New Gaming PC

[hellraiser06]

So, I have decided on the following components for my new built:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X3 720BE

Motherboard: I am confused between two:
1) MSI K9A2-CF-F
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3489727&sku=M452-6002
2) Biostar TA790GX 128M 5.X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

Graphics Card: ATI 4870 1GB or nvidia GTX 260 core 216
Please guide me to the best deal on newegg or tigerdirect or any other reliable US website

RAM: 4GB Corsair ddr2

PSU: Help me out

Case: Have to buy as per availability. So I dont think anybody can help me on this. FAQs and suggestions welcome.

HDD: WD 500GB. Cant go for 640 as its expensive on this side of the world (India).

OS: Windows Vista 64 bit SP1

Overclocking: yes, but only after 6 or 7 months.

SLI/Crossfire: Yes, but only after 6 or 7 months.

If I have missed anything, please let me know.

Now, here comes the questions:
1) I am leaning more towards HD 4870, so please suggest me a good brand. I will have it ordered by my friend in USA and sent to me via FedEX.
Also, do the manufacturer warranty still apply in India if I order the card from USA?

2)Suggest me the cheapest possible reliable power supply to handle the system, assuming that I am getting a 4870 1GB.

3)Do crossfire performance make a difference in x8 mode? I guess no, but just want a confirmation.

And finally, if there's anything missing in the build please let me know. budget is around USD 700.

Thanks in advance guys

Cheers
Kamal

 

[hellraiser06]

Bump

 

[hellraiser06]

The rig is primarily meant for gaming.

 

[g3force]

1) Whatever has the best price and warranty is what usually decides my purchase. If your friend purchased the card and it fails, I recommend shipping it back to your friend and have him/her sort out the RMA.

2) I'd suggest a good, name brand 550 watt power supply for a single 4870. I don't know much about PSU companies, but Corsair, PC power & cooling, Enermax, Seasonic, and Antec PSUs are commonly recommended by TH forum vets.

3) It depends. Generally ATI cards fill up bandwidth pretty well; I've heard that a 4870 will run well even in a PCIE x4 slot. Typically I'd say that PCIE lanes are not an issue, unless your Crossfiring two 4870x2s with x4 slots.

As for the motherboard, I'm leaning towards the Biostar board (mainly because I've had bad experiences with MSI's tech support). More opinions would be great however.
If the RAM you listed is this one here, I've had a lot of problems with it. I ordered 8 Gb (with a sweet $20 rebate) to be split over two systems, and only 1 stick has yet to fail. I'd recommend this, mainly for the lower latencies and same voltage.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

P.S. In regards to your case choice, it up to personal preference. A couple of my favorites are the Antec 900 and the Cooler Master HAF 932. I've heard a lot of people raving about the Cooler Master RV 690, but I've never owned that case, so I can't personally recommend it.

 

[hellraiser06]

Thanks for the reply g3force...
And, yes I was getting that RAM. Sounds like its not an option now.lol.

Also, is there any other reliable website from whichI can have it ordered?
Can somebody please send me the links to best deals for 4870 1 GB?

Also, do you guys have any chain of reliable retail stores up there in US wherer you can get the cards from?

 

[Helloworld_98]

the top US retailers don't ship internationally so don't get your hopes up.

 

[hellraiser06]

I dont expect them to...

Read the original post. I am having a friend buy it for me and get it shipped herself. She lives in Chicago, IL..

 

[g3force]

I dont expect them to...

Read the original post. I am having a friend buy it for me and get it shipped herself. She lives in Chicago, IL..

LOL. I live a few miles away from your friend. Talk about coincidence.

A few websites that I normally go to for lowest prices are zipzoomfly.com, tigerdirect.com, Amazon.com, Ewiz.com, and, of course, newegg.com (sorry, I don't feel like linking all those )

I looked through those sites, and it looks like newegg.com has the best deal on the 4870 1GB shown here, but the reviews on it seem a bit flakey. I suggest that you have your friend verify the components as working before sending it to you, or the shipping costs will be phenomenal.

 

[hellraiser06]

Here is the rig that I have decided on.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X3 720BE ~7500

Motherboard: Asus M2N-E SLI NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI or
Asus M2N SLI Dlx NVIDIA nForce� 570 SLI� ~5500

Graphics Card: Palit nvidia GTX 260 core 216 ~11k

RAM: 4GB g Skill or kingston or transcend ~2500

PSU: Still undecided. Still need more input from you guys.

Case: Zebronics Case (bijli or watever) ~1500
HDD: WD 500GB or 640GB.~3500

Total : 32600 + Price of PSU

Currency: INR

Anyways, just wanted to ask how do you guys rate these power supplies: tagan, coolermaster extreme power. I know they cant be compared to corsair and such, but they are a lot cheaper. Are they really bad that they cant be used?

 

[hellraiser06]

Hi all

Aparently the mobos that I have mentioned in my last post are AM2+ mobos. While the processor (X3 720 BE) is AM3. Will I notice a difference in gaming performance if I use the same processor in an AM3 mobo vs. AM2+ board due to hypertransport 3 (5200MT/S). Am2+ boards have a max HT speed of 2000MT/S. I am only bothered about gaming performacne at this point. Please reply, as I have to decide on the gaming system by this weekend... Thanks in advance

 

[dragoon190]

I remember reading some post earlier on the forum about hardware provider in India, might be a good idea to search on that since FedExing oversea is usually quite expensive, might as well use those money saved on better component.

 

[hellraiser06]

Yeah, I guess I frogot to mention that. I am importing nothing now. The prices of gtx 260 dropped by like 60 USD here (~3000 INR). So everything is within reach now. The list tthat I have mentioned is what I am getting from India itself. None from USA. I am buying EVERYTHING from INdia now.Last weekend has been crazy. Prices fell, am going nVidia route now, and looking for a cheap SLI mobo. I would appreciate if someone could answer the above AMD AM2+ vs. AM3+ question please.

 

[dragoon190]

I think the difference would be negligible. They actually did a test here at Tom's:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-x4-955,2278-3.html

There's more benchmarking score in the back, and from the looks of it, there would be less than 1fps difference between AM2+ and AM3 setup.

 

[hellraiser06]

Hey thanks for the reply Dragoon. I actually read that article a few minutes before you posted it... But thanks anyways........ And i guess I framed my question wrong. Let me explain what I wanna ask.

http://in.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=149

If you click on the above link, you will find three types of sockets:
1) AM2+ operating at 2000MT/s (Marked by orange circles).
2) AM2+ Operating at upto 5200MT/s (marked by purple circles)
3) AM3 Operating at 5200 MT/s (Marked by green corcles)

And the review was done taking the last two motherboards. And, I am interested in the FIRST two motherboards. I mean will there be a performacne difference in gaming if I use the orange motherboard with x3 720 BE as compared to the purple motherboard with the same processor.????

I hope I got it right this time. I am sorry for framing the question wrong before. And thank you for your time Dragoon

 

[dragoon190]

I think (more like guessing) the only difference is that (2) supports DDR2 1066 while (1) only support DDR2 800 or below (due to the FSB speed).

From what I've read around the forum (can't find the page right now), the performance difference between 1066 and 800 is not really noticeable. If you ever want to upgrade to DDR2 1066, use board (2), if you're sticking with 800, then it does not matter which board you choose, and the performance will be down to individual board design (although I don't think there would be much difference there either since they're from the same manufacturer).

 

[dannyboy33]

The difference between AM2+ and AM3 boards are that AM2+ can only use DDR2 ram while AM3 boards can only use DDR3 ram. Which one is better you might ask, it's not for sure if DDR3 ram has enough of an advantage over DDR2 to justify paying $20 more or whatnot. That said, the newer processors and motherboards being made all support DDR3 ram, so it might seem this is the way of the future.

 

[hellraiser06]

So, does that mean that hypertransport has only to do with RAM speeds and not anything else??

So, to sum up:
1) HT 2000MT/s- DDR2@ 800
2) HT 5200MT/s:- DDR2 @1066

Is that correct?

 

[dragoon190]

I think it's more like

1) can use only DDR2 800

2) have the choice between DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066

Now, if you can get 1066 at similar price as the 800, go for (2), if you're going to stick with 800 'till the end, go for (1).

Keep in mind that 720 is a AM3 chip, which means that if you get an AM3 board, there's always the option of upgrading to a better AM3 chip and using DDR3 RAM when AMD update the chipset to utilize the faster speed of the DDR3s.

On the other hand, if you choose an AM2/AM2+ motherboard, you're stuck with the whole setup (CPU/MoBo/RAM) until you decided to upgrade the system fresh.


EDIT: Considering that AMD seems to be planning to phase out the 790 chipset by 2011 (if I remembered correctly), it might not matter that much which one you choose as I don't think much of the components can be reused.

 

[hellraiser06]

Hey thanks Dragoon.......
So seems like it does not matter whether I go with Asus M2N-E SLI NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI or
Asus M2N SLI Dlx NVIDIA nForce� 570 SLI� ~5500

as compared to any AM2+ boards(running at 5200MT/s) or AM3 as far as the gaming performacne is concerned.

Actually, AM3 boards dont support SLI as they only have crossfire chipsets available, so its outta question.

AM2+ boards running at 5200MT/s are way too expensive than the AM2+ boards running at 2000MT/s. So, I was just wondering if there is a difference in gaming performance between the two AM2+ boards. Seems like there is none.

Thanks g3force and Dragoon and all the others who replied for helping me out. I will build it in two weeks and let you guys know the rig. In the meanwhile, if sombody has any second thoughts about 2000MT/s vs. 5000MT/s, please post here. I will keep an eye on the thread...