AMD Gaming PC advice/suggestions :þ

[pepe81yoon]

Good afternoon and HAPPY THURSDAY~!!!

*Disclaimer* - I am a noob/newb and have NEVER built a computer from scratch. I don't mind being hassled for being novice so let it all out. It still does not discard the fact that I need help. A friend referred me and has told me too many wonderful things about you guys.

I've picked out a couple components and just wanted to know if the parts are compatible. Also, if one or some of the items may be overkill or under for my build. Thank you for your responses and have a wonderful day.



Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 month span

Budget Range: $700-$900

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: Please just comment on chosen components.

Country of Origin: USA

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: Higher the better.



Here are the components I've been researching...


GigaByte GA-870A-UD3 - $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443&Tpk=GIGABYTE%20GA-870A-UD3


AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849


Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104140


PNY VCG98GTEE1XPB GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133308


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533


NZXT M59 - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058


OCZ StealthXstream II OCZ600SXS2 600W ATX12V v2.2/ EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply - $73.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341039


LG Black CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $16.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177


MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material - $4.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080&cm_re=Shin_Etsu-_-35-150-080-_-Product

 

[boiler1990]

First off, thanks for filling out the form. Not everybody does, but it really makes everybody's life a bit easier.

Now onto the build...

The 6-core CPU isn't going to do any huge wonders for you if your main use is gaming. You're better off spending your money on a solid quad core like the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE and throwing your extra money into the GPU.

Second, that SATA III hard drive isn't worth the money. Get a fast SATA II drive like the Samsung F3 1TB and save $35.

Kingston makes good RAM, but you can get some cheaper out there with the same quality. And RAM is 15% on Newegg

The 9800GT is a really old GPU. Try to get something in the GTS450 and above range. The extra money saved from other parts will increase your budget.

Also, that thermal paste doesn't do you any good unless you get an aftermarket cooler.

Here's what I would suggest:
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=x4_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
Motherboard - Same as you had
RAM -G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333 Cas Latency 8 -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275
PSU - Antec TruePower 650W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
HDD - Samsung F3 1 TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Optical Drive- Same as you had
Case - Same as you had, or you can get something bigger like the Cooler Master 912

All of those parts total to $513.93, leaving you about $250 to spend on a GPU. If you plan on adding another GPU later, you should stick with AMD because NVidia's SLI won't work on AMD motherboards. You can get a 6870 for about 220, and it will most likely serve you well.

 

[batuchka]

If u stay near a Microcenter

965BE + MSI 870A-G54 $190
http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html

Items off Egg $361AR

$551AR and monster frames/$$ hehe

 

[pepe81yoon]

First off, thank you for the response...

Initially posted components to see where I was lacking but it seems like I went overboard on specs besides the GPU.

As a gaming PC, the essentials are CPU, GPU and RAM... or so I've read from all the research I did on the net. Thank you and you've given me more to read and research.

My main concern was whether or not the aforementioned components were compatible but its good to get insight on them also.

I will take your suggestions into consideration. Thank you so much!

 

[batuchka]

Yep happy shopping and u are welcomed ^^

 

[pelov]

That ram is quite good, actually. 59 bucks for tight 7 timings is a great price.

I would also go with the x4 955 BE processor. You can clock it up to 965 or 970 speeds without bumping up the voltage at all.

If you're looking to spend close to $900 then you can throw in an SSD as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227543

What size is your monitor? If you have something with less than or equal to 1080p then you may not want to spend over $200 on a graphics card. I'd recommend getting the 6850.

 

[Guest]

Don't worry, it's quite easy and very hard to mess anything up if you follow the instructions.

AFAIK, all the parts listed here are compatible.

Now then, can you wait till mid-April?
By then the Sandy Bridge chipset glitch fiasco should be history (hopefully!) and you'd get much better bang for your buck, not to mention an upgrade path.

I'm not very clear: do you need a monitor? If so, what resolution? For these recommendations, I'll assume that you don't require a monitor.

Something to help you decide which GFX card:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6950-1gb-geforce-gtx-560-ti-gaming-graphics-card,2857.html

I'd definitely not take the 9800GT - no DirectX 11.0 and a power guzzler of a card for its category. The 5670 offers comparable performance at a similar price-point with DX11 and just sips juice. But why either when with your budget (I assume that you don't need a monitor) you can get the NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti?

Here's what I suggest, if you're willing to wait till mid-April. Prices should come down by then too.

> Processor: i5-2400 -- $195
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074
Intel processors are usually better at gaming than AMD ones at similar price points.
Here's something to help you make up your mind: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i5-2500k-amd-e350,2843.html

> CPU cooler: Stock

> Motherboard: H67 Asus / Gigabyte mobo -- $150

> RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws (7-7-7-21) 1333MHz -- $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276&cm_re=g_skill-_-20-231-276-_-Product

> GPU: NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti -- $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&cm_re=560_ti-_-14-127-565-_-Product
BTW, I've heard that PNY has very bad customer support. I'd avoid it.

> HDD: No change -- $90

> Chassis: No change -- $60

> PSU: Corsair TX650W -- $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx
I wouldn't take the OCZ - it's based on an FSP platform, and FSP makes high-quality junk. Before buying, calculate your power requirements with this app: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Read the fine print at the bottom of the page to tweak your settings for an accurate result.

> ODD: No change -- $17
You might consider a Sony Optiarc. For $1 more, it allows you to write DVD's @ 24x, instead of 22x.

> TIM: No change -- $5
That is if it will be a one-time use. If you're going to be building more rigs, that's a painfully little amount of paste for it's price.
For multiple uses, consider the Noctua NT-H1 and the OCZ Freeze.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL: $912 (shipping extra)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Guest]

First off, thanks for filling out the form. Not everybody does, but it really makes everybody's life a bit easier.

Now onto the build...

The 6-core CPU isn't going to do any huge wonders for you if your main use is gaming. You're better off spending your money on a solid quad core like the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE and throwing your extra money into the GPU.

Second, that SATA III hard drive isn't worth the money. Get a fast SATA II drive like the Samsung F3 1TB and save $35.

Kingston makes good RAM, but you can get some cheaper out there with the same quality. And RAM is 15% on Newegg

The 9800GT is a really old GPU. Try to get something in the GTS450 and above range. The extra money saved from other parts will increase your budget.

Also, that thermal paste doesn't do you any good unless you get an aftermarket cooler.

Here's what I would suggest:
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=x4_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
Motherboard - Same as you had
RAM -G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333 Cas Latency 8 -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275
PSU - Antec TruePower 650W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
HDD - Samsung F3 1 TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Optical Drive- Same as you had
Case - Same as you had, or you can get something bigger like the Cooler Master 912

All of those parts total to $513.93, leaving you about $250 to spend on a GPU. If you plan on adding another GPU later, you should stick with AMD because NVidia's SLI won't work on AMD motherboards. You can get a 6870 for about 220, and it will most likely serve you well.

With the CM HAF 912, OP'll need 2x200mm fans or 4x120mm fans over and above the $60 base price.

 

[zepfan_75]

With the CM HAF 912, OP'll need 2x200mm fans or 4x120mm fans over and above the $60 base price.

the antec 300 illusion should be good enough for the OP; it comes with plenty of fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&Tpk=antec%20300%20illusion

EDIT: OP, if you want to save some cash on the mobo an Asrock extreme3 870 would do fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=Asrock_extreme3_870-_-13-157-198-_-Product

 

[Guest]

the antec 300 illusion should be good enough for the OP; it comes with plenty of fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&Tpk=antec%20300%20illusion

EDIT: OP, if you want to save some cash on the mobo an Asrock extreme3 870 would do fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=Asrock_extreme3_870-_-13-157-198-_-Product

I wouldn't take the ASRock - 1 year warranty vs. 3 years on the rest is a no brainer to me.

 

[zepfan_75]

....I realize a limited warranty isn't the most favorable but if he ends up in a bind than this can help, I like giving people solid options for a decent price.

 

[pepe81yoon]

I really don't care about limited warranty as I'll never send an item back after 1 year. I will most likely go with Antec since I've purchased other products from them and they are still going strong. I expect a product to exceed its warranty since I rarely use the product anyway.

I'd like to thank everyone for their insight and I've started purchasing parts. Now onto assembling this beast!!! I love putting things together as it makes me feel I've accomplished something.

HAPPY FRIDAY~!!

 

[zepfan_75]

I really don't care about limited warranty as I'll never send an item back after 1 year. I will most likely go with Antec since I've purchased other products from them and they are still going strong. I expect a product to exceed its warranty since I rarely use the product anyway.

I'd like to thank everyone for their insight and I've started purchasing parts. Now onto assembling this beast!!! I love putting things together as it makes me feel I've accomplished something.

HAPPY FRIDAY~!!

Good for you and happy building