New Builds for Wife & I

JeffC

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
76
Well I was planing to wait to build my new computer till the Sandy Bridge boards were out. However do to my computer dying and the wife also needing a new system those plans have changed and I will be building 2 new AMD rigs ASAP.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (Rift/SWTOR/EQ2/Witcher 2/Dragon Age 2/ DS2), watching DVD's, online video, web, Cd/DVD burning etc. Graphic Art/Photoshop
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1,000 to $1,200 per system
3) Where do you live?
Las Vegas, NV
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case/PSU/CPU/Motherboard/RAM/HDD/Video card/HSF/Monitor & Sound Card for Rig 1
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
non
6) Will you be overclocking?
Rig 1 yes, Rig 2 no
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24" AOC 2436 for Rig 2.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
USB 3.0, SATA 6.0 (will be adding SSDs latter this year)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes Win7 Ultimate 64.

Both systems will be almost identical with a few noted exceptions. Here is a list of the parts I think I'm going to get so far:

Rig 1:

$120 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP
$161 - KINGWIN LZG-850 GOLD 850w
$180 - Phenom II X6 1055T
$30 - Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1
$109.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$64.99 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$18.99 - DVD ASUS DRW-24B3LT
$227.86 - GIGABYTE GV-R687OC-1GD Radeon HD 6870 1GB

Rig 2:

$278.98 - SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B
$196 - Corsair Professional Series GOLD AX850
$179.99 - Phenom II X6 1055T
$30 - Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1
$109.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$64.99 - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$18.99 - DVD ASUS DRW-24B3LT
$69.99 - Blue Ray LG Electronics UH10LS20
$349.99 - HIS H697F2G2M Radeon HD 6970

$298.98 - PLANAR PX2710MW Black 27" 2ms Full HD HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 Cd/m2 1200:1
or
$288.72 - AOC 2770VH1 Piano-black Glossy Finish 27" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 Cd/m2 60,000:1 (dynamic)

As you can see I am missing a Mobo on both systems. This is really where I can use some help. My only requirements are they be ATX boards and not Micro or Mini ATX. I would also like them to have USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s as I will be adding some SSDs latter this year


Thanks for any advice you can give,
Jeff
 
Last edited:
For both rigs:
- I recommend these mobos:
$135 - Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$150 - Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard

For Rig 2:
- Since no overclocking is involved, zero reason for that DDR3 1600 RAM. That setup will perform just fine with DDR3 1333 RAM:
$85 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
For both rigs:
- I recommend these mobos:
$135 - Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$150 - Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard

For Rig 2:
- Since no overclocking is involved, zero reason for that DDR3 1600 RAM. That setup will perform just fine with DDR3 1333 RAM:
$85 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Thank you for your help, Danny. In your opinion which of the mother boards is better or would your use one on the OC system (actually rig 2, my bad) and the other on the non OC?

Also could you suggest out of the 2 monitors which is the better one, if either?

Thanks,
Jeff
 
Thank you for your help, Danny. In your opinion which of the mother boards is better or would your use one on the OC system (actually rig 2, my bad) and the other on the non OC?
For the OC, I'd go for the Asus. For the non-OC, go for the Gigabyte.
Also could you suggest out of the 2 monitors which is the better one, if either?

Yeah monitors aren't in my area of expertise so I really can't tell you which one is better.
 
Sounds good. I do have one last question before putting together my order. I need to trim some cost off from my system (the OC one) so I am going with a cheaper case, the In Win Dragon Rider. But I was also thinking of also going with the KINGWIN LZG-850 GOLD 850w over the $30 higher Corsair Professional Series GOLD AX850. Is there a big difference between these 2 PSUs? If there is then I will go with the Corsair. I just want to make sure I am not paying an extra $30 just for the name.

Thanks for all the help,
Jeff
 
In terms of quality, yes there's a large difference between the two PSUs. However, that Kingwin PSU is still an excellent PSU. With that said, that setup doesn't need a 850W PSU. That setup will work just fine with a 750W or even 650W PSU:

$80 - Antec Truepower New TP-650 650W PSU
$90 - Corsair 650TX 650W PSU
$90 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU (Sales price)
$105 - XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W Modular PSU
$110 - Corsair 750TX 750W PSU
$140 - Seasonic X650 Gold 650W Modular PSU


Oh and I would not recommend getting the InWin Dragon Rider since it costs $160 shipped. That case is not worth $120 shipped let alone $160. Take a look at these other cases instead:
$90 - NZXT Tempest Evo TEVO-001BK ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
 
Thanks again Danny. You keep giving me some great things to think about. I am going to go with the Corsair Professional Series GOLD AX850 for a few reasons. The main one being that my system is up 24/7 and I really want to have that 80 Gold cert to help with the power bill. The other one is that I my go Crossfire down the raod and don't want to have to upgrade my PSU at that time. Lastly, and the is just personal preference, I really want a modular PSU.

However, I am going to back my wife's system down to the Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU.

Guess I still need to learn a thing or two about cases. I can see and understand everything else you have said. But I thought that the Dragon Rider was a nice looking practical case.

Jeff
 
I just saw that the Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU is a multi rail PSU. I have always used single rail PSUs on the 12v is there anything I need to set up different?
 
Guess I still need to learn a thing or two about cases. I can see and understand everything else you have said. But I thought that the Dragon Rider was a nice looking practical case.
Well looks wasn't the main reason why I objected to that case: It's simply overpriced since there are significantly better quality and cooling cases for $160 shipped. Hell as I showed earlier, even at $90 shipped, there are better cases in terms of quality and cooling.
I just saw that the Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU is a multi rail PSU. I have always used single rail PSUs on the 12v is there anything I need to set up different?
Not really.
 
Well looks wasn't the main reason why I objected to that case: It's simply overpriced since there are significantly better quality and cooling cases for $160 shipped. Hell as I showed earlier, even at $90 shipped, there are better cases in terms of quality and cooling.

Sorry should have been clearer. When I said "was a nice looking" I was meaning in terms of quality/cooling no so much austeticly. Though I am beging to see what you mean. Just because you through a bunch of fans in the case don't mean it will stay cool.

We decided to go with the NZXT Tempest Evo for both systems. I'll be posting the full final systems here in a moment.

Thank you for all your help and advice.

Jeff
 
OK after allot of thought, research and saraficing some wants for needs we have come to what we think are going to be 2 nice systems. My system came in over budget and the wife's came in under budget. So overall we are very happy and extremely thankful to Danny Bui for all his help and advice.

Rig 1:

$90 - NZXT Tempest Evo TEVO-001BK ATX Case
$90 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU (Sales price)
$135 - Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$180 - Phenom II X6 1055T
$30 - Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1
$85 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$20 - DVD ASUS DRW-24B3LT
$230 - GIGABYTE GV-R687OC-1GD Radeon HD 6870 1GB

$825 Total

Rig 2:

$90 - NZXT Tempest Evo TEVO-001BK ATX Case
$196 - Corsair Professional Series GOLD AX850
$150 - Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$180 - Phenom II X6 1055T
$30 - Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1
$110 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$65 - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$20 - DVD ASUS DRW-24B3LT
$350 - HIS H697F2G2M Radeon HD 6970
$300 - PLANAR PX2710MW Black 27" 2ms Full HD HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 Cd/m2 1200:1

$1491 Total.

I will be ordering in the next couple of days so if something looks wrong please let us know.

Jeff
 
You can shave off another $22 and get a longer warranty for Rig 1 by getting this combo:
$388 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + XFX HD-687A-ZDFC HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card

Also are you trying to maintain at CPU compatibility between the two PCs?
 
You can shave off another $22 and get a longer warranty for Rig 1 by getting this combo:
$388 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + XFX HD-687A-ZDFC HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card

Also are you trying to maintain at CPU compatibility between the two PCs?

Actually I found this card that is only $198 after rebate and prom gift card:

$198 - HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB

So that combo would be more. But it is a nice option.

No not trying to maintain at CPU compatibility between the two, Just trying to get the most bang for the buck. I most likely will sell off one of the systems the end of the year and build me either a South Bridge or Bulldozer rig after they have been out for a little while.

Do you have a better CPU option?

Jeff
 
Actually I found this card that is only $198 after rebate and prom gift card:

$198 - HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB

So that combo would be more. But it is a nice option.
Actually once you factor in shipping, that XFX card is only $5 more than the HIS card with that combo but now you get a lifetime warranty and a significantly better customer support. Not to mention that I haven't even factored in the rebate for the XFX card which, if you get it, would make the XFX card cheaper than the HIS card.
A
No not trying to maintain at CPU compatibility between the two, Just trying to get the most bang for the buck. I most likely will sell off one of the systems the end of the year and build me either a South Bridge or Bulldozer rig after they have been out for a little while.

Do you have a better CPU option?

Well it wouldbe a little above your budget:
$210 - Intel Core i5-760 CPU
$130 - Asus P7P55D-E LX Intel P55 ATX Motherboard
---
Total: $340 plus tax and shipping.

While that mobo may not have a second PCI-E slot, it does have USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s. At stock, the Core i5 760 already outperforms the Phenom II X6 in games. Once you start overclocking, the Core i5 760 will be significantly faster than the Phenom II X6.
 
Actually once you factor in shipping, that XFX card is only $5 more than the HIS card with that combo but now you get a lifetime warranty and a significantly better customer support. Not to mention that I haven't even factored in the rebate for the XFX card which, if you get it, would make the XFX card cheaper than the HIS card.

Thank you for pointing out the warranty. I had heard that HIS was a good video card. But given what you said I would much prefer she have the XFX. Might have to rethink my video card now.

Well it would be a little above your budget:
$210 - Intel Core i5-760 CPU
$130 - Asus P7P55D-E LX Intel P55 ATX Motherboard
---
Total: $340 plus tax and shipping.

While that mobo may not have a second PCI-E slot, it does have USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s. At stock, the Core i5 760 already outperforms the Phenom II X6 in games. Once you start overclocking, the Core i5 760 will be significantly faster than the Phenom II X6.

I might have to look more into the i5 and i7 CPUs again. No mater which way I go though it sounds like it will be obsolete by the summer any way LOL. Honestly I have been debating if I wanted to go with an i5 or i7 but have always used AMD so have a comfort zone there.

Jeff
 
Ok I think I have the wife's system figaurd out. This is the final break down:

$90 - NZXT Tempest Evo TEVO-001BK ATX Case
$90 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU (Sales price)
$135 - Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$388 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + XFX HD-687A-ZDFC HD 6870 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$30 - Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1
$85 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$20 - DVD ASUS DRW-24B3LT

$903 Total

As for my system, well, lets say I have some things to think over ;) I am most likely going to go with an i5 or i7. Back my Graphics card down to a HD6870 or HD6950 an maybe back down to a 750w PSU.

It will be nice to have both AMD and Intel systems to compare.

I am having some much fun with this I just might go back into building systems for friends and neighbors.

Jeff
 
Back
Top