The widescreen ratio for monitors has traditionally been 16:10 as opposed to televisions 16:9. With "HD" being marketed to the general public, monitor manufacturers have decided they can save a bit of money by marketing their 23"+ monitors as "Full HD" with a 1080p resolution of 1920x1080. Normally this would be 1920x1200 giving you a bit more screen real estate. It's up to you which one you choose. I went for a 1920x1200 with 1:1 pixel mapping so it doesn't stretch the input from the 360 if I don't want it to. 1080p monitors are slightly cheaper.catfish said:
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GAF'S ultimate $500/£400/$650 CAD budget gaming rigs + bonus high end configs!
- Thread starter brain_stew
- Start date
TunaMarshmallow
Member
brain_stew said:US GAF'S ULTIMATE $800 HIGH-END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
[DVD (22X Samsung DVDRW)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171
[CASE/PSU (Antec Sonata Elite + Antec TruePower 650w 80+ certified PSU)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.195794
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
Optional 1080p monitor:
ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059
My friend and I each bought the above configuration, based on this thread's recommendations. (Slight modification: we had to swap out the DVD drive for a different unit, because the listed unit is sold out.)
Any thoughts about this configuration that haven't already been expressed?
Any tips about putting these units together?
Thanks!
FromTheFuture
Member
Well shit, i was originally going to get a Phenom II X3 720 build, but now NewEgg has been jacking up the prices on nearly every component i was about to order. I don't know what to do anymore as the price increases have pushed me severely over budget (i was already stretching it to begin with). Any tips? Should i perhaps just wait it out to see if the prices die down a little? I'll admit i'm already becoming anxious and somewhat frustrated as i've been required to hold this off for weeks and this is the result...
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
Hey Brain_stew or anyone that knows, I got the OCZ vanquisher cpu cooler and waiting on the other bits but I notice it's specified as
SOCKET AM2 Compatible
however the phenom ii 940 is a socket AM2+
I assume it's OK?
SOCKET AM2 Compatible
however the phenom ii 940 is a socket AM2+
I assume it's OK?
FromTheFuture said:
Try to find some moeny and buy a Gigabyte 790X-UD4 or similar (with AMD2+ soket) and a Phenom II X4 Black Edition. That with 4GB of RAM and a good Video Card and you are set. I love that CPU really. Its giving me chills, since I'm coming from a PENTIUM 4 and a Core 2 Duo E4500 @ 2.2GHz. Shit, I'm running that at 4Ghz now (OC'ed) and its fucking awesome.
Try to find another site that kept standard prices or just wait (if you can)
brain_stew
Member
TruthJunky said:
Not much to say really, you'll be maxing out every game you play at glorious 1080p for less than $1000 including a beautiful 1080p monitor.
I'd read up on overclocking that Black eidtion CPU (check out www.overclock.net), as its a proven excellent overclocker, and the nice CPU cooler you have and the processor's unlocked multiplier should make things much simpler.
pseudocaesar
Member
What can I expect to overclock my Phenom II X4 940 Black too? Im hoping for around 3.6/3.8, and to do with cooling, will the Coolermaster V8 suffice? What other steps will I have to take for cooling? Im already planning on putting fans in every available space on my Three Hundred case.
Edit: Just seen that link you posted there, I'l read up there.
Edit: Just seen that link you posted there, I'l read up there.
brain_stew
Member
Matt said:
You could just add a $200 1080p monitor, and a BD drive + peripherals to the $800 config and be donE for around $1200 or less.
With the extra budget you might want to look at a core i7 rig but its whether you feel the performance boost is worth it. In current games you wuldn't see any difference at all really, though you may in the future.
brain_stew
Member
pseudocaesar said:
That all seems reasonable to me. Shouldn't be much trouble, and the cooling looks more than sufficient.
OK, how's this:brain_stew said:
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319
[Blu-Ray Burner (LG 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136164
[CASE/PSU (Antec Sonata Elite + Rosewill RG700 700W PSU)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.206084
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003
[Monitor ASUS VK266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236046
[Logitech G51 5.1 Speakers] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121012
[Logitech diNovo Wireless Keybored and Mouse] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126177
Subtotal: $1,758.50
Do I need a sound card? And what are people's opinions of these speakers, monitor, mouse, keyboard, and power supply?
Matt said:
I haven't bought a sound card in years. IMO the onboard stuff these days is more than enough, and on higher end mobos you usually get an optical and digital output.
It's a huge improvement from the old days where PCs either had no sound to substandard sound next to Creative and co.
brain_stew
Member
Do you really need a BD burner? Both the drives and media are so horribly overpriced atm I'm struggling to see how its worth it. HDDs are much better solution for backups, and cheap as chips.
If you want cheap PC surround sound then buy these, otherwise I'd say just stick with stereo in most cases tbh:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120&Tpk=z5500
With a display of that size, I'd stick with a 16:9 resolution so that its use with other devices (PS3/360 etc.) is simplified and a much better experience. Plus its easier on the GPU whilst still offering superb image quality.
Edit:
24" 1080p ASUS monitor with DVI/HDMI/VGA, 2ms response time for $147.99 open box!
Go go go!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049R
If you want cheap PC surround sound then buy these, otherwise I'd say just stick with stereo in most cases tbh:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120&Tpk=z5500
With a display of that size, I'd stick with a 16:9 resolution so that its use with other devices (PS3/360 etc.) is simplified and a much better experience. Plus its easier on the GPU whilst still offering superb image quality.
Edit:
24" 1080p ASUS monitor with DVI/HDMI/VGA, 2ms response time for $147.99 open box!
Go go go!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049R
FromTheFuture
Member
Well this was my original build. It was a whole ~70$ cheaper only a few days ago, but as i said, NewEgg has decided to screw me over with these prices.
[Case] Antec Nine Hundred Two
[PSU] Corsair VX450W
[CPU] AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE @ 2.8GHz
[Mobo] ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX
[GFX] Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512MB
[RAM] G.Skill 4 GB DDR3-1600 SDRAM
[HDD] WD Caviar Black 640 GB
[Misc] Rosewill RCX-Z940-LX 92mm Ball CPU Cooler
Unfortunately for me (and I'm not to blame) I was forced by family to hold this purchase off for a little while. While it was originally a great deal, i'm not sure what to do now as i don't want to spend this much for the computer and now i'm somewhat torn as i'll probably have to settle for less at the same price...
[Case] Antec Nine Hundred Two
[PSU] Corsair VX450W
[CPU] AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE @ 2.8GHz
[Mobo] ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX
[GFX] Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512MB
[RAM] G.Skill 4 GB DDR3-1600 SDRAM
[HDD] WD Caviar Black 640 GB
[Misc] Rosewill RCX-Z940-LX 92mm Ball CPU Cooler
Unfortunately for me (and I'm not to blame) I was forced by family to hold this purchase off for a little while. While it was originally a great deal, i'm not sure what to do now as i don't want to spend this much for the computer and now i'm somewhat torn as i'll probably have to settle for less at the same price...
BuddhaRockstar
Member
brain_stew said:
I'm about to bite on this... but what exactly does open box entail? Could this thing be covered in dead pixels?
brain_stew said:
Ok, changed the monitor to that one. Also, I actually own those speakers already, but have them hooked up in my living room.
I upgraded the motherboard, graphics card, CPU (to 3.2 GHz 955), case, power supply, RAM (to 6GB of DDR3) and CPU fan in this setup for not too much more $. Also turned the BR Burner into just a player. Would these changed make a real difference?
[Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128377
[CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
[RAM (G.SKILL Perfect Storm 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17066) Desktop Memory Model F3-17066CL9T-6GBPS)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231269
[GPU HIS HD 4890 1GB Turbo OC Edition)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161278
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319
[Blu-Ray Drive LITE-ON Black Blu-ray Disc Combo SATA Model iHES208-08 - Retail]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106292
[Case Antec P193 Gunmetal Gray Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129062
[PSU Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler THOR's HAMMER)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233032
[Monitor ASUS VK246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236048
[Speakers Logitech G51 5.1 Speakers] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121012
[Keyboard + Mouse Logitech diNovo Wireless Keybored and Mouse] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126177
Subtotal: $1925
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
For the high end rigs, there is one component that will give you a significant performance boost - a solid state hard disk.
My rig flies with this thing (OCZ Vertex 120GB). Windows boots up in 20 seconds and Photoshop opens up in 2 seconds. Firefox pops up the instant I click the quick launch icon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NPCTBO/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395
The 120GB Vertex is on Amazon for $381 now. The price really fluctuates. I bought it when it was at a low of $355. I've seen it as low as $333.
I like the Vertex because of the great customer service OCZ has (dedicated customer support forums with an active community)
Other than the Vertex, the Intel X25-M performs better, but it does come at a higher price per GB.
This is a very good article that explains things: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3531&p=1
My rig flies with this thing (OCZ Vertex 120GB). Windows boots up in 20 seconds and Photoshop opens up in 2 seconds. Firefox pops up the instant I click the quick launch icon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NPCTBO/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395
The 120GB Vertex is on Amazon for $381 now. The price really fluctuates. I bought it when it was at a low of $355. I've seen it as low as $333.
I like the Vertex because of the great customer service OCZ has (dedicated customer support forums with an active community)
Other than the Vertex, the Intel X25-M performs better, but it does come at a higher price per GB.
This is a very good article that explains things: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3531&p=1
brain_stew
Member
FromTheFuture said:
Something along the lines of the "$500" build might be right for you now then, it'll actually perom better in games.
brain_stew
Member
Matt said:
No, you'd never notice any sort of difference at all outside of benchmarks, (and even then it'd be a few % points at most) seriously. All you're doing is just buying overpriced parts, in a lot of cases (both CPU and GPU for sure), you're just simply paying for a small factory overclock, that you could so yourself in five minutes.
Are the parts technically better? Sure. Do they justify there large price premium? In my opinon, hell no.
Yazus said:
"500w" means literally nothing at all in real terms. A real 500w PSU wouldn't even flinch with that setup but then I don't kow if your PSU has real, or marketing specs. The actual manufacturer, model number and, crucially, sustained 12V rail output is what really matters.
If you've already got the speakers then fine, no need to add them to the price though, unless of course you want a setup for both rooms, in which case my recommendation for the Z5500 still stands.
Yeah, separate rooms. I'll think about what to do about the speakers.brain_stew said:
As for the parts, the difference between the CPU and the RAM really wouldn't change anything? The other parts I can see your point, but those seems like substantial upgrades. Then again, I'm sure you know far more then I.
brain_stew
Member
Matt said:
RAM speed is one of the very last performance differentiators, a few percentage points is the best you could hope for in real terms, often it'll be sub percentage points. Its a horrrible way to blow money on a rig if you want the best performance for your money. If money's no object or you're a hardcore, professional OCer, sure why not go for it. Otherwise get some deent branded DDR2 1066 and be happy that you didn't buy $200 worth of epeen and bugger all else.
All those Phenom iis are created on the same process, and a 3ghz full quad core balck edition will be one of the best picks of the bunch, so it should have no problems with overclocking. So if they both overclock to the same range all you've got is that .2ghz clock speed bump, which means the absolute best boost you could ver hope for would be a 6.67% increase in performance but that's only in situations where raw clock speed is the single one bottleneck, which in the real world, it very, very rarely is.
So, we're talking, overal,l a 5% performance boost (and that's a generous estiamte) but that's only when yo're CPU bound, which is very rare in modern games. Which means in the vast number of games the difference is well, nothing, or at least nothing you'd notice, that's for sure. If you want a few extra 3Dmarks to inflate your epeen, then, by all means go ahead.
If you're gonna spend that much cash on a pc, get an i7 rig.
Also for that RAM think of it this way: For 280 you can get that ram and have it last, lets say for 6 years. A better way to go is to get RAM for 140 (or less) that lasts for 4 years, then buy a new set later on at 140 that lasts for another 4 years AND possibly performs better.
I made the numbers up, but I'm sure you get the point.
Also for that RAM think of it this way: For 280 you can get that ram and have it last, lets say for 6 years. A better way to go is to get RAM for 140 (or less) that lasts for 4 years, then buy a new set later on at 140 that lasts for another 4 years AND possibly performs better.
I made the numbers up, but I'm sure you get the point.
TunaMarshmallow
Member
Anyone have any thoughts about the monitor I purchased above vs. the now-on-sale monitor that brain_stew just linked to (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049R)?
Should I return (for full refund) the one I purchased and instead go with this new one?
Should I return (for full refund) the one I purchased and instead go with this new one?
Truespeed
Member
Here's the system I plan to build. It's going to cost me about $950 - $50 MIR
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Triple Core Processor AM3 2.8GHZ 7.5MB Cache 95W
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800
Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA2 3.5IN 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Hard Drive OEM
Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW 23IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1080 16:9 5ms 20000:1
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Triple Core Processor AM3 2.8GHZ 7.5MB Cache 95W
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800
Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA2 3.5IN 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Hard Drive OEM
Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW 23IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1080 16:9 5ms 20000:1
FromTheFuture
Member
Well gaming is a big part of it, but not the entire thing. Will i miss having that better power for media editing and such? You probably might not remember but i have quite a few other uses for the computer other than gaming that i mentioned earlier.brain_stew said:
Yazus said:
Use this to calculate the amount of power you need. Dont overbuy too much for psu, it's an important part of pc, but some people are buying psus ranging from 750w to 1000w for a single card and 1 harddisk configuration.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Truespeed
Member
Yazus said:
Be sure to take into account your future expansion plans such as a possible SLI/Crossfire configurations or a new motherboard and CPU configuration down the road. Do not keep buying and replacing under-powered power supplies each time you upgrade your system. A power supply, like your case, should be an investment that is going to last you many builds.
brain_stew
Member
Yazus said:
If you've got the PSU already then go ahed and give it a go, that PSU has the standard safety features in so you're not going to damage anything.
If you haven't made the purchase yet then step up your PSU budget a little.
brain_stew
Member
FromTheFuture said:
Yeah, I know that, but I felt mentioning the fact that you'd be getting better gaming performance for less was worth mentioning. Video encoding will always benefit from more cores but if you're not a power user I wouldn't worry too much, its not as if an X2 550 is "slow". Though with the X3 only being an extra $25, its probably worth the premium to you.
Javaman said:
No, the CPU is backwards compatible, and socket forwards compatible.
brain_stew said:
Ok, I still have to buy that one, so I'm getting an OCZ - 600Watt StealthXStream Gamers
There is also a TECHSOLO 650W but have less connectors and its 50k hours vs 100k hours of meantime between failures.
I heard OCZ is good, and its only 80 (100$ around). Is that OK? I reach the top of my budget if I buy that, but my concern is not money, but if the system will be stable and running for a lot of years.
fistfulofmetal
Banned
hey guys
this is the system I have:
Asus M2N-SLI Motherboard - NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI, Socket AM2/AM2+, ATX, Audio, PCI Express, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID
AMD Phenom 9500 Processor HD9500WCGDBOX - 2.20GHz, 4 x 512KB Cache, 1800MHz (3600 MT/s) FSB, Agena, Quad-Core, Retail, Socket AM2+, Processor with Fan
HIS Radeon HD 4850 Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, HDMI Support, VGA Support
Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB)
Ultra LSP550 550-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan
I've had it for about 6 months now. I'm planning on upgrading around Fall-ish.
The two pieces I'm looking at are the higher end CPU and the ATI 4890.
Think it would be worth it?
this is the system I have:
Asus M2N-SLI Motherboard - NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI, Socket AM2/AM2+, ATX, Audio, PCI Express, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID
AMD Phenom 9500 Processor HD9500WCGDBOX - 2.20GHz, 4 x 512KB Cache, 1800MHz (3600 MT/s) FSB, Agena, Quad-Core, Retail, Socket AM2+, Processor with Fan
HIS Radeon HD 4850 Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, HDMI Support, VGA Support
Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB)
Ultra LSP550 550-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan
I've had it for about 6 months now. I'm planning on upgrading around Fall-ish.
The two pieces I'm looking at are the higher end CPU and the ATI 4890.
Think it would be worth it?
OK, this is what I have now:
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 750GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283
[Blu-Ray Drive (LITE-ON Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106292
[PSU (Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
[CASE (Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003
[Monitor (ASUS VK266H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236048
[Keybored and Mouse (Logitech diNovo Wireless Keybored and Mouse)] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126177
Subtotal: $1433
Any final thoughts? Any experience with this keyboard? Is it really better to get the 24in 1080p Asus, because I have no problem splurging for the 26in 1200. Also, yes or no for a SSD? Lastly, I really do want a 5.1 system for this comp, but I just don't want to own two of the same Logitech 5500 setups. Any other suggestions?
Also, all of this stuff is from Newegg. Someone mentioned all their prices went up recently, should I wait a few weeks, buy from somewhere else, or just go for it?
Finally, if I'm already spending this much for the system, should I switch to a Core i7 processor? If so, which one/which motherboard?
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 750GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283
[Blu-Ray Drive (LITE-ON Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106292
[PSU (Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021
[CASE (Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003
[Monitor (ASUS VK266H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236048
[Keybored and Mouse (Logitech diNovo Wireless Keybored and Mouse)] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126177
Subtotal: $1433
Any final thoughts? Any experience with this keyboard? Is it really better to get the 24in 1080p Asus, because I have no problem splurging for the 26in 1200. Also, yes or no for a SSD? Lastly, I really do want a 5.1 system for this comp, but I just don't want to own two of the same Logitech 5500 setups. Any other suggestions?
Also, all of this stuff is from Newegg. Someone mentioned all their prices went up recently, should I wait a few weeks, buy from somewhere else, or just go for it?
Finally, if I'm already spending this much for the system, should I switch to a Core i7 processor? If so, which one/which motherboard?
brain_stew
Member
Yazus said:
Yeah, go with the OCZ PSU, should suit you fine.
brain_stew
Member
Cheeto said:
I dunno, a 2.2ghz original Phenom is a pretty damn terrible gaming CPU. Similar to a stock E2180 in most games, which isn't great.Its a pretty shitty oveclocker to boot.
I'd recommend checking your motherboard manufacturer to see if they have a BIOS update to enable AM3 CPU support (they should) and make sure you install that before any upgrades. A sub $200 ii 940 would be a very nice upgrade to go along with that GPU.
fistfulofmetal
Banned
brain_stew said:
Ok. The cpu and gpu are probably what I'm gonna get.
I'm checking on the ASUS site and I'm not seeing anything there for AM3 though. Is it required?
Yazus said:
Uh what are you talking about exactly? They're both completely different kinds of "boosts". One is more memory, the other is faster memory.
Now, I don't think spending on DDR3 is worth it (unless you're running really memory intensive apps), but don't go saying stuff like that.
Matt said:
Seems a little pricey...don't have time to check all the individual components since I'm at work, but...
I was under the impression that DDR3 really didn't do much on the AMD rigs, and that the Core i7 were needed to get the incredibly performance out of em. Anyone care to comment?