New Build

[Cpt Deadboots]

Thinking about a new build here - I'll be gaming (Crysis, AC2, UT3 Black, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) and multitasking. Some CS4 work. I was hoping to get CUDA and PhysX benefits, but an Intel build is just a bit more expensive than I'm looking to spend - the x4 940 BE seems like excellent value.

Here's what I've got:

AMD Phenom II x4 940 BE

ASUS M4A79 Deluxe 790FX

2x2GB G. Skill DDR2 1100

Silverstone ST60F - 600w, modular

2 x XFX Radeon HD 4850 1GB

WD Caviar Black 640GB/32mb cache

Antec Three Hundred

And an optical drive to be added later. I already have a 64-bit OS.

Comes out to ~$940 with shipping.


I am mostly wondering if I'm missing something that would produce better performance in terms of gaming performance for a similar price - I would rather go nVidia than ATI (had originally planned on GTX 260 SLI), but the only AMD board out is ASUS's 980a SLI board. In this case, the build would be changed to:


ASUS M4N82 Deluxe 980a SLI

1 x XFX GeForce GTX260 Core 216 Core Edition (will add another later)

This comes out to $865 including shipping.


Thoughts?

 

[kevin1212]

2 overclocked 4770's in crossfire would give similar if not better performance than 2 4850's, while being cheaper and more power efficient. That nvidia board is very good, although i would go with the 4770's for better value.

 

[Why_Me]

Ok here's a few ways to get SLI. You can go the gts 250 route, or the gtx 260.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $58.95 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 $94.49 ($74.49 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U3R Combo Deal: i7 920 + MB Combo Price: $423.99 Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468 $129.99 ($119.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Cryostasis game w/ registration at manufacturer website

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.193835 Combo Discount: -$5.00 Combo Price: $164.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $23.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Total: $896.89 | $846.89 w/mail in rebates

* or...one gtx 260 now, and one later

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011 $109.99 ($89.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133270 $177.99 ($157.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PNY VCGGTX260CXPB GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total: $959.89 | $899.89 w/mail in rebates

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-nvidia-sli-motherboard,7463.html <--- Gigabyte: Enable SLI On X58 Boards

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gf-gts250-sli.html <--- gts 250's in SLI review

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

^ Killer build!

I'm set on XFX for the graphics cards, though - and I'd rather get the Silverstone PSU than the Corsair. I'll think about this.

I'd love to see a GTS 250 SLI/ GTX 260 SLI roundup!

 

[Why_Me]

^ Killer build!

I'm set on XFX for the graphics cards, though - and I'd rather get the Silverstone PSU than the Corsair. I'll think about this.

I'd love to see a GTS 250 SLI/ GTX 260 SLI roundup!

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gf-gts250-sli.html

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

Sorry, I meant 250 SLI vs. 260 SLI.