Advice on parts for Gaming PC?

N

Novakain

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Jan 26, 2011
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A: Pretty much gaming only.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
A: I want to spend about $800-$900, and that's not including tax\shipping (I'll pay whatever I need to for shipping\tax).

3) Where do you live?
A: Rockford, Michigan

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.
A: Mother Board, RAM, CPU, GPU, PSU, RAM/Memory, Hard Drive. (The essential parts to get a functional PC, if I am missing a piece please let me know!)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
A: None, buying everything new.

6) Will you be overclocking?
A: I don't have much experience overclocking at all, so it will probably be minimal.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
A: I have a 19 inch monitor right now, may step up to a 21-23 inch.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
A: I plan on buying parts in about one month (end of February).

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
A: I don't have anything very specific in mind, the Mobo has been one piece that I am almost totally lost on. I MAY crossfire (most likely not), I'd like a board that's future proof with USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'll be using Windows 7 64bit.


I play mostly World of Warcraft, but I plan on picking up others like BRINK, RIFT, FireFall.. some more graphics intense games.. So if you guys can let me know if I am on track for building a quality and effective gaming machine would be great. Any feedback would be greatly welcomed!

Case (Bought): Rosewill CHALLENGER Mid-Tower Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

Mother Board: ASRock 870 EXTREME3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198

GPU: ASUS EAH6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121419

CPU: Phenom II x4 965 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

PSU: Corsair HX Series 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

RAM/Memory: G SKILL RipJaw 8G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Hard Drive: Samsung 1TB F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

This is a general layout... so any tips, suggestions or advice is very welcomed.. I am not a super tech, this will actually be my first build really. Thanks!
 
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Could you type out the part names (brand model)? It would be a lot easier to comment if we don't have to click trough a ton if links to do so...
 
While we wait for this thread to be moved over the General Hardware subforum where it belongs, please answer the questions in this link so that we can help you better:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1349433

With that said, you're gonna get more up-to-date advice if you post a build thread 2-3 weeks before you actually buy rather than 1 to 2 months in advance. A lot can change in a month let alone two months.

Oh and ditch the Western Digital drive: This Samsung drive is faster:
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
 
I updated my original information there so it's all answered correctly for any of you willing to offer advice, tips or help.. Thank you!
 
Ditch that G.Skill RAM since you're not doing extensive overclocking and you won't notice a difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM in real world apps and games:
$78 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

PSU wise you linked the 650TX but listed the 650HX. Which PSU is it?

CPU wise, I would not go with the Phenom II 965 CPU in light of the release of the Sandy Bridge CPUs. At most, I'd recommend the Phenom II 955 CPU. However as I said earlier, about 2-3 weeks before your actual build date, come back and bump up this thread. By then we'll know what February Newegg combo deals are available. Those combo deals will save you quite a bit of money.

Motherboard wise, avoid Asrock motherboards priced above $70 since AsRock mobos only have a one year warranty. Aim for a MSI, Asus, or Gigabyte 870 or 880G motherboard.
 
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646

I've also read a bit up on the Sandy Bridge CPU's, would that be something to consider as well? The core-17 2600K is only like 300 bucks, although I think it would require a whole different style build wouldn't it?

It's the HX series for the PSU (sorry on that original link!).
 
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For your usage, the Core i7-2600K is not needed. However the Core i5-2500K will be just fine for your planned usage:
$360 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard Combo

Thats all you really need to change beside the RAM I recommended earlier.
 
The graphics card would work too? I was under the impression that I could only use an Nvidia GTX card with intel boards... cause that combo is a pretty good deal. The only reason I was straying away from an Intel build was because I thought I'd have to buy all new hardware. If most of the parts I had already chosen still works on that build, I would rather go that route, and I have no problem heeding your advice on the RAM too :)
 
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nVidia GPU, AMD GPU, Intel motherboards, and AMD motherboards are all vendor agnostic on who gets what card combination installed. AMD may own the Radeon line, but that means nothing to it's already existing compatibility with Intel motherboards :)
 
Hooray haha, well that makes me happy. I went through and made a new "wish list" with the intel parts, it'll end up about 100 bucks more, which still isn't bad. I've read that going with intel is generally more quality. Am I hearing correct things?
 
quality? depending on what you mean. Physically, AMD CPU are believed to be better built (only for the crazy ones who use LN2 to overclock their CPUs into the sub zero C range :p). Speed increase? yes... and copious amounts of it.
 
I'm leaning quite heavily on the i-5 2500K combo listed earlier... What makes the i-5 better than the 955 BE?
 
Novakain said:
I'm leaning quite heavily on the i-5 2500K combo listed earlier... What makes the i-5 better than the 955 BE?
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Sheer performance. I'd go for the i5-2500K combo if its within budget.
 
It's faster. Much much faster.

There is not a single benchmark where AMD comes out on top, and before the "CPU don't matter at high res" people start whining:

(on the anadtech bench, make sure to read which is "more is better" or "less is better"...)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Prod...42.43.45.46.53.54.55.56.57.60.61.62.63.64.129

http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page13.html <-- CPU limited game showing last gen i5 at stock clocks crushing an overclocked AMD Phenom II X4

http://www.techspot.com/review/336-cod-black-ops-performance/page8.html <-- a not CPU limited game showing... the last gen i5 crushing the AMD Phenom II 970 BE X4 at stock settings for both.

Both gaming tests done at 1920x1200, so no artificial canning there :)

Current i5 is much faster than older i5 (I referred to as "last gen i5," which is the i5 750 @ 2.66GHz)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Prod....48.49.50.51.52.53.54.55.56.57.60.61.62.63.64
 
Wow... lol, there's not much to say after seeing that. I'm going to go with an i-5. Those are some amazing differences!
 
Danny Bui said:
Sheer performance. I'd go for the i5-2500K combo if its within budget.
Click to expand...
It does fall in my budget for sure, I added up my parts but with the i-5 combo and it will come out to about $772 :) almost perfect, and if I do need to go over I can make that work! I really like what I am hearing and seeing as far as the i-5 goes, especially the new generation. I just hope that combo will stick around for about a month (I plan on buying parts just after Feb. 22nd).
 
Novakain said:
I just hope that combo will stick around for about a month (I plan on buying parts just after Feb. 22nd).
Click to expand...

It won't. It expires on the 31st of January. Hence why I said earlier:
With that said, you're gonna get more up-to-date advice if you post a build thread 2-3 weeks before you actually buy rather than 1 to 2 months in advance. A lot can change in a month let alone two months.
Click to expand...
 
J Macker said:
Sorry, but 40 fps for an i5 750 at "stock clocks" isn't exactly crushing 39 fps from an overclocked Phenom II x4 in starcraft 2.

But, the Black OPS game illustrates your point.
Click to expand...

I don't get what you mean... it's an overclocked Phenom II X4 at 3.8GHz punching out 39FPS while the i5 750 at stock 2.66GHz is doing 40FPS?

EDIT: oh, I get it, silly me :p yeah, 1 FPS difference, lol. Not a lot to brag about :)

EDIT2: for the OP, note, both these tests are using rather powerful GPU, if you use a lower end GPU, the difference will be less pronounced. Case in point, my i7 930 + HD5770 @ 1080p got about the same FPS in Starcraft II as my friend's Phenom II 955 (OC'd to 3.7GHz) @1200p. So there was no real disparity, there. This was using the ingame FPS counter. Once you get a really powerful GPU, then the CPU difference will start becomming more pronounced.

Note: In black ops, it's not as much Intel's instruction and IPC advantage that's giving them the lead, as much as BO in it's unpatched state being single threaded (Intel's Turbo Boost gives a big leg up, here, and AMD's turbo core is also why the Thuban chips are close to the Denebs, despire some 400MHz clock difference), and likely very memory subsystem dependant (why clarksdale suffers) so in it's current state, it should be more balanced (like SC2).
 
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I am going to go with the i-5, and regardless of the combo or not if I were to buy those pieces individually it would only add like 10-20 bucks onto my cost, nothing drastic. I'm going to buy either a 6850 or a 6950 GPU, which i'd consider pretty high end, right? So between the i-5 2500K and the Phenom II 955 both using one of those cards would leave the i-5 sitting considerably higher.
 
Danny Bui said:
Ditch that G.Skill RAM since you're not doing extensive overclocking and you won't notice a difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM in real world apps and games:
$78 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Click to expand...

I noticed on that RAM that it's not supported on a P67 board, am I wrong there?
 
I'm pretty glad I didn't order anything now, considering Intel recalled the P67 boards and the Sandy Bridge chipsets.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Novakain said:
I'm pretty glad I didn't order anything now, considering Intel recalled the P67 boards and the Sandy Bridge chipsets.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

Were you still planning on buying a new PC this month?
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Novakain said:
I was planning late February, like around the 22nd. But maybe I will just have to wait a bit longer?
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Depends: Can you wait till April for Sandy Bridge? If not, then your best bet would be the older Core i5 750/760 CPUs.
 
I was really hoping to have my computer built and ready to go by March 22nd, that was my deadline that I was hoping to have it all together by. I wish there was a way to get the older i5, but upgrade to the new one once it became available.
 
Novakain said:
I wish there was a way to get the older i5, but upgrade to the new one once it became available.
Click to expand...
Yeah sadly there isn't.

So what do you want to do now? Wait till late April for Sandy Bridge or buy an older i5 750 based setup on February 22nd?
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah sadly there isn't.

So what do you want to do now? Wait till late April for Sandy Bridge or buy an older i5 750 based setup on February 22nd?
Click to expand...

I've called Intel and so far they told me that if I were to order an i5-2500K still, I am eligible to send in the parts to get the new ones once available. So at this point I am prolly going to stick with my build and potentially deal with the hassle when it comes due time in April... Otherwise I don't know what to do.
 
Novakain said:
I've called Intel and so far they told me that if I were to order an i5-2500K still, I am eligible to send in the parts to get the new ones once available. So at this point I am prolly going to stick with my build and potentially deal with the hassle when it comes due time in April... Otherwise I don't know what to do.
Click to expand...

The problem is actually ordering the Core i5 2500K: It's not being sold by most major online retailers. Same goes for the P67 motherboards as well.

So if you really want to go the Core i5 2500K route, then you're gonna have to do some searching for a reputable/trust worthy retailer that still sells the Core i5 2500K CPUs and P67 motherboards.

If you can't find one and really want a PC before that March deadline, then your best bet right now would be to buy a Core i5 750/760 CPU setup and accept that Sandy Bridge isn't an option.
 
I found both the i5-2500K and a Gigabyte P67 motherboard on Amazon. Amazon is pretty reputable I'd say?
 
Novakain said:
I found both the i5-2500K and a Gigabyte P67 motherboard on Amazon. Amazon is pretty reputable I'd say?
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Wow thanks for this, I checked Amazon.ca and behold they had 1 MSI p67a gd-65 available, and for $10 cheaper then I originally was planning to buy it for. I might actually save more money, because SB prices also went down by ~$10 in local stores.
 
limitedaccess said:
Wow thanks for this, I checked Amazon.ca and behold they had 1 MSI p67a gd-65 available, and for $10 cheaper then I originally was planning to buy it for. I might actually save more money, because SB prices also went down by ~$10 in local stores.
Click to expand...

I lucked out too, when I ordered my Gigabyte board, they had 4 left in stock :) I also ended up paying like 10-15 bucks cheaper. I am glad a snagged that and my processor before they were all gone from the recall... now I am set up to get the new and improved parts when they release in April-ish :)
 
Is the 650W PSU ample enough for my setup? I noticed on my GPU choice (XFX 6950) that it recommends at least a 500W. I just wanna make sure that with all the other parts, that will be enough.
 
you can also order a Sandy CPUs from www.superbiiz.com but they wont sell you a board. Just be careful these Sandy boards are all over the net with tons of issues. From boards starting on fire, sata ports dying already, multiple bios issues.

In my opinion I wouldnt trust leaving my PC on while im gone with a sandy bridge build after seeing 2 boards start on fir & I wont recommend Sandy to anyone for safety reasons

I ended up going with this build below. It was 314 shipped but the CPU is out of stock. You could do this build with a i5 760 for 333 shipped. Doesnt support crossfire tho but its a Solid board

i5-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5_750-_-19-115-215-_-Product

ASUS P7P55D-E LX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131634

I cant wait it comes today :)

edit: That 500 Watts is for TOTAL system power not just the card itself. You will never use 500 watts you will stay around 400 watts at max so your good
 
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4LC4PON3 said:
edit: That 500 Watts is for TOTAL system power not just the card itself. You will never use 500 watts you will stay around 400 watts at max so your good
Click to expand...

Thank you for clarifying that, just wanted to make sure. I know the risks I am taking for the time being, I ordered now because I am eligible for the new parts on both ends once they are avail in April. Lord willing, I won't run into problems until then!
 
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