Building a graphics/gaming machine

cmmenke

Member
Aug 23, 2010
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Hey guys, got referred here by a friend, I'm trying to byuld a gaming, graphics computer, and i was gonna go(good GFX card and all, but he said it would be smarter to et an SSD and an okay graphics card...just wondering if you guys could give me links to parts i would need for a great gaming/graphics compy. i have around 900 dollars...and i don't need a case, nor a power supply


1. Im gonna use it for gaming and graphic design, only photoshop

2. my budget is around $900, less would be nice

3. America, IL

4. I just enjoy good product, the brand doesn't matter at all. I trust you guys

5. I have no current parts, just gonna get a case from a friend

6. i have not searched much

7. I have no idea how to overclock, but i have heard the increase can be 17%, which is amazing

8. i plan to game with the resolution that best fits my screen, 22" viewsonic

9. ASAP
 
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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Please answer these questions so that we can help you better.
PLEASE when you POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.


The above information IS NEEDED, in order that WE can help YOU make wise judgments on YOUR purchases :laugh:

Also, can you elaborate on what exactly you mean by "gaming/graphics" (ie. tell us what programs you want to run)?
 

betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,677
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8. i plan to game with the resolution that best fits my screen, 22" viewsonic

'22" viewsonic' is not a resolution. Please state the native resolution of your screen (e.g. 1680x1050, or 1920x1080, etc).
 

genmaken

Junior Member
Aug 18, 2010
2
0
0
If you already have a case, make sure the power supply can handle your new computer.

Regarding hardware, I'd say SSD is still to expensive. If you really need speed get two SATA drives and either setup RAID0 or move the pagefile and temp folders to the 2nd HDD.

Make sure you get at least 4GB of RAM and install a 64-bit OS.

As for Processor/Graphics you can check the current benchmarks and decide. Just make sure they're balanced (don't get a crap processor + high end card).
 

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
6,278
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0
Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 / AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz: $211

GSkill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $130

OCZ Vertex SSD: $120 (before $20 rebate)

Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB: $55

That's $496 so far after rebate.

This Samsung optical drive is $18 and Win7 64-bit is $100.

Not sure if you need a PSU --- Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W is $80 with Promo Code EMCYWNR44 before $20 rebate (valid till 11:59pm PT 08/24/2010).

Toss in the Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB for $145 (before $15 rebate) and off you go ...




--
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 / AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz: $211

GSkill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $130

OCZ Vertex SSD: $120 (before $20 rebate)

Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB: $55

That's $496 so far after rebate.

This Samsung optical drive is $18 and Win7 64-bit is $100.

Not sure if you need a PSU --- Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W is $80 with Promo Code EMCYWNR44 before $20 rebate (valid till 11:59pm PT 08/24/2010).

Toss in the Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB for $145 (before $15 rebate) and off you go ...




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This looks pretty good, but I would say that this 955 combo is a better deal at $228. You could also go down to 4GB or up to 8GB depending on how intensive your photoshopping is.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
Well, that card has positive reviews, and PALIT isn't a bad brand. It's a better card than the one mentioned above. "sapphier radeon 5770"

You can upgrade your card without doing a reinstall.. Not quite the same story for your OS drive. I'd make sure you get a quality SSD card. Get a really good one if you can afford it.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
mfenn.. isnt 60GB is a bit small to make it worth getting??. He wouldn't be able to do much with it.. Maybe install a few games, and some videos.. I'd say get at least 128GB to really make it worth it..
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
mfenn.. isnt 60GB is a bit small to make it worth getting??. He wouldn't be able to do much with it.. Maybe install a few games, and some videos.. I'd say get at least 128GB to really make it worth it..

60GB is plenty IMHO as long as you're disciplined. One this you're NOT going to be doing with an SSD is putting 100 games and blu-ray rips. That's what multi-TB HDD's are for. ;)
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
True.. I just see it that if he's going to install a few games, some media softare, work with some videos, etc.. he could chew that space up quick.. If budget is an issue, I'd personally err on a slightly slower SSD with more space. I'd get annoyed with having to move stuff around all the time.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
the reviews aren't as strong as the PALIT card... not saying the PALIT is better, just that it has a better review avg.
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
The fact still remains that the aforementioned Palit is a GTX465. Much like the 5830, they just aren't good cards. They're neutered versions of of the 480 and 5870, and as such simply run hot and waste a lot of power in exchange for not that much power.

At $200ish, a GTX 460.

MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5OC 1GB for about $215 shipped with coupon. Not the hottest deal, but still a good choice for you.

Current Price: $234.99
Price after $25 Coupon Code FYL5221 = $209.99
Coupon Code expires on 8/26
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
The fact still remains that the aforementioned Palit is a GTX465. Much like the 5830, they just aren't good cards. They're neutered versions of of the 480 and 5870, and as such simply run hot and waste a lot of power in exchange for not that much power.

At $200ish, a GTX 460.

MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5OC 1GB for about $215 shipped with coupon. Not the hottest deal, but still a good choice for you.

Current Price: $234.99
Price after $25 Coupon Code FYL5221 = $209.99
Coupon Code expires on 8/26

:thumbsup: What I came in here to post. A higher model number is not always better.
 

cmmenke

Member
Aug 23, 2010
153
0
0
All done guys, ended up at 794.03,

didn't end up needing a power supply...now do i need to order any cables? i think we have surplus at the studio, just wanna make sure
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
The only "loose" cables that you should need are SATA cables. Look at the "what comes in the box" picture on Newegg and count the number of cables. You'll obviously need 1 per HDD, SSD, or ODD.
 

cmmenke

Member
Aug 23, 2010
153
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Ordered everything, just wondering about overclocking, will i need a different heat sink for the processor?

I have an extra $100 left over, any little pieces that will make a big difference(fans, heatsinks..etc etc)
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
Stock HSF will be fine unless you do plan to overclock, live in an absurdly warm ambient environment, or are concered with noise.
 

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
6,278
0
0
Not sure where yah ended up ... fenn had a great suggestion on the 955 combo (I can't help it if I'm frugal :D )

Without the 'patch' (which I do not know how well it works) you will not be able to run 2 x nVidia cards --- for the money you were looking to spend you might have gone to an HD5850 for $270.

IIRC, you would be looking at 310w at the wall at load with the HD5850 (if the jam on the PSU is of any concern).

The 460 should be a hair less than 300w --- and the 465 is like GTFOH (350w+)




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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Looks good!

You will be able to OC a decent bit with a quality 600W PSU. The stock CPU HSF that comes with the Phenom isn't that great for overclocking, so you would need a new one. Something like the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is good for a mild OC, whereas a Hyper 212+ is good for a more aggressive OC. I'm not familiar with the overclocking abilities of that particular GTX 460.

As for the SSD, actually you'll want to turn defragging OFF because it does nothing for an SSD but wear it out faster. One thing you can do is manually TRIM the spare blocks (via OCZ's wiper.exe). TRIM is not quite the same as defragging, but it serves the same purpose. Anand's SSD Relapse is a good place to start learning about the inner workings of SSDs.