600 gaming rig first ever build help

solobeano

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hello going to build first ever gaming rig (amd build) ,want to play bf3 and skyrim here is what i have so far need help finding the rest please

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

MOTHERBOARD: ? stuck (within budget and compatible )

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

HDD: 1 TB OR MORE (any)

GPU:already own xfx 6770

CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 (already own)

MONITOR: ALREADY OWN 1920 X 1080

total: $266.97 (not including owned)


so this is what i have so far, comments, recommendations (cpu, disk drives, ram,etc) need a motherboard that will be compatible with what i have and what i already own


other things i would like would be :
blu-ray drive or regular
gaming mouse and keyboard
all within budget :)







 
Solution
1. If you're thinking of changing over to Intel, get a cheaper single PCIe 2.0X16 board. Absolutely no need to get an expensive SLI/Xfire!

2. By the time you wanna upgrade to Intel, you'll get better and faster options for both CPU's and graphics.

Everything in your currently stated build looks pretty good. Just get the 200 Mhz faster 965 for 10 bucks more :)

Mobo suggestion - ASUS M5A78L-M LX

50 bucks saved ;)

calguyhunk

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So, if I'm getting this right, you've got 600 bucks to play with for CPU, Mobo, RAM, HDD, ODD and Case, right?

In that case, you can do something much better.

CPU: $220 Intel Core i5-2500K

Mobo: $125 ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

RAM: $48 G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB)

HDD: $45 Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM

ODD: $20 SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA with LightScribe Support - OEM

Case: $60 COOLER MASTER HAF 912 - Nobody buys a 100 dollar case in a 600 dollar build :non:

Comes to $516+shipping. You can also tuck in the 2600K for 90 bucks extra :)

Actually, you're gonna be let down by your graphics card @1080p. I recommend either selling it for a 6950 at least, or getting another one for Crossfire.
 

008Rohit

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BF3 beta benchmarks showed that AMD's quad core processors performed better than Intel's best gaming processors.

Processor : AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&Tpk=phenom%20ii%20x4%20955

Motherboard : ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

Memory : G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Second GPU for Crossfire : XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150540

Storage : SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=Samsung%20Spinpoint%20F3%201TB

All other peripherals : $100

Total : $565 before rebates

Overclock the processor to about 3.8Ghz and its going to play the game pretty well.
 

calguyhunk

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You're talking 'bout 3-4 fps for a higher clocked quad. Even dual cores don't do that badly as compared to the quads.

What it means, is that

1. The game is not as heavily threaded as most other modern fps games like Crysis2 maybe and

2. It's not so much CPU intensive as GPU intensive.

Learn to analyze benchmarks first, before talking baloney. The 2500K kicks the Phenom IIX4's butt royally any given day in any given application.

Please don't give bad advise to unsuspecting posters.
 

calguyhunk

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Phenom II 965 vs. i5-2500K - Anandtech.com

The bench Rohit is talking about -
6j2i9v.png
 

008Rohit

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umm yeah.. seems like the game's not really that much heavily threaded as people were expecting it to be..
Still, when a Phenom II X4 (even in O/C'ed) can match the performance of an i5 2500K at much lower price and the OP's primary intention is to play BF3, then thats not a bad buy at all.
 

calguyhunk

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^Yes, if you can afford to do that, 'coz as I've already discussed, it's fairly GPU intensive apparently and so especially on 1080p, it's gonna be annoying not being able to max things out inspite of having the budget.

The 6770 is plenty good, but only at lower resolutions, or for casual gamers on a budget.
 

calguyhunk

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AMD is for budget conscious builders and for people with specialized needs for highly threaded apps.

But higher up the pecking order you go, it starts making less and less sense.

Under normal purposes, for general purpose gaming oriented PC's above 800 odd, AMD makes less and less sense.

Because an i5-2500 paired with a H67/61 is gonna be much faster for almost every app imaginable than a Phenom II 965 + AM3+ for roughly the same price.
 

calguyhunk

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This.

You already have 100 to go from your build thus far. Add to that the price of the 6770 that you're selling. Then increase your budget just a bit. The Antec 520Watt PSU will support it :)

If you think you can't afford it, get the 560ti as suggested above.
 

solobeano

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so for now im going with

cpu:AMD Phenom II X4 955

mobo:ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3

ram: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB

DRIVE: SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA

COOLER MASTER HAF 912

please comment (just want to play bf3 skyrim just medium settings ,


also whats the difference 4g or ram or 8 g does it improve gameplay if i have more

and also going to stick with 6770 , probably by the start of december i will get the 6950 ) 2500K might come in after
 

cutebeans

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8gb is just for futureproofing. You'd be fine with 4gb.

Anyway, if you already have a Phenom II X4, I'd wait for Ivy Bridge since it would be a waste of money getting an i5-2500k.
 

calguyhunk

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1. If you're thinking of changing over to Intel, get a cheaper single PCIe 2.0X16 board. Absolutely no need to get an expensive SLI/Xfire!

2. By the time you wanna upgrade to Intel, you'll get better and faster options for both CPU's and graphics.

Everything in your currently stated build looks pretty good. Just get the 200 Mhz faster 965 for 10 bucks more :)

Mobo suggestion - ASUS M5A78L-M LX

50 bucks saved ;)
 
Solution