Building $1100 Gaming PC

[Ishinokao]

Hiya, just trying to build a gaming computer, my budget is about $1100.

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Approximate Purchase Date: Soon as possible.


Budget Range: $1100 (Altogether)


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming / Music /


Parts Not Required: Keyboard / Mouse / Speakers


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: N/A (But I went to newegg for these.)


Country of Origin: Canada


Parts Preferences: N/A


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 and 1280x1024



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- COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

- SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

- ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198

- DIAMOND 6950PE52G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103181

- CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

- 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.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808



Any feedback on it would be appreciated.

Thank youu

P.S. This is my first time trying to put a computer together..

 

[MadAdmiral]

You can't link to the shopping cart. I'd suggest following the guidelines from the link in my signature. It's really helpful to just list everything out separately so we can see it and evaluate the parts with a single glance. If you absolutely must link everything together to Newegg.ca, you need to make a public wishlist. That won't allow you to list out any combos though.

 

[Ishinokao]

Like that?

 

[MadAdmiral]

Exactly. And you've got major problems. Like it won't even work together.

First problem: that X6. Waste of money for gaming. And in general. Instead, drop that to the X4 955 and save a good $100. You'll get just as good performance.

Second MAJOR problem: that board. It's an older AM2+ board (I'm not even sure it's compatible with the X6). Don't even touch it. Instead, pick up the ASRock 870 Extreme3. It'll only cost you a touch more.

Third problem: the RAM. You really don't need that much RAM. Instead, pick up a good quality, 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 set and save some money. The difference between the 8 GB kit and the good 4 GB kits is about $30-40, but the 8 GB kit is only CAS Latency 9. If you're looking to overclock, you definitely want CL 7 over CL 9.

Fourth problem: the GTX 460. It's a good card, but doesn't mix well with AMD. You can't add a second one, which means you've got a very underpowered machine with no upgrade path. Take the extra money from the CPU and board changes (and possibly RAM), and spend it all on the GPU. By my estimates, you'll have about $300 for the GPU. That means you're getting the HD 6950.

The larger GPU means you should probably step up to a 750W PSU too. Stick to Corsair, Antec, XFX, Silverstone and SeaSonic for a high quality part.

Now, here's some preference items.

HDD: Seagate's tend to be a little less reliable than they should be. I'd consider spending a bit more on the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB, as it's more reliable and it's a bit faster.

Case: I hate the Storm series of cases. They're overpriced because they look pretty. Instead, check out the Coolermaster 690, HAF 912, Antec 900 (or 902), HAF 922 or anything from Lian Li. They're all high performance, high value cases. Don't spend more than the HAF 922 costs, as it's easily the best case out there.

 

[boldor]

This guy knows his stuff ^ you can trust that all he wrote is completely correct.

ontopic: It would be very good if you managed to scratch together cash for a 6950, you can then make it a 6970 totaly free! Here is how:
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159

 

[Ishinokao]

Cool thanks. I just kind of picked whatever because I didn't know where to start..

I'll fix it and update

 

[LePoisson]

I'm building a similarly priced computer, but someone on the forums recommended this board to me :

ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131655

Is it worth it to spend the nearly $100 extra for that Asus? Or would it be better to go for the ASRock 870 Extreme3, considering they are virtually the same company?

 

[Ishinokao]

Where do find the ASRock 870 Extreme3? I don't see it on newegg

 

[MadAdmiral]

Hijack threads much? That board's pretty much a waste of money. You're paying a good $50 for the 16x/16x PCIe 2.0 slots, which only mean a 3-4% boost in performance, which is only noticeable when using dual HD 5970s.

The ASRock 870 is the best value choice, though ASRock isn't considered the very best in quality (it's second tier behind Asus and Gigabyte). Tom's reviews do constantly give the ASRock boards awards, validating their value. Some other better options than the M4A89TD Pro is the Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 (same thing, but with 8x/8x Crossfire) or the Gigabyte GA-880GPA-UD3H. I still consider the ASRock to be better because of it's lower price and many features. It doesn't hurt that it's got all the awards to back it up either...

EDIT: The 870 Extreme3 is here: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=asrock_870-_-13-157-198-_-Product

 

[Ishinokao]

Also does it matter which HD 6950 I go with? Or are they all the same?

And I don't know what overclocking is, which is why I put maybe >.>

 

[Ishinokao]

I've updated the list of parts, uncertain of the ram but I've changed it to:

- 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.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

 

[MadAdmiral]

It doesn't really matter what 6950 you go with, they're pretty much all the reference card, as it's a new product.

That's a good set of RAM. Probably one of the best.

I'd definitely switch the CPU to the X4 955. The 965 and 955 are the same physical chip, just the 965 has a slight factory overclock. You can get the 955 at the same speed by simply increasing the multiplier in the BIOS by 1. You won't even need an aftermarket cooler for that. It's an easy way to save $15.

 

[Ishinokao]

Ah okay, I put the 965 there because for some reason the 955 wouldn't show up. Found it second time though

I just realized I haven't put in a CD drive yet.

 

[Ishinokao]

These two power supplies are really similar but I don't know if their differences matter at all.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007656%204017&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=58|17-371-026^17-371-026-TS%2C17-139-006^17-139-006-TS

 

[MadAdmiral]

They're basically the same. I'd get the Antec because it's cheaper.

As for a DVD drive, just get the cheapest SATA DVD burner you can find. It'll only cost somewhere around $20.

 

[Ishinokao]

Awesome! I think that's everything... If not I'm sure someone will say something. >_<

But thank you so much for the help, there's no way I could have figured out any of this on my own.