What CPU would you suggest for a gaming set up?

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blaqzero

blaqzero

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Jul 5, 2009
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This has probably been asked a thousand times. I want to build something that is above average on the gaming side of computers. I have a 2,000-3,000 (funded by tax return and would prefer to keep it in the low 2k) dollar budget. My question to you is; what would you put into a decent gaming set up as far as CPUs go? What do you currently run now and what would your dream processor be?
 
All i can say is, well done on the tax return!

I'll give you my thoughts on what you can be getting with that sort of cash:

Motherboard ($320 after rebate):

Asus Rampage II Extreme

CPU ($289):

Intel Core I7 920

RAM ($393):

6 GB Corsair Dominator GT DDR3-2000

Those are my core component suggestions, all are top notch and will give utterly devastating performance. The choice of other parts is up to you, with your price range id get a 60 GB SSD for your system disk and a 1 TB HD for storage disk with perhaps 2 HD 5890's in crossfire and an 850 W Corsair HX series PSU to power it all.
 
go with. IReally appreciate the feedback. Once I get going on it I'm definately going to post picks and maybe do a little youtube on it and show it off. Another question will be what kinda case to go with. I've used the cosmos before but I wanna go a little more lavish with praticallity.
 
How about:

ASUS P6T: $240
i7 920: $289
6GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM: $140

The Rampage II and the 2000MHz DDR3 RAM are not worth the price premium. You need to manually set the RAM to get it to run at full speed anyways (or it defaults to 1066), and 2000MHz is just an overclocked 1600MHz RAM stick. I've also heard that the RampageII has an overvolting issue.

Either way, there's no point in getting those very expensive mobos or RAM above 1600MHz.
 
To add onto it put some SSD's (intel has 40gb's on sale for $129.99 right now)

--1ssd for windows and major games u play
--2x500gb in RAID or 1x 1tb HDD for all ur other crap
-- 2x 5870 in Crossfire if u can afford it
-- Corsair tx750 PSU
-- Antec 900 case

:)
 
What are SSDs? Is that like a partition for windows? I know that sounds like a dum question...
Click to expand...

A SSD is not a partation, they are the next generation of data storage. Where as a hard drive is a mechanic device that needs to spin at speeds of 5400RPM,7200RPM, 10000RPM, a SSD is electronic memory that can send your data at speeds close to the speed of light, limited only by the number of channels that send data to the motherboard. They are finally just started to get priced low enough for people to take advantage of.

That being said, if you want a top of the line system nothing compares to the Intel X25-M, its simply been proven to be faster then anything else on the market with speeds upto. 250MB/s reading data and 70MB/s writing data. Expect to pay around $299.99. If your budget is to high you can get any number of SSD's out there, atleast 20 models, some as low as $79.99 these models will not preform as well as the intels, but they will still out preform a traditional hard drive. I have heard reports of PC's booting in under 15 seconds with an SSD.

If you can wait a few weeks, maybe couple months at the most, Intel is releasing a Hex-core CPU (6 cores) that will outprefrom anything in the world, but at a price of $1000. That being said, you might spend your entire tax return on your computer, but wont have to upgrade till atleast 2015.
 



You mean SSDs are like storage drives or hard drives, right ?

and btw, when is Intel releasing the 6-core cpu ?
can you post a link please :wahoo:
 
The idea of giving your tax return to the king of antitrust makes me wanna pewk.
read this funny story:
"The best friend money can buy."
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2355462,00.asp


then:

Consider this - but don't believe me until you verify it for yourself. (important).


============
MSI 790FX GD-70 Socket AM3 Mobo = rock solid + hi perf + best BIOS on the planet.

PHENOM II 965 "BlaQ" Edition w "Stepping C3"@ 3.4 Ghz stock + oclox.

OCZ Platinum DDR3 1600 /"AMD EDITION" /4X2gig - laughs at 2.2volts.!!
http://www.ocztechnology.com/aboutocz/press/2009/334

Antec "Signature" PSU = (850) or "1000"w - best PSU available.

1x or 2x.. >> ATI 5870 in CrossFire - (up to 4 of them on GD-70 mobo - it's outrageous) (read the specs)
=========


or you can buy spintel junk for more money and high heat stutter performance - go for "smooth performance" at FAT ResolutionS, that will put an unremovable smile on your face - don't be fooled - do the research - ask the performance freaks at amdzone forum - people here will tell you they are insane - yeh, they are, and me too. do the research. And they will probably recommend what i recommend. 😀


- the other stuff is just standard stuff. whatever you like.

some people believe solid state drive ssd is good, others say no cos it's too early for that newish tek - the "idea" of ssd as a boot drive is popular and also debated - I think it's not necessary cos it is only is in play for loading; after loading, you should be running on pure ram, and I show you really high performance ram. Some people seem to think that virtual memory (slower) is important in high end systems. What might be important is virtualization, and AMD does well there - but for gaming, it's not so much in play.

- do the research, you have a lot to learn it seems; educated decisions are easier to live with. or you can listen to the endless sound of "benchmarketing" controlled by the great monopoly, and echoed by too many who don't believe in a "smarter choice" from a company that is into collaborating with it's customers, rather than deceiving them.

This is exactly what I would do with such a tax refund.
enjoy,
you are welcome.

sigh
.



//sorry spintel fans; you can't beat this. and no I don't need to see your thousands of tables and echoed stories. i don't trust any of it. I do my own research; and the facts are other than what the idf wants you to believe. 😀 plus I am not impressed with too tall price tags; but hey, they have to pay for all those bribes and rebates, don't they; not to mention the legal eagles to chase the dogs from the door. ...as if...
.
 
Im not a huge intel guy, but right now AMD is lacking in just about every phase of a modern day CPU. Performence, manufacture process, wattage produced, integration. Not to mention they cant out preform Intel in any benchmarks. That being said, AMD also has a hex core CPU coming out around the same time as Intels will launch, only problem is AMD is still on 45nm process whereas intel is on 32nm process, meaning 22% less heat produced spread across 6 cores and upwards of 15mb cache, maybe the 1st billion transitior CPU ever made. in other words, gg AMD
and btw, when is Intel releasing the 6-core cpu
Click to expand...
As far as I know nothing has been leaked in terms of a release time, expect 2-8 weeks. Somone else might have a better idea on the timeline of this chip release

And a SSD is a hard drive, just a fast and expensive one
 
sighq2 is a amd fanboy, for 2k, your better off with intel/ati than amd/ati,
Core i5 = 200
gigabyte p55a ud6 = 240
SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W=130
2x5850= 620~
samsung f3 1tb = 90
Any intel/ocz ssd
any dvd burner/bluray player
gskill ripjaws 4gb 1600mhz
Antec 902/1200 = 120/180
This is One of the best things you could buy but if you want more performance, switch out the i5 for i7 920 and the mobo for a p6t, ram for 6gb of gskill ripjaws 3x2gb 1600mhz
If you plan on overclocking get a heatsink such as thermalright venomous-x for 80 + a high static pressure fan = 10-15
 
I've been an AMD guy the whole time I've build computers. The last setup I had was:
AMD Phenom II 940 BLAQ (yeah baby)
EVGA 285 1 gig
4gigs of crucial ballistix ddr2 1066
all sitting on a gigabyte ma-790gp-ud4h
and the system seemed like it was still lacking. I had to sell it due to issues with my pay. I got it all sorted out and turns out I didn't have to sell it at all but it has given me an opportunity to try something different.

It wasn't terribly bad but I think that last build put a bad taste in my mouth. The board I had before the Gigabyte was a MSI. That board turned out to have an issue with voltage going to the processor. It was initially set right in the bios but later somehow it changed and burned the first phenom II i had up. And the resulting trouble shooting frustrated me.

Its not like I blame AMD but I wanna try what other people are telling me is the golden side of gaming.
 



"yeh baby" - you like that, eh. :)


The specific issues you mention are not of surprise or unheard of, for years, in a general sense - I suggested you consult those with current and direct experience with the sys I merely outlined. They too discuss bios problems, etc, and all other aspects as well. Their research is visible if you were to pursue it - raw process of discovery.

What has filtered down, to the point of obvious, is the hardware I mentioned. Indeed, I have never before recommended MSI; but things change.

I readily admit, and mentioned, I am an AMD fan. I have learned things about both companies that leave me no choice, except the smarter one that focuses on collaboration.

I am comfortable having presented the information that I think will more than satisfy your interests. I respect any decision you make; and if you had a bad experience at the hands of AMD, then go the other way. With what I know, I could never support that other company.

I only hope you actually get what you think you are getting; beware the "benchmarketing", and try to see beyond it. A lot of this high end tek-talk is not even visible in actual use - although there comes a time when some experience tells you the truth of things. Bottom line is the end user's real world experience. That should be a smooth experience.

I did my bit. Do your thing.

Thank you for your response.

sigh
.
 
Ignore sighQ2.

The i7 920 is the only thing you shoudl be looking at in that price range. Why get third (Phenom II) best when you can get first (i7 920) or even second best (i5 750)?

He wants you to buy the inferior product to support the underdog. If you are into that then I recommend only buying the worst products in life because that will help the underdogs.

If you don't want to buy from corrupt Intel, then don't buy anything, ever. Because all companies and corporations are evil and corrupt, yes even AMD, so you would just be encouraging them!
 


Yes, well, you can always play the "future card"; and I wonder if Bulldozer will actually follow the rumours about drop-in fitting socket AM3 in it's early release stages. I don't actually know that - yet.

Lots of talk tho. And the current CEO, Dirk Meyers was the main guy that engineered the original Athlon with HTT and IMC, years before spintel copied it - you think spintel is scared? They are still fenagling over the fix for compiler, CPUID, and instruction sets; despite their promises - AMD has an idea tho. It's about time for Meyers to do something; now that he's got the company turned around. Watch and wait. Today's choices matter.

The future will always be there; and you can wait for years; and that, I have done. And still it has not stopped.

 
cschuele:
I have heard reports of PC's booting in under 15 seconds with an SSD
Click to expand...

^What you have heard is correct. I can confirm that this is true, my Intel X-25M loads up windows 7 in about 7-9 seconds including my profile which has a bunch of background startup apps like itunes, antivirus,keyboard drivers...etc.

ninjawarlord:
You mean SSDs are like storage drives or hard drives, right ?
Click to expand...

^Yes sir, they serve the same purpose as a hard drive, a storage device. However they use a completely different technology and methods of storing your data.


And SighQ2, may I ask what you have against Intel?...I am not implying anything, just wondering.
 


I agree with you. All companies are usually pretty corrupt. Companies do whatever it takes to survive in modern day and make the largest profit. The ones that don't do this are the ones that are like AMD, the underdog or go out of busniss, the ones that do are like Intel, make huge profit, are popular in all sectors (consumer/busniss)...and will surive for years to come.
 


hahaha I was trying to be helpful; and trying to share useful information gleaned from end user experiences. I guess they are all underdogs too.


The same people know about i7 and it's copied tek, useless hsf, power consump, lying TDP, TLB-error coverup, cheap trix, and IMC memory voltage limitations - etc - and you should only (not) consider that at all costs. It's benched performance doesn't even apply in a real world gaming scene - and if you don't care about reality, then go ahead and force feed your blatant crawp to someone who asks for help - and then go sleep at night.

Corporate biz can get messy; and AMD has had it's share of lawsuits. Things are dealt with. Life goes on.

But it seems spintel hasn't done laundry for about a decade. and now Mr Clean is mopping up - that's the global scene - already busted for antitrust and yet they are still arrogantly suggesting that the FTC and New York (and who else??) are on glue - that's ok, we will see what sticks to what - care to hazard a guess based on the elephantine pile of evidence and collaborative precedents? hmmm?

Just ignore me - but if you have some genuinely proven, and user experientially tested, hardware for BlaQ Zer0, speak up. Sounds like he would like to avoid bs and problems and marketing hype.

Or do you wannabe the flaming voice of spintel, parroting the idf with all it's neurolinguistics. That's cool; and you will have lots of help from the other spinners too - not quite what I call collaboration.

Can you actually reliably sell/recommend something in an honest manner without indulging in lies, troll and flame? I just show the facts; some people don't like truth.
Got something to hide? - embarrassment?. Yeh, I know, it's tough to support that. But you don't have to live that way.

I have nothing to gain from this. either way. I am sharing known information. And I am done here - so go ahead, insult me - as if that's relevant and useful.

And, not only do I like dogs; dogs like me.

The OP seeks golden age of computing not golden age of antitrust. What would you recommend that can stand on genuine road-tested user-proven merit? More benchmarketing filth?

Get over it - it's gone by the wayside.
People want something real that serves them; not they serve it.
Get it right.

Apologies.

Peace

sigh
.
 
quote = "And SighQ2, may I ask what you have against Intel?...I am not implying anything, just wondering".

It is not my first preference to live in a world dominated and restricted by an out-of-control entity that will never firstly serve me or my interests.

Do your own research - then retract the question. There is no need to believe what I say - prove it to yourself.

I am finished here - and I apologize for attempting to be honestly useful - actually - no I don't. I apologize for the shite storm reaction to my truth. out.

sigh
.
 
It is not my first preference to live in a world dominated and restricted by an out-of-control entity that will never firstly serve me or my interests.
Click to expand...

What do you mean dominated and restricted?...Intel is just a company, not a government, thier power comes from the consumer like me, you, and everyone else. Secondly, Intel doesn't have to serve, its primary consern is to serve itself, thats how it works, if they were to exist to serve the consumer only, there would be no point in companies as they exist to serve themselves and make profit by giving something consumers like. And how is Intel out-of-control?...because they are murdering AMD in the market right now?, thats not out-of-control, its called having a smart ceo and board of directors that know how to advertise and trick the consumer to promote thier product which is how it works and how its supposed to work.
 
sighQ2 I've fended off enough fanboys and liars that I don't feel like starting with you too. I am in no way biased towards either company, all I care about are their products (though I admit nVidia has been pissing me off recently). I can show you a hundred different proven facts that prove my point but you will just come back at me as though your opinion is fact and that all my references are biased against AMD or some other pathetic ploy, its happened far more times than you can imagine and it is not about to stop with you, so why try? I'm going to say this once and only once in the small chance that you are simply misled.

There is nothing hidden in any benchmark or article online, read a few and you will get the clear picture. There is nothing wrong with Core i7, no bugs, no errors, no problems. Intel does not lie about their TDP, it is pretty dead on you just have to understand how it is generated. There are no cheap tricks, no cheats, nor is there anything misleading about Intel's processors. AMD processors are not "smoother" than Intel processors, Intel processors overclock just like you see in the reviews like AMD. THERE ARE NO CONSPIRACIES.

Intel has a few better products than AMD and vice versa, this is because Intel is a much larger company with a much larger market share, why this is can be attributed to some bad practices but that is irrelevant. Intel owns the absolute best processors, the Core i5 750 and the Core i7 series. AMD owns the absolute best processors for price vs performance in the form of the Athlon II X2 240/250 and the Athlon II X4 620/630. It really is that simple.
 
Case / PSU Combo - There's no better deal than the Antec 1200 / CP-850. The HAF-932 w/ Corsair HX-850 would be a performancematch but that combo is $45 more and the Antec CP-850 is significantly quieter. ($275 for both)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024

MoBo - I see the Rampage II Extreme has been mentioned and it's a fine board designed for people who want to get all they can out of an OC. Some would argue it's overpriced but for what it can do, it's bargain. The downside to the R2E at this point is that the R3E is about to be released. It also must be mentioned that only a small part of the enthusiast community needs this level of equipment. The OC features add 4100 to this board and if you are not going to use them, well then you don't need this board.

You can either wait for the R3E or consider several alternatives. On the top end, you have the ASUS P6T7 WS Supercomputer "Ultimate Gamer". Downside...nVidia only for multiple GPU setups. OTOH, 4 x PCI-E16 means it canb do triple SLI and still have room for a dedicated PhysX card.($400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131390

Next we have the ASUS P6X58D Premium which gives you twin PCI-E 16 lanes but then only gives you 1X in the last slot. Still, if you aren't going to have more than two GFX cards, then this also gives you SATA III and USB 3 ($310)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

Finally we have the ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 which is the version 2 edition of what has got to be the best selling enthusiast X58 board by a significant margin given the amount of postings. Very similar to above but w/o the III and 3 ($280)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365

CPU - Start w/ the 920 and then look at your budget at the end. If you can afford more, don't be talked out of it. yes, the 920 can be OC'd past any more expensive CPU's stock settings but those CPU's can all be OC'd higher than the 920.($289)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Memory - 3 x 2GB is all ya need. DDR1600 for it's OC ability, no need to go higher unless you looking for 5 Ghz +. Lowest CAS # you can afford, best right now is Mushkin 998692's w/ the Ascent coolers if you can find them. The sister modules (998691) w/o the co0lers are on newegg for $245
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226050

GFX - Plug ya budget into list below:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491.html

Here's the "winners" from THG's latest (December) GFX Roundup
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December '09

$50 - HD 4650
$65 - HD 4670 / 9600 GSO
$85 - 9600 GT
$95 - 9600 GT / HD 4830
$110 - GTS 250 512 MB
$120 - GTS 250 1 GB
$155 - HD 5770 / GTX 260
$200 - HD 4890
$240 - 2 x GTS 250
$310 - No winner (HD 5850 Honorable Mention)
$330 - 2 x GTX 260 / 2 x HD 5770
$400 - 2 x HD 4890
$410 - No winner (HD 5870 Honorable Mention)
$465 - No winner (GTX 295 Honorable Mention)
$625 - No winner (HD 5970 Honorable Mention)

Heat Sink - For performance and ease of installation, the Prolimatech Megahalems fits both criteria. Here's what I'm putting in new builds Mega w/ IC Diamond TIM and twin Scythe PWMfans (make sure ya MoBo can handle the fan wattage). ($95 for the HS, TIM. two PWM fans and a Y cable splitter))

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Rev_B_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1156_1366_AM2_AM2_AM3_Hot_Item.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovation_Cooling_Diamond_7_Carat_Thermal_Compound_-_15_Grams.html?id=BZWnrfIC
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_Slip_Stream_120mm_x_25mm_PWM_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c365s936
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCPU_PMW_Y_Splitter_Cable.html

If that's a budget breaker, look at the Xigmnatec S1283 or one of the others here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm#INTELHEATSINK
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=15

Hard Drives - Check out the performance charts and pick whatever 500 GB per platter drive performs best under your usage patterns. The WD Black 2 TB is a good choice but at smaller capacities, you are limited to the Seagate 7200.12 or the Spinpoint F3. The 7200.12 excels in gaming, multimedia and pictures whereas the F3 wins at music and movie maker. See the comparisons here (copy past link in manually, link won't work in forum):
(http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1006.html?prod[2371]=on&prod[2770]=on)

Optical - Plextor Model PX-B320SA Blue Ray Reader / DVD Writer w/LS OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249055
 
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