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Building a Gaming PC
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AutoManic
Newbie
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1. January 2011 @ 23:32 |
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Okay, I think it is finally time for me to get an upgrade. As of right now, here is what I'm running:
HP Pavilion a1547c (5 years old)
AMD Athlon 64 Processor 400+
3GB of RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8600
(not sure about the rest)
It seems though that the computer itself is starting to get outdated in performance with all the new games that are coming out. My first question is if I should just upgrade the motherboard (stock) and processor (stock), or since I have a 1500 dollar budget, should I just build a new one from scratch?
And if the second path is the one I should take, any suggestions (since I don't know so much about what to look for) would be awesome. If I could save money and have above average performance, that would be preferred.
Thank you all in advance for your advice.
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GyroTEX
Junior Member
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2. January 2011 @ 12:29 |
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case is of course interchangeable, processor really is about the best (you can go higher but not really worth it, its just clock speed after this one) which is also why I put a water cooler on there, one of the best for the i7 since its all self contained and really easy to install. The video card is the best non-dual video card out there the GTX 480, blu-ray burner because why not. thats around 1420 after shipping(might be different for you) this of course was built with the assumption you would be using your original keyboard/mouse/monitor, which we can step the video card down to a 470 and you would pretty much be able to get those things.
1 COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119197
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
$109.98
$99.98
1 EVGA 015-P3-1485-AR GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) SuperClocked+ 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814130558
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy -$70.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$519.99
$449.99
1 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$30.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
$109.99
1 OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK
Item #: N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy -$38.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
$101.99
1 GIGABYTE GA-X58-USB3 LGA 1366 Intel X58 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128456
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
$189.99
$179.99
1 Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
Item #: N82E16819115211
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
$299.99
$289.99
1 CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181010
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$74.99
1 LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support
Item #: N82E16827136181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $99.9
I made a wishlist public, but was unable to find the direct link for it, however I can email it too you if you want to pm me
EDIT: I totally forgot the hard drive lol
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
^ puts it slightly over 1500
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. January 2011 @ 12:32
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AutoManic
Newbie
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2. January 2011 @ 19:21 |
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I have 2 monitors already and a 1 TB HD that I'm sure I can move over to the new PC, so all this is very helpful information. Thank you for your quick and helpful response :)
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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3. January 2011 @ 10:43 |
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Absolutely not. There are some poor choices in that list. The graphics card is ridiculously overpriced (it's only worth about $250), the PSU is massive overkill and the hard disk isn't really the right choice if he already has enough storage (It's also sold out).
Replace the $450 GTX480 with a $300 HD6950, it's much more modern and efficient, and just as fast.
Replace the memory with Corsair XMS3. OCZ RAM is often a liability.
Replace the PSU with a cheaper, quieter, model, like the 550VX or 650TX.
Since he's a gamer, he doesn't need an LGA1366 system, so an i5 760 on LGA1166 will do fine. Alternatively, if you can wait a short while, it's worth going for a new Sandy Bridge LGA1155 system instead.
Unless he's overclocking, the watercooler is also $75 wasted, which can be used to buy an SSD like an Intel X25-V or OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB instead, which will make the system much faster to use.
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GyroTEX
Junior Member
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3. January 2011 @ 19:56 |
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A good psu is always worth the investment, I have gone the other route many many times before and I always need more power, or they get blown out.
okay your right about the ram (I don't know what I was thinking there) I normally go with G.Skill, but Corsair works too (Newegg had the OCZ in a bundle deal with the mobo)
He's a Gamer performance is key, LGA1366 is the best he had the budget capable of purchasing such a system.
i7 rigs tend to be really hot (I know intel says their operating temps are higher, but there is something just wrong about 80-100c or anything over 60C for that matter)
SSD is not a bad idea
Graphics Card, this is where I am torn I am very partial to Nvidia, but I Googled that 6950 and its very close and in fact some games it appears to be better, so I guess you can take the money you would save with getting 6950 and get an SSD(I still like my water cooler)
EDIT: few word corrections
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. January 2011 @ 20:06
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. January 2011 @ 04:16 |
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i7s put out a lot of heat, so firstly, why use them? They have no advantages for a gaming PC (they're slower than i5s) and cost far more.
Secondly though the stock cooler is perfectly adequate just noisy, and the deafening gtx480 would nullify that.
NVidia fan or not, the gtx480 is a bad idea at its normal price, let alone higher. Anyone not living under a rock knows it has been replaced by the gtx570.
Lastly, PSUs do not blow out unless theyre cheap crap. even with the 320w gtx480 sc you're fine with a good 550w psu as that system will only use 450w max. with an i5 760 and 6950 this drops to only 310-320w total. A 380w would actually run it, believe it or not. Trust me, 750w is ovetkill.
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AfterDawn Addict
1 product review
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4. January 2011 @ 06:05 |
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The i7 is better for video editing, 3D modeling (not games...more like CAD), etc...that is why you use them. They are also faster than the other 1156 processors...if you want a faster CPU without overclocking, then the i7 is the only choice. Granted, going from 2.8ghz quad core to 2.93ghz quad core probably isn't worth the extra $75...that is why overclocking is so great.
If you mean the 1366 i7 processors, then the advantages have very little (if anything) to do with gaming performance. If your gaming PC design includes a pair of PCIe x16 2.0 cards (top-of-the-line units) as well as one of those PCIe SSD cards, then the I7 is for you...otherwise, the (more expensive) 1366 I7 is actually slower than the 1156 version at the same speed.
As for power, overkill is all relative. Other than the cost of the unit (or maybe the physical size), there is nothing wrong with too much power. When you get a nice power supply from a company like Corsair, it can easily last 10 years or more. Depending on your upgrade cycle, this means that this one power supply will be in 2-10 different systems with different power requirements. Often the difference between a 550W unit and a 750W unit is only about $20...this might just be a good investment in your next system (or that upgrade to a pair of high end video cards that you do when some super game comes out). Sammorris likes to make fun of me because I bought a 1200W power supply once...I don't regret it tho...it was (and still is) a great unit for the money (about the same cost of a 750W after rebates). I'm not saying to buy one for retail cost of around $250...but if you can get more power for less money, then more power does not hurt...it does not even use more power (unless your old PSU was overloaded of course).
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. January 2011 @ 11:58 |
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Agaim though, if you never use it, no point. You may have got a 1200w unit cheap, but when my silent 430w nexus could run your PC, what was the point?
I'm all for a quality PSU but people forget how little power they actually use. Most gaming PCs use less than 250w even in crysis.
I'll also point out i5s overclock better than i7s. $75 for 5% more clock speed. Worth it?
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gera229
Member
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6. January 2011 @ 21:44 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
i7s put out a lot of heat, so firstly, why use them? They have no advantages for a gaming PC (they're slower than i5s) and cost far more.
When my brother built his PC he used an i7 for 1156 socket instead of an i5. It was an i7 860. You claimed that they are slower than i5s. What do you mean by that?
Which socket is slower 1156 or 1366?
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AfterDawn Addict
1 product review
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6. January 2011 @ 23:25 |
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1366 has more capabilities and features...and that makes it a bit slower than 1156...unless you actually have use for those features. If you are just talking 1156, and you are not overclocking, then ghz-for-ghz the i7 is faster than an i5.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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7. January 2011 @ 05:58 |
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For games, LGA1366 i7s are slightly slower than LGA1156 i5s. LGA1156 i7s aren't really any slower, but they aren't any faster.
I must stress though, this difference is tiny. - Assuming you leave HT disabled on the i7s, it's literally about a 2-3% difference, no more than that.
For other workstation-related programs, the i7s will outstrip the i5 by miles. There's definitely a point to buying them, but not for a gamer. They don't overclock any better than i5s, they typically use more power than i5s, and obviously they're a lot more expensive.
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mrslicker
Member
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7. January 2011 @ 22:36 |
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well my two cents are this: youll probably enjoy putting together a mostly new system. try not to blow the wad on just the initial build, youll need some sweet games and possibly youll notice some things that you would want after its put together. i put together a system with an amd phenom ii x4, "enthusiast" asus mb and 4gb corsair with a 5870 card. the phenom is x4 3.4GHz cause the x6's are pretty expensive and have a slower clock speed (even though it has two more cores) the asus is a crosshair iv formula and works fine so far, i havent tried to overclock or anything. found a good deal on the dominator's, but almost went with a 8GB kit from g skill. its the "snipers" on newegg, 1600MHz ddr3. however, i dunno if that board would work fine with those sticks. 5870 works excellently, but kind of high price around 300 (U.S. dollars) down to 260 if you find a good deal or rebate {of which i missed the window :( } ive tried playing a few games like crysis original with the updates, the club and they play really smooth. no slowdowns in my light sessions. as far as power supply goes i am using a 650w. which is probably more than enough with only one gfx card installed. i think one of the main things to look at at power supplies nowadays are the amount of pci-e connectors (should be 6 or 6+2 pin, and youll need one or two for each card usually) if your a gamer, but either way, get a good quality. i use antec, but in no way endorse them over any other psu. the price was right, the co.says its efficient, and ive heard of them before. you could probably benefit from a mid-tower. it should have enough room for the *majority* of graphics cards, and likewise should fit a larger, tower-style CPU cooler if you choose to use one. the WD caviar blacks seem to be pretty nice if youll need one of those for storage or boot. ssd's are nice but better be quite fast, like sub-300 MBps and plus-200 MBps read/write in my opinion. only consider those for booting.
lastly, the system i mentioned encodes (w/cpu only, cant figure a good GPU encoder) an avg of 130-145 fps in handbrake for SD dvds when using the mkv and x264 settings. for a local movie file that i convert to "ipod" size for mobile view it can be around 245, but i actually noticed one mp4 to mp4 was going like 700+ frames.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. January 2011 @ 22:41
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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8. January 2011 @ 05:56 |
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I assume you built the system before the HD6870 came out [october], otherwise that was a fair few dollars wasted.
Apart from the Asus motherboard I agree with most of what's said there, though there is more to getting the right number of power connectors on a PSU, and more than that, some people have used molex->6-pin adapters without issue. Antec is a tricky brand to recommend as a whole, as some of their PSUs are very good, and some are terrible. The devil is in the detail, look at the OEM of the PSU if anything, more than the brand you're buying it from.
Corsair's been a pretty trusted brand for PSUs around here for the last 5 years or so, but even they've since produced a terrible PSU that nobody should be caught buying (CX430/500/600, but not CX400].
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mrslicker
Member
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9. January 2011 @ 14:59 |
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actually i built it after october. i found out that the *true* successor to the 5870 was known as the 6970. the 6870 was, though only slightly, inferior in the benchmark tests run on a couple of review sites. so, looking at it like that i saved around 60 dollars, probably more considering i decided to buy local and not off the nets. also, the amount of stream processors played a role in my decision. i did not know that gpu-offloading support is spotty at best, for things other than games. my intent is/was to have a computer i can look at and not want to add on to every month or two. that kind of behavior and dissatisfaction brought my budget to a standstill every month.
also, what are good things to look at for power supplies aside of amperage, rails, efficiency and connectors?
lubricant -> Mr Slicker -> ???
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. January 2011 @ 15:02
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. January 2011 @ 15:14 |
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Well no, you didn't save $60, you lost $60. The 6870 is performance-wise indistinguishable from the 5870,. and is $60 less. The 6950 is also indistinguishable but the other side, about 5% faster, not 5% slower. The 6970 is actually almost 20% faster than the 5870 was, so it is justifiably higher priced.
Don't look at PSUs simply by specification, brand is of the utmost importance. Generally you're safe sticking with Corsair as long as you avoid the CX range.
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mrslicker
Member
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9. January 2011 @ 15:49 |
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very well.
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AutoManic
Newbie
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10. January 2011 @ 20:06 |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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10. January 2011 @ 20:15 |
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AutoManic
Newbie
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10. January 2011 @ 20:33 |
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Thank you, sammorris, for the quick response and all the help you've been giving to me through this thread. Hopefully when I get each piece in (I can afford about 1 a week at the moment) it will all come together to be a beautiful computer.
And thanks to everyone else for the input
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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10. January 2011 @ 20:36 |
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jblitz277
Newbie
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15. January 2011 @ 12:39 |
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be careful with the 1 a week thing get processor and mobo last then if you go to put together and they are bad and it's after 30 days. Well just be careful. Trust me you don't want to go through that you may end up getting a new one put I wouldn't chance it.
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gera229
Member
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17. January 2011 @ 14:02 |
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How much faster is sandybridge? Do you know what it was designed for? Is it also faster clock for clock (same speeds)?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. January 2011 @ 14:03
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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17. January 2011 @ 14:30 |
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It's the same as before. The i5 is primarily a gaming CPU whereas the i7 can handle media encodes, rendering and the likes a lot better.
Typically Sandy Bridge is about 10% faster per clock compared to the earlier i5s and i7s. They are, however, higher clocked.
An i5/i7 will typically be from 2.66Ghz to 3.06Ghz at stock, and will overclock to around 4.0-4.2Ghz.
Meanwhile a Sandy Bridge CPU will typically be clocked from 3.0 to 3.4Ghz at stock, and will overclock to around 4.7-5.2Ghz (4.7Ghz is even attainable on the stock cooler for the 2500K).
So overall, you're gaining up to 40% if you go for a big overclock.
It's worth remembering though, that only the K CPUs (i5 2500K and i7 2600K) can actually overclock at all. They are well priced, but the cheaper models cannot overclock, so beware when looking into them.
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g0ds360
Newbie
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25. February 2011 @ 14:20 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Absolutely not. There are some poor choices in that list. The graphics card is ridiculously overpriced (it's only worth about $250), the PSU is massive overkill and the hard disk isn't really the right choice if he already has enough storage (It's also sold out).
Replace the $450 GTX480 with a $300 HD6950, it's much more modern and efficient, and just as fast.
Replace the memory with Corsair XMS3. OCZ RAM is often a liability.
Replace the PSU with a cheaper, quieter, model, like the 550VX or 650TX.
Since he's a gamer, he doesn't need an LGA1366 system, so an i5 760 on LGA1166 will do fine. Alternatively, if you can wait a short while, it's worth going for a new Sandy Bridge LGA1155 system instead.
Unless he's overclocking, the watercooler is also $75 wasted, which can be used to buy an SSD like an Intel X25-V or OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB instead, which will make the system much faster to use.
Do you no where i can buy the stuff to do a build off the sandy bridge LGA1155 i5 2500k
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