New Desktop Build. Advice please?

B

bsketbllplyer

n00b
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
6
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
With this PC I will mainly be gaming, watching movies, and web browsing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
My budget is around $1500-$2000. This includes tax and shipping,
3) Where do you live?
California
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.
I will need a mobo, a cpu, a graphics card, a case, a power supply, hard drives, blu-ray drive, RAM (and anything else you can think of)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will not be reusing any parts as this is my first custom PC and I have no parts to reuse.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I would prefer not to have to overclock, but I am aware that with AMD X6 there is Turbo CORE (or w/e) and software that will automatically overclock when useful.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I would like a monitor around 25-27 inches with HDMI for gaming. I also have a rather large (50+) HD television that would be nice to use for blu-ray movies. This does not have to factor into the budget.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a month hopefully.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I was thinking about SLI or Crossfire, but from the benchmark tests I have read, it seems that a better GPU beats out multiple weaker ones. I would like the increased read speed from hard drives in RAID if possible. Though I would like some input on the advantages/disadvantages of SSD drives.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, I will be able to use Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

Here's a build I put together rather quickly. I am able to figure out CPUs and GPUs somewhat and decide which I should go with (though I don't know if I'll actually use these to their full potential), however things like power supply, mobos, cases, and RAM speeds/brands I have little knowledge of and find it difficult to comparison shop.

Computer Build:

Processor:
AMD X6 1090T 3.2GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03849&cm_re=amd_thuban-_-19-103-849-_-Product
$295.99

Motherboard:
MSI 890FXA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130274
$199.99

Video Card:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 1536 MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125319&cm_re=gtx_480-_-14-125-319-_-Product
$479.99

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
$219.98

Case:
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...29043&cm_re=antec_1200-_-11-129-043-_-Product
$159.99

Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...e=corsair_power_supply-_-17-139-009-_-Product
$129.99

CD Drive:
SAMSUNG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151199
$79.99

Also, as this is my first time ever building a PC and I just kind of grabbed at hardware, there is a decent chance I have made some horrible tragic mistake in hardware selection. I have also considered going with a high-end Radeon 5870 card to use the "Leo" platform. Is there any reason to do this, all the benchmark tests I have looked at throw the 480 a good amount above the 5870.

As for the case goes, I have absolutely no idea what to look for, I merely grabbed a highly rated case that was recommended by newegg.
 
So with the hard drive stuff. What would I place onto the SSD and what would I throw onto the 1 TB drive?

Also, why would you recommend the i7 over the X6? The 2.6 GHz seems reasonably less than the 3.2 GHz for roughly the same price. I realize I am very new with this and I am probably overlooking something (overclocking potential? intel vs amd?).
 
bsketbllplyer said:
So with the hard drive stuff. What would I place onto the SSD and what would I throw onto the 1 TB drive?

Also, why would you recommend the i7 over the X6? The 2.6 GHz seems reasonably less than the 3.2 GHz for roughly the same price. I realize I am very new with this and I am probably overlooking something (overclocking potential? intel vs amd?).
Click to expand...

SSD would hold your OS and critical applications as the SSD is much much faster access/read/write than the mechanical 1TB drive. 1TB would be for storage of pictures, music, movies, whatever you want to store.

If you read through this Anandtech review of the X6 you will see that the i7 is a superior chip in almost all applications. Plus the X6 1090T is not a good buy at $300 when you can easily get the cheaper and more powerful i7 920/930.
 
bsketbllplyer said:
Also, why would you recommend the i7 over the X6? The 2.6 GHz seems reasonably less than the 3.2 GHz for roughly the same price. I realize I am very new with this and I am probably overlooking something (overclocking potential? intel vs amd?).
Click to expand...

Here is the reason as to why we'd recommend Intel i7 over the AMD X6: Simply put, the i7 outperforms the X6 in almost everything but gaming (where the two CPUs perform about equal to the other). Plus, the X6 is crippled by a dual-channel memory controller (the i7-930 has a triple-channel memory controller). In addition, that 890FX motherboard costs as much money as some of the X58 motherboards on the market; that completely defeats the very advantage of the AMD platform (excellent performance-to-price ratio).
 
So going with the i7 930, would I go for 12 gigs to load up the RAM slots? I don't really understand the triple channel advantage? Is triple channel used for just 6 gigs on the 1/3/5 slot? Or if I wanted to get 8 gigs would i load up 1/3 and 0/2, or go for 1/3/5 and then one in 0? Sorry if this didn't make any sense, lol.
 
bsketbllplyer said:
So going with the i7 930, would I go for 12 gigs to load up the RAM slots? I don't really understand the triple channel advantage? Is triple channel used for just 6 gigs on the 1/3/5 slot? Or if I wanted to get 8 gigs would i load up 1/3 and 0/2, or go for 1/3/5 and then one in 0? Sorry if this didn't make any sense, lol.
Click to expand...

Actually, you can run 6GB in triple-channel on that 930 using only slots 1/3/5 (or 0/2/4, if your motherboard's DIMM slots are so labeled). If you go with 8GB, the Gigabyte X58 motherboard allows you tu run them in dual-channel using slots 1/2/3/4 (or 0/1/2/3) or in a Flex memory mode using slots 1/2/3/5 (0/1/2/4).

The problem with your original AMD build is that it is more expensive and performs slower in most apps than the Intel build that Shadowsong has suggested.

@lt_shiro:

That's a good suggestion for an AMD motherboard. But given the OP's $1500 to $2000 budget, an Intel i7-9xx system would be a better fit.
 
@ E4g1e

You have any input on the video card. Between the 5870 or the 470 or 480? The lifetime warranty on the XFX seems really nice.

Or anything on SLI or CrossFireX on lesser cards?

Thanks for the input everyone! Really appreciated.
 
I'm not E4G1e but here's my thoughts:
If you want the fastest performance possible without regards to price, definitely pick up the GTX 480.

If you want best bang for the buck as well as lower power usage and heat, pick up the HD 5870 or HD 5850.

If you are doing extensive photoshop work or using an app that uses Nvidia' CUDA but still want best bang for the buck value and can ignore higher power usage and heat, pick up the GTX 470.

As for Crossfire, while HD 5770 CF has shown to have incredible performance advantages over the HD 5850 that ranges from 7% to 50& as well as performance that's relatively close to the HD 5870, that's only true of games that actually scale well with Crossfire and mature drivers for the game. For a new release game, there's always a good chance that it won't scale well with Crossfire initially until the next driver release.

And then there's added issue of heat: Usually two video cards will output more heat than a single video card.
 
I agree with Shadowssong, go with Intel i7. You live in Cal. so I would drive over to Microcenter for a i7 930. For a case look at a Antec 1200, P183 or P193 and combine that with the Antec CP-850 PSU. That PSU only fits those aforementioned Antec cases and is a reasonably 850w PSU.
 
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there is no advantage in going i7 for what you are using it for. As was pointed out it performs roughly equal to the AMD in gaming & thats the most intensive task you have listed. Go with which ever you want based on cost & other features. Personally I would go with the AMD, but thats because I like to root for the under dog.

For the video I would go with an ATI based chip simply based off of the power & heat consumption. the gtx 4xx series is ridiculous in those regards in my opinion.

& Since your not overclocking the 1090t is probably not worth the extra money over the 1055t. I Would consider this combo for 375 saving about 125 over the above while using the same motherboard. Truth be told though you dont need a motherboard with 4 x16 slots if your using a single GPU. The gigabyte listed above would work or the msi 790x that could be had with that same cpu & a game for 355
 
If i were to overclock, why would the 1090T be an advantage over the 1055T? Just higher quality processors?
 
Also I just thought about it, if I wanted to host a virtual server on my machine while using it as a regular desktop. Would the two extra cores from an X6 be much more helpful than the i7 930?

I don't even know if this is possible, but I think it should be.
 
bsketbllplyer said:
If i were to overclock, why would the 1090T be an advantage over the 1055T? Just higher quality processors?
Click to expand...
It has an unlocked multiplier which means easier to OC and higher chance of a higher OC.
bsketbllplyer said:
Also I just thought about it, if I wanted to host a virtual server on my machine while using it as a regular desktop. Would the two extra cores from an X6 be much more helpful than the i7 930?

I don't even know if this is possible, but I think it should be.
Click to expand...
Hosting a virtual server can and has been done. However, there's no info whatsoever AFAIK showing the X6 being able to host VMs better than i7 930 due to the extra 2 cores or the Core i7 930's HT having a better effect on VMs than the X6's extra 2 cores. With that said, the higher reasonable max RAM amount for a i7 930 (12GB) over the AMD Phenom II X6 (8GB) makes it the clear cut winner when it comes to hosting VMs.

If you do go with AMD, go for what is AMD"s main strength: Great price to performance ratio. In other words, the 1090T and most AMD mobos above $160 are a waste of money and treads upon the price range of the faster Core i7 930 setup. So find a cheaper mobo and go with a cheaper 1055T CPU.

Good AMD combo:
$290 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD 870 ATX Motherboard

However if you do want to spend all of that $1500 to $2000 budget, definitely spring for the Intel route.
 
Danny Bui said:
If you do go with AMD, go for what is AMD"s main strength: Great price to performance ratio. In other words, the 1090T and most AMD mobos above $160 are a waste of money and treads upon the price range of the faster Core i7 930 setup. So find a cheaper mobo and go with a cheaper 1055T CPU.

Good AMD combo:
$290 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD 870 ATX Motherboard
Click to expand...

Definitely go with the better bang for buck if going AMD, but I wouldn't recommend that combo Danny posted as it would effectively eliminate the possibility of crossfire in the future due to running the slots at x16 x4.
Instead here are 2 that are both 300 that would be able to run at x8 x8 which would be fine for crossfire. w/Gigabyte 790x + free game for 300 & w/ Gigabyte 890gx for 300. Either of those combo's would be definitly worth the extra 10 bucks for future proofing a bit. & The 1st combo also has a $15 MIR
 
I wouldn't suggest the 790x board as it may not ship with bios that supports x6.
 
lt_shiro said:
I wouldn't suggest the 790x board as it may not ship with bios that supports x6.
Click to expand...

Thats the risk with any Motherboard at this point. If you really want to be sure then add a Sempron 140 to the order for 33 bucks & then sell it on the FS/T forums or craigslist after updating the bios.
 
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bastage said:
Definitely go with the better bang for buck if going AMD, but I wouldn't recommend that combo Danny posted as it would effectively eliminate the possibility of crossfire in the future due to running the slots at x16 x4.
Instead here are 2 that are both 300 that would be able to run at x8 x8 which would be fine for crossfire. w/Gigabyte 790x + free game for 300 & w/ Gigabyte 890gx for 300. Either of those combo's would be definitly worth the extra 10 bucks for future proofing a bit. & The 1st combo also has a $15 MIR
Click to expand...

Wasn't aware that the there was a 890GX combo for that low of a price. In that case, I recommend the 890GX mobo combo over my own combo. However, as lt_shiro said, I wouldn't recommend the 790X mobo. At least the 890GX has a higher chance of supporting the X6 CPU out of the box.
 
Danny Bui said:
Wasn't aware that the there was a 890GX combo for that low of a price. In that case, I recommend the 890GX mobo combo over my own combo. However, as lt_shiro said, I wouldn't recommend the 790X mobo. At least the 890GX has a higher chance of supporting the X6 CPU out of the box.
Click to expand...

Yes it definitely does.. I Guess what it would come down to is the free game and MIR.. If its a game your going to play & you actually get MIR back then the 790x is still viable based on that most shops will update your bios for 20 bucks (there compatible CPU) if you dont have access to another am3.

I have a 1055t with a MSI 890gxm motherboard & while waiting for delivery I called every local shop & asked about the bios update & I Was told anywhere between just bring it in & 25 bucks to have it done. Of course YMMV so thats why I said 20 bucks. Turns out though my board shipped with an updated bios (was released like 3 weeks before I physically got the board) Most major manufacturers it shouldn't be an issue. But I don't know how on the ball Gigabyte is.
 
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