Advice on gaming rig

[thinbalion]

Hi all, I am new here and trying to put together a gaming rig for the first time.

I'm trying to build something that will have a good potential for upgrades as I get more cash on a budget of about $950 plus or minus about $50.

This is what I have been able to come up with. I chose an SLI ready board because I would like to eventually double up my GTX 460 (that's part of what I have in mind when I say upgradeable).

Some of my misgivings stem from the nForce chipset and its shaky reputation.

Either way, here's what I got. Please let me know what you think and how I may improve this. All your help is appreciated!

MoBo : MSI NF750-G55 @ $99.99
CPU/RAM : AMD Phenom II X4 955 - & - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9A G @ $237.98
CD/DVD : ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM @ $19.99
GPU : GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB @ $229.99
COOLER : ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm Ceramic CPU Cooler @ $29.99
CASE/OS : AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - & - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit @ $184.98
PSU/HDD : CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V - & - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive --> $144.98


TOTAL: $947.90
SHIPPING: $13.86
REBATE: ($70.00)
GRAND TOTAL: $891.76

(I'm not necessarily counting on the rebates, they are here for reference purposes)

 

[Davidh373]

That seems overly expensive. It's probably the case, even with the OS. For that build you shouldn't need more than a nice $50-$70 Coolermaster. Then that saves ~$40-$50

 

[Athadeus]

While the case is overkill for that build, it looks like a really good value. Size and features (by features I mostly mean cooling) between an Antec 900 and 1200 but for a price a bit below the 900 after rebate and shipping.

Here's a review which says that's a decent MB. However, it is from Nov 09, and I don't follow AMD board benches enough to tell you if there are better options now so someone else will have to chime in.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2009/11/19/msi-nf750-g55-motherboard-review/1

 

[DSF]

How long do you see it being before you upgrade?

 

[thinbalion]

In about three months I would be able to get a new screen (which I'll use with the one I have currently) and I'll probably try to bundle it with a second GTX 460. Then it will depend on both funds and what is available at the time.

I also have a second hard drive lying around so that will go into it as well, but I may throw in a third one down the line. I listen to a lot of music, and like to store a lot of movies on my computer as well. As is I've easily maxed out 750gb, I'd like to have a little freedom in that respect.

 

[DominionSeraph]

That case is a bit ridiculous. It has sooo many openings that there's no point to it even having sides.
You might as well get a $25 case and leave it open.

Here

TOTAL: $862.91
SHIPPING: $4.92
REBATE: ($20.00)
GRAND TOTAL: $847.83

That's with 8GB RAM.

With 4GB you can be at $757 plus another $20 rebate with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227558
That puts you at just about the point where you can fit a second 460 GTX into the budget right off the bat.

 

[Sp12]

This is either amazing or stupid. A value-segment AM3 Hydra board, which does Sli, Crossfire, and mixed setups.

Only issue is the price and 710 southbridge, although it does have both USB and Sata 3 anyways.

Regardless, I wouldn't be putting a dual-core into a gaming build, I'd get the 955 quad if I'm on a budget/didn't want to overclock, or the 1055t if I was keeping it for a while/wanted to OC.

 

[mfenn]

This is either amazing or stupid. A value-segment AM3 Hydra board, which does Sli, Crossfire, and mixed setups.

Only issue is the price and 710 southbridge, although it does have both USB and Sata 3 anyways.

Regardless, I wouldn't be putting a dual-core into a gaming build, I'd get the 955 quad if I'm on a budget/didn't want to overclock, or the 1055t if I was keeping it for a while/wanted to OC.

Unless Lucid has really improved their drivers in the past 6 months, it's stupid.

 

[mfenn]

That case is a bit ridiculous. It has sooo many openings that there's no point to it even having sides.
You might as well get a $25 case and leave it open.

Here

TOTAL: $862.91
SHIPPING: $4.92
REBATE: ($20.00)
GRAND TOTAL: $847.83

That's with 8GB RAM.

With 4GB you can be at $757 plus another $20 rebate with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227558
That puts you at just about the point where you can fit a second 460 GTX into the budget right off the bat.

I would be a little iffy on 2 GTX 460's paired with a OCZ 600W. I also think the OP would be better off with a 955 and 4GB of RAM, especially since the memory is so easy to upgrade down the line.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Regardless, I wouldn't be putting a dual-core into a gaming build,

The Phenom II X2 550 is unlockable.
Even if it doesn't unlock, the dual-core is right up there with the quad-core in gaming.

I would be a little iffy on 2 GTX 460's paired with a OCZ 600W.

Actually neither mine nor the one OP chose have four 6 pin connectors. Both have ~50A on the 12 volt rail(s). (The OCZ has two while the corsair has one)

Didn't spend much time looking around but:

 

[mfenn]

The Phenom II X2 550 is potentially unlockable.
Even if it doesn't unlock, the dual-core is right up there with the quad-core in gaming.

Added an important caveat. Today, the dual-core will be up there with the quad-core, but games are becoming more and more multithreaded.

 

[Sp12]

Unless Lucid has really improved their drivers in the past 6 months, it's stupid.

I imagine 6 months is a lot of time, but couldn't find any reviews so I'm going to go for a no.

Dualcores aren't really up there in a lot of games. A lot of newer games (BFBC2, GTA4, RTSs) are significantly better on quad cores, and the trend can only go one way.

Think back the the Q6600 vs E8400 debate (when they were the same price), the quad, although slower, is able to provide a good gaming experience still, while the 8400 is often a bottleneck with modern systems. I even think that hexacore (especially in terms of value and longevity) isn't a bad choice if you're willing to OC it.

 

[thinbalion]

Honestly for the price difference I would rather go with the 955. It's not like I would be paying that much more for it, and it is within my budget.

Also, my thinking behind the full tower, was to get a case that would last me a while, and one in which I could expand as desired in the future. For the value/features the Azza case was the best I could find. It also seems to be a little smaller than other full tower cases i.e. HAF 932.

My primary concern is the motherboard, as it is a very important component, and I don't want to get something that will die on me, or be unstable. But at the same time I would like to eventually use SLI.

As far as tried and tested technology this seems to limit me to three options:

ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard @ $139.99
MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard @ $159.99
MSI NF750-G55 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard @ $99.99

I really don't need 3 way SLI, and the Asus board doesn't seem to be that much better, hence my choice.

So this boils down as follows, is there something I'm missing in quality between those three boards, that may change my decision. Also, is two-way SLI even a good choice on an AMD based system, because of the nForce chipset that seem to be buggy.

 

[thinbalion]

Unless Lucid has really improved their drivers in the past 6 months, it's stupid.

That looks awesome, except for the issue with drivers... I think I would rather err on the side of caution and go with the tried and tested.

Also I can't seem to find any reviews on this board online.

 

[Sp12]

A P55 system would have the same components except for the CPU/mobo.

i5-760 210$
MSI mobo 105$ AR

315 vs. 250 for an AMD build, but you do get higher performance from the i5 regardless.

I found one review of the 870 fuzion and it was terrible (the review, not the board) -- they didn't even use the latest drivers/test actual games.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Also, my thinking behind the full tower, was to get a case that would last me a while, and one in which I could expand as desired in the future.

You would probably get rid of a full tower long before a mid tower because it's stupidly oversized for any sane usage patterns.
It has NINETEEN drive bays. In what universe are you going to end up with nineteen drives into your computer?

 

[thinbalion]

You would probably get rid of a full tower long before a mid tower because it's stupidly oversized for any sane usage patterns.
It has NINETEEN drive bays. In what universe are you going to end up with nineteen drives into your computer?

You're absolutely right I will never use nineteen drive bays.

However, I would like a case that gives me some space to work with, and also has a side panel window. Granted there are mid-towers that can accommodate that, i.e. larger mid-towers. But those tend to be something like the Antec Nine Hundred, and then we're talking comparable price.

There may well be something better out there, but I would prefer something a little flashier than APEX SK-503-C. It's vain I know, but I'd like to have a rig I like to look at, not just use.

That aside I agree nineteen drive bays is ridiculous, but I'm not certain I can get better value for what I'm interested in there.

 

[DominionSeraph]

You're absolutely right I will never use nineteen drive bays.

However, I would like a case that gives me some space to work with, and also has a side panel window. Granted there are mid-towers that can accommodate that, i.e. larger mid-towers. But those tend to be something like the Antec Nine Hundred, and then we're talking comparable price.

There may well be something better out there, but I would prefer something a little flashier than APEX SK-503-C. It's vain I know, but I'd like to have a rig I like to look at, not just use.

That aside I agree nineteen drive bays is ridiculous, but I'm not certain I can get better value for what I'm interested in there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811517003

Rice.
$49.99
$25 rebate
Free shipping

But when I see rice, I think, "Virgin."
And when I see 4 or 5 fans in a case with more holes than metal, I think, "Blow dryer."

I'm sitting here with a computer with no case fans running at 30C in an 82F room. The thing's practically silent. If I were to cover the side in steel mesh it would kill the natural convection while doing nothing for any internal noise. So what's the point of a mesh case?

 

[thinbalion]

A P55 system would have the same components except for the CPU/mobo.

i5-760 210$
MSI mobo 105$ AR

315 vs. 250 for an AMD build, but you do get higher performance from the i5 regardless.

I found one review of the 870 fuzion and it was terrible (the review, not the board) -- they didn't even use the latest drivers/test actual games.

Yeah I've been debating just going with the i5 instead, but have had trouble finding a cheap SLI capable board. The link you provided doesn't work for me...

 

[thinbalion]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811517003

Rice.
$49.99
$25 rebate
Free shipping

Ok this does give me something to think about, with the rebate this cuts cost by 2/3. It just doesn't seem to be all that sturdy, but either way it is another option, and it would allow me to spend those dollars elsewhere. Certainly something for me to think about.

 

[Sp12]

Yeah I've been debating just going with the i5 instead, but have had trouble finding a cheap SLI capable board. The link you provided doesn't work for me...

That's the crappy redirect system Anandtech uses. It's the 'MSI-P55A-G55'.

 

[betasub]

I'm sitting here with a computer with no case fans running at 30C in an 82F room. The thing's practically silent. If I were to cover the side in steel mesh it would kill the natural convection while doing nothing for any internal noise. So what's the point of a mesh case?

I presume that your room ambient is lower than your CPU(?) temperature, but can't be sure... why the hell have you switched between two different scales when one would be much easier for comparisons?

 

[DominionSeraph]

i5-760 210$
MSI mobo 105$ AR

Oh yes, this.
AMD owns the ~$100 market, but once you get much above that, Intel is the much better choice.

I presume that your room ambient is lower than your CPU(?) temperature, but can't be sure... why the hell have you switched between two different scales when one would be much easier for comparisons?

Because my computer monitoring is in Celsius and my room thermostat is in Fahrenheit?

 

[betasub]

Because my computer monitoring is in Celsius and my room thermostat is in Fahrenheit?

And neither have dual scales (or a software option to change)? Never the twain shall meet.

 

[Sp12]

I went to Japan recently, and have finally figured out how to interpret both temperature systems. 30C is like 85ish.

And I have to say C>>>F. I also realized how ridiculously hot my computer can get.

Also, the i5 is definitely the better gaming chip for right now, but I imagine at some point a year or two in the future the X6 will be better for games as they become multithreaded.