HELP! total newcomer needing advice

[Gfurth1]

Ok so ive decided that there is no way in hell im going to pay as much as alienware and others are asking for a gaming computer and id like to go ahead and build my own. Having said that...Ive only just started to figure out how exactly to build one. I think ive done enough research and have at least what i think are parts that all are compatible with one another and are in my price range. Heres the build i put together by roaming through tiger direct

MOTHERBOARD:
MSI 785GM-E51 Motherboard

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Processor w/ Fan

RAM:
OCZ OCZ3G1333LV8GK Gold 8GB PC10666 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Upgrade - 1333MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 2x4096MB

HARD DRIVE:
Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM

GRAPHICS CARD:
XFX HD585XZAFC Radeon HD 5850 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI

CASE:
Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case - Colorshift Fans, Adjustable Fan Speed, 7 x 3.5" Drive Bays, 2 x 2.5" Drive Bay

POWER SUPPLY:
Ultra LSP750 750-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan

DVD BURNER:
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLS/B/AS 24X DVDRW Drive - SATA, Black, OEM


.....ok so im wondering if there are any incompatibilities or changes needed to be made...i also feel anything to give better performance from the graphics that wouldnt go over $150-200 more would be ok... Im going to be using this for gaming and programs like maya. Btw this build came to right around $1000 yet id be willing to go to 1200.

any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated Thanks

 

[hunter315]

The ultra LSP750 is a let down with only 45A on its 12V rail while most good 750W units have ~60A. You can get an Antec TP-750 Blue from newegg for a good price right now
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022&cm_re=tp-750-_-17-371-022-_-Product

Drop the memory down to 4GB, 8GB isnt going to make a bit of difference in gaming and will drop the price quite a bit. Swap the 500GB Caviar blue for a 500GB samsung F3 for about the same price but slightly better performance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=F3%20500gb

Post links to everything else so we can see where you were planning to buy from and what they would charge you. You might be able to fit a P55 board and an i7 860 in that budget with some combos.

 

[Gfurth1]

heres the parts and prices...all from tiger direct except the parts you just told me to switch out...i also changed the memory to 4g like you suggested, do i need to change my graphics card or do the dual graphics cards to get better graphic performance?

dvd:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6078414&Sku=A455-5022

power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022&cm_re=tp-750-_-17-371-022-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=emub9u7jui

case:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4675290&Sku=T925-1321

graphics card:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6078264&Sku=P450-5856

hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=F3%20500gb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=harcduf4ty

memory:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4837614&Sku=C13-8220

cpu and motherboard:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6077909&csid=_22

 

[batuchka]

$659AR

 

[Gfurth1]

will that build be around the same as mine? and is this worth it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102881

or is the jump to a 5870 worth it

 

[batuchka]

Yes - also TD has combos a tad higher than Egg and HD 5850 can be had as low as $270 on egg (the one i picked out is as such, comboed with 945) If u thinking $345 for a HD 5850 might as well hunt HD 5870 hehe

 

[Gfurth1]

Ok thanks for the info hehe but do u think ill be able to run pretty much anything on a single 5870?

 

[batuchka]

Really depends on kind of gamer and game u playing : for Metro 2033 example highest end single GPUs could not play on AA/very high
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/metro_2033_performance_guide,10.html
Then again it is the new 'Crysis' performance benchmark and most/all games currently aren't as GPU intensive hehe

 

[Gfurth1]

honestly i want a computer that is as badass as can be for around 1000 bucks, ill be playing things like dead space 2 and star wars the old republic when they launch but im just looking for a very solid pc cause i have a macbook pro right now and i cant play the highend games and im afraid i wont be able to multi task like i want when i get further into 3d animation

 

[Gfurth1]

but what would be a good dual graphic card combo that would surpass the 5870 in performance for a price that doesnt get ridiculous

 

[batuchka]

Those games u mentioned aren't anywhere near Crysis/Metro 2033 so a HD 5850/5870 would be fine ^^

 

[Gfurth1]

perfect thanks alot

 

[Gfurth1]

but for the record is that build you made up there as good as the one i threw together? and is the i7 860 better than what i chose? im new if you cant tell haha

 

[batuchka]

Considering many go with just the Rana X3 440 + a beefy GPU for just games no worries ^^ You can also wish to lightly OC that 945 on stock cooler just to hit 965BE speeds (it's definitely doable)

 

[Gfurth1]

did u build that on td or newegg cause i cant seem to find that combo at all and you mean i could overclock that 945 to 965 speeds without any extra cooling other than the fans in the box and the fan in the card itself?

 

[batuchka]

All from Egg USA For just a 400mhz overclock ya stock cooler is fine but for best results/higher clocks get an after market cooler ^^

 

[Gfurth1]

k

 

[Gfurth1]

ok so i just upped to the 5870 and it ends at $768 ar is $100 bucks worth it?