Final advice on my gaming build and memory recommendation

[cayt]

Hi,

This is the first time I am going to build my own PC, so I am a newbie in this area I have read several articles and forums and at the end I decided on the following build.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1100T 6x 3.30GHz So.AM3 BOX
Motherboard: Asus Crosshair IV Formula 890FX AM3 ATX
Graphics Card: 1024MB XFX Radeon HD 5850 725M AMD Edition HD-585X-ZAFC Eyefinity GDDR5 PCIe
Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 16MB 3.5" (8.9cm) SATA 3Gb/s
Case: Cooler Master Midi ATX HAF 922M mit Seitenfenster schwarz
Power Supply: 650W Coolermaster GX Serie RS-650 80+
DVD: LiteOn DVD-Brenner IHAS124 SATA Schwarz Bulk
RAM: ???

1) I would appreciate any recommendation or comment on the build. I get nightmares that one part wouldn't fit or work as I expect
2) I can't decide on the RAM for the build. The frequency, timings and the make, which one is the most important for a gaming PC? I picked a RAM, but I am not sure if it is a good one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402

Any comments?

Cheers,
cayt

 

[michxymi]

How much money can you give? Monitor Res? What games will you play?

 

[sadams04]

Pretty good build...

GPU - The HD 5850 is fine and all, but the HD 6850 or HD 6870 would be a better selection on that same level of performance.

MEM - G.SKILL DDR3-1600 1.5v CL9 => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313&cm_re=G.SKILL_DDR3-1600-_-20-231-313-_-Product

PSU - The Cooler Master is OK at best. Stick with Corsair, Antec, XFX, Seasonic...
Antec Earthwatts 650w => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044&cm_re=antec_power_supply-_-17-371-044-_-Product

 

[striker410]

Formity form bro! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[cayt]

How much money can you give? Monitor Res? What games will you play?

Between 900-950€ is my budget.

For the monitor I will get LG E2350VR-SN 58,4cm (23 Zoll) widescreen LED-Monitor (HDMI, DVI, VGA, Kontrast 5000000:1, Reaktionszeit 2ms) schwarz. Resolution is 1920x1080.
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003GRABNU?m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&tag=idealocom

I have a broad gaming taste. Shooter, role playing, strategy and vehicle simulation will be the game categories that I will play most of the times.

 

[cayt]

Pretty good build...

GPU - The HD 5850 is fine and all, but the HD 6850 or HD 6870 would be a better selection on that same level of performance.

MEM - G.SKILL DDR3-1600 1.5v CL9 => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231313&cm_re=G.SKILL_DDR3-1600-_-20-231-313-_-Product

PSU - The Cooler Master is OK at best. Stick with Corsair, Antec, XFX, Seasonic...
Antec Earthwatts 650w => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044&cm_re=antec_power_supply-_-17-371-044-_-Product

Hi,

Thanks for the comments and advices, but it brought up more questions
What would be the main reason to select HD 6850 or HD 6870 over HD 5850?

I have read somewhere (I couldn't find the link right now), that for AMD builds there is no need for higher than DDR3 1333. Any idea why that might be? and which one is more important; frequency of timings?

 

[cayt]

Formity form bro! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

Sorry, newcomer mistake Please consider this message as the first one.


Approximate Purchase Date: in 2-3 weeks
Budget Range: 900-950€ max
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, watching movies, Internet, office
Overclocking: Maybe
Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC)

The parts that I have picked already: (I will give links both from newegg and the german website, that I will buy it from, in order to see the prices in Germany in €)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1100T 6x 3.30GHz So.AM3 BOX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103913&Tpk=1100T amd
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p688401_AMD-Phenom-II-X6-Black-Edition-1100T-6x-3-30GHz-So-AM3-BOX.html

Mobo: Asus Crosshair IV Formula 890FX AM3 ATX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131644&Tpk=crosshair iv formula
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p643386_Asus-Crosshair-IV-Formula-890FX-AM3-ATX.html

GPU: 1024MB XFX Radeon HD 5850 725M AMD Edition HD-585X-ZAFC Eyefinity GDDR5 PCIe
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=2222102195&vpn=HD585XZNFV&manufacture=XFX%2FDivision of Pine
http://www.easynotebooks.de/xanario_pinfo.php?shop_ID=0&products_id=39519&ref=idealo

Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 16MB 3.5" (8.9cm) SATA 3Gb/s
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148701&Tpk=barracuda 500gb
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p495931_500GB-Seagate-Barracuda-7200-12-ST3500418AS-16MB-3-5Zoll--8-9cm--SATA-3Gb-s.html

Case: Cooler Master Midi ATX HAF 922M mit Seitenfenster schwarz
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&Tpk=haf 922m
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p619235_Cooler-Master-Midi-ATX-HAF-922M-mit-Seitenfenster-schwarz.html

PSU: 650W Coolermaster GX Serie RS-650 80+
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171052
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p668407_650W-Coolermaster-GX-Serie-RS-650-80-.html

DVD: LiteOn DVD-Brenner IHAS124 SATA Schwarz Bulk
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&Tpk=IHAS124
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p495931_500GB-Seagate-Barracuda-7200-12-ST3500418AS-16MB-3-5Zoll--8-9cm--SATA-3Gb-s.html

Thanks.

 

[striker410]

Ahh, thank you very much.
The first thing I say is DO NOT GO AMD! I love AMD to death, but they have nothing good in the high end section! Here's a benchy proving what i'm talking about: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=288 If you pay attention to higher is better/lower is better, you can see the 2500k is the clear winner. Look at those gaming results! 40FPS! What you need is the i5-2500k and a P67/Z68 board.

That 5850 is very overpriced. Check out this one: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58456&vpn=HD695XZNDC&manufacture=XFX And a benchy: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/295?vs=331 Same thing here. 10-20FPS more for 70 euro's less? It's what you need.

I would also change the PSU to something more beefy. A corsair, antec, or XFX 750w would fit the bill.

That's my short list! I'll check back in the morning.

 

[cayt]

Ahh, thank you very much.
The first thing I say is DO NOT GO AMD! I love AMD to death, but they have nothing good in the high end section! Here's a benchy proving what i'm talking about: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=288 If you pay attention to higher is better/lower is better, you can see the 2500k is the clear winner. Look at those gaming results! 40FPS! What you need is the i5-2500k and a P67/Z68 board.

That 5850 is very overpriced. Check out this one: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58456&vpn=HD695XZNDC&manufacture=XFX And a benchy: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/295?vs=331 Same thing here. 10-20FPS more for 70 euro's less? It's what you need.

I would also change the PSU to something more beefy. A corsair, antec, or XFX 750w would fit the bill.

That's my short list! I'll check back in the morning.

Thanks for the recommendations. After I saw the bench between the AMD and Intel, I have switched to Intel: More performance for the same amount of money! (CPU+Mobo). Here is the new CPU Mobo combination:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Mobo: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

I would pick this Asus Mobo but looking at the rate and the reviews, it seems there is a common problem with this board. Can you suggest any other board? Maybe:

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229

You are partially right about the GPU. It is 10-20FPS more but for 35€ more, not 70€ less! (in Germany)

http://www.easynotebooks.de/xanario_pinfo.php?shop_ID=0&products_id=39519&ref=idealo
http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p716966_1024MB-XFX-RADEON-HD6950-XXX--PCI-E-2xD-HDMI-2xmini-DP-A-.html

About the RAM: Is it better to get a Dual or Quad Kit?

Cheers.

 

[chesteracorgi]

Your most recent is a much better build than the AMD. The ASRock P67 Extreme4 is a solid choice and gives more features for the cost. I'd recommend dual RAM over quad because you have an easy upgrade path later on rather than replacing the quad chips.

 

[striker410]

^ agree on both points.

Here's a fine GPU: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p701145_1024MB-PowerColor-HD-6950-GDDR5-PCIe.html A little more economical.

 

[tomtulpe]

hello,

im looking for a new pc too, can i ask
why do you prefer the 5850 xtrem over the MSI R6870 Hawk HD 6870 1024MB ?
( http://www.cyberport.de/?DEEP=2E12-36F&APID=6 )

(3D mark 2006 benchmarks: http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/artikel/hardware/grafikkarten/18198-test-msi-radeon-hd-6870-hawk-.html?start=5 )

 

[striker410]

Hey Tom, do me a favor. Start a new thread and shoot me a PM with a link to the thread. I'd prefer to keep the conversation relevant to this guy's questions. But we will be more than happy to help you in your own thread.

 

[cayt]

Thanks for the replies.

I have decided to get the following build (a little than my budget limit but I can tighten my belt a little for this PC )

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product

Mobo: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229&Tpk=extreme4 p67

GPU: XFX HD695XZDDC Radeon HD 6950 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150527

Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 16MB 3.5" (8.9cm) SATA 3Gb/s
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148701&Tpk=barracuda

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&Tpk=922m

PSU: 750W Corsair AX750 Modular 80+ Gold
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016&Tpk=750W Corsair AX750 Modular 80%2b Gold

Thanks for the help guys!
Cheers!!!

 

[cayt]

Best answer selected by cayt.