Gaming rig, check it over?

[nochancemrp]

Casual gamer here, I tried to keep it around $1000. Would have worked, but my LCD monitor is ancient... Like when the BFG 7800GTX was godly. Anyways my gaming can be summed up as "hey this game looks cool, I'll try it." Not neglect my fiance, curse at people who ring the doorbell, lock my self in a room and live on Doritos coming out for a bio break once every 8 hours. I've put World of Warcraft behind me.

Main interests are Crysis 1,2 (don't care if it's not maxed), Left 4 Dead, Dragon Age series, StarCraft 2, Diablo 3, Mafia 2, Rage, BFBC2, RTS games, any new appealing MMO.

I figured my setup should keep me satisfied for years of "casual" gaming without being anal retentive.

Phenom X4 965 BE
XFX 5850
MSI 870A G54
4 GB DDR3 1600 Ripjaws
WD 1TB 7200RPM Sata 6
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner (have PS3 for BR)
Antec Illusion case
ASUS VH236H Black 23" monitor
G15? and G5? Keyboard and mouse, owned.

Now there's 3 small problems.

1. I have the Verizon Fios router in my living room. So I need a good wireless adapter.
2. I have my old Logitech speakers, which still sound great IMO. I think it's 3 speakers and the sub. No need for me to upgrade here. BUT, is onboard sound still terrible? If not I was thinking I could get away with a Xonar DS. Gamer audio cards are great, but I'm not using surround sound.
3. How much power will this require? 550w enough? I'm pretty sure that's my old Antec PSU.

Grand total is $1160 shipped.

 

[WR2]

I think most around here would suggest the Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 or Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD over the WD.

550W is should do fine for a single HD 5850 and the rest of your parts. What model of Antec are you using?

It's a good idea I think to give the onboard sound a shot and evaluate how well it sounds to you. Not up to your expectations? Then consider a discrete sound card.

 

[WR2]

Wireless adapter: EDIMAX EW-7128G 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card is getting good reviews over @ NewEgg.

 

[nochancemrp]

I think it's the Ultra Qiet? I usually order from NE but I was desperate and paid $150 for it retail.

I'll give the onboard sound a shot.

Thanks

 

[WR2]

Antec 550W Ultra Quiet doesn't ring any bells. They usually have model names like True Power, Neo, etc. How long ago did you pick it up?

 

[nochancemrp]

What the difference in HDs? Just better build quality? I could even get away with 500gb I think.... Is sata 6 not worth the extra price tag?

 

[nochancemrp]

Antec 550W Ultra Quiet doesn't ring any bells. They usually have model names like True Power, Neo, etc. How long ago did you pick it up?

It's True Power... must have said ultra quiet or something on the box. I remember I wanted it as silent as possible.

 

[WR2]

As long as it's not one of the older models that have higher +3V & +5V with lower +12V ratings on the data label you should be in good shape there.

 

[WR2]

A bit better overall performance in the HDDs. And yes... the 500GB single platter Seagate 7200.12 or Samsung Spinpoint F3 would also be good choices. WD is just a bit behind in performance at the moment. SATA 6GB/s sound juicy but HDDs aren't yet at the point where they saturate 3GB/s bandwidth.

 

[nochancemrp]

One more question.... Within the next few months, heading into the holiday season, do you see this rig getting any cheaper? Or are the prices pretty fair at this point.

 

[WR2]

Prices are always changing. Intel is doing some chopping this month plus adding a few new models and AMD always tries to stay competitive.
Intel Processor Price Cuts for July 2010
AMD are thought to be readying the next gen CPUs/GPUs for release in the run up to the holidays.
AMD Moves Up New CPU, Graphics Chips for 2010

 

[nochancemrp]

The card is $50 off today! So far I'm making some minor changes, and have managed to drop the price about $80, and receive about $40 in rebates.

Quick question though...

Is a 500w PSU enough? I was going to get a combo and save some more money, plus a lot of the PSU's have rebates.

 

[WR2]

Nice find on the $50 off.
How old is your PSU? We never did figure out exactly which model it is.
550W is fine for your build but older PSU loose the ability to output the full rated power over time.

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W PSU $70 and $20 rebate with free shipping
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600 W Power Supply Review

 

[jesman1985]

for just a "casual gamer" thats one hella nice rig. very good build.. you should of never doubted yourself.. only thing i would do is beef up that power supply a little.. better safe than sorry..