broccoli21

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2010
17
0
18,510
well im building a PC now, but I would like some help on finding a good build, with monitor.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this week/in a few days

BUDGET RANGE: 1500-1600 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard and mouse, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: usa

PARTS PREFERENCES: would prefer amd/ati, but a nice intel build is fine too. using antec 900 case

OVERCLOCKING: maybe. would like good stats either way

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: in the future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200 (I think thats HD 1080p right???)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: quiet
 
Solution
Do you need a monitor with this? If so, cut the SSD, you won't lose any gaming performance.

Looks like I forgot to include an OS as well. Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit is $100.

If you want a HSF for overclocking, look at Frostytech's top "5" heatsinks for ideas.

EDIT:
Build without SSD, leaving $$ for monitor.
CPU - i5-760 - $210
Mobo - Asus P7P55D-E Pro - $160 - CrossFire at 8x/8x, USB 3.0 & SATA 6.0 Gb/s
RAM - G.Skill ECO Series 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $103 - or Mushkin Blackline 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $97 (very very slightly looser timings, higher voltage)
GPU - Gigabyte 480 - $450
or
2x Gigabyte 460 - $200 each, total $400 - better deal, less of an upgrade path
HDD -...

scotu

Distinguished
Jul 19, 2010
102
0
18,710


Could run 2 of them for a few bucks more and that'd be better. Given that his build was with an i5 instead of an i7 and ran a cheaper mobo, it's doable.
 

broccoli21

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2010
17
0
18,510
for cost effectivity (is that a word?), would the i7 with 5870 be better than the i5 with dual 460s? the 460 is about 220 right now, and that is pretty much double that of the 460. so cost wise, dual 460s are the same as a 5870. Im a super noob at this, so which one is better for gaming?
 

broccoli21

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2010
17
0
18,510
also three questions:
1) do I need a HSF? is it necessary for non-OCed usage?

my reason for asking this is because I might want to save some cash and get the HSF later.

2)is 850 watt also needed? for OC? or for upgrading to CFX/SLI later?

3) just a knowledge question: What are the reasons for getting a "better"mobo when upgrading the processor? what attributes are important when matching a cpu to a mobo? Id really like to learn. thx in advance. you guys rock.

 

coldsleep

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2009
2,475
0
19,960
1) You don't need a HSF if you're not going to overclock.

2) 850W isn't needed for either of the builds mentioned above. You would want 750-850W for a 5870 CrossFire system.

3) More expensive motherboards tend to have additional features geared towards overclocking, or they have more expansion slots, or Bluetooth connectivity, or other wacky features that the manufacturers think up. The only important part when matching a CPU to a mobo is what socket the CPU is and what socket the mobo is.

For example, the i5-750, in the specs, lists socket LGA 1156. If you go look at mobos on newegg now, click Intel motherboards, about halfway down the guided search, you'll see that you can select by socket type, and you would pick Socket LGA 1156. There are actually a number of links for that socket, so you would want to either click through all of them, or narrow the list down in some other fashion first. (Most likely by selecting the P55 Northbridge motherboards.)

For your budget, and for a purely gaming build, you should either go with the i5-750 or an AMD Phenom II X4 955 -- the hyperthreading that i7s have offers little to no gaming benefit, so you'd be paying more for a feature you wouldn't be using. The basic difference in platform cost is about $75-100 (Intel will be more expensive for equivalent quality parts). At this budget, that difference is unlikely to result in a larger graphics card, but it might get you improved performance in another area.

I'm afraid I don't have time for a full build now, but I'll try to post something tomorrow.
 

broccoli21

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2010
17
0
18,510
the hyperthreading that i7s have offers little to no gaming benefit, so you'd be paying more for a feature you wouldn't be using.
oh...so the i7 is no better than the i5 for gaming? alright then.
hope you can post a build. thx for the help man.
 

coldsleep

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2009
2,475
0
19,960
I put this together yesterday, prices shouldn't have changed any in the last 24 hours.

CPU - i5-760 - $210
Mobo - Asus P7P55D-E Pro - $160 - CrossFire at 8x/8x, USB 3.0 & SATA 6.0 Gb/s
RAM - G.Skill ECO Series 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $103 - or Mushkin Blackline 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $97 (very very slightly looser timings, higher voltage)
GPU - Gigabyte 480 - $450
or
2x Gigabyte 460 - $200 each, total $400 - better deal, less of an upgrade path
SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB - $310
HDD - Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB - $60 (big sale right now, apparently)
ODD - cheapest SATA DVD burner with free shipping - $20
PSU - Seasonic 850W 80+ Silver Active PFC - $120
Case - HAF 922 - $90 + 10 shipping - or whatever else tickles your fancy

Total: $1533 (didn't search for combos, no shipping calculated except on the case, used the more expensive RAM and the 480)
 

coldsleep

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2009
2,475
0
19,960
Do you need a monitor with this? If so, cut the SSD, you won't lose any gaming performance.

Looks like I forgot to include an OS as well. Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit is $100.

If you want a HSF for overclocking, look at Frostytech's top "5" heatsinks for ideas.

EDIT:
Build without SSD, leaving $$ for monitor.
CPU - i5-760 - $210
Mobo - Asus P7P55D-E Pro - $160 - CrossFire at 8x/8x, USB 3.0 & SATA 6.0 Gb/s
RAM - G.Skill ECO Series 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $103 - or Mushkin Blackline 1600 MHz CL7 4 GB kit - $97 (very very slightly looser timings, higher voltage)
GPU - Gigabyte 480 - $450
or
2x Gigabyte 460 - $200 each, total $400 - better deal, less of an upgrade path
HDD - Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB - $60 (big sale right now, apparently)
ODD - cheapest SATA DVD burner with free shipping - $20
PSU - Seasonic 850W 80+ Silver Active PFC - $120
Case - HAF 922 - $90 + 10 shipping - or whatever else tickles your fancy
OS - Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit - $100
Monitor - you should be able to find a good 1920x1080 monitor for $200 or less

Total: $1323 (didn't search for combos, no shipping calculated except on the case, used the more expensive RAM and the 480)
 
Solution

coldsleep

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2009
2,475
0
19,960
1) With the system builder's version, it's only licensed for that motherboard, and you can't call up Microsoft and ask for help with an OS issue. Generally you can't transfer the license to another computer unless your motherboard was damaged in some way and you need to replace it. On the Microsoft support side...I don't know anyone that has ever had to do that, I usually just find my answers on google.

2) An SSD gives you faster boot and application launches and generally just makes the system feel snappier. It's not worth breaking your budget to get one, and they're still pretty new, so there are likely going to be more improvements within the next year or so.

This article is a few months out of date on product recommendations, but otherwise it's a good overview of the technology: Anandtech's SSD Relapse.
 

broccoli21

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2010
17
0
18,510
Thanks for all your help guys. I am going with the ECO RAM and the 480 GPU as well as a corsair 750w PSU and the antec 900 case (looks supa awesome :D )

Ill be receiving my parts in a couple of days. Hope it works out.
Thanks again,
Broccoli21
 

ZTec

Distinguished
Aug 20, 2010
2
0
18,510
thanks again for the build guys... it was made for me by my friend
I ordered the parts and I'm now building it, however I can't figure out how to fit all the wires together.
I've put all the hardware into the case (AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case) but connecting the power supply to all the LED lights, motherboard, and configuring all the wires efficiently is the problem. If you guess know if theres any good guides/videos or if one of you could help that would be greatly appreciated.