Building a new gaming rig?

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LucasG

Gawd
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
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It's been a while since I last purchase any type of upgrades/new components for a computer, my gaming PC has gotten quiet outdated and was hoping someone could give me a hand on selecting new parts to build a new computer for gaming that's not over $800.

What are the current quality motherboards, ram sticks, price/performance graphics card, etc?

Could I keep my current case + power supply with these new components? Mostly looking at getting a new motherboard, new processor, new ram and new graphics card. MAYBE an SSD.

This is what I thought might be worth it https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=16021225

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming mostly. World of Warcraft on a 25.5" monitor.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$700

3) Where do you live?
Costa Rica, but I use a direct service with an address in Miami that ships then stuff to Costa Rica for a quiet reasonable price, so I'd be purchasing from places like Newegg.com

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.
Mobo, CPU, RAM and Video Card are my top interests. If the rest is fine for the choices, then I'd stick with it so the cost is less.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Power supply, case, optical drive, audio card and monitor.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
25.5" ASUS VW266H

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as I can get the money, hopefully next month.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Nothing in specific. Just plain raw performance for gaming and movies.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
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Please answer the questions in the sticky first for best results.

I know that last month, Microcenter hosted some pretty good deals with new processor/mobo combos but haven't checked out the new sales for May. Upgrading from your current build you'll notice a massive difference as I did when I upgraded from my Core 2 Duo.

As a side note, I can't access your wishlist. Did you make it public?
 
these are what i would get for a completely new rig for under $740. disclaimer-i don't work for newegg but when i build new rigs i always go with them.

ssd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233108
ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396
processor- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144253
harddrive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304
mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179
vidcard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161349
powersupply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182173

also, http://www.tomshardware.com/ is an amazing resource. let me know what you decide!
 
Lycidas said:
Please answer the questions in the sticky first for best results.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. You'll see a lot more builds and advice come in after you answer. Also, if possible wait a week until you purchase. By then the May Newegg combo deals should be completely rolled out, possibly sooner. This assumes you live in the US... but we'll find that out after you fill out the form/sticky.
 
Lycidas said:
Please answer the questions in the sticky first for best results.

I know that last month, Microcenter hosted some pretty good deals with new processor/mobo combos but haven't checked out the new sales for May. Upgrading from your current build you'll notice a massive difference as I did when I upgraded from my Core 2 Duo.

As a side note, I can't access your wishlist. Did you make it public?
Click to expand...

Added, and yes I made it public.

tonytnnt said:
+1 to this. You'll see a lot more builds and advice come in after you answer. Also, if possible wait a week until you purchase. By then the May Newegg combo deals should be completely rolled out, possibly sooner. This assumes you live in the US... but we'll find that out after you fill out the form/sticky.
Click to expand...

Added.
 
Still can't see your wish list on my end. As far as if you can reuse your current power supply, the answer is maybe. What power supply do you have? How old is it? The more specific your answers the more specific I can be.

If you can't reuse it, you'll be looking at about $50 to $70 on a new power supply.

Assuming you don't need a new power supply and can go a little over $700 including shipping and taxes:

$210 - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
$85 - MSI PH67S-C43
$75 (use promo code EMCKFHB23) - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$340 - MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Total (including shipping): $721

The above build cannot overclock, but does have the Intel Core i5-2500 processor, which is tied with the 2600 processor as the fastest gaming CPU currently available (not counting the K series which is essentially the same chip, but can be overclocked.) It also has a Radeon 6970, which is the second fastest gaming GPU on the market (after the nVidia GTX580, which is only marginally faster, but significantly more expensive.)

If the $700 limit is a hard cap, or you need to get a power supply (do post what you have as it may not be able to handle the above parts) dropping down to a Radeon 6950 should give you some breathing room:
$275 - XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB

If you need a new power supply get this:
$70 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W

If you need to stay at $700 AND get a new PSU:
$250 - MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB
or
$243 - SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950 1GB

Combo deals aren't that great right now. Hopefully better ones will come out in the next few weeks.
 
LucasG said:
I
Could I keep my current case + power supply with these new components?
Click to expand...
You haven't told us what PSU you have. Also your wishlist link does not work. Just post the list or fix it.


tarzanmkk said:
these are what i would get for a completely new rig for under $740. disclaimer-i don't work for newegg but when i build new rigs i always go with them.

ssd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233108
ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396
processor- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144253
harddrive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304
mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179
vidcard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161349
powersupply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182173
Click to expand...

Yeah this isn't a good build at all. Low quality and overpriced parts in this build.
 
tonytnnt said:
Still can't see your wish list on my end. As far as if you can reuse your current power supply, the answer is maybe. What power supply do you have? How old is it? The more specific your answers the more specific I can be.

If you can't reuse it, you'll be looking at about $50 to $70 on a new power supply.

Assuming you don't need a new power supply and can go a little over $700 including shipping and taxes:

$210 - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
$85 - MSI PH67S-C43
$75 (use promo code EMCKFHB23) - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$340 - MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Total (including shipping): $721

The above build cannot overclock, but does have the Intel Core i5-2500 processor, which is tied with the 2600 processor as the fastest gaming CPU currently available (not counting the K series which is essentially the same chip, but can be overclocked.) It also has a Radeon 6970, which is the second fastest gaming GPU on the market (after the nVidia GTX580, which is only marginally faster, but significantly more expensive.)

If the $700 limit is a hard cap, or you need to get a power supply (do post what you have as it may not be able to handle the above parts) dropping down to a Radeon 6950 should give you some breathing room:
$275 - XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB

If you need a new power supply get this:
$70 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W

If you need to stay at $700 AND get a new PSU:
$250 - MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB
or
$243 - SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950 1GB

Combo deals aren't that great right now. Hopefully better ones will come out in the next few weeks.
Click to expand...

Danny Bui said:
You haven't told us what PSU you have. Also your wishlist link does not work. Just post the list or fix it.




Yeah this isn't a good build at all. Low quality and overpriced parts in this build.
Click to expand...

My power supply is right there and has always been in my signature:

http://www.pcpower.com/power-supply/silencer-750-quad-crossfire.html

Also, let me post my list:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131708 - $129.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133341 - $194.99 (Recertified)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 - $224.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231436 - $99.99
 
LucasG said:
My power supply is right there and has always been in my signature:

http://www.pcpower.com/power-supply/silencer-750-quad-crossfire.html

Also, let me post my list:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131708 - $129.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133341 - $194.99 (Recertified)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 - $224.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231436 - $99.99
Click to expand...

I think your power supply should be okay. If it's old I wouldn't try using Crossfire or SLI on it. Probably plan for a new one in the build after this (PSU's age and don't perform as well over time.)

tonytnnt said:
Assuming you don't need a new power supply and can go a little over $700 including shipping and taxes:

$210 - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
$85 - MSI PH67S-C43
$75 (use promo code EMCKFHB23) - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$340 - MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB

Total (including shipping): $721

The above build cannot overclock, but does have the Intel Core i5-2500 processor, which is tied with the 2600 processor as the fastest gaming CPU currently available (not counting the K series which is essentially the same chip, but can be overclocked.) It also has a Radeon 6970, which is the second fastest gaming GPU on the market (after the nVidia GTX580, which is only marginally faster, but significantly more expensive.)

If the $700 limit is a hard cap, or you need to get a power supply (do post what you have as it may not be able to handle the above parts) dropping down to a Radeon 6950 should give you some breathing room:
$275 - XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB
Click to expand...

Here's my build recommendations.

You aren't planning on overclocking, so why get a K class CPU.

Why get a P67 mATX motherboard when you're not overclocking and haven't listed that you want a small case.

I'm wary of sending recertified parts on such a long journey. If it gets to Costa Rica and doesn't work, how are you going to send it back for service? I also don't think that GTX 470 is that great of a deal for your budget. If you had a lower budget, sure.

$100 on 4GB of RAM? You can get 8GB for $80. And Sandy Bridge doesn't benefit from DDR3 2200MHz stuff. DDR3 1333MHz 1.5V CL9 gives the same performance on the new Intel platform (this could change later this year, but for now, with what you're looking at, there's no need for $100 4GB ram sets.)
 
tonytnnt said:
I think your power supply should be okay. If it's old I wouldn't try using Crossfire or SLI on it. Probably plan for a new one in the build after this (PSU's age and don't perform as well over time.)

Here's my build recommendations.

You aren't planning on overclocking, so why get a K class CPU.

Why get a P67 mATX motherboard when you're not overclocking and haven't listed that you want a small case.

I'm wary of sending recertified parts on such a long journey. If it gets to Costa Rica and doesn't work, how are you going to send it back for service? I also don't think that GTX 470 is that great of a deal for your budget. If you had a lower budget, sure.

$100 on 4GB of RAM? You can get 8GB for $80. And Sandy Bridge doesn't benefit from DDR3 2200MHz stuff. DDR3 1333MHz 1.5V CL9 gives the same performance on the new Intel platform (this could change later this year, but for now, with what you're looking at, there's no need for $100 4GB ram sets.)
Click to expand...

Sounds like great recommendations. That's exactly the type of things I'm looking to understand. So I guess I can go for a cheaper mobo, slower RAM but more of it, and a better new video card. If something comes DOA the service I use will return it to the US and request a new one at no additional charge, but I'd prefer to not have to go that route hopefully.

Also, I don't need the TOP gaming card, what about something between $175 - $250 for video card that's pretty good at performance? Mostly for World of Warcraft at a high resolution and 25man raids. With EVERYTHING at MAX.
 
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LucasG said:
Also, I don't need the TOP gaming card, what about something between $175 - $250 for video card that's pretty good at performance? Mostly for World of Warcraft at a high resolution and 25man raids. With EVERYTHING at MAX.
Click to expand...

LOL! Sorry but that sounds like you need a top card.

Anyway for your budget, go for the HD 6950 1GB which can be had for around $240 to $250.
 
Raiding in World of Warcraft emphasizes the CPU for constant position checks, followed by network latency, which unavoidably degrades in a raiding environment. The rig in your sig should be more than sufficient to power WoW at 1920x1080 with all the eye candy.

If you're currently experiencing performance issues, it's highly likely to be an issue on Blizzard's end. And since Costa Rica is relatively distant from the nearest server farm, so there may not be much that anyone can do.

However, network traffic spikes in boss encounters, so a low-speed Internet connection can cause issues that make it appear as though your computer is struggling. I don't remember what exact the cut-off is, but I'd want at least 3 megabits per second downstream.
 
Mercuri said:
Raiding in World of Warcraft emphasizes the CPU for constant position checks, followed by network latency, which unavoidably degrades in a raiding environment. The rig in your sig should be more than sufficient to power WoW at 1920x1080 with all the eye candy.

If you're currently experiencing performance issues, it's highly likely to be an issue on Blizzard's end. And since Costa Rica is relatively distant from the nearest server farm, so there may not be much that anyone can do.

However, network traffic spikes in boss encounters, so a low-speed Internet connection can cause issues that make it appear as though your computer is struggling. I don't remember what exact the cut-off is, but I'd want at least 3 megabits per second downstream.
Click to expand...

Shadows at ultra greatly decrease my PC's performance, really noticeable, and when in a 25-man I get all those lights and stuff going on at 1920x1200 does actually affect quiet a bit, even thought it's not THAT bad. I do play with everything at max BUT shadows (at low). I play with anti-alias and multisampling at max. Also I do have a 3mbit connection here with a ping of 90 - 150ms depending on hours and what not. I play on east servers.
 
What is the equivalent of $340 - MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB in NVIDIA?

Edit: I'm actually thinking on right now upgrading to a GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB for my 1920x1200 resolution with the same PC. And after I can save up more money purchase the remaining parts.

How does that sound? Would it temporarily help me?
 
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LucasG said:
What is the equivalent of $340 - MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB in NVIDIA?
Click to expand...
Depends on the game but the closest in terms of performance is the GTX 570. However the GTX 570 does slightly trail behind the HD 6970 2GB
LucasG said:
Edit: I'm actually thinking on right now upgrading to a GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB for my 1920x1200 resolution with the same PC. And after I can save up more money purchase the remaining parts.

How does that sound? Would it temporarily help me?
Click to expand...

It should help you. But I would not go with the GTX 560 Ti since the slightly faster HD 6950 1GB costs less.
 
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Danny Bui said:
Depends on the game but the closest in terms of performance is the GTX 570. However the GTX 570 does slightly trail behind the HD 6970 2GB


It should help you. But I would not go with the GTX 560 Ti since the slightly faster HD 6950 1GB costs less.
Click to expand...

The thing is I'm not a big fan of ATI, I've had too many problems with compatibility back in the day, plus the drivers/control panel is not up to my taste, and I really like Nvidia's PhysX system.
 
Is that a decent reason to use GTX 560 Ti against an HD 6950 1GB? Is it that big of a difference?
 
LucasG said:
Is that a decent reason to use GTX 560 Ti against an HD 6950 1GB? Is it that big of a difference?
Click to expand...

Biggest logical reason is if you're gonna be taking advantage of the CUDA features of the 560 Ti. Or if you play Civ 5 a whole lot, that's a good reason to pick the 560 Ti since that game favors Nvidia GPUs over AMD GPUs. Though the main reason I've seen would indeed be that you don't like AMD.
 
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