Help Building First Rig (Gaming)

lt_shiro said:
Phenom 2 x3 720 is better value than the Intel dual cores at that price point.
Click to expand...

I agree that its a great processor for the price but unless he gets the am3 board to go with it i think he is better off with the x2 version. the cheapest AM3 board is 140 bucks compared to 80 bucks or less for a good am2 + not to mention increase cost of ddr3 for said board.
 
What are you talking about... AM3 cpu will work in a AM2+ motherboards with no issues.
 
ok but like the ddr to ddr 2 transition those performance difference will only grow.
 
Sigh anyways... Reason why the biostar 760g is better than the Foxconn 780g, southbridge chipset is the SB710 and not the SB700 on the Foxconn.

The motherboards feature AM2+ sockets, supporting Athlon, and Phenom series processors with TDP ratings of up to 95W. For the Phenom and Athlon X2 7000 series chips, the DDR2-1066 memory standard is supported. Featuring the new SB710 southbridge, up to six SATA II drives are supported. The rest of the feature set takes care of the essentials, with the onboard ATI Radeon HD 3200-class IGP running at 350 MHz, supporting Hybrid CrossFire, with dual-head outputs that include a DVI connector. A gigabit LAN and six-channel audio makes for the rest of it. Prelimnary reviews of the AMD 760G show it to outclass the Intel G41 chipset (priced in the same range) both in IGP performance and video acceleration. These motherboards will be priced well under US $100 to cater to its segment.
Click to expand...
 
If I go with the more expensive build here is my updated version...what do you think:

Expensive Build:

-DVD/CD Burner (LG 22x sata dvd burner) $25.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
-Case (Cooler Master 690) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
-Hard Drive (Western Digital 640gb AAKS) $75.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
-Monitor w/ Speakers (HannsG 22" monitor) $160.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824254035
-Graphics Card (EVGA GTX 260) $190.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434
-Memory (G Skill 6gb 1600 ram) $112.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
-Motherboard (Gigabyte EX58-UD3R motherboard) $185.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375
-OS (Vista Home 64bit) $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
-CPU + Power Supply (i7 920 + corsair 650w combo) $345.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.159778

Total: $1272
+ tax = $1373


A friend says that I need a larger power supply and that my system will overheat with out aftermarket heat sink and fan. Thoughts.

***I edited so the links work now.
 
None of those links (except for the 9800GTX) work FYI.

- Go with the GTX260. It's significantly faster than the 9800GTX yet doesn't cost that much more.
- Despite what your friend said, that 650TX is more than enough power for that system.
- Unless you managed to setup the airflow and cable management in your case horribly, stuck it in a place where there is little or no fresh air coming and going, or live in a extremely hot portion of California, or plan on heavy duty overclocking, you don't need a 3rd party HSF
- STOP factoring in the rebates. Rebates are not guaranteed. They can still be lost, rejected, or ignored even if you do everything right. So rebates are NOT guarateed discounts so stop factoring them in.
 
650w power supply is more than enough for that. people run similar systems on the corsair 520w. if you need to conserve money check out the antec three hundred case, g skill 3gb ram, and that cheaper video card (maybe 9800GTX+). the stock heatsink will do ok if you leave it at stock speeds but if you want to overclock you'll want to get a better one.
 
my friend keeps insisting that the graphics card will use 500w, 95w for the cpu, and then when adding on the hard drives, fans, and ram that I'll be pushing the outer limits of the power supply. Does he have a point or does he not know what he is talking about?
 
TheEnglishJob, I'm finalizing almost the exact same build had up there with the i7.

I'm deciding on whether the 4850x2 2gb on amazon is worth the 80 or so extra compared to the 260. Also if a 4870 1gb may be the better route with the MB since it doesn't support SLI. Amazon also has the WD AAKS for a few bucks cheaper right now.

There is a combo with OCZ Ram and the GTX 260 core 216. With the combo discount it brings the memory to the same price as G.Skill, but it also has a huge $40 MIR with it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.160342

To add in my own question, I'm thinking of an overclock to about 3.5 or 3.6. Do you guys think that is enough to warrant buying a TRUE or Mugen-2 or whatever, versus the stock hsf?
 
Okay here are the two builds back to back. I realize the second one has some considerable decreases, but what am I going to loose in performance/gain in performance for the additional $453. Both of these also do not take into account a monitor or speakers. Also, I am starting completely from scratch (with the exception of mouse and keyboard) would there be anything else I might need? Thanks.

Expensive Build:

-DVD/CD Burner (LG 22x sata dvd burner) $25.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
-Case (Cooler Master 690) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
-Hard Drive (Western Digital 640gb AAKS) $75.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
-Graphics Card (EVGA GTX 260) $220.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434
-Memory (G Skill 6gb 1600 ram) $112.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
-Motherboard (Gigabyte EX58-UD3R motherboard) $200.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375
-OS (Vista Home 64bit) $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
-CPU + Power Supply (i7 920 + corsair 650w combo) $365.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.159778

Total: $1177
+ tax = $1271

Cheaper Build:

-CPU (AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz) $150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
-Motherboard (BIOSTAR TA760G M2+) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138137
-Memory (G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800) $46.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
-Hard Drive (Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB) $75.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=wd 640
-DVD/CD (BurnerLG Black 22X DVD R/RW) $26.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153
-Graphics Card (SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 512MB) $180.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
-Cooling (XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 Red Scorpion) $33.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233012
and
(3 x XIGMATEK XLF-F1253 120mm 4 white LED LED Case Fan) $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233015
-Power Supply (BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550 550W) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702008
-Case (Antec Three Hundred) $60.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=antec 300

Total: $757
+ tax = $818

Price Difference: $453
 
You should note that the case fans and controller are just for bling. Not really needed.
 
Another thought. If I have a surge protector do I also need to worry about backup power? I don't care so much if I loose a document I have open, rather I don't anything to happen to my hardware.
 
take the 2nd cheaper build.. but drop those 3 extra fans and use the money to get the 1GB version of that 4870.. you wont overheat as long as you dont put it next to a space heater or something. Not sure but u may have forgotton to include the OS in the AMD build
 
**Updated Version**

Expensive Build:

-DVD/CD Burner (LG 22x sata dvd burner) $25.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
-Case (Cooler Master 690) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
-Hard Drive (Western Digital 640gb AAKS) $75.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
-Graphics Card (EVGA GTX 260) $220.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434
-Memory (G Skill 6gb 1600 ram) $112.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
-Motherboard (Gigabyte EX58-UD3R motherboard) $200.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375
-OS (Vista Home 64bit) $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
-CPU + Power Supply (i7 920 + corsair 650w combo) $365.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.159778

Total: $1177
+ tax = $1271

Cheaper Build:

-CPU (AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz) $150.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
-Motherboard (BIOSTAR TA760G M2+) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138137
-Memory (G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800) $46.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
-Hard Drive (Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB) $75.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=wd 640
-DVD/CD (BurnerLG Black 22X DVD R/RW) $26.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153
-Graphics Card (SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 512MB) $180.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
-Cooling (XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 Red Scorpion) $33.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233012
-Power Supply (BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550 550W) $80.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702008
-Case (Antec Three Hundred) $60.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=antec 300
-OS (Vista Home 64bit) $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488


Total: $830
+ tax = $896

Price Difference: $375
 
TheEnglishJob said:
sweet. I like the monitor suggestion as well as the speakers. Out of curiosity, i have an old mouse and keyboard which I've had for 8 years and have ABSOLUTELY no problems with either. They both work perfectly. Is there anything I'm missing out on if I don't upgrade those? My mouse has 5 keyes total (left/right click, left/right click on side of mouse, and wheel)
Click to expand...

Both the monitor and speakers are a good suggestions. I have an older 22" the only feature of which it shares with your 22" is the dot pitch, which does get minorly annoying from time to time. A 24" at 1920 X 1200 really is quite a nice picture.

TheEnglishJob said:
Ok. And there will be plenty of room for upgrades in the years to come correct?
Click to expand...

LGA 1366 (Intels new socket, and the one thats included with a core i7 + X58 build) will last until the end of Intels currently published roadmaps (2+ years). But X58 is the problem: its expensive and it has all the features you could ever want, need them or not, and you pay out the nose for them.

LGA 775 (the core 2 duo builds) is dead. You will not be able to upgrade past any of the processors currently out for LGA 775. DDR2 is being faded out, and since modern DDR3 pricing isnt insane, going for a DDR3 build is suggestable --especially for future-proofabillity.

The AMD builds involving AM3 will also last for 2+ years, right up to six core processors ("Montreal"). I dont know for a fact that the delayed-once-again (est 2011) Bulldozer core will work on AM3, but I highly suspect it wont, and if it does it wont be the gain in performance AMD needs to overthrow the Core Microarchitecture. That said, Phenom II performance isn't bad and from what I've seen it does outrun the core 2 clock for clock, in stark contrast to hard OCPs own results. (the difference, it seems to me, is in the fact that the C2Q got 4GB of DDR3 1600 where the PII got 2GB of DDR2 800).

TheEnglishJob said:
Are there any combo deals for Vista and Office?
Click to expand...

if your a student at select schools:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx

criccio said:
Considered OpenOffice? Free is nice.
Click to expand...

I tried so hard to like Open Office and I just couldn't. For me, the function abillity of word and the ease at which you can create boolean expressions makes it a must. Its compatabillity with excel only sweetens the deal.

Danny Bui said:
Yes we in California do pay taxes (about 8.25%) since Newegg is based here or at least has a warehouse here in California (City of Industry).
Click to expand...

Ha, you think you got it rough, 13% up here my friend :p

...

:(

TheEnglishJob said:
my friend keeps insisting that the graphics card will use 500w, 95w for the cpu, and then when adding on the hard drives, fans, and ram that I'll be pushing the outer limits of the power supply. Does he have a point or does he not know what he is talking about?
Click to expand...

He's bought the general cencous that so many seem to buy into, but he's wrong. A quick look at Hard OCPs power tests prove him wrong.

For any single card setup a 500W power plant will do just fine. For any dual card setup a 750W will do just fine. One of these days I should organize a display of exactly what 500W can do...

For the one guy out there with 4 300GB raptors in raid 10, 6 1.5TB drives in raid 5, 2 GTX 295's in SLI (and a 9800GTX for physics), and 12GB of 2.2V DDR3 2000, (Firstly, where did you say you lived again? This computer is located in the living room? Right next to that big plant? Greaatt....) you might need a 1000W.
edit: actually according to that link I gave you, 2 GT200's (2 GTX 280s (not 285s!))consume significantly more than 4 GT200b's (2 GTX 295s), Nvidia really worked some magic into their 65nm small-city-sized-die to get it to 55nm. That's impressive.

The issue of GTX 260 vs HD4870 is entirely dependant on the games. Take a look at the reviews, find the games relavent to you, and make your decicisons based on those benchmarks. The single most useful tool in any kind of video card comparison is a website and its called GPUreview, specifically of intrest to you might be the 50+ links each card has to a review.
 
I would vote for the i7, but that's what I'm currently building. It comes down to budget and price/performance, which is sorta personal opinion.

I'm not getting a UPS but it's up to you. Maybe depends on where you live too. If you want more protection or don't want to risk losing documents or whatever, go for it.
 
TheEnglishJob said:
What other quality motherboards are there out there that run the i7 920? Any recommendations on ram that you've had some success with? This is my first time so I want to make sure I'm not buying something for cheap that is cheap.
Click to expand...

The GA-X58-UD3R mobo is a good mobo. But other good mobos:
- Asus P6T
- Gigabyte GA-X58-D4P

The G.Skill RAM you'e chosen/seen is a good choice.
 
Here's more of a full AM3 build. I was looking at doing something similar to this but with less parts as I have a few more parts already. This would let you have an upgrade path for future AM3 CPUs if you wanted. Just another thought.

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 100259L Video Card
http://http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814102810
$174.99

Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136320
$74.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16832116488
$99.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129042
$59.95

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231190
$74.99

ASUS VK221D Black 21.6" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236055
$149.99

LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS122-04
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827106287
$21.99

BFG Tech GS-550 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128378
$54.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P ATX DDR3 AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128378
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819103649
$264.98 - Combo price

Total = $977 not including taxes and shipping
 
Hmm. Thoughts on this setup...

Also, if I'm looking to order end of the week or early next week am I going to loose all the deals that help keep the price down. If some deals expire will it be pretty easy to find other replacement parts for as good as a deal. I guess what I'm getting at is whether not pulling the trigger today instead of next week will come back to haunt me??? I realize I'm getting a lot of bang for buck here, however I'm not set on any component. So if something goes on sale I'll be willing to swap it out.
 
Newegg deals vary. Sometimes you wait and you lose out, other times you buy and better deals/combo's come along. That's just how it works.

For monitors, if you have a nice local place to buy, I would pick up the monitor locally. This is due to dead pixels and online return policies. You'll probably have an easier time returning an LCD locally for issues with dead pixels. I haven't bought an LCD for a few years, but dead pixels used to be a problem. Maybe manufacturing and a few years have brought this problem down, but I don't know. I'm sure others can give you thoughts as well.
 
I, personally, have found building machines to be upgradeable 3+ years in the future to just not be all that cost effective. I'd go with the cheaper AMD build myself but with the Geforce260 graphics card. It'll easily last you the next 3 or so years. Then, just take the money you saved and drop it on another upgrade of Mobo, CPU, RAM, and Graphics card 3 years from now. By then, the I7 platform will be substantially cheaper and mature, or some other alternative may be available.

However, there's no denying that the Core i7 build would be a VERY nice machine. I just don't see that much horsepower useful at this time, for such an expense. Anyway, my $0.02.
 
yadnom said:
Newegg deals vary. Sometimes you wait and you lose out, other times you buy and better deals/combo's come along. That's just how it works.

For monitors, if you have a nice local place to buy, I would pick up the monitor locally. This is due to dead pixels and online return policies. You'll probably have an easier time returning an LCD locally for issues with dead pixels. I haven't bought an LCD for a few years, but dead pixels used to be a problem. Maybe manufacturing and a few years have brought this problem down, but I don't know. I'm sure others can give you thoughts as well.
Click to expand...

I agree, I only buy display models...
 
Personally, I say buy a nicer power supply, get a cheap intel cpu and motherboard, and ram.

You going to have to rip and replace CPU, and ram either way in the future. In three years DDR3 will be end of life also. And whats better $40 for a motherboard vs a $100 or more for a board and a $30 or $40 dollar loss for the ram.

In three years, you going to want something newer and better, and your going to have saved about the same amount of cash to spend then as now. So my Advice, go low, and rebuild later.
 
As far as buying monitors in store have people had better luck at Fry's or BestBuy. There is a microcenter an hour and a half away, not sure if it's worth the gas money there and back.
 
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