$600 Gaming PC, Future Proofing

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Molite

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Okay so taking this build from Tomshardware:

Component Model Price
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 925 $125

CPU Cooler AMD boxed heatsink/fan $0

Motherboard ASRock M3A770DE $60

RAM G.Skill 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1333 (PC3 10600) Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS $40

Graphics Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1 GB $170

Hard Drive Samsung Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320 GB SATA 3Gb/s $43

Case Xigmatek Asgard II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01 $30

Power Antec EarthWatts Green EA380D 380 W $40

Optical Lite-On 24x DVD Burner SATA iHAS 124-04 $19

Total Price
$527

What would I have to change to be able to run Bulldozer in the future, be able to Overclock and CrossFire? Is it possible to do this and stay under $600? I want it to be Future Proof. OC and CF will come later, but AMD Bulldozer will be most essential right now.

Playing at a 1920 x 1080 Resolution

Will mostly be gaming: Starcraft 2, BF3, Crysis 2, Metro 2033 (lol)

Things not really needed: I get cheap hard drives from a friend but please recommend one. I have a monitor, speakers, headset. Can you recommend a keyboard (not considered under budget).

The more savings the better, so doesn't have to be newegg. Any place that ships decently fast to the US.

After MIR is the budget.

Thanks In Advance for anyone helping me out!
 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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First thoughts if your going to go AM3 and with a PhenomII x4 go with the 955 from Newegg for $115 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808). Next to truely future proof you might want to consider a larger power supply (Nothing agaisnt the Earthwatts, I personally own one and there great) like a 500w+ such as:
$64($10 off code) OCZ ModXStream ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016)
$60 Corsair CX 500 V2 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027)
$60 Thermaltake TR2 500w ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153113)
also AMD themselves recommend 500w+ for the 6850( http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6850/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6850-overview.aspx#3). Granted these supplies are more expensive but as the processor I recommend is cheaper it equals out. These higher watt power supplies also allow you room to overclock which is both simple and effective with a Black Edition processor like the 955. Hope any of this helps.
 
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Infinite Jest

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Mechanical keyboards use mechanical switches, making a key stroke much more tactile and gives reassurance that you actually hit a key (great for RTS + general typing). There are different switch types with different characteristics, but in general they are noisier than dome keyboards. However, they tend to cost more that dome keyboards (though many are rated for 50 million + key strokes per switch) and have much less customization or added macro capabilities.

This is pretty much as cheap as it gets when it comes to mechanical (after the the range jumps to $100+):
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-BlackWidow-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B003ZJ1VD8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307209957&sr=8-2

I bought that board recently to see if it held it's own and I can say that it definitely holds its own, albeit having slightly smaller keys than I would have liked (not quiet the quality of other mechs but for the price, unbeatable. + it has 5 extra macro keys and an FN row, not to mentio nall keys are re-programmable.)

As for domes, you could probably find a plethora of reviews elsewhere, but it's hard to go wrong with a dome (though they won't last as long).. You can find one anywhere between $10-300 bucks depending on how many gizmos are added.
 
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M

Molite

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Also I can get a better GPU than the 6850. What would you guys recommend would be good to CrossFire later on?

This is what I have so far:
1

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106289
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$20.99
1

Xigmatek ASGARD II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01 Black / Orange 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer ...
Item #: N82E16811815006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$39.99
$29.99
1

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157176
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$59.99
1

SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814102908
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$174.99
$169.99
1

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
Item #: N82E16817341017
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$25.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$99.99
$74.99
1

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Item #: N82E16820231396
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy


$39.99
1

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
Item #: N82E16819103808
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy


$114.99
Subtotal: $510.9

Plus the Razer Black Widow Keyboard (not included into budget).
 
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Infinite Jest

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Just to warn you: if you've never used a mechanical keyboard, you may be very surprised about how much noise it makes compared to your run-of-the-mill dome board. The blackwidow uses Cherry MX Blue switches (which are my overall favorite) which are fairly easy to actuate and pretty good for gaming, but tend to be one of the noisiest switch types. You may want to look at some yt videos for an idea of the sound.
 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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Well if you want to crossfire later on then you would need a different motherboard. Because that ASRock is x16/x4 you would need x8/x8 or x16/x16 for the two PCi-e lanes. Somethin more like an ASRock 870 Extreme 3 would do the trick but it is more expensive. If instead you would rather do just a single graphics card then seeing as how your not opposed to mail in rebates you could get a HD 6870 such as:
$195-$165 after mir XFX 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521
$188-$168 after mir XFX 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506
$189-$169 after mir PowerColor 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131373
$190-$170 after mir HIS 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161349
There are also cheaper 6850 then what you are qouting and another possibiltiy would be a GTX 460 768mb/1GB version not the SE version which are withing your price range although you wouldn't be able to SLi them with either the motherboard you picked out or the one I suggested. Hope this helps
 
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Molite

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Okay so this is what I have total: $587 after MIR

1

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106289
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$20.99
1

Xigmatek ASGARD II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01 Black / Orange 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer ...
Item #: N82E16811815006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$39.99
$29.99
1

ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157198
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant


$109.99
$89.99
1

HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814161368
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$264.99
$249.99
1

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
Item #: N82E16817341017
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$25.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$99.99
$74.99
1

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Item #: N82E16820231396
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy


$39.99
1

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
Item #: N82E16819103808
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy


$114.99
Subtotal: $620.93 - 45 = $587 after MIR
 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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6950 is a good choice and the 2GB version have a high rate of success unlocking to a full 6970 read: http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159

Thoughts on your build and 6950 decision:
First if you have money left in your budget consider getting a lager/higher quality case
Second if you go for a 6950/or equivlent the psu you have slected will not power crossfire/Sli at that level
Third: Alternatives to 6950- 560Ti at about the same price possibly cheaper/slightly more expensive depending on model but performance wise they are about a tie at stock clocks http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6950-1gb-vs-geforce-gtx-560-ti-review/18. Hope this helps
 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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Liking the revised build but have a few more suggestions
PSU- you list OCZ at $75 after rebate? I have it at $75 before rebate and $50 after http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
Also consider the Corsair CX 600 for $70 before and $60 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
Cases- $35 NZXT Gamma http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061 imho a better quality product with added features like cable manegement holes and a cooler cutout and the same amount of fans as the Xigmatek
Also I would recommend buying at least one additional fan for a front or side intake. Again I hope this helps
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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^ Can't recommend the 6950 2GB for me. I think the best way to go, for cool and quiet is the 560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC, from MSI. It reaches the 900mhz out of the box which puts it in the performance range of the 570 GTX, it also performs quieter and cooler than the 6950 2GB (After unlock and before). TBH, The 6950 2GB unlock is better to be done on a non reference cooler. However unlocks can only be done on ones using the reference PCB.

Product: http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-N560GTX-TWIN-FROZR/dp/B004JLNZXU%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB004JLNZXU
Review: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/27/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review/6

You wouldn't be able to SLI so that's a problem. But also, you're PSU is far to weak for SLI 560 Ti or CF 6950, you'd need a minimum of 750w.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&cm_re=750w-_-17-139-021-_-Product


 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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According to this Starcraft II performance guide ( http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/). You could play Ultra quality at 1900x1080 with a 5850 which is equal to a 6870 roughly. So I would recommend a 6870 and a 500 or 600 watt psu. Although 750w would be a good idea if you can afford it as then you could crossfire later on. Just my .02 hope it helps.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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Much faster? I think not.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=147
Pretty equal to me.

If you think the 955 isn't fast enough, why not just go with the i3 2100. It's just as good as the 955 and better in some cases. Even the 1055T doesn't match it in gaming.
955 vs 1055T
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=88
1055T vs i3 2100
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=147

The Hex cores are defiantly not a smart choice for gaming. Games aren't really optimized for Hex's yet, some have yet to use all 4 cores (exception of BC2, Crysis, etc benching games).

As for SC2 concerns @Derp, The 6870 is enough, however he wants to play BF3, that is probably going to be hard to play with just a 6870. After all Dice did say they weren't playing on the highest settings when they showed the gameplay. And they were using a 580!

Source: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/6238789.page
 
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mgf derp

mgf derp

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True BF3 will probably put a hurt on a single 6870 but considering it doesn't come out until closer to the holidays you could always get another 6870 by that time. With this idea you save money now but you do run the inherent risk that crossfire wont work at release 50/50. If you decide to go for something more powerful then the 6870 I would recommend a GTX 560Ti. Because if I remember right BF:BC2 preferred Nvidia over AMD and I would assume BF3 to continue this trend (correct if I am wrong). Due note though that the ASRock Extreme 3 is not natively SLi compatible, so if you like that motherboard and want more then a 6870 your choice is the 6950 (could try and unlock it to the 6970).
 
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sync_nine

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I think the "exceptions" you just listed the games that at least 60% of the fps oriented gamers play or would like to play, thus making Hex cores a little more "future proof". i agree 1050T isn't the fastest out there but i guess BF3 will unleash its performance. For your information, Your benchmarks on Anadtech do not contain performance comparison for BC2 and some other multi threaded games. 1050T wins for all other multi-threaded benchmarks.
But then again, the high performance gamers will always go for Intel.
In this case i3-2100 does win.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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^ Well no, it is just that the 1055T is not that optimized for gaming.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/147?vs=289
Again just look solely at the gaming benchmarks. The i3 2100 wins out.
And again here is the 955 vs 1055T
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/147?vs=88
It wins out again in the FPS department, Hex-cores are just not for gaming yet, not till we actually use all 4-cores the majority of the time in PC gaming, but that's just not possible w/ the consoles and all.

Obviously the 1055T wins out in multi-thread but I'm pretty sure no game needs multi-thread or HT.

@Derp, BC2 doesn't really favor cards, it's pretty even. I'd say it favors AMD if anything.
 
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