Building a new unit,

[Combat Wombat]

Hey All,

It's good to be on the Graphics & Displays forum, I have a few questions for you guru's. I'am building a new unit for myself, here is what I have priced up real quick so far:

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Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 Motherboard - AMD Socket AM3+ / AM3 - AMD 990FX & SB950 Chipset - 4x DDR3-2000 - 5x PCIe x16, 1x PCIe x1 & 1x PCI - 8x SATA3 - 2x eSATA - 4x USB3.0 & 14x USB2.0 - 2x IEEE1394a - CrossFireX & SLI - 7.1 Channel Audio - Gigabit LAN – ATX

Website: http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-28010710-Gigabyte_GA_990FXA_UD5_Motherboard_AMD_Socket_AM3+_AM3_AMD_990FX_&_SB950_Chi
Price: - $215.00
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Processor:
AMD Black Edition - AMD Phenom II X6 3.3 GHz Processor
Website:
http://www.google.com.au/products/catalog?q=amd+phenom+ii+x6+1100t+3.3+ghz&hl=en&safe=active&prmd=ivns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1680&bih=989&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=14678895150520375047&sa=X&ei=dqhpTo30HM2fmQXL_5we&ved=0CE4Q8wIwAA

Price - $213
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Power supply: Antec TP-750 TruePower New 750 Watt 20+4pin ATX SLI/CF Power Supply
Website:
http://www.outletpc.com/c1046.html#axzz1TkDzcUlv
Price - $129.96
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Case: ANTEC DF-85 DARK FLEET Gaming Case Top-loaded 2.5 / 4 x External 3.5
Website:
http://www.gamedude.com.au/prod_show.php?art_no=casANdf_85
Price - $177
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HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm
Website:
http://www.google.com.au/products/catalog?q=seagate+hdd&hl=en&safe=active&prmd=ivns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1680&bih=989&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1088709254583908350&sa=X&ei=tR46Tv2oIOWDmQWU5cG4Bw&ved=0CFEQ8wIwATge#
Price - $81
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Ram:
Kingston HyperX T1 KHX1600C9D3T1K3/6GX 6GB DDR3 1600MH
Model#:btt3-KHX1600C9D3T1K3/6GX
Website: http://www.bttech.com.au/kingston-hyperx-khx1600c9d3t1k36gx-ddr3-1600mhz-p-235355.html
Price - $79
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I have a Duo Orb CPU Cooler + thermal paste.
:http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1148&ID=1748
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I have a spare Windows 7 Pro 64Bit
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Now graphic's is where I am stumped, I'm more of a registry/Configuration ITO, what would you guys recommend, I want to spend about $300-$450 on Gps (s). I play a few MMO'S and I'am holding out for Cod MW3, Enlighten me on whats good for value, I seem to be reading different things every where I go.
Ps: I do give best answer

 

[Gman450]

Since you're not much of a gamer, and since MW3 won't be much demanding ( who knows though ),
You can get a GTX 560 Ti for about $200-250.
You can save the rest of the money for later upgrades such as a better CPU (AMD Bulldozer, once it arrives, i.e)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565
For a 560Ti.
You can also later SLi them up.

 

[rockyjohn]

The GTx 560 Ti is one good choice.
Do you just want a reasonable card for playing games or the best card for your budget to ensure excellent game play and to futureproof?

A good place to start a search for good cards is the THG article on the best video cards for the money, updated monthly to reflect new prices and new cards. Note that it includes a very brief description of the performance level of the card - you can read these to quickly see what range best matches your budget and card performance - plus links to reviews with detailed performance benchmarks, most often with comparisons to other cards:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html

Are you strongly invested in an AMD system? Intel seems to be providing the most value in your price range.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Best value are the 900 Mhz 560 Ti's .... with your $450 budget, you could put two in SLI. I'm partial to the Asus because of its cooler and easy OC to 1000 MHz. Both come w/ free Batman game

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121425
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127578

The DF-85 is a fine choice ... I have done half a dozen builds with it. But putting a TP-750 in it is going the wrong way. The CP-850 is far better quality PSU, it's uniquely quiet for its size and made specifically for only 4 Antec cases .... including the DF85. The CP-850 gets a 10.0 performance rating from jonnyguru

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

[The CP-850] is completely unmatched by any ATX unit on the market I can think of. You'd have to spend twice as much as this thing costs to find the next best thing, performance wise.

Here's the TP 750 new review for comparison (9.5 perfomrance rating)
\http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=140

This review covers the unique pairing of the Antec cases with the CP-850

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page7.html

The Antec CP-850 is a superlative power supply by almost any standard. Its electrical performance is up at the level of its more expensive brethren, the Signature 650 and 850, and Seasonic's flagship, the M12D-850: Voltage regulation is extremely tight for all the lines at all loads, and the ripple noise is amazingly low.....

The noise performance is excellent, with the <400W performance matching or bettering virtually every PSU tested thus far. Above 500W load in our heat box, the noise level goes over 40 dBA@1m, or about the norm for PSUs rated this high. It has the virtue keeping itself extremely cool, however, cooler than any other PSU we've tested at such high loads.

A serious consideration is that in each of the three [four including the DF-85] compatible Antec cases, the CP-850 mounts on the bottom, and the intake for the PSU is quite separate from the rest of the system. In the P193 and P183, the PSU is in an entirely separate thermal chamber, and in the model 1200 [and DF-85], a direct path can be maintained to the directly opposite, wide-open front vent. This means that our extreme hot box test conditions never apply to the CP-850; in other words, SPCR's test environment is unrealistically hot for the CP-850. Our atypical spot check with a room ambient thermal test showed the CP-850 would reach only 24 dBA@1m at 700W load in a 27°C working environment. This is ridiculously quiet for such high power output.

The above is an obviously unfair advantage for the CP-850... but what of it? Antec has used an integrated systems approach for its CP-850 and its best cases, and if that approach is an advantage over all other case/PSU combinations, then, all the more power to Antec! I.....

For the quiet-seeking computer gaming enthusiast, the CP-850 (along with any of the [four] compatible cases) is something of a godsend. Fantastically stable power, super low noise at any power load, long expected reliability due to excellent cooling, modular cabling, and all at a price that's no higher than many high end 6~700W models. That you're limited to one of [four] well-executed high cases from Antec — one mostly for silence (P183), one mostly for gaming (1200) , one that's really an ultimate everyman case (P193) — is not exactly a hardship either.

Id do one of two things with the HD .....

a) get the Spinpoint F3 for $25 less which performs comparably (bit louder and hotter tho if thats a consideration)
b) Upgrade to the Barracude XT 2 TB for a bit more but increased size and perofrmance.

As others have said, I'd do a SB build with a 2500k, SLI MoBo and 8 GB DDR3-1600

Here's a combo w/ the 2TB Seagate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.721539

One with the Sabertooth (5 yr warranty) , One with P8P67 Pro and one w/ Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.729078
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.729079
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.729724

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

 

[Gman450]

Nice one Jack.

 

[Combat Wombat]

Best answer selected by Combat Wombat.

 

[Combat Wombat]

Cheers guys, I'll look into all options, but now I have a much better idea on what I'll need.

Thanks

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey