How well would this gaming PC run? (I am a noob)

[MusicDude132]

I am very interested in building a good gaming PC and am very committed. After a ton of research, I have finally found a build that I want to stick with but have a lot of questions and want to know other's opinions on the parts. One of the main reasons I am building a gaming PC, is because I want it to run Starcraft 2 on ultra. I also have interests in other games (Rage and Diablo 3,) but my main interest is in Starcraft 2. Here are all of the parts.

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_re=phenom_2_x4-_-19-103-727-_-Product

Gigabyte Geforce GTX 460 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333&cm_re=gigabyte_geforce_gtx_460-_-14-125-333-_-Product

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017&Tpk=ocz

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443&Tpk=gigabyte

G.SKILL 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253&Tpk=g.skill

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

LITE-ON Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

How well will this PC run games? Can it play Starcraft 2 on ultra flawlessly? Will it be able to play future games that have yet to come out? Are there any parts that I should change? Is this a good PC?

 

[Juanchioo]

AMD ATHLON II X3 RANA 440

MSI GTX 460 1GB CYCLONE

GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UDH2

XFX 650W or CORSAIR HX650W

G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 1600MHZ CL7 7-8-7-24

SAMSUNG SPINPOINT F3 1TB

 

[calguyhunk]

Faster RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)

Better DVD Burner : LG Black 22X DVD Burner - LightScribe Support

You really could save a ton of money by going with a mid-tower (if you want to) - COOLER MASTER ATX Mid Tower Case.

Use the savings to buy a better gfx card - GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi), or just keep the money in your pocket for SLIing the 460 at a later date.

 

[sp12]

PSU is pretty bad. Check the reviews for the 700 watt version over at [H].

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466028

That combo for the HD+PSU for 135 is better.

Either spend 20$ more for the 1055t x6 or save 40 and go for the 945 x4. 965 is a bad value part.

Definitely get the 470 above.

Case is personal preference, but the Antec 900 offers very similar features for less.

 

[calguyhunk]

Either spend 20$ more for the 1055t x6 or save 40 and go for the 945 x4. 965 is a bad value part.

Why would anyone need a haxacore for SC 2 ? (or for gaming in general) ? A high end dual / triple core should be more than enough.

If you do wanna save money, go with something from the Athlon II X 3 range.

 

[davcon]

You don't need a full tower case.
The CM SS calguyhunk linked is very good deal.
So is this COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP subscribe to the newsletter for promo codes
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
The ram he linked is very good too i have some!
So are these.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006127%20600006066%20600006156&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=147%7C20-226-103%5E20-226-103-TS%2C20-145-285%5E20-145-285-TS
There is nothing wrong with the psu i own one but this is a good deal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031
http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=45236&vpn=OCZZ650&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1008
If you ever decide to add another gpu though you'll need a 750w imo.
Either one of these cpu's will provide a good gaming experience
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%2050001028&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=343%7C19%2D103%2D808%5E19%2D103%2D808%2DTS%2C19%2D103%2D872%5E19%2D103%2D872%2DTS

 

[MusicDude132]

I am getting pretty confused with all this stuff getting thrown at me. I have decided to get these though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

But I still have no idea what psu I should get. I also am not sure about the graphics card. I have heard great things about it and do like it, but I don't know if I should save up for something better or save up to SLI the 460. And if I do decide to SLI, I don't know what psu I should get for that. So confusing

Also, is the motherboard good enough? I really know nothing about it.

 

[lothdk]

I am getting pretty confused with all this stuff getting thrown at me. I have decided to get these though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

But I still have no idea what psu I should get. I also am not sure about the graphics card. I have heard great things about it and do like it, but I don't know if I should save up for something better or save up to SLI the 460. And if I do decide to SLI, I don't know what psu I should get for that. So confusing

Also, is the motherboard good enough? I really know nothing about it.

It is actually very simple, you are not going to be able to run SLI as you have chosen an AMD chipset motherboard.
To utilize SLI with and AMD CPU you need a Nvidia chipset motherboard.

 

[calguyhunk]

Good choice both. Now just get a mobo that supports DDR3 1600 off the rack.

GPU : Get a 460 (EVGA / Giga) and save the money for now. It really should be good enough for most.

PSU : Antecs (Neo / Truepower / Earthwatts) are all good. But if you're thinking of SLI'ing that 460 in the future then the CORSAIR 650TX might be the one for you.

But really, the OCZ you've chosen is plenty alright. I haven't come across too many bad reviews of that one. So without confusing you any further than you already are, I'll say - stick with it.

CPU : 965 / 955 / 945 - Depends on your budget. Same chip - you can OC it to attain higher clock speeds if you want to.

Mobo : ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 - SATA 6 GB/s, USB 3.0, DDR3 1600 w/o OC - no SLI though - till you get access to hacked drivers or something.

If you want a dual card Xfire set-up, go with ATI.

HSF : Stock will do till you start OC'ing, but if you do, then the Cooler Master Hyper TX3 should be alright.

 

[Scott2010au]

RTS's can be quite CPU intensive these days.

Sure, it might be a well balanced threaded workload, but if it is just scripts executing in the RTS engine in parallel then that'll burn CPU like no tomorrow.

By all means double check. If he likes RTS games more than FPS then the CPU is going to matter more.

 

[sp12]

Why would anyone need a haxacore for SC 2 ? (or for gaming in general) ? A high end dual / triple core should be more than enough.

If you do wanna save money, go with something from the Athlon II X 3 range.

Because games are increasingly moving towards full multicore support, especially RTSes. I'm willing to bet within a year or two the hexacore will have been the smarter move, not to mention it overclocks well.

 

[asteldian]

I don't think Hexcores will be much use for gaming this generation of builds, next build in 3-5 years may make use of it. Of course, with AMD you can always upgrade in the future if needed.

OP: your motherboard is not suitable for Crossfire/SLI. The second PCI E runs at only x4, you need it at x8 to be able to Crossfire/SLI well.
Also, as mentioned above, without special Nvidia chipset boards, with an AMD build you cannot SLI at all, so going with GTX460 gives no option for a second card. If sticking with AMD your best bet is either a 5850 (probably excessive for SC2 and RTS's) or the 5770, which if you change your mobo to a Crossfire board can then be doubled up in future if you need more power.

There is of course also the 5830, it used to not be worth its price, but depending on its cost these days it could also be an option (it is the equivelant of the GTX460 768mb card)

 

[Onus]

If this is your first build, stay away from Coolermaster cases. Some of them have a really nice design, but almost every one I ever bought had [minor] QA issues; none were unusable but any of them could be particularly frustrating to a first time builder. Cheap cases I buy are usually Rosewill now; very plain, but no quality issues. Better cases have typically been Antec, but if their larger cases are as nice as the PC-Q08, I'd buy Lian Li too. I'm about to replace my CM-RC690 (as early as today!) with a Silverstone. Even with low-speed fans, the RC690 "roars," and I just got tired of it.

 

[MusicDude132]

So the only way to SLI in the future with the GTX 460, is to get a Nvidia chipset board? I have no idea which ones are good so can someone post one?

What is the difference between the AMD Phenom II X4 965 and the 955. Should I get the Phenom and if so, which one?

I also have 2 different cases to choose from.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023&cm_re=rosewill_black-_-11-147-023-_-Product

I've read that the Coolermaster is built better and is more sturdy.

 

[Juanchioo]

the coolemaster is waaaayyy better... get that or an antec 300 is also very good case

 

[MusicDude132]

If I decided to get a GTX 460, and in the future wanted to SLI, would this be a good motherboard?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636&Tpk=M4N98TD%20EVO

 

[MusicDude132]

Anybody want to respond to my previous post?

 

[calguyhunk]

So the only way to SLI in the future with the GTX 460, is to get a Nvidia chipset board? I have no idea which ones are good so can someone post one?

What is the difference between the AMD Phenom II X4 965 and the 955. Should I get the Phenom and if so, which one?

I also have 2 different cases to choose from.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023&cm_re=rosewill_black-_-11-147-023-_-Product

I've read that the Coolermaster is built better and is more sturdy.

1. Cases are a matter of personal preference & as long as your mobo fits, almost any will do. Go with the Coolermaster if you want a more solid one, not that the Rosewill will hurt you in any way.

2. More importantly, the CPU conundrum. Both the 955 & the 965 are based on the same chip, with the 965 being 200 Mhz faster. If you're not gonna OC, and willing to spend a lil bit extra, go with the 965. You might also wanna save some money & transform your 955 / 945 into a 965 if you are willing to Overclock.

3. I've never used a Nvidia board, so I'll refrain from advising you on that one. I'm sure asteldian or somebody can take you through that.

 

[asteldian]

I have no personal experience with the board linked, but it is pretty much the only option worth going for if SLIing with AMD as far as I am aaware, the other boards you can get are older models. My understanding is it is a pretty good board and can overclock quite well (it is Asus after all)