AMD/Intel Build Help

Let's break this down:
-Gaming computer wanted
-No operating system
-Budget of $700 or £700?
-Wanting ultra-settings on latest games for 3 years
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What's your location and what shops do you prefer?

You need to expand your budget, especially if you want to be using this thing respectably in 3 years. At least $1000 is where you need to be.

Here's what I put together after messing with the bargain and budget builds from the guide. I do plan on upgrading the CPU later on with an X4 955 BE and a better GPU when I need it. Would these all work if I were to do that later on? Note that this is mainly for Starcraft and World of Warcraft (Ultra settings if possible) on 1440x900 which I will plan to upgrade later on as well. I had to flex the budget but I'm pretty satisfied on the compromise if it's an okay build.

AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler, free TX-2 Thermal Paste Included Inside
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SAPPHIRE 100283FLEX Radeon HD 5770 FleX 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Also should I stay with the OEM heatsink and fan or go ahead with the Sunbeam?

You will get bad performance with that cpu.Both starcraft and woh is cpu heavy.i5 670 is the cpu you should buy.But i think that will exceed your budget.

Wow scales very well and runs even on my 2.1ghz laptop, SC2 needs a bit more imo. The triple core should do fine i think.
I would grap a hyper 212+ before I grabbed the sunbeam and only if you plan on overclocking. If you are going to stay at stock speeds then the stock cooler will be fine but a tad hotter than a good aftermarket cooler.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I don't plan on overclocking on this CPU. Whenever I upgrade to an X4 955 I'll think about it but there's no real need. I don't mind playing Starcraft 2 on low settings seeing as we've all had to play the previous Starcraft for years and years with it's graphics. As for WoW it would be highly preferred if I could play on Ultra if not as high as the rig will let me without sacrificing frames. I've had to play with disgusting frame rate on my laptop.
Actually the Coolermaster would be better overall. I just kind of went with the guide. Should I stay with a 5770 with an X3 or an X4 with a 5450? I'm not sure which would be better for futurability in terms of gaming. I could see either way but I would like some advice on it.

get rid of the cpu cooler, find someone in college for the OS as they can get it much cheaper and get this gpu instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
it is much better and only a little more

Still wondering if I should sacrifice GPU for more CPU power seeing as WoW is more CPU intensive than it is GPU. I believe the 5770 was already overkill for the requirements, but I will consider it.
Anyone else have some ideas? X3 with a 5770 (or GTX 460 Fermi) or X4 955 BE with a 5450. I'm open to other suggestions though. To sacrifice one for the other and possibly upgrade the latter in the future. I'm also trying to keep in mind BD might affect the prices on these, but I may have it all done before they even have a date for that.

Just to give some sort of performance idea. I have a X3 445 and a 6850 playing wow @ 1080p and get 45-60fps on Ultra. Dal is the exception, when crowded I will dip to 25-30ish.

Are there any benchs that compare the 5770 and the 6850 on the same processor? I'm going to be playing at 1440x900 but I just want to see if the changes are substantial enough. I can always get a better monitor down the road and would it be better in terms of future proofing to get an X4 955 and a lower GPU than the latter?

GPUs http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-c...

CPUs http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-c...

Well here's what I plan to build. I changed it and decided I'll buy the GPU later on so now I can fit the X4 955 in my budget I'll be getting a 6850 in the future which is why nothing is listed for GPU at the moment. If this winds up being a non-gaming computer I'm still going to be doing a lot of multi-tasking and as of right now I do more of that than gaming so holding off on the 6850 I'm okay with. Everything look good? I know there was some timing issues with a few of the G Skill Ripjaw series, but other than that am I good to go? I'm not going to be overclocking.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

LG DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive Black SATA Model GH22NS50B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

a way to save a lot of money is to find a friend in college and have him buy windows 7 for you. I believe windows 7 is 20 bucks here at purdue then the upgrade to ultimate is like 15 more. try it. it cant hurt to look into it.

Well if no one else would like to add anything I'm going with the build above.

Best CPU in very reasonable price=i5-2500 or K+above decent GPU for your res.=ATI 5770 or Geforce GTS 450SC+good PSU 650W Thermaltake 80+ TR2=only around 430 $

those are the most important components on PC... and pretty sure it will last 3 years for your gaming....

I was considering the 5770 but someone linked some benches for WoW and I'm buying a 6850 in a few months. Yeah Sandy Bridges isn't going to fit my budget. If I had a budget of 800 or more I'd be doing an Intel build.

motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
total = 335
your processor and motherboard total 230
you could drop your total proce by about 80 if you will listen to me and find a college kid cause i could buy you windows 7 for 20 bucks from my university. So now your total for the i5 2500k would be about 255 about where you are with the inferior phenom but is it to much work to save about 80 dollars?

As for PSUs isn't it kind of hit and miss? I've been going over a lot of the Tier 1 and 2 PSUs and there's a lot of mixed reviews (though mostly positive of course). As first time builder I have this image of my PSU frying or blowing up in the case. Not being pessimistic just reviewing the scenarios in my head if I ever wind up with a bad one. CB I'm consdering the Sandy Bridges build, I dropped the OS and I'll pick it up cheap from someone  .

yeah its surprising how much cheaper you can get it if your a college student.

I read on another thread that using lower voltages for Sandy Bridge would be better. Are the G Skills above still okay? If not are there any other ones around the same price I should be looking at?

I think I'm just going to scrap the build for now. I'd rather not use an H67 board and at the moment the P67's are still sold out. Maybe I'll just wait a few more months  

Best answer selected by XKageOokamiX.