• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

New gaming build - needs checking

L

limes

n00b
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
28
I need some advice regarding a gaming machine I plan to build, particularly regarding the motherboard. I'd like to stick with a black/blue color scheme.

Also, since there haven't been extensive GTX 470 / 480 reviews released yet, lets say I'd like to go with a 5870.

Thanks!

Here are the parts I'm currently considering:
- GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($209.99 - seems to be recommended often)
- Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930 - Retail ($294.99 - cheaper at Microcenter?)
- G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - Retail ($219.99 - chose this for the "black+blue" look I'm going for)
- Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM ($24.99)
- 2x Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan - Retail ($17.98 + s/h)
- some video card ($???)

I already have the following:
- Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
- CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler - Retail
- SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
FPS gaming, browsing, watching HD videos.
I'll be playing at 1680x1050 (120Hz), but I want to be able to max everything out and get a high framerate... 30-60fps isn't acceptable to me. I mostly play id Software or Valve's Source-based games, and will try BC2... nothing like Crysis. I'm not particularly interested in doing Crossfire/SLI, multi-monitor gaming, or 3D gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Around $1200 for the remaining parts, but I don't mind going a little over if needed. I have a buyer for some parts from my old machine, which will bring in $250 or so.

3) Where do you live?
Missouri (there is a Microcenter 1.5hrs away)

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, mobo, discrete sound card, video card.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Keeping my current 60GB Vertex SSD and 2x 500GB HDs. I already have the case (Corsair 800D), CPU cooler (Corsair H50), and power supply (Seasonic X750 Gold).

6) Will you be overclocking?
Absolutely. I'm thinking about 4GHz.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Viewsonic VX2265wm (22", 1680x1050, true 120Hz), secondary monitor is a Viewsonic VX922 (19", 1280x1024)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Waiting to see the reviews for the GTX 470 / 480, and whether AMD's prices will drop. Probably finishing this build in the next couple months.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
PS/2 ports (I love my old keyboard), USB3.0 and 6Gb/s SATA would be a perk but not necessary.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Win7 Pro (64-bit).
 
Last edited:
Everything looks good but see if you like the onboard audio first before buying a sound card. Onboard sound is very feature rich these days.
 
coil whine is a problem on a lot of electronics, not really much you can do about it, apart from replacing it. I have some from my motherboard or psu and I just put my case under my desk and it doesn't bother me anymore.

Anyways, advise on the build, drop the ram to this G.skill PI DDR3-1600 set (also black and blue so your theme still works), drop the audio card and buy a 5870 with the money you saved. That way you will have no problem maxing out ANYTHING at 1680x1050

Also you know the i7 + the Gigabyte Mobo have a nice -25$ combo right? Combo

With the XFX 5870 XXX Edition the total for all of that comes to $1130.
 
Last edited:
Ah, no I hadn't spotted that deal. I'll need to compare the final cost of getting the i7-930 online versus Microcenter.

The G.skill RAM looks like it would work out well... I'll likely go with that.

I'll drop the soundcard for now and give onboard a try. I've been using an Audigy 2 ZS for a long time now, so it will probably be a step up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top