New System

[MikeLin]

Hello, this is my first system that I am building. I am open to tips, hints, opinions, and/or criticism.

System Wishes: Hopefully run Skyrim on at least mid-high settings.

Budget: 500-600$

PSU
http://www.techbargains.com/news_d [...] cfm/292194
(Cooler Master GX Series RS750 750W 80PLUS Bronze [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important]Power[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] Supply)

GPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] _-14102948 - Video
(SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card)

RAM
http://www.techbargains.com/news_d [...] cfm/291980
(Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 Desktop Memory)


CPU


http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/292596http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0382798
AMD x6

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131767
([COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important]ASUS[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS)

Already Have:
Western Digital Hardrive: 320GB, SATA 3 Gb/s

Mid Size Case

HP Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824176112

HP - LCD - 20 inch - VGA - DVI - With Speakers - 1600 x 900 - 16:9 - 5 ms response - With Tilt - With Swivel - 300 cd/m²

Again, please reply with any comments.

Total: $470

If there are better options or deals please let me know

 

[fralexandr]

skyrim is dual core optimized, if this computer is only for skyrim, i'd recommend going with a core i3.

for a single 6870, you'll only need a ~400W PSU

 

[MikeLin]

skyrim is dual core optimized, if this computer is only for skyrim, i'd recommend going with a core i3.

for a single 6870, you'll only need a ~400W PSU

Even though Intel is more powerful then AMD CPUs, I think that AMD CPUs are worth dollar per dollar. 6 core may seem kind of overkill but this system is a gaming pc for me in the long run. Currently I am also looking at a quad core CPU (Phenom II x 4) in microcenter for only 10$ less then the x6 one.

Furthermore, when I said Skyrim, I used that game as a reference because I am trying to build a pc that could play Skyrim on at least mid-low settings, maybe even ultra.

Question: If I decide to Crossfire later on, is the 750W PSU enough?

 

[fralexandr]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...enewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/20
xfired 6870 should be fine, 650W would even be enough
it's not recommended to go this route though, since games are starting to approach 1gb vram.
it's recommended to just upgrade to something like the 7870 instead of crossfiring a 1gb card

you should probably get a hsf like the cm hyper 212+
so you can overclock the phenom II x6 to 3.0+ for gaming then
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html
as you can see from that chart a core i3 >> phenom II x6, which is why i recommended it to begin with

i would've recommended the i5 2550k at microcenter for $150AR but i don't think it's still going on

 

[MikeLin]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...enewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/20
xfired 6870 should be fine, 650W would even be enough
it's not recommended to go this route though, since games are starting to approach 1gb vram.
it's recommended to just upgrade to something like the 7870 instead of crossfiring a 1gb card

you should probably get a hsf like the cm hyper 212+
so you can overclock the phenom II x6 to 3.0+ for gaming then
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html
as you can see from that chart a core i3 >> phenom II x6, which is why i recommended it to begin with

i would've recommended the i5 2550k at microcenter for $150AR but i don't think it's still going on

CPU:
Wow. I never thought about comparing Intel and AMD graphics cards until you gave me that link lol; Still kinda hard to believe a i3. x2 can beat a AMD x6.
Ok so if I am willing to spend the extra money for a i5 which of these would you guys recommend. And will the CPU meet future demands for gaming(a rough guess is fine)?
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?N=4294966995+4294932574

If I do not crossfire GPUs in future upgrades, 600W PSU is a safe zone right or do I really just need 500W?

 

[immattobrien]

Even though Intel is more powerful then AMD CPUs, I think that AMD CPUs are worth dollar per dollar. 6 core may seem kind of overkill but this system is a gaming pc for me in the long run. Currently I am also looking at a quad core CPU (Phenom II x 4) in microcenter for only 10$ less then the x6 one.

Furthermore, when I said Skyrim, I used that game as a reference because I am trying to build a pc that could play Skyrim on at least mid-low settings, maybe even ultra.

Question: If I decide to Crossfire later on, is the 750W PSU enough?

I have same problem in playing skyrim, my settings is on low-level. Should it be more on graphics? or just with the processor and memory, though im using core i5.

What would the possible changes to do?

thanks!

 

[MikeLin]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102908
Also any thoughts on this card? Its Stream Processing Units is slower by 160, but everything else looks like the same.

 

[fralexandr]

yeah the 600w is just to provide a safety buffer, since PSUs degrade a bit over time
the i5 would probably be good for a few to maybe even several years

the 6850 will be ~ 10-15% slower than the 6870 @ 1600x900
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/8

-----
immattobrien, what GPU are you using, and at what screen resolution?
www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide/
tweakguides is nice for seeing which graphics settings have a low performance loss

with an i5 though, you definitely need a new GPU if you can't run the game higher than low settings (assuming you're not gaming on 2560x1600 or something)

 

[MikeLin]

yeah the 600w is just to provide a safety buffer, since PSUs degrade a bit over time
the i5 would probably be good for a few to maybe even several years

the 6850 will be ~ 10-15% slower than the 6870 @ 1600x900
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/8

-----
immattobrien, what GPU are you using, and at what screen resolution?
www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide/
tweakguides is nice for seeing which graphics settings have a low performance loss

with an i5 though, you definitely need a new GPU if you can't run the game higher than low settings (assuming you're not gaming on 2560x1600 or something)

Yesterday after I did a little bit of research I found the AMD FX-4170 (4.2 Ghz) on newegg. And after I read the reviews on it I kinda gave up on it because its such a new CPU and some said that it cannot run with Windows 7 or any OS in the market.

Currently I have bought the FX-4100 (3.6 Ghz) for 100$ at Microcenter, and I think its better then the i5s on the market unless I missed something. Also, Microcenter had a combo bundle with the ASUS M5A97 AM3+ ATX motherboard with the cpu and the mb only costs 35$.

Also, I bought the Kingston 8GB GDDR3 -1333 RAM for 30$.

I think these are good deals, but not totally sure.

 

[MikeLin]

Last Thoughts on GPU or PSU:
Already Bought or Have:
CPU: FX-4100 $100
Mb: ASUS M5A97 $35
RAM: 8GB Kingston [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important]DDR3[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR]-1333 $30
Hard Drive
CD Drive

Maybe Getting Tonight (Please give me confirmation if its a good deal and/or if it fits)(Pricing is AFTER rebates and promo):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371044 ( $41)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102948 ($152)