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New Gaming PC @ $1500. Comments needed

A

Atherakhia

Member
Hey all,

I've done some research on this forum and elsewhere and have worked up a 'first draft' for a new gaming PC I want to build. Some of the components I already have, so won't be buying replacements. The rest of my current PC will be converted into an HTPC.

I'm dealing in the US, I do a lot of gaming and graphics work using adobe products mostly. A lot of what I have chosen was from the thread stickied above, but it is something like 10 months old, so I don't know if it's still relevant? I also don't intend to OC the system. SLI/XFire option in the distant future, but not for awhile.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I also have some questions below the list if you guys could help me with.

Case: Antec 900 (Already own)
PSU: Antec TPQ-850w (Already own)


Monitor: Dell 2209WA

CPU: i7-Bloomsfield 920
MB: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.324968)


GPU: Sapphire 100282SR Radeon HD 5850

(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102857)


RAM: GSKILL 6gb (3x2gb) DDR3
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231230)


HDD1: SSD, but don't know about the X25-M vs. the X25-V.
HDD2: WD Caviar Black 1TB
HDD3: WD Raptor 150gb (Already Own)




1.) With the motherboard, what is the real difference between the GA-EX58-UD5 and the GA-X58A-UD5? Is it just the USB3.0? Would you suggest one over the other?


2.) Since I don't plan to overclock this, and the case I have has a lot of fan slots on it, do you think the stock fan that comes with the CPU is fine? Or should I invest in a higher end one? Any suggestions?


3.) I haven't looked at monitors for about 6 months or so now. Is the Dell 2209WA still a reasonably good deal? I don't really see the need in going over 22", but if it's a marginal price increase I don't necessarily see the harm in it either. Any suggestions on the monitor?



4.) I haven't seen much discussion about the Intel X25-M and the X25-V SSD. Is there a significant difference between the 2 to pay roughly $100 for 20gig? I'd probably use the SSD primarily for the OS and non-game applications. Is there any real advantage to putting games on this drive too? I figure 40-60g should be enough for Win7, Adobe Suite, and things of that nature.


Were there any other things I need to consider?



Any help you all can give on this is much appreciated. It's a bit over $1500 which is ok, but I also had wanted to fit some HTPC stuff into my budget to use some of my older components with. But this system is more important if you all can't help me shave off some.



 
If you are getting an SSD, I would definitely pick the M over the V. I don't think 40gb is sufficient for a lot of gaming and many other apps installed. Not sure if I'd spend that money on an SSD, tbh. I know the difference is like night and day, but I would just prefer an Eyefinity setup. Perhaps you could just stick with your drives and pick up more monitors? Up to you though.

Definitely get an aftermarket for the i7. That chip can get pretty hot (at least for my tastes), so pick up a cheap, quiet aftermarket if you don't plan on overclocking (Mugen2, CNPS10X, etc).

Dunno about any performance differences, but I wouldn't factor in USB/SATA 3.0, since it'll take a while to become mainstream, so maybe you can save a bit to get monitors + SSD by picking a cheaper, CFX/SLI capable motherboard (I doubt you'll ever get to Tri-SLI or Tri-fire).
 
Do most people who get SSD use them for both their OS and gaming? Or do they stick just their OS and applications on them and leave their games elsewhere?

Does it kind of defeat the purpose in buying an SSD if you don't game from it?

And do you have any suggestions for the motherboard? I highly doubt I'll ever use 3 or 4 gpus. Even 2 I'm not sure about as the games I tend to play aren't that intensive.

typically I go such large gaps in upgrades when I can't run something anymore, I need more then just a second GPU to compensate.
 
MSI 790FX-GD70 790FX / Phenom 965BE C3: $328


edit: X58 or AMD 790FX provide protection going forward with X16/x16 PCIe for dual GPU configs. At best with todays rigs x16/x16 provides a 5% boost over x8/x8.

It would be safe to assume that future texture-ladened games and video cards will increase that margin somewhat.


edit again:

I have come to the conclusion that for a few extra bucks buying 2 Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1Gb cards may better position your gaming.

In a year or so you will be able to sell the cards individually and recoup a good bit of your cash to put toward 'Native Island' from AMD or 28/32nm Fermi ....



--
 
Last edited:
Atherakhia said:
Do most people who get SSD use them for both their OS and gaming? Or do they stick just their OS and applications on them and leave their games elsewhere?

Does it kind of defeat the purpose in buying an SSD if you don't game from it?

And do you have any suggestions for the motherboard? I highly doubt I'll ever use 3 or 4 gpus. Even 2 I'm not sure about as the games I tend to play aren't that intensive.

typically I go such large gaps in upgrades when I can't run something anymore, I need more then just a second GPU to compensate.
Click to expand...

WRT SSDs and gaming. Gaming is NOT the place where SSDs excel. SSDs are excellent for general use because their random reads and writes are about an order of magnitude faster than a traditional HDD. This makes a world of difference in general system "snappiness" (logging in, opening/closing programs, etc) and multitasking. Games, however, generally do not touch the disk except during the loading screen. SSDs can make a difference in loading speeds, but that's about it.

With that in mind: If this PC will be solely used for gaming, then don't bother with an SSD. If this PC your primary PC and will thus be used for gaming, content creation, and general use/web browsing, then an SSD is a no-brainer at your budget. Get the X25-m 80gb and install your OS, content creation suite, and general apps on it. Use the 1TB black for games.
 
The 4870 isn't DX11 though so I'm not sure I'd go with that. Especially with some of the games coming out.

And yea, this is a primary desktop for me. Gaming, Adobe, light 3D rendering, etc.

How does the Intel SSD compare to the OCZ ones? They appear the same just going from the specifications, but the OCZ is closer priced to the V's.

I've also seen that PhenomII suggested a lot around these parts. Is that AMD's direct competitor to the i7s? Or is it a generation behind?
 
Last edited:
Atherakhia said:
The 4870 isn't DX11 though so I'm not sure I'd go with that. Especially with some of the games coming out.

And yea, this is a primary desktop for me. Gaming, Adobe, light 3D rendering, etc.

How does the Intel SSD compare to the OCZ ones? They appear the same just going from the specifications, but the OCZ is closer priced to the V's.

I've also seen that PhenomII suggested a lot around these parts. Is that AMD's direct competitor to the i7s? Or is it a generation behind?
Click to expand...

I hate to offer this blasphemy but I suspect overall adoption of DX11 to be painfully slow for any number of reasons (the economy, Fermi being so late, nVidia not pumping so much cash into game dev, etc.). Hardware dev is outpacing the software side 'big time'.

i7 shines in highly parallel apps like video encoding. The massive rush (or lack thereof) for games to properly use 4 cores (much less the 4 additional 'HT' threads) has been painfully slow. Fast dual cores (such as the e8XXXs or Phenom 5XXs) are still quite formidable in gaming.

If you go with the i7 920 I believe it is generally accepted you should disable the HT when gaming.




--
 
So if you were going to make a side by side comparison between AMD's PhenomII and Intel, what CPU compares to it?

I'm going to try and do a little more reading up on it this evening and see if I can work out a Phenom build. I'll probably still go with the 5850 though simply because I want the DX11 support as several of the games I play and a couple I'm looking forward to will probably be better served with it.

So the above combo you mentioned, 4-6gig ram (depending on deals), and the 5850 a good backbone for a gaming PC to take me into 2012? This way I'll have more money to invest in a nicer monitor and the SSD drive.
 
The X58A-UD5 is about the same board as X58A-UD3R with the exception of dual ethernet. So, I am not sure if it is worth the exra cash. You can ofcourse just go ahead and get the x58a-ud5 since in your budget.
 
Atherakhia said:
The 4870 isn't DX11 though so I'm not sure I'd go with that. Especially with some of the games coming out.

And yea, this is a primary desktop for me. Gaming, Adobe, light 3D rendering, etc.

How does the Intel SSD compare to the OCZ ones? They appear the same just going from the specifications, but the OCZ is closer priced to the V's.

I've also seen that PhenomII suggested a lot around these parts. Is that AMD's direct competitor to the i7s? Or is it a generation behind?
Click to expand...

The 30GB Vertex is faster than the x25-v, but the 60gb Vertex is slower than the x25-m.
 
Was going to microcenter's website and I found out there's actually one in Maryland. On their website they list the i7-920 for 199. Despite what people say, is there any real reason not to get it when the Phenom 965 costs $20 less and the 860 costs $20 more?

I didn't see a good selection of ram for the 920 on their site, and the mobo's seem on the lower end (but still asus and gigabyte). I'm thinking about making the ride up there tomorrow to get stuff.

Should I still consider the PhenomII 965?
 
Get a Supertalent SSD 128gb There about the fastest mlc thats not pci no problems with mine love it, Ebay has them for 320.99 and use bing cash back for some savings

http://cgi.ebay.com/SuperTalent-128GB-UltraDrive-Solid-State-Drive-SSD_W0QQitemZ250578163234QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item3a579f5622


  • Mfr Part Number: FTM28GX25H
  • Capacity: 128 GB
  • Form Factor: 2.5 inch
  • Interface: SATA2
  • NAND Flash: MLC
  • Power Supply: 5.0V ±5%
  • Shock: 1500G (operating)
  • Vibration: 16G (operating)
  • Operating temperature: 0°C to +70°C
  • Performance:
    • Sequential Read Rate: 260 MB/s (max)
    • Sequential Write Rate: 195 MB/s (max)
    • Access Time: 0.1 ms
 
Atherakhia said:
Was going to microcenter's website and I found out there's actually one in Maryland. On their website they list the i7-920 for 199. Despite what people say, is there any real reason not to get it when the Phenom 965 costs $20 less and the 860 costs $20 more?

I didn't see a good selection of ram for the 920 on their site, and the mobo's seem on the lower end (but still asus and gigabyte). I'm thinking about making the ride up there tomorrow to get stuff.

Should I still consider the PhenomII 965?
Click to expand...

For gaming the 965 is fine. It's not even in the same class as an i7 in any other benchmark.

$199 920 from Microcenter is a good deal. Also, remember that Microcenter will pricematch Newegg, so you might be able to pick up some more stuff from them. Its always nice to be able to do an exchange locally instead of having to RMA.
 
Sorry, didn't follow you there mfenn. You were saying that the 965 wasn't even in the same league as the i7's right? As in the i7 is a no brainer if I can afford it etc?
 
Alright, I've put together a new build and would love to get some input on this. I have everything I need but the video card since they don't have any 5850 or 5870s on microcenter's website that I could find. It will end up being a little over budget unless I skimp on the video card and get a 5770 which I may do.

CPU: i7-920
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0302727

MOBO: GA-X58A-UD3R
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327331

RAM: OCZ Gold XTC 6gb DDR3-1600
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0301254

Cooler: Dark Knight S1283v (Didn't have the mugen2 on site)
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0307055

HDD1: 80g X25-M
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327003

HDD2: 1TB WD Caviar Black OEM
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0311639

Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX-1
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327221

TOTAL: $1280.41

Still need a video card though. I'll probably have to get that from another company.

Anything you guys see wrong with this set up?
 
Atherakhia said:
Sorry, didn't follow you there mfenn. You were saying that the 965 wasn't even in the same league as the i7's right? As in the i7 is a no brainer if I can afford it etc?
Click to expand...

I'm saying that if you want to save money, and your primary focus is gaming, then there isn't THAT much difference between a 965 and an i7. This is because games are still mostly GPU-limited.

In other tasks, the i7 really gets to stretch its legs and blows the 965 away.
 
Atherakhia said:
Alright, I've put together a new build and would love to get some input on this. I have everything I need but the video card since they don't have any 5850 or 5870s on microcenter's website that I could find. It will end up being a little over budget unless I skimp on the video card and get a 5770 which I may do.

CPU: i7-920
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0302727

MOBO: GA-X58A-UD3R
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327331

RAM: OCZ Gold XTC 6gb DDR3-1600
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0301254

Cooler: Dark Knight S1283v (Didn't have the mugen2 on site)
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0307055

HDD1: 80g X25-M
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327003

HDD2: 1TB WD Caviar Black OEM
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0311639

Monitor: Samsung 2343BWX-1
http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0327221

TOTAL: $1280.41

Still need a video card though. I'll probably have to get that from another company.

Anything you guys see wrong with this set up?
Click to expand...

Yeah that looks fine. It looks like Microcenter doesn't have any 5850's on their website for some reason. It might be worthwhile to call the store and see if they have any. MC will pricematch Newegg, so you would be OK on price. If not, just order a 5850 from the egg. You could get the Mugen 2 there as well (although it appears to be out-of-stock at the moment).
 
Thanks webfab. I'm not willing to go with another MB brand then Asus, Gigabyte, and Abit. As for the hard drive, a lot of people here have been saying the intel hard drives are the best on the market and I think I'll trust their advice and splurge a little there.
 
Can you get a P55-mobo and Core i7 860 for less money? If you're not going dual-gpu (and even if you would), a Core i7 860 beats the crap out of a core i7 920.

The only negative setback is that a Core i7 860 only supports 16 pci-e lanes. So two vidcards would run in x8/x8 modus, which is actually still enough for two HD 5870's. The turbo-modus from the 860 means that the cpu will be a LOT faster in games/apps that only use 2 cores, instead of all 4. And even if all 4 cores are used, the 860 is clocked higher then the 920.

Cheapest P55-mobo i can find with dual x8 slots would be the GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA. If you're certain you'll never go dual-gpu, you could pick up this one for just $100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=AFC-C8Junction&AID=10446076&PID=3332167&SID=

Or this one for $120 with usb 3.0: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128425&cm_re=p55-_-13-128-425-_-Product

Oh and heck, check this EVGA-mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-060-_-Product

It's dirtcheap after rebate, dual pci-e slots, and EVGA is solid quality.

So spend more on better cpu, spend less on cheaper mobo, and get more performance for free 🙂
 
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