Pre built/ custom gaming computer

[Philly19]

Hello eveyone! I'm looking to buy a computer that is capable of running Battlefield 3/Diablo 3. I'm new to the whole PC gaming show (mostly a console gamer). I have scrapped my Xbox 360 since NHL, and Madden are the same thing every year and FPS aren't all that great on consoles.

I went on ibuypower and customized a PC that I thought would be a decent entry level gaming rig that I can upgrade in the near future. I would like to know how everyone thinks it will be/ if it's worth buying. Here are the specs:

CPU: Quad Core AMD Phenom 9 IIx4 925

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 -- AMD 970 w/2x PCI-E 2.0 x16

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1gb

PSU: 700 Watt

Hard Drive: 1x 500GB Hard Drive 16m Cache 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive

Do AMD CPU's work with Nvidia graphics cards?? I'm not really sure since I'm new to all of this.

Thanks everyone for thier imput.

Also the price was $665 (is that a good price?)

 

[gkay09]

^ Does it come with OS ?
Also not interested in building the PC yourself ?

 

[Philly19]

gkay09: It comes with Windows 7 64bit. I wouldn't mind building one myself but I have no idea how to asseble, but I'm sure I could learn, I just don't want to mess it up.

 

[IH8U]

Only thing I'd have a serious issue with is the PSU (what brand, specs?), how much/brand RAM? Seriously a 925? As for the price, maybe.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
$70 COOLER MASTER Storm Scout (watch out for the 69xx cards from ATI, they won't fit)
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049
$105 Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128510
$140 GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard (if you want to do SLi, or X-Fire later)
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
$120 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136768
$60 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD7500AALX 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb
VID: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121435
$130 ASUS ENGTX550 TI DC/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB ($20 MIR)
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
$19 LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226099
$55 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Total no OS: $699 + S&H (not counting MIR, combo, or specials)

 

[Philly19]

IH8U: 4GB RAM, no idea on the PSU since it says "Standard". What is the difference between the 925? or the one you reccomended 955 black addition? I double checked and it's only like 40$ more I could deffentily upgrade to that istead of my current listed.

 

[gkay09]

^^Good, but for a person who will be going to build a PC newly, I would suggest something like this,...

i3 2100 + Biostar H67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.700849

RAM - 8 GB DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211548

CASE -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112318

PSU - Antec HCG 520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371047

GPU - HD 6870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

HDD + DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.696137

OS - Win 7 HP

Total with OS - ~$675

 

[IH8U]

I wouldn't trust a PSU that they post as "Standard", you could go the cheap route and pick up a 550W, to 650W PSU (since you don't want to SLI or X-Fire for now) from a respected manufacturer: Antec, PC P&C, XFX, Corsair, Enermax/Lepa , Seasonic/Silverstone, or even newer OCZ's. The Proc I listed will allow for a decent OC, even with stock cooling (you can get better OC's with an aftermarket HSF). The MB I listed would be a better buy than the 970, as it allows for SLI or X-Fire. You could also go a little cheaper by getting a 500GB HDD instead of the 750 I listed.

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
$40 Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5 ($30 cheaper)
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
$75 OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular (has a $15 MIR, $30 cheaper than the Antec I listed. Good reviews on HardOCP)

As for the assembly, check the System builder stickies on this site. It's definetly nice to build and troubleshoot your own custom system (and not have someone else do it for ya).

 

[Onus]

Iirc, their standard PSU is a Xion, and it is overrated, inefficient, and just a notch or so above junk. A quality modern PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch, unlike that Xion) and some level of 80+ certification for efficiency (again, unlike the Xion). Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, and Enermax/LEPA are among the better brands. Some OCZ have gotten excellent reviews also, but I have read comments in other forums alleging that they cut corners on component quality (e.g. 85C capacitors vs. the better 105C ones) that would make me concerned about their long term durability.

 

[otinen]

Well, if you are gaming on a 1680x1050 or higher resolution monitor ,
I recommend a Phenom II 955 or 965, at those resolutions ( especially full hd ) the cpu's start to even out in terms of performance, so investing in a i7 just for gaming is not smart. I also suggest 8gb of ram with cas7 latency, ram is cheap right now , and with the way software is now ur gonna need it. 550 ti is perfect for those games you mentioned, you will definately get at least 50 fps on high settings, the psu is overkill in terms of wattage, but efficiency and amps are more important.

 

[ram1009]

First, welcome to the ranks of intelligent gamers. The only thing you won't find in PC gaming is the limitations of console gaming. In case you don't already know, many PC games already come with support for the X Box 360 controller and there are websites where drivers for others are available.

Now to your computer. I highly recommend DIY. You will find more help than you need right here or on other sites. As for the specifics, the first decision is CPU because it dictates many other choices. If you simply want the fastest, most powerful box go with an Intel, probably an i5, but be prepared to pay for the privilege. Not only do their CPUs cost more but MBs also. And, historically Intel is infamous for abandoning their own platforms without warning so You will be replacing more frequently. Also, the increase in performance isn't really that noticeable especially now that all PC games are dummed down to play on 5 year old consoles. Conversely, an AMD CPU will perform nearly as well for less money and will be competitive longer. My recommendation for {SU is to buy the highest wattage QUALITY unit you can afford. You won't be sorry. Also, I don't use AMD/ATI GPUs. Their drivers have always been buggy and still are. Newegg is probably as good a place to buy as any. You may find individual items a little cheaper elsewhere but you'll have to do some shopping. If your time is worth anything to you it's worth the time saved to buy from Newegg. Their product reviews are priceless. Good luck with your rig.