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Gaming Build: Now or later?

K

Klaerth

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
87
I'm seeking to build a new PC sometime soon, but I'm uncertain as to whether I should start now or wait a short while. I've heard numerous things about the upcoming CPUs and GPUs...I do understand there is always something 'new and better' around the corner, but sometimes it is closer than others! In this case, I'm not certain if it is close enough for waiting to be worthwhile, or whether I should just go ahead.

I'm seeking to build a somewhat unbudgeted gaming computer, but it has been a while for me, and I'm uncertain as to the current performance gains granted by things such as SLI/Crossfire, and so forth. What are the current champions amongst GPUs/CPUs when it comes down to it, and such things? These are the main questions I have; actually parting all the small peripherals out is something I'd not bother anyone for.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, mostly!

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Effectively limitless, but with a stipulation. I don't want to push things too far - I see no point in doubling the cost for a minor performance increase. By these standards...I s'pose I'd prefer to keep the price between $1,000 and $2,000.

3) Where do you live?
Wisconsin (the US~)

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Everything /but/ the monitor: CPU, GPU, Ram, Case, PSU, HDD, DVD drive (no need for bluray or anything of the sort). A sound card, perhaps.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No reuse of any parts.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I...tend to be hesitant about this, due to fear of breaking something, so most likely not.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I currently have a 24", 1080p monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I'm not in a rush - I could order it this week, or possibly wait a couple of months. I usually tend to slowly buy things piece by piece as they come on sale, but...I've realized I waste some of the value of the parts if they sit around and gather dust, so I might change that up and just go for the whole thing this time around.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Crossfire/SLI I'd assume would be included in any quality motherboard, though I'm not certain about using it. I haven't kept quite up to date on how effective it yet is, so I'm not certain if the gain is worth the cost!

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes I do - 64bit Windows 7.
 
Which games do you plan on playing, and at which levels of visual quality?

Do you want to build this system sooner or later? (September is right around the corner, so there will be new deals and specials available.)

Do you want this system closer to $1000 or $2000?

Besides gaming, what else are you planning to use this system for?
 
Well AMD/ATI is bitching these day's and kicking nvidia ass and when buldozer cpu comes intels ass too.
So I'd wait till next year and buy a buldozer octo core with amd improved version of hyperthreading and a 6000 series card that will come soon.

Otherwise ( if money is no issue ) go for a am3 board with the PHII 1090t hexa cpu and a 5970, 8 gig's of 1600mhz 8-8-8 ram and a couple ssd in raid0.
 
@Nathalex - An Intel X58-based setup with the Core i7 930, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, two GTX 460s (1GB models) in SLI mode and one Intel X25-M SSD would spank just about anything that AMD/ATI would have to offer.

RAID mode isn't recommended for SSDs as they would lose the ability to utilize the TRIM garbage-collecting programming. In short, SSDs lose performance without TRIM enabled.
 
I give in on the ssd part but....

a 930? 4 cores vs. 6 cores. Even with hyperthreading will not beat a 1090t. They match.
Put in a pair of 5850 crossfired and bye bye your setup.

Did you even read up on bulldozer?

5970 vs gtx 460's sli.. Look man I got these cards myself but in some games they need to be @ superclocked settings otherwise they would not surpass the 5970.

Amd is upcoming and taking over. First came the chipsets then the gpu's next years it's over for intels rule. A Amd chipset, cpu and gpu rules. I'm an nvidia fanboy but I must say I'm starting to doubt my choice.
And yes, a Bulldozer octocore will fit in a AM3 socket.

I've seen 6000 series benchmarks coming across this Forum that scared me.
I'd say be prepared for bulldozer and some crossfired 6000 series.
Get a AM3 board.

You'll be more future proof than with intel who likes to switch sockets and than let you buy a new cpu and mobo
as where amd makes them back and forth compatible for a while so you don't have to upgrade everything at once.
 
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yes may be but it is still like 9-12 months away. you know how many games you can read over between now and then?
 
Gaming-wise, I tend to play most...well, anything. I enjoy being able to keep things on the high or highest settings, but as the years pass by, it isn't necessary. I build a new PC about every two to three years, once I can no longer run 'new' games acceptably on medium settings.

Aside from gaming, it would simply be a general use PC. Homework, making light use of GIMP and such programs, and so forth. The most taxing thing I'd ever do on it would be the gaming...which I also do often.

Sooner or later..? Hmn. Well, I'd at least be waiting a week or two, for I'm moving out in a few days to a new apartment, and would want things settled with that before trying to order anything.

$1000 or $2000..? Little preference, in truth. I suppose somewhere in the middle would likely be best, for I can't see spending more than that being worth the performance gain...though feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

As well, thanks everyone for the suggestions and discussion, I'll look into these things. <3
 
COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $70

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $60

2x GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $460

OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $158

XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular ...and G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ Combo $235


Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930 and GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Combo $484

Total before S&H $1467
 
@Klaerth - lt_shiro's build is good, but the combo deals and specials expire on August 31. Unfortunately, good deals for the month of September probably won't arrive until the second full week of the month.

@Nathalex - I've read conflicting reports on Bulldozer in general and the Phenom II X6's performance in gaming benchmarks against the Core i7. And while the GTX 460 SLI setup won't beat the HD 5970 in most gaming benchmarks, it's very competitive while costing considerably less. Truthfully, however, it's not worth arguing over; if you have something different for Klaerth (the OP) to consider, then let's see it.
 
True very competative 5970 - gtx 460 sli. That's why I bought them.
Single over sli is preferable though. No microstutter or other sli/cf problems.

Well enough about that. If he wants THE BEST right now
He'll go with the I7 980X Hexa. the fastest cpu out now.
 
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