$850 Gaming Machine

[darcmasta]

Greetings all! Long time lurker, finally a member because I am ready to build my own PC!

Below you will find the standard "Ask for Advice", but I have already purchased the parts below. I was wondering if you guys and gals can review the parts and see if there are somethings you may know about em(good/bad/decent). If you have any ways of making it cheaper as well, I am all ears! I am trying to build a system that is in the 600-850 dollar price range.

Approximate Purchase Date: June 2nd 2012

Budget Range: >$800 after Mail In-Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Schoolwork, Entertainment

Parts Not Required:
Keyboard - Logitech
Mouse - Logitech M705
Speakers - Logitech G930 Wireless 7.1 Surround Sound Headset
OS - Windows 7 Professional Edition
Monitor - No monitor at the moment, planning on hooking up to 46 inch Sony Bravia KDL-46VL150
DVD Drive - Debating on where to use an old DVD burner from an old PC or an external dvd drive I have.
External - Pioneer DVR-XD09
Internal - Lite-On SHW-160P6S

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter, Newegg, Amazon, Tigerdirect

Country: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Parts Preferences:
Processor - Must be Intel i5 or i7 unlocked
Video Card - Must be NVIDIA GeForce

Overclocking: Maybe in the next year or so.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, Could someone explain this a bit further? Thanks in advance!

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (maybe less until I get a reasonable monitor)

Additional Comments: Prefer it to be quiet, yet powerful machine (best of both worlds, never will happen )


CURRENT PART LIST:
Case:ZALMAN Z11 Plus Black Steel - Price: $44.99 after rebate

Processor: Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3570K - Price: $189.99

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H - Price: $109.99

Power Supply:OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular - Price: $49.99 after rebate

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 - Price: $144.99 after rebate

RAM:Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - Price: $39.99

HDD:OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD - Price: $49.99 after rebate

HDD2: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM HDD - Price: $94.99

PRICE TOTAL:
$44.99
$189.99
$109.99
$49.99
$144.99
$39.99
$49.99
$94.99
--------------
$724.92 prior Taxes
$797.41 after 10% tax

WITHOUT REBATES:
$808.91 prior Taxes
$885.76 after 10% tax

What do you all think about my choices, the price, and anything else? Anything I can do to make this system cheaper? Thanks everyone and Martin at Microcenter for helping piece this together!

Look forward to hearing your replies!

DarcMasta

 

[azeem40]

I fit a Radeon 7850 in my budget, and so can he...
No reason to get a GPU not worth it at his price range...

Mobo Asrock Z77 Extreme4 $90 combo'd with 3570K
CPU 3570K $190
RAM 8GB DDR3 $44
GPU Sapphire 7850 $260 --> overclock it
HDD Samsung/Seagate 1TB
DVD Burner $18
PSU XFX 650W $68
Case NZXT Tempest 210 $55
Hyper 212 EVO $35.

 

[PCgamer81]

🙁 So I haven't been experiencing what PC gaming has to offer this whole time?


Here is the thing, a 6850 OCed can play most modern games on highest detail settings, 1080P, 16x AF, and around 4X+ AA.
Here are the games I have tried (some with visual mods):

Portal
Portal 2
Mirrors Edge (8XQ AA)
Fallout 3 (Mods like NMC run fine)
Sonic Ether Minecraft with High Resolution Textures
Dolphin emulating Wii and running SMG2 at 3X Internal Res and plenty of AA
Deus Ex: HR

To say, "You can't afford to be a PC Gamer" is really a dick comment. Plenty of good PC games can run at 1080P and Max detail on a 6850 on the right system. But I am not sure when graphic quality automatically meant how good a game is.

Oh, I understand now. You own a 6850.

Well, I don't. I own something else, something that is inferior to a lot of the high end graphics solutions of the day, but I wouldn't let that interfere with the advice I give just because I wish to believe that what I have is "great".

I am sure you are having fun with your system, and that's good. But considering the modern age, modern architecture, modern games, and the immediate future as it pertains to his particular price range, the 6850 is not a good choice.

The 7850 can he had for a mere $100 more in some instances and would easily provide close to double the rendering capabilities, not to mention double the VRAM (which is more relevant now than ever).

 

[PCgamer81]

I fitted a Radeon 7850 in my budget, and so can he...
No reason to get a GPU not worth it at his price range...

Mobo Asrock Z77 Extreme4 $90 combo'd with 3570K
CPU 3570K $190
RAM 8GB DDR3 $44
GPU Sapphire 7850 $260 --> overclock it
HDD Samsung/Seagate 1TB
DVD Burner $18
PSU XFX 650W $68
Case NZXT Tempest 210 $55

Good call. 😉

 

[SingingThroughTheStorm]

Oh, I understand now. You own a 6850.

Well, I don't. I own something else, something that is inferior to a lot of the high end graphics solutions of the day, but I wouldn't let that interfere with the advice I give just because I wish to believe that what I have is "great".

I am sure you are having fun with your system, and that's good. But considering the modern age, modern architecture, modern games, and the immediate future as it pertains to his particular price range, the 6850 is not a good choice.

The 7850 can he had for a mere $100 more in some instances and would easily provide close to double the rendering capabilities, not to mention double the VRAM (which is more relevant now than ever).

Did I state it was a great card? Here is what I said:
"A 6850 is a decent mid range (not high end by any means)"


That barely sounds like I was describing it as a "great" or "future proof" card.
Right now it sounds like he would be playing below 1080P anyways.

 

[azeem40]

Even if he is planning to play below 1080P, he said the keyword; UNTIL. No one likes to buy 2 GPUs.

 

[PCgamer81]

^+1

Also, what I find particularly relevant is the fact that he may plan to add a second card in the future. He would have to add a second 6850 to achieve the level of performance offered by the 7850. Two 6850s would not only be more expensive than a single 7850, not to mention having a much higher power requirement, but would most likely provide the user with nasty microstuttering, which is commonplace for mid-range cards in SLi/Crossfire.

Also, two 6850s in this day and age would only serve to accentuate the VRAM bottleneck that would be the inevitable result of two 1GB cards paired up.

 

[azeem40]

Even mentioning the numbers 6850 on an $850 build is a sign for a red flag.

 

[SingingThroughTheStorm]

Even mentioning the numbers 6850 on an $850 build is a sign for a red flag.

It is a red flag if gaming is the main importance.

If playing on the highest settings isn't 100% necessary, then I would opt for an SSD with the saved funds.

Here is what I was saying:
If in one year he decides he has the money and needs more power than the 6850, he could sell it for around $50 bucks. A 7850 by then should be around $120 (much like the 6850 has now dropped down to).

That would put him at a theoretical expense of $170 if he purchases a 7850 in the future. Looking at how the price dropped on the 6850 (launched at the same price AFAIK) , it is almost bound to happen to the 7850.

That means that he could go for a 6850 now if he needs to save money, and buy and replace it with a 7850 in the future for less than the initial cost of a 7850 is right now.

Granted he has the money right now, so if he feels it is worth the extra expense, by all means he can jump on the 7850.

 

[azeem40]

No reason to not spend a budget when the OP wants to spend a budget to get better performances.

 

[darcmasta]

Ok, a lot of responses coming back from the gym! All of you have valid opinions, but my rule of thumb is this: never spend more than $200 dollars on a video card. Call it stupid or what you will, I typically find that most cards in the $100-200 can play most current gen games and last about a year as a very good card. After a year it becomes a decent card, and around year three its life cycle is pretty much gone. So if I can squeeze 1-2 years out of a video card for lets say $175, in two years I can buy a better video card than the "top of the line" card now for around the same price range if not more because the rest of my build is pretty solid with exception to its RAM for now.

As you all mention, its the beauty of building your own system. You know your build in and out! With all that said, what video card do you recommend in the price range of $100-180 dollars after rebates.

EDIT: Lets keep it civil guys. You guys are doing a great job, but its just my personal preference of building. I prefer to get "core" components to be solid and "easily" replaceable to be mid to high range. Your talking to a loser whose played on a Dell laptop for gaming (I know what your thinking, .

 

[SingingThroughTheStorm]

No reason to not spend a budget when the OP wants to spend a budget to get better performances.

Pretty much what I stated in the last paragraph of my previous post. 😉
Still, that is only if the main importance is gaming. Other people might find a downgraded video card is a worthwhile change if it fits an SSD into the budget.

But you guys are right to an extent.

 

[azeem40]

Then get a Radeon 6870 since I can't change your logic in any way. 😛

 

[darcmasta]

Ok, in that case what manufacturer would you recommend for an AMD Radeon card? I know my Nvidia companies but I am seeing some ones I haven't seen before such as XFX for example.

 

[azeem40]

XFX is kind of like EVGA, but I like EVGA better personally. For AMD though, my favorite is Sapphire. I have a Sapphire 7950 and even at a 1150 MHz OC, I can't hear it!

 

[Xlerator]

If you want to play modern games at high visual quality and use mods and experience everything PC gaming has to offer at 1080p, I would definitely recommend passing on the 6850.

I would recommend a 7850. They are low on power requirements, about as powerful as a 6970/570, and provide a 2GB framebuffer which is really needed for high-res gaming, and would give you just about the best 1080p gaming experience at it's price range.

If you can't afford at least that (for this day and time), you really can't afford to be a PC gamer. It should be within your price range if you play your cards right.

I totally agree.

 

[Xlerator]

Ok, in that case what manufacturer would you recommend for an AMD Radeon card? I know my Nvidia companies but I am seeing some ones I haven't seen before such as XFX for example.

I suggest XFX or Sapphire both good

 

[darcmasta]

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-MINIDP-PCI-E-HD687AZHFC/dp/B005C31F2M/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338351498&sr=1-2

vs

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-E-Video-100315L/dp/B0047ZGIUK/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338351642&sr=1-4

Thoughts?

 

[bigcyco1]

I would only buy ASUS or MSI brand GPU but that's me i hear the Sapphire is decent

 

[SingingThroughTheStorm]

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-MINIDP-PCI-E-HD687AZHFC/dp/B005C31F2M/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338351498&sr=1-2

vs

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-E-Video-100315L/dp/B0047ZGIUK/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338351642&sr=1-4

Thoughts?

Between those two I would go with the Sapphire, because you can currently get it for $120 after rebate on other websites.
A lot of people like XFX for their warranty though, and both brands are supposedly very solid.

 

[PCgamer81]

Before you choose a manufacturer, you should determine whether you prefer a reference card or a non-reference card.

A reference card adheres strictly to the blueprint provided by AMD, while retaining most, if not all, of the prototypical characteristics and specifications.

AMD will also license their technology to 3rd party manufacturers who often stray quite a bit from the original design point.

Generally, there is no right or wrong choice as it applies simply to reference vs non-reference.

I am certainly no expert on the subject, but in my limited observations I have found that the reference design is generally a tad more conservative in how the hardware is pushed, which could possibly lead to slightly cooler temperatures (not clock for clock), tad lower power requirements (sometimes), and possibly a longer lifespan (but not necessarily) in some situations.

Non-reference cards, on the other hand, generally get more out of the technology at the expense of slightly hotter temps (but lower temps at reference clock rates), high power requirements (not always), and possibly a shorter lifespan (again, not always).

If I were you, I would probably go non-reference to get the most out of the technology right now.

I would probably recommend this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609

 

[azeem40]

I am pretty sure non reference is cooler. Reference means original design. I think you mixed them up.

 

[PCgamer81]

No, I got it right.

Non-reference is cooler at reference speeds, and I stated as much. But non-reference cards still generally run hotter (overall) due to higher clock speeds.

 

[azeem40]

No you didnt. Non reference cards are the ones that have been modified by third party manufacturers.

 

[PCgamer81]

That is exactly what I said.

"A reference card adheres strictly to the blueprint provided by AMD, while retaining most, if not all, of the prototypical characteristics and specifications." reference

"AMD will also license their technology to 3rd party manufacturers who often stray quite a bit from the original design point." non-reference

Read it again.

 

[azeem40]

Non-reference cards, on the other hand, generally
get more out of the technology at the expense of
slightly hotter temps (but lower temps at reference
clock rates), high power requirements (not
always), and possibly a shorter lifespan (again, not
always).

How is a card that has more cooling going to run hotter? 😱