the Samsung Spinpoint F3. They really are the fastest. But, I really wanna have 2 HDD in RAID 0. At this point, I think reliability becomes the main factor right now. So, I chose WD instead of Samsung because of their proven reliability.

For the GPU, I totally agree with you. I hope I can afford the 5870 by saving a few bucks somewhere.
 
Hmm some stuff u need to read if going highest end 890FX:
Five AMD 890FX-Based Motherboards Compared
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-890fx-crosshair-iv-formula-890fxa-ud7,2640.html
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With your budget i would definitely hit no less than a single HD 5870 hehe
$1115AR off Egg USA
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bujinyun

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Aug 25, 2009
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Thanks guys for the suggestions.

After a long research, I think I'm going to stick with my decision, except for the RAM. I'm going to choose the G-Skill RAM instead of the Crucial because of its lower latency.

Anything else remains unchanged. All in all, thanks for the suggestions guys.