Noobie's First Project - Will address all questions critics need.

[Nietzsche-san]

I perused the different forums and couldn't find one for "building," so I picked this one; if this is the wrong sub-forum, just let me know! 😛


Power: Rosewill 1000W Bronze Series - $130

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182188


Processor: AMD Phenom II 3.2 Gz X6 (HEXACORE, HELL YEA!) - $229

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-849-_-Product

Motherboard: MSI 790gx AMD ATX AMD Motherboard - $125

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130224

Ram - Gskill 4GB 240-pin DDR3 1333 - $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID=


Graphics - GIGABYTE HD RADEON 5770 1GB GDDR5- $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125327


or


MSI NGeForce GTX460 (Fermi) 768 mb GDDR5 - $170

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo


Kick-ass Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147153 - $55






How does this look? I plan to play Starcraft 2, Civ IV, Left for Dead 2 and maybe a benchmark game or two. Max settings no hiccup play on a 20" LCD Monitor, 1600x900 Resolution?


My budget is about $650-750, so recommendations should stay within that range. Plan on building computer after purchasing parts during Black Friday. If I need to wait some time since price of build increases, I'll do so.


I already have a DVD Drive and a decent Hard-drive.



I plan on using NewEgg for most/all of my parts.



I am not currently a fanboy, as I am new to the PC gaming world.



Should be enough info!

Gracias!

 

[fffblackmage]

You'll get better performance out of an i5-760 than an AMD hexcore for gaming.

790GX is overpriced. 770, 785G, 870 are cheaper (under $100) and will do just fine.

1000W is waaaaay overkill. A good 500W PSU is more than enough, even a good 400W PSU is suitable. Brands I would go with include Antec, Corsair, Enermax, or Seasonic PSUs.

 

[superccs]

would rec this board over the 790gx board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-269-_-Product

Mine runs a 1055T OC'ed 3.8Ghz very well.

The money you save could get you a 460GTX 1Gb cyclone as well.

 

[Davidh373]

woe... 1000W... what are we powering? a spaceship? maybe 2? lol, but in all seriousness for a X6/GTX460 build I would recommend a 650W max. If it's for gaming I'd recommend an i5 / 1156 motherboard. I would also recommend an Antec 300 case. If you decide on the i5 you can probably go lower than 650W

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-042-_-Product

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-035-_-Product

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-067-_-Product

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-256-_-Product

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-274-_-Product

Graphics
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-326-_-Product

SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-550-_-Product

1TB Storage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

These are the parts I frequently recommend with a few occasional brand changes based on what's the best deal.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

I actually had planned on going I5, but having seen that Hexacore, I was just amazed by numbers...noob huh?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...D=3332167&SID=


This is a combo for a motherboard and the I5, not bad?


I first thought of the 1000W, because a friend told me to be safe! Haha, but I will definitely heed your advice!

But taking your advice and possibly subbing parts based on your recommendations, would I achieve the goal I listed in my intro? (Starcraft 2 max, maybe Crisis on high with a decent FPS? WoW on all settings max with good FPS even in the middle of a 25 man raid?)

 

[mfenn]

You should definitely cut a bunch of money out of the PSU (get something like the S12II 520W for $60) and spend that additional $70 on upgrading to a 6870.

EDIT: That combo is pretty damn good. That would be much better than the Phenom II X6.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

Yummm, I want that, especially since it'll be cheaper around Black Friday...


Now two questions: Why is

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID=

better than

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153 ???



I'm also wondering how to compare graphics cards, since the different brands have different qualities (For stream processors, GeForce calls them "Processor cores")


So that 6870 vs something like - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID=


Again, thank you all for the information 🙂


(520W can handle that graphics card and everything else? Interesting..._

 

[Davidh373]

Now two questions: Why is

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID=

better than

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147153 ???

Well before, for me anyway, the link to the case was broken. The challenger is great, except I prefer the Antec. It's just one that is widely used from a reputable brand.

The 465 is actually identical (sometimes even worse) in benchmarks compared to the 460 1GB. As for the 6870, it is better than the 460 1GB, but also more expensive. As of right now everything between the Radeon 6850 (low end) and the Geforce 580 (High end) are priced in line with performance with exception to two cards, the Geforce 465, and the Radeon 5830. Both of these cards were rushed out to meet the demand for a midrange GPU, and were poorly designed. I tend to like the 460 1GB for lower/midrange, the 5870 for straight midrange, The 470 for high/midrange, and tend to have the belief that high end GPUs are a waste.

As for the 470, It would require a 650W PSU, as for the others, the 520W mfenn recommended.

To address your question, the number of Processor cores within the GPU isn't the only thing that effects performance. Therefore more processors doesn't always better performance.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

Well before, for me anyway, the link to the case was broken. The challenger is great, except I prefer the Antec. It's just one that is widely used from a reputable brand.

As of right now everything between the Radeon 6850 (low end) and the Geforce 580 (High end) are priced in line with performance with exception to two cards... The 470 for high/midrange, and tend to have the belief that high end GPUs are a waste.

As for the 470, It would require a 650W PSU, as for the others, the 520W mfenn recommended.

But the Challenger has SO MANY FANNNSS! 😛 Haha, alright.


So 6870 vs http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127510 would yield the former victorious, because of price = quality factor?


Those being my two major contenders right now, I'm surprised only a 520W is needed? Should I go higher for quasi-future proofing? Or should I, this being my first time building a computer, just get the best bang for my buck, successfully stuff all this shit into a new case without breaking anything and set up the computer? =D

 

[fffblackmage]

The 6870 should be a bit faster than a GTX 460 1GB, but if you factor in OCing, they're very close. I would choose based on any desired features or price.

520W is enough.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

The 6870 should be a bit faster than a GTX 460 1GB, but if you factor in OCing, they're very close. I would choose based on any desired features or price.

520W is enough.

Hmmm...okay, looks like I've narrowed it down to only choosing my case. Thank you very much. I have many more questions, but I bet a few hours spent on these forums will inform me the same as bothering all of you would haha =D

Time to go learn how OCing works! Can't wait to build my first computer! Wiiiii!


1. Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID= - $60

2. Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128425 - $120

3. Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115067 - $209

3. Graphics Card- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...349-_-Product- $240

4. Ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3332167&SID= -$64

5. Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID= - $60


85% (possibility) final build (Have hard-drive/DVD-Drive already). =D (The damn MOBO/CPU combo deal ended!)

 

[Davidh373]

So 6870 vs http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127510 would yield the former victorious, because of price = quality factor?


Those being my two major contenders right now, I'm surprised only a 520W is needed? Should I go higher for quasi-future proofing? Or should I, this being my first time building a computer, just get the best bang for my buck, successfully stuff all this shit into a new case without breaking anything and set up the computer? =D

not better quality, better performance.

The next big step in innovation comes not in performance, but in power consumption. Any modern card coming out these with a reasonable price tag ($150+) can play games on high graphics, but being able to have the same performance with 50% less power consumption is what is going to make people's eyes bug out.

Also, consider this. Sometime this month AMD is launching most of the remainder of their 6xxx series. Mainly, the 69xx series. The 68xx actually replaced the 57xx series of the previous generation's midrange, while the 69xx series will be replacing the high end 58xx series. Right now it's AMD's turn to have higher performance chips, while NVidia has yet to launch a competitor that will likely be better. So it's likely that NVidia's next gen low end offerings will compete well with AMD's midrange and therefore keep the competition rolling and force prices to shift ect.

Now as for "Future proofing" don't even let the idea slip into your mind. A 520W is actually more than you need with that build, and given AMD's push for a battle in power consumption you'll likely be upgrading to a card that consumes less than your current one will.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

not better quality, better performance.


Also, consider this. Sometime this month AMD is launching most of the remainder of their 6xxx series. Mainly, the 69xx series. The 68xx actually replaced the 57xx series of the previous generation's midrange, while the 69xx series will be replacing the high end 58xx series. Right now it's AMD's turn to have higher performance chips, while NVidia has yet to launch a competitor that will likely be better. So it's likely that NVidia's next gen low end offerings will compete well with AMD's midrange and therefore keep the competition rolling and force prices to shift ect.

This is good information, thank you very much. So that HIS is a mid-range and can compete with a higher range card, but the latter has better performance...kinda.


So on that HIS, the reason it has all these "AMD" specified features is because they're the ones that design Radeons...so will those features work perfectly fine on an Intel MOBO/Processor? Maybe I'm confusing their communication.


What system would be needed to run say Crysis top notch, balls out beautiful? It's kinda old, yet the system necessary I believe is still expensive. How far will they be able to take graphics card, or graphics? Guess this is more of a "future of gaming" question.



Edit: In the "What card is the best bang for you buck" thread, someone linked a Black Ops video card demonstration.


http://www.techspot.com/review/336-cod-black-ops-performance/page5.html


The GTX 460 outperformed the HD Radeon 6870 - Did they overclock the former and not the latter? Are those two the ones I posted before?

 

[Davidh373]

So on that HIS, the reason it has all these "AMD" specified features is because they're the ones that design Radeons...so will those features work perfectly fine on an Intel MOBO/Processor? Maybe I'm confusing their communication.

Yes they will.

What system would be needed to run say Crysis top notch, balls out beautiful? It's kinda old, yet the system necessary I believe is still expensive. How far will they be able to take graphics card, or graphics? Guess this is more of a "future of gaming" question.

This one will, the 460 may choke a bit at resolutions 1080p and above, but only on occasion.

Edit: In the "What card is the best bang for you buck" thread, someone linked a Black Ops video card demonstration.

That is a benchmark. Best bang for your buck is easily a 6870/ 460 1GB. So between the two the 6870 is better performance, but it is also more expensive. They are both at about the same framerate/$ at around $1.20 per frame/Sec.

Certain games treat different GPUs better than others.

 

[mfenn]

Your build in post #11 looks pretty damn good; go with that! David has given you spot-on answers to all your specific questions as well. 🙂

 

[Nietzsche-san]

Your build in post #11 looks pretty damn good; go with that! David has given you spot-on answers to all your specific questions as well. 🙂

Oh yes he has! I'm grateful for this forum and his answers! 😛 Woot! Can't wait to get some of that shit super cheap during Black Friday!

 

[Davidh373]

Oh yes he has! I'm grateful for this forum and his answers! Woot! Can't wait to get some of that shit super cheap during Black Friday!

possibly! 🙂 and you're welcome. Just remember not to vary from your design too much if you see a super sweet deal. I'm not likely to be online on black Friday consistently, I'm going to wager a guess many people won't, so we can't be here to talk you out of a rush decision.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

possibly! 🙂 and you're welcome. Just remember not to vary from your design too much if you see a super sweet deal. I'm not likely to be online on black Friday consistently, I'm going to wager a guess many people won't, so we can't be here to talk you out of a rush decision.

Very wise. A better graphics card might go on sale, but in my haste I might buy something that would require a power upgrade, a bigger case, (insert other clusterfucks).

Today's NewEgg Pre-Black Friday special is 20% off Rosewill products. I considered searching for a bigger wattage power supply for as much or cheaper than my planned choice; however, most I saw had 3 eggs average. How respectable is the egg system? People's reviews seem meticulous. Is it wise to choose a brand/deal a little more expensive with a 5-egg collective than a cheaper/higher wattage deal that has maybe 3-eggs?



Also, I'm curious why you guys help us noobies so much haha. It's pretty admirable =D. Most would just sit in their room with their pretentious computer and laugh at poor widdle scrubs.



Edit: This just went on sale at NewEgg - from my understanding this is a steal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-11129024-L0A


Does this deal beat the case and power supply I have lined up? Might be obvious, but I love your guys' input and knowledge.

 

[muskie32]

I just got a GTX 470 it get amazing FPS in games. (i dont really play that many games) but it ROX! (If it means anything to you i get 1000fps in assault cube where my mac got 40 (only game i really play)

But anyways the Sonata is a good case (for silence) but not for OC or great cooling, or hot graphics cards (i presume) I would personally stick with antec, (the AZZA cases have also been getting some good reviews to though)

I personally love my antec DF-85 (great cooler)

 

[borsti]

hey there, a 1000W power supply is way too much, as the others already told you. I am running a system wit a core i7 860, gtx 470, 1 HDD + 1 SSD, 1 DVD Rom, 1 BD-RE and some other stuff with a 620W power supply from Enermax.

Even with overclocking and with all CPU Cores + GPU @ full load for several hours everything works fine. But i think you should definitely get a ssd, it makes windows boot up really fast and generally everything works a lot smoother than with an old HDD.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

I actually was looking into an SSD. Do you just pop the sucker in, done and done? I wanted to keep my cost down, so an SSD might bring it over?? Any good memory/cheap ones you can recommend?


About the 470, I was looking at some reviews and some guy who had a 800W said that wasn't enough and planned on upgrading...is he just a moron or?

 

[fffblackmage]

I actually was looking into an SSD. Do you just pop the sucker in, done and done? I wanted to keep my cost down, so an SSD might bring it over?? Any good memory/cheap ones you can recommend?

I've seen the OCZ Vertex 2 or Agility 2 60GB for around $100 AR. I'm not sure if there's a live deal now though.

About the 470, I was looking at some reviews and some guy who had a 800W said that wasn't enough and planned on upgrading...is he just a moron or?

Is that 800W PSU from a reputable brand? There are plenty of PSUs out there that simply don't output their advertised wattage rating reliably.

 

[muskie32]

I actually was looking into an SSD. Do you just pop the sucker in, done and done? I wanted to keep my cost down, so an SSD might bring it over?? Any good memory/cheap ones you can recommend?


About the 470, I was looking at some reviews and some guy who had a 800W said that wasn't enough and planned on upgrading...is he just a moron or?

I am running a Over Clocked i7 875K, and GTX 470 on a 650w PSU, so i would say yes! 😀


Edit: just grab a Antec 650w psu and you are set!

 

[Davidh373]

Very wise. A better graphics card might go on sale, but in my haste I might buy something that would require a power upgrade, a bigger case, (insert other clusterfucks).

Today's NewEgg Pre-Black Friday special is 20% off Rosewill products. I considered searching for a bigger wattage power supply for as much or cheaper than my planned choice; however, most I saw had 3 eggs average. How respectable is the egg system? People's reviews seem meticulous. Is it wise to choose a brand/deal a little more expensive with a 5-egg collective than a cheaper/higher wattage deal that has maybe 3-eggs?



Also, I'm curious why you guys help us noobies so much haha. It's pretty admirable =D. Most would just sit in their room with their pretentious computer and laugh at poor widdle scrubs.



Edit: This just went on sale at NewEgg - from my understanding this is a steal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-11129024-L0A


Does this deal beat the case and power supply I have lined up? Might be obvious, but I love your guys' input and knowledge.

Rosewill sucks for PSUs, don't do it. Basically, anything better than a 6870 will require a 650W PSU, for the 480 and 580 and 5970 you'll want a 750W

EDIT: I myself came to the forums seeking help, and began helping out myself 🙂.

 

[Nietzsche-san]

K, sounds like I'm sticking with my plan, ableit my ongiong debate whether to spend the extra buck for the 6870 or just settle with the very bad-ass looking CYCLONE gtx460.


So on the HDD from my old ass computer that I want to re-use, I had an illegitimate version of Windows 7 and it was tracked so I can't get updates anymore. I want to wipe everything from that HDD and start anew. I have a legit Windows 7 disc now; so I assemble my computer with the parts on post #11, put in my DVD Drive and HDD, insert the Windows 7 disc and in reinstalling Windows 7, it'll just override and everything and wipe the HDD clean?



@David - Maybe I'll learn a little and become the new David! Muahahha.　はい、先生！ありがと！！