Is this a good system for gaming?

[ajt]

I am trying to put a system together for my son. I am interested in SLI capability and the ability to upgrade the components over the next four years. He is really looking to do lots of gaming with this system to include Battlefield 3.

I am trying to keep things as cheap as I can, but I am not having the best of luck. Right now I am around $650. I welcome all comments or ideas.

I speced this out on Amazon, but I have no problems with going to Newegg, etc.

I am not so sure about the components I have picked. I just want it to be fast and expandable.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard ($149.99)

CPU: AMD FX 4100 4-Core Processor, 3.6 4 Socket AM3 - FD4100WMGUSBX ($109.99)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit ($46.99)

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply-CMPSU-750TXV2 ($104.99)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2048 MB GDDR5 ($169.99)

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer USB 3.0 Mid Tower ATX Case with Window and Black Interior ($73.93)

 

[Emelth]

Everything is compatiable so far dont for get you still need a ROM drive, HDD, and OS.

 

[ajt]

Thanks. Do you have any thoughts on the video card? I am kind of lost in that respect.

 

[kajabla]

You can get hold of 8gb 1600mhz G. Skill RAM for $30 at the moment.
It's a total waste to get 2gb of VRAM. On 1920x1080 you won't run into a VRAM bottleneck without spending more money on GPUs that you're currently putting into this entire system.
A good, slightly cheaper PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049
The card will be as good as the amount of money you're willing to put into it. At your current price point you can manage a 6870, which is a significantly better than a 2gb 550 Ti, or you can spend more. Best at price points:
-5770/6770, $110
-6870, $180
-560 Ti, $220 after rebates or $240ish before
-570, $300ish

 

[cobra5000]

That motherboard is overkill for that CPU. Look for something closer to $100 with an 890 chipset and get a Phenom2 955 for dirt cheap. As for the GPU, just look at Toms guide for video cards and pick one out in your price range. 750 w PSU is also overkill, if you are only using one card. You might be better off buying a barebones setup or doing some more research, cause you seem like you could REALLY use some solid advise.

 

[kajabla]

^The mobo's expensive because it can do SLI, which is rare on AMD boards. I think the price is OK with that taken into consideration.
Actually, your whole post is based on missing the second sentence of the OP. "I am interested in SLI capability and the ability to upgrade the components over the next four years."

 

[inzone]

The FX 4100 is not considered a good gaming cpu and any Sandy Bridge will be better.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclocking,3077-5.html

The 550Ti is near the bottom of performance especially in BF3.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3067-7.html

The old saying of you get what you pay for holds true in buying computer components , so I do realize that you want to keep the cost down and you said that you want the ability to upgrade the parts over the next four years but if you don't have to upgrade then why do so , you can build a Pc now that will need very little upgrading but will cost you a lot now and very little later. If you go too cheap now you may find yourself upgrading several times over the next four years and end up spending more money in the long run. Of course that's just me rambling on and in the end you are the one paying for this and it's all up to what you want to do.

 

[Petrofsky]

Thanks. Do you have any thoughts on the video card? I am kind of lost in that respect.

A gaming rig needs the best graphics card you can get. That's the part of the computer that does the real-time rendering that makes PC visuals so much better than the consoles'. The better the card, the higher the resolution you can play at, and the higher the in-game settings can be. It's easy---just get the most card you can afford.

A modern quad-core will not bottleneck any card, but some CPUs are marginally better than others for gaming. The 550 is on the weak side.

 

[ajt]

The FX 4100 is not considered a good gaming cpu and any Sandy Bridge will be better.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclocking,3077-5.html

The 550Ti is near the bottom of performance especially in BF3.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3067-7.html

Those charts are really great. Thank you for linking them. I will take a look at the FX-8150 and the Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980, 975.

 

[ajt]

You can get hold of 8gb 1600mhz G. Skill RAM for $30 at the moment.
It's a total waste to get 2gb of VRAM. On 1920x1080 you won't run into a VRAM bottleneck without spending more money on GPUs that you're currently putting into this entire system.
A good, slightly cheaper PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049
The card will be as good as the amount of money you're willing to put into it. At your current price point you can manage a 6870, which is a significantly better than a 2gb 550 Ti, or you can spend more. Best at price points:
-5770/6770, $110
-6870, $180
-560 Ti, $220 after rebates or $240ish before
-570, $300ish

Thanks for your help. I will go with the 6870 and use that PSU.

 

[swifty_morgan]

a couple of things to make adjustments. you can get a cheaper mother board. you should get at least a 6950 2gig card ( yes extra vram is important ) you don't need ram with fancy heat spreaders on them.... just adds to the price. 1.5v ram runs cool. cheaper PS ( listed ) I'd try and work a 6 or 8 core processor into the mix if it were me/