Please help build a gaming rig

That's why I came here, to get some guidance.

What about all these different memory speeds I see listed in Newegg?

One board says it's standard is DDR3 1666(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz while another board says DDR3 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066.

Is this something I need to be concerned about?
 
Commander FAT said:
What about all these different memory speeds I see listed in Newegg?

One board says it's standard is DDR3 1666(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz while another board says DDR3 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066.

Is this something I need to be concerned about?
Click to expand...

Not really.
 
For GPU bound games, no, no point. However, for games that take advantage of more than 2 cores, then yes, a quad would be better than a tri core.

Most boards on newegg will only list the highest speed ram supported. Keep in mind that the lower speeds are included, to a certain point. Since the standard DDR3 speed right now is DDR3-1066, you can expect most if not all boards to accept ram at speeds starting from there, up to the max listed. Newegg sometimes lacks info on their product pages, so you can click the manufacturer link on the left side if you want to check the manufacturer's website for more accurate specs (hopefully).
 
Okay here's my next revision. Gotta decide on a monitor and investigate power supplies. I'll start with the one that was recommended earlier.

$245 - AMD Phenom II X3 720 CPU + ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$94 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$300 - SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
$110 - 1 x Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$19 - SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM
$105 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

Is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 heatsink generally the best for overclocking a Phenom 2?
 
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Commander FAT said:
Okay here's my next revision. Gotta decide on a monitor and investigate power supplies. I'll start with the one that was recommended earlier.

$245 - AMD Phenom II X3 720 CPU + ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$94 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$300 - SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
$110 - 1 x Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$19 - SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM
$105 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

Is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 heatsink generally the best for overclocking a Phenom 2?
Click to expand...

A few notes:
- For $5 more than that CPU + Mobo + RAM setup, you can get this better setup:
$344 - AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE CPU + Asus M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard + G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM Combo

With that said, a tri-core would be fine for current games but at least get that CPU and mobo in the combo deal to save $15:
$230 - AMD Phenom II X3 720 + ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

As you can see the price difference between a X4 and X3 setup is only $20. And the X4 955 is clocked higher than the X3 720 by default so even without the game taking advantage of more than two cores, it'll still be faster than the X2 720.

- Do note that the $110 was for TWO of those Samsung drives. The price for one Samsung drive is $55.

- The Coolermaster is the best bang for the buck HSF out there. It does do a good job of cooling hot CPUs.

- Once you factor in shipping, the shipped price of that DVD ROM drive will be $26. However for $4 more with free shipping, you can get a DVD burner:
$30 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner

As such, it's incredibly a bad idea to get that DVD ROM drive when a DVD burner is only $4 more.

- And yes the EA650 650W PSU will be enough for the planned setup. It is also of good quality.
 
Thanks for the links.

For four bucks I guess I'll get the burner. I opted for the regular drive simply because I have a burner on my laptop, my girl friends laptop, her desktop, and my other desktop. I have no shortage of burners.

Do you think the 650W will handle a second video card?
 
Commander FAT said:
Do you think the 650W will handle a second video card?
Click to expand...

I'd recommend at least a 750W PSU with 60A on the +12V rail for HD 5850 CF. If you're just gonna use a low power video card for a 4th monitor, then the EA650 will be enough.
 
i just have to ask. I meantioned the Combo way earlier in the build process and even danny has meantioned it as well but you seem against the Quad 955.

for 5 bucks More its a steal. Its faster, You wont have to overclock to unlock the 4th core and it Future proofs your build since sooner or later game will use the 4th core. Was just wondering.
 
I didn't realize the price difference was so small plus I didn't think the X4 would be worth the extra coin.

I've read all the comments everyone has posted and it has steered me in different directions. All your help is greatly appreciated.
 
your going to want a Quality PSU dont skimp on that since one of the most important parts of your build. It can Make or BREAK your new rig.

Id recommend between a 750 - 850 watt for x2 5850's

Corsair 750TX will work fine I run the same PSU on my build in my Sig
 
Commander FAT said:
Is a Crossfire Ready power supply absolutely necessary for when I get a second card?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you mean whether or not you have to get a PSU that says "Crossfire Ready" in order to use two cards? Nope. As long as the PSU is of good quality and has enough amperage on the +12V rail, you can use it for two cards or Crossfire regardless of whether or not it is "Crossfire Ready" or "SLI Ready" certified.
 
"SLI Ready" I understand to be an expensive label - though I don't know if "Crossfire ready" costs PSU makers anything (AMD has tried to take marketshare by forgoing several licensing opportunities in the last few years).

Video cards long ago outgrew the amount of power that could be supplied by the PCIE slot. They are now supplied by a certain amount through the motherboard (150W IIRC?), and a certain amount through special 6-pin or 8-pin molex connectors - PSU makers may make the last two pins detachable to create a "6+2 pin" connector, which works in either configuration. The 5850 & 5870 both use two 6-pin connectors to supply an extra 150W total to the card, so you need four such 6-pin connectors in order to be able to use dual video cards. That's what "Crossfire Ready" for dual cards or "CrossfireX Ready" for triple cards with 6 connectors is intended to convey. As long as the connectors are there and the PSU is rated high enough (particularly on the 12V rail), though, the label & "certification" doesn't matter.
 
Does that mean you bought stuff or does that mean you no longer have money to buy stuff? lol.
 
Both. Sort of. Gonna wait till monday to order my monitor. Now I need to pick one of those out too. Here's what I went with.

1 x ($28.99) DVD BURNER LG | GH22NS50 BK SATA % - OEM
$28.99

1 x ($139.99) PSU SEASONIC|M12D SS-850 850W RT - Retail
$139.99

1 x ($409.99) VGA XFX|HD-587A-ZNF9 HD5870 1G RT - Retail
$409.99

1 x ($104.99) WIN HOME PREM 7 64-BIT ENG 1PK DSP - OEM
$104.99

1 x ($54.99) HD 500G|SAMSUNG HD502HJ % - OEM
$54.99

1 x ($93.99) MEM 2Gx2|GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
$93.99

1 x ($165.00) CPU AMD|PH II X4 955 3.2G AM3 R - Retail
$165.00

1 x ($119.99) MB ASUS M4A79XTD EVO 790X AM3 RT - Retail
$119.99

1 x ($-35.00) DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #308218
$-35.00

This Ripjaw memory. Is it good for overclocking? Guess I should have asked that before I bought it. Oops.

So as you can see it closely resembles original recommendations with a few upgrades. I decided to splurge on the video card because I've never really been able to crank up the eye candy, usually out of lack of money to buy the good stuffs. Nowadays I have a much better job and can afford more of the good stuffs. :)
 
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Yay, it's all here. Too bad I can't play with it until I get my case over the weekend from parent's house. :(

And HOLY CRAP the 5870s feels like a brick. I could easily knock out a small elephant with it.
 
Everything's up and running. So far Windows 7 hasnt pissed me off...yet.

This MS Ergonomic Keyboard is freaking sweet. Been a while since I built a system, was fun. Although I think I'll need to update my case to something more heat friendly.
 
WOW. Company of Heroes gets 50 to 60 fps with every setting maxed out! At least according to the built in test that is.
 
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