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Gamer Build (Please help!)

P

progex

n00b
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
18
This will be my second build, mostly for business applications and occasional gaming. I also prefer a nearly-silent PC. Please offer some suggestions if possible... Also, how much can I OC this baby to? :)

Case:
Antec Three Hundred

Motherboard:
ASUS P7P55D-E Pro

CPU:
Intel Core i5-750 2.66Ghz

Heatsink/fan:
ZALMAN CNPS9700

Video Card:
XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB

PSU:
ORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W

Memory:
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

HD:
Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS

SSD:
OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
 
When are you building this machine. If you can stand waiting a week (they are already leaking out) I'd say go for sandy bridge. If the rumors are true a 2500K should be only slightly more than the CPU you have specified, will be quite a bit faster and will be on a new platform rather than a platform on it's way out.
 
The power supply is solid. Can't comment on the rest. I love your user name though.

Edit: user name comment to plugwash.
 
It would help us greatly if you answer all of the questions listed in the "Asking for Build Help?" sticky, as well as the following:

11) Which games are you (planning on) playing? At which level of visual quality?
12) Which business programs are you using?
13) Outside of gaming, are you going to perform other resource-intensive tasks like graphics/video editing or using multiple VMs at the same time?

As it stands right now, your current build isn't good for gaming; in fact, your build as a whole seems to be geared more towards overclocking than gaming. Also, striving for a near-silent system for gaming and overclocking may cause you to spend more money than you planned or force you to make compromises you may not like. You need to decide whether the priority of this system will be gaming performance, overclocking, or near-silent operation.

With Sandy Bridge coming right around the corner (its official release date is January 5), it's best to sit tight for now. In the meanwhile, please answer the sticky questions.
 
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Thanks for the helpful comments, guys!

I will be holding out for the Sandy Bridge. I don't play many games (when I do, it's at medium quality), so the machine will be used primarily for Photoshop/VM/Excel, etc.

I'll be putting the Hyper 212 on the build list as well-- Doesn't hurt that it's cheaper too.
 
Again, please answer the sticky questions.

As it stands right now, I would recommend an entirely different build from what you're considering in your OP, regardless of Sandy Bridge.
 
Answered the questions as follows. Keep in mind I multitask quite a lot and need a fast/snappy Windows experience.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Photoshop, browsing, VM, light gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$700 - $800

3) Where do you live?
Philadelphia (Microcenter nearby)

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.
CPU, RAM, HDD (+SSD), Case, Video Card, Mobo, HSF, PSU

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes (but to a certain extent, will not be pushing the envelope)

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
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?
Win 7 64-bit

11) Which games are you (planning on) playing? At which level of visual quality?
COD: Black Ops, Star Wars Force Unleashed - Med to High quality (don't need a powerful video card-- would rather save costs by skimping a bit)

12) Which business programs are you using?
Photoshop, excel, etc.

13) Outside of gaming, are you going to perform other resource-intensive tasks like graphics/video editing or using multiple
VMs at the same time?
No
 
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Is it safe to assume that, by omitting question 5, you need everything that comprises the internals of a PC tower? Do you also need a copy of Windows? (Your answer to question 10 was a bit vague.) Regarding question 8, can we assume that you wish to start buying/building ASAP?

You still need to answer question 7. The resolution that you're using plays a large role in our video card recommendations.
 
tiraides said:
Is it safe to assume that, by omitting question 5, you need everything that comprises the internals of a PC tower? Do you also need a copy of Windows? (Your answer to question 10 was a bit vague.) Regarding question 8, can we assume that you wish to start buying/building ASAP?

You still need to answer question 7. The resolution that you're using plays a large role in our video card recommendations.
Click to expand...

+1 to this.
 
tiraides said:
Is it safe to assume that, by omitting question 5, you need everything that comprises the internals of a PC tower? Do you also need a copy of Windows? (Your answer to question 10 was a bit vague.) Regarding question 8, can we assume that you wish to start buying/building ASAP?

You still need to answer question 7. The resolution that you're using plays a large role in our video card recommendations.
Click to expand...

Yes, I need every PC hardware to start my build. I have a reusable copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit).

I don't need to start building right now, I can hold off for a week or two if need be (at most, a month).

Not too sure what resolution I pay at, but before, I used a EVGA 9800 GT and that was fine with my build. More importantly, it must have 2x DVI as I will be using dual monitors.

Thanks for the help, again!
 
$245 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + Gigabyte M4A87TD/USB3 AMD 870A ATX Motherboard Combo
$60 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$110 - Palit NE5S450SF1101 GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$125 - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1CCA 2.5" 64GB SSD
$70 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$22 - LG GH22NS50B DVD Burner
$70 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W PSU
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 ATX Case
---
Total: $792 shipped

Buy the CPU + motherboard combo before December 31st. It expires at that time.
 
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