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brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

gragy10 said:
Right, been lurking in and around this thread since the OP and have been planing my first system build ever since, in time for the Windows 7 launch.
General concept is a living room PC (tho NOT an HTPC) for use as an all in one 1080p gaming box, (Emulators, PC native stuff and multi format stuff) and music/movies system (Blu Ray eventually).
Needs to be relatively quiet, aesthetically unobtrusive, have plenty of upgrade potential and come in under £700.
This little lot comes in almost dead on £700 (via ebuyer) - any feedback much appreciated!

Antec P183 Case & Antec CP-850 850W Modular PSU
AMD Phenom X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz
ASUS M4A78 770 Socket AM2+
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz
Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black HD
XFX GTX275 XXX Edition 896MB
Asus Xonar D2X Soundcard
(already got spare SATA DVD writer, wireless keyboard and mouse and will be viewing on a Sony 40W4500)

If you're using it with an HDMI amp you might to ditch the soundcard and GPU and get an ATI GPU instead, for multichannel PCM over HDMI.

What's with the PSU, its huge, huge overkill, could run that rig two times over. Having some headroom is nice and all but that's just a little ott for my likings.

When you can have a 4890 for £140, I find it hard to recommend a GTX 275 to UK buyers tbh.

Might want to look into picking up an X4 940 instead with the money saved.

Ashes2049 · Jul 27, 2009

Hi brain_stew, just wanted to let you know the motherboard for the UK build on the high end rig is discontinued, any other suggestions at all?

gragy10 · Jul 27, 2009

brain_stew said:
If you're using it with an HDMI amp you might to ditch the soundcard and GPU and get an ATI GPU instead, for multichannel PCM over HDMI.

What's with the PSU, its huge, huge overkill, could run that rig two times over. Having some headroom is nice and all but that's just a little ott for my likings.

When you can have a 4890 for £140, I find it hard to recommend a GTX 275 to UK buyers tbh.

Might want to look into picking up an X4 940 instead with the money saved.

Thanks for the quick response brain_stew.
Surround sound setup's are outlawed in my living room, so audio will be via a Nad 2 Ch hifi amp, direct from the soundcard.
PSU is pretty hefty but choice of case/PSU is in the interests of future expansion - MD/CPU/GPU are likely to be replaced with a DX11 card and i7 equivalent in a year-18 months.
4890 vs GTX275 is my main sticking point - different sources of benchmark seem to differ wildly so it's hard to get a proper perspective on performance. Factor in nVidia's Phys-x support, ATI's seemingly dodgy driver updates and the potential £45 saved with the 4890 and it's a difficult decision..

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

Huge US update:

ME said:
ME said:

US GAF's ULTIMATE $550 GAMING RIG.

[Motherboard (MSI 790X Crossfire) + Processor (Phenom ii X4 945 3ghz) + GPU (MSI 4890 1GB OC edition) Combo]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216270 ($334 AR)
[HDD (WD CAVIAR BLUE 640GB SATA)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 ($60)
[DVD (Samsung 22X DVDRW)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 ($27)
[Case (Coolermaster Elite 330 e)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115 ($37)
[PSU (OCZ 500W Modular 80+)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 ($34 after rebate)
[RAM (OCZ 4GB DDR2 800)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269 ($36 after rebate)

Click to expand...

Total: $603.93 + $65 MIR =$538.93

I'm aware that the price of this machine has slipped above the original $500 target but the offers in the next price bracket were just too good to ignore. You're getting a monster rig here, much better than I had ever originally planned for, this will tear through absolutely anything you throw at it @ 1080p, gaming or otherwise. You're getting a top of the line gaming machine with a full quad core running at 3ghz for your $550 here, no half measures.

Now as a bonus, here's a superb $400 machine that is all you need to play all the latest games at high settings with absolute minimum cost. I absolutely recommend the previous rig first and foremost, but on a really tight budget, you'll be delighted with this machine:

ME said:

US GAF'S ULTIMATE $400 GAMING RIG

[CPU/MOTHERBOARD/MEMORY COMBO (2.8ghz E6300 / ECS G31 / OCZ SLI 4GB 800mhz)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.215870 ($157 +$23 MIR)
[DVDRW (Samsung 22x SATA)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 ($27)
[GPU (Sapphire E HD 4850 512M)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824 ($100)
[HDD (WD CAVIAR BLUE 640GB )]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 ($60)
[CASE/PSU COMBO (Coolermaster Centurion 5 / Coolermaster 460w): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.208506 ($75)

$418.92 - $33 rebates = $395.93

Click to expand...

[/B]
Optional 1080p monitor:

ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200 +$20 rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

Total cost of 1080p gaming rig with 1080p monitor = $803.93 +$85 MIR = $718.93

Rur0ni · Jul 27, 2009

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3610&p=1

Anandtech has a new buyer's guide article up. Bottom line recommends AMD for midrange (which is what most people here want).

If you are in the market for a new midrange system now you should buy it now. This is particularly true if you are planning to buy an AMD midrange system. Values are at an all-time high and i5 will not likely change the value equation much since Intel already controls the top performance spots. Intel does not have a history of "giving away" performance; they adjust prices when competitive pressures force them to.

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

gragy10 said:
Thanks for the quick response brain_stew.
Surround sound setup's are outlawed in my living room, so audio will be via a Nad 2 Ch hifi amp, direct from the soundcard.
PSU is pretty hefty but choice of case/PSU is in the interests of future expansion - MD/CPU/GPU are likely to be replaced with a DX11 card and i7 equivalent in a year-18 months.
4890 vs GTX275 is my main sticking point - different sources of benchmark seem to differ wildly so it's hard to get a proper perspective on performance. Factor in nVidia's Phys-x support, ATI's seemingly dodgy driver updates and the potential £45 saved with the 4890 and it's a difficult decision..

Pointless paying extra for a soundcard with a 2.1 setup imo. Ditch the Xonar.

An i7 + new GPU rig isn't going to need a 850w PSU, 500w would cover it, but by all means step upto a 650w if you want, 850w just seems silly. New GPUs and processors use newer processes which means more performance per watt, the absolute TDP figure doesn't raise very much at all from one generation to another.

Ditching that whole rig in a year just seems ridiculous as well. Get an X4 940 now and be done with it, all the CPU power you'll need for several years to come, plus some OCing headroom to boot for a free future upgrade.

PhysX is a non factor. There's one game that makes decent use of it (Mirror's Edge). One game. With DX11 and OpenCL on the horizon CUDA will be put to bed anyway.

If the difference is £5 fine, if the difference is £45, you'd have to be pretty damn crazy to justify the gap with PhysX. If the prices were similar I'd take the Nvidia card myself (mostly because of nHancer), but they're not, so the 4890 wins it by a landslide.

Edit: Nice to see Anandtech echo everything I've been saying for the last few months. Its a perfect time to buy a system and AMD offer the best value by far atm.

Rur0ni · Jul 27, 2009

gragy10 said:
Thanks for the quick response brain_stew.
Surround sound setup's are outlawed in my living room, so audio will be via a Nad 2 Ch hifi amp, direct from the soundcard.
PSU is pretty hefty but choice of case/PSU is in the interests of future expansion - MD/CPU/GPU are likely to be replaced with a DX11 card and i7 equivalent in a year-18 months.
4890 vs GTX275 is my main sticking point - different sources of benchmark seem to differ wildly so it's hard to get a proper perspective on performance. Factor in nVidia's Phys-x support, ATI's seemingly dodgy driver updates and the potential £45 saved with the 4890 and it's a difficult decision..

Agreed there.

As far as 4890 vs GTX 275, really comes down to the resolution (1920x1200 and down for 4890) and games (TWIMTBP) you play. Though 4890 is probably a better value. But it's been a while since I've owned an ATI/AMD card (x1950 pro), and I really only see driver hot fixes on the ATI/AMD side.

edit:

An i7 + new GPU rig isn't going to need a 850w PSU, 500w would cover it, but by all means step upto a 650w if you want, 850w just seems silly. New GPUs and processors use newer processes which means more performance per watt, the absolute TDP figure doesn't raise very much at all from one generation to another.

Make an excellent point, but closes the door for SLI/Crossfire, should he so choose. Besides it's not really an expensive psu.

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

Rur0ni said:
Agreed there.

As far as 4890 vs GTX 275, really comes down to the resolution (1920x1200 and down for 4890) and games (TWIMTBP) you play. Though 4890 is probably a better value. But it's been a while since I've owned an ATI/AMD card (x1950 pro), and I really only see driver hot fixes on the ATI/AMD side.

edit:

Make an excellent point, but closes the door for SLI/Crossfire, should he so choose. Besides it's not really an expensive psu.

There's a 33% price hike from the 4890 to the GTX 275 here in the UK, which is impossible to ignore imo. I've used both Nvidia and ATI cards in the last 12 months and the driver issues are way, way overblown.

The situation is different in the US with prices being much similar.

650w doesn't in anyway close the door to SLI/Crossfire really. This is forgetting the fact that AFR reliant multi GPUs are broken by design and come with a multitude of issues ofcourse.

Truespeed · Jul 27, 2009

brain_stew said:
You sure that RAM is in the right slots? I'd download CPU-Z to check its running in dual channel mode, to be safe.

According to the Gigabyte manual it is. I'll double check with CPU-Z, though. Thanks.

Also, people, please post IMAGES of your builds so that others can view your hardware, cabling, etc.

brandonh83 · Jul 27, 2009

I just got a $2000 credit line with Newegg but I want to spend $600 or less and pay it off with my next couple of paychecks, there's no interest for 6 months and I could have it paid off in a few weeks.

This thread is awesome and I really want to build it myself, I just don't know how to and I'm afraid I'd mess something up if I tried, and I don't know anyone around here that could do it either. Is it really that simple and difficult to majorly screw up?

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

brandonh83 said:
I just got a $2000 credit line with Newegg but I want to spend $600 or less and pay it off with my next couple of paychecks, there's no interest for 6 months and I could have it paid off in a few weeks.

This thread is awesome and I really want to build it myself, I just don't know how to and I'm afraid I'd mess something up if I tried, and I don't know anyone around here that could do it either. Is it really that simple and difficult to majorly screw up?

Its much, much simpler than you'd imagine. Everything is colour coded, everything only ever usually fits in one place and modern manuals are excellent, just take your time.

Read some guides on building first and leave an evening spare so you can take your time. Be sure to keep yourself grounded (touch a radiator often, don't build on carpet etc.) and give yourself plenty of room to work with.

Have a read of this guide (you might have to sign up first to see the pictures, its worth it):

http://forums.ebuyer.com/showthread.php?t=19603

No way you'll be able to get remotely close to my $550 config anyway else. You could spend well over $1000 and be far off in terms of gaming performance and have a load of parts that leave no future upgrades. It'd comfortably beat this $1600 Dell in gaming performance, for example:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...wyz4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktop-xps-625

We're here to answer your queries along the way (have GAF open as you build!), go for it!

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

DOUBLE POST

Ourobolus · Jul 27, 2009

So after looking at the HTPC thread and this one, how feasible is it for the $500 gaming rig to double as an HTPC (for games, movies, etc. on my HDTV)? I realize I'd have to spend a bit more to get a bigger HDD and a different case, but it looks doable.

The video card has DVI-out, but I can get a converter to HDMI. Other than that, what do you think? A good idea for an HTPC or should I look elsewhere?

brandonh83 · Jul 27, 2009

Thanks brain, I just made a last second decision though to not worry about ultimate gaming performance, it sounded nice but I do more stuff like graphic design and whatnot so I think I'm just going to get a system that CAN play games well enough but not go all out with it.

I appreciate your readiness and willingness though and if for some reason I change my mind, I'll be back.

brain_stew · Jul 27, 2009

Ourobolus said:
So after looking at the HTPC thread and this one, how feasible is it for the $500 gaming rig to double as an HTPC (for games, movies, etc. on my HDTV)? I realize I'd have to spend a bit more to get a bigger HDD and a different case, but it looks doable.

The video card has DVI-out, but I can get a converter to HDMI. Other than that, what do you think? A good idea for an HTPC or should I look elsewhere?

ATI cards can deliver 7.1 PCM audio over HDMI with their included adapter, making them perfect for an HTPC.

You'd obviously want to look into a different case and perhaps choose certain components based on acoustic performance but apart from that, yeah you could adapt it to a HTPC if you want. Really depends what you want the HTPC for, if games are a big part then its a good place to start.

Ourobolus · Jul 27, 2009

brain_stew said:
ATI cards can deliver 7.1 PCM audio over HDMI with their included adapter, making them perfect for an HTPC.

You'd obviously want to look into a different case and perhaps choose certain components based on acoustic performance but apart from that, yeah you could adapt it to a HTPC if you want. Really depends what you want the HTPC for, if games are a big part then its a good place to start.

I'm mostly looking to use it for movies and gaming. 7.1 audio is what I'm looking for, but I'm not a huge audiophile, so as long as it sounds good to the average person I'm fine. The ability to run a PS2 emulator is a plus (then I can put my PS2 in a different room

), but not really required. I've been streaming a lot of video to the internet lately as well, so the ability to do that would be good.

AdawgDaFAB · Jul 28, 2009

I am running a Phenom ii X3 720 BE on a Gigabyte UD3 770 (Ver 1) MoBo. I am overclocking it right now but haven't looked into cooling systems yet, so for now I am on the (seemingly crappy) stock heatskin/f that came w/ the CPU. I bump'd up the multiplier to 16x so I am running 3 cores @ 3.2 GHz (the board's bios didn't have the ACC option to try and unlock the 4th core). It seems stable since I was able to run Prime95 for 13 hours with no problem, but when I ran the test my CPU temp was around 49-51 C (idle it runs around 30-32 C). Should I lower the OC until I can get a better cooling system?

Llyranor · Jul 28, 2009

brain_stew said:
CANADIAN GAF'S ULTIMATE $650 BUDGET GAMING RIG

Total cost: $658.34 + $20 rebates.[/B] (Nb: NCIX will pre assemble your rig for an additional $50 fee, a very good deal in my book, having such an excellent machine all up and running for $700 flat is excellent value, buy an equivalent XPS or Alienware and you'd be paying twice as much and the parts wouldn't be as easily upgradable / high quality).

With Hearts of Iron III coming, I realize I need a new PC fast.

I've been looking a bit through the NCIX, but I don't actually see their offer to assemble the rig for 50$. I must be blind, but where is it on their site, exactly? Thanks!

Daigoro · Jul 28, 2009

thanks for keeping this updated Brain Stew.

my first ever build just died after quite a few years of faithfull service, so im going to be replacing the mobo, CPU, and what ever else that isnt compatible with those from my old rig. (at least i already have the basic monitor, HD, dvd drives, and peripherals covered)

ill be looking for a combo deal most likely, so your suggestions are appreciated.

im sure ill have some quiestions coming up soon, so you'll be seeing me back here shortly.

Firestorm · Jul 28, 2009

Llyranor said:
With Hearts of Iron III coming, I realize I need a new PC fast.

I've been looking a bit through the NCIX, but I don't actually see their offer to assemble the rig for 50$. I must be blind, but where is it on their site, exactly? Thanks!

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=7842

It's also available as bundled option at $41.09 or so with certain CPUs, motherboards, and cases. They add $10 environmental fee if you're in BC.

Don't grab the video card in the first post. You can get a 4870 1GB for $10 less now. 4890 is also fairly cheap.

JetBlackPanda · Jul 28, 2009

Its been almost six years since I have built a gaming rig and I want to get a new one.

is this build current and one of the best out there for under a $1000

US GAF's ULTIMATE GAMING RIG.

[Motherboard (MSI 790X Crossfire) + Processor (Phenom ii X4 945 3ghz) + GPU (MSI 4890 1GB OC edition) Combo]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216270 ($334 AR)
[HDD (WD CAVIAR BLUE 640GB SATA)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 ($60)
[DVD (Samsung 22X DVDRW)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 ($27)
[Case (Coolermaster Elite 330 e)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115 ($37)
[PSU (OCZ 500W Modular 80+)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016 ($34 after rebate)
[RAM (OCZ 4GB DDR2 800)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269 ($36 after rebate)
ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200 +$20 rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

it sure looks like it.. I just need some confirmation.

the price is coming up as $859.92

Thanks

Firestorm · Jul 28, 2009

They're broken because you copy+pasted his post which has shortened urls with dots in the middle. If you want to copy+paste, quote his post and copy the text in there.

JetBlackPanda · Jul 28, 2009

Firestorm said:
They're broken because you copy+pasted his post which has shortened urls with dots in the middle. If you want to copy+paste, quote his post and copy the text in there.

I just figured that out, thanks for the help.

Llyranor · Jul 28, 2009

Question re: OS. I'm really not tech-savvy. I ultimately intend to be using Win 7. I understand RC is free for now.
1) I download this on my current comp, burn it, then use the disc to install it on the PC, right?
2) If I do that, I'll have to buy the retail version of Win 7 down the line, won't I? (not OEM since I wouldn't be buying a PC at the same time)
3) Some stores (Dell, Futureshop) seem to have a deal where if you buy a comp from them now, you'll get a free upgrade to Win 7. NCIX doesn't seem to have any such deal.
4) Should I just wait until Win 7 gets released in October?

Firestorm said:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=7842

It's also available as bundled option at $41.09 or so with certain CPUs, motherboards, and cases. They add $10 environmental fee if you're in BC.

Don't grab the video card in the first post. You can get a 4870 1GB for $10 less now. 4890 is also fairly cheap.

Thanks.

Also, if I choose that option (and, say, also have an OS pre-loaded by them), is it basically all set? I just put in the connections and I'm set? (at least that I can do!)

Minsc · Jul 28, 2009

Llyranor said:
3) Some stores (Dell, Futureshop) seem to have a deal where if you buy a comp from them now, you'll get a free upgrade to Win 7. NCIX doesn't seem to have any such deal.

It sort of does. But I don't know if you can request to have them use that instead of a normal copy of Vista when assembling your PC through them, worth a shot I guess.

You can buy OEM without buying a computer with it of course, even they let you do that it seems.

fizzelopeguss · Jul 28, 2009

I've got a question, i may be interested in the new AMD dx11 cards when they come out, but if i buy one, will i be able to keep my 8800gt as a dedicated physx card if need be? :lol

I imagine there'd be some insane driver conflicts.

Firestorm · Jul 28, 2009

Llyranor said:
Question re: OS. I'm really not tech-savvy. I ultimately intend to be using Win 7. I understand RC is free for now.
1) I download this on my current comp, burn it, then use the disc to install it on the PC, right?
Yes. Get your key now as they're not going to be offering the download after sometime in August.
2) If I do that, I'll have to buy the retail version of Win 7 down the line, won't I? (not OEM since I wouldn't be buying a PC at the same time)
Yes. If you are a student, you might be eligible to get it for free.
3) Some stores (Dell, Futureshop) seem to have a deal where if you buy a comp from them now, you'll get a free upgrade to Win 7. NCIX doesn't seem to have any such deal.
If you order Vista, you'll get the upgrade, but I wouldn't.
4) Should I just wait until Win 7 gets released in October?
ATi might be releasing new video cards in September so you could wait... but I wouldn't recommend waiting for the new OS unless you really don't want to format.

Thanks.

Also, if I choose that option (and, say, also have an OS pre-loaded by them), is it basically all set? I just put in the connections and I'm set? (at least that I can do!)
Yes.

What budget are you working with?

vanty · Jul 28, 2009

Is there anything I should change from this before ordering?

CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P

Video - Sapphire Radeon HD4890 1GB

RAM - Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2

Case - Antec Three Hundred

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

PSU - OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular

I'm assuming I just need a DVI cable like this? I've never had to buy a DVI cable seperately before, but I got my current monitor (which I'll upgrade in the near future, but is just a 19" 1280x1024 for now) just by itself with no cables.

KAL2006 · Jul 29, 2009

I am going to jump in PC gaming a week before Diablo III release. Im guessing it will be cheaper to build a gaming PC around that time than right now. So I will be back in this thread (maybe in a year) looking to build a gaming PC.

Danne-Danger · Jul 29, 2009

So if I buy that Phenom 720/4890 combo, what PSU is recommended (minimum)?

I currently have 450... I think, maybe 400. Is that enough or should I change that as well?

Llyranor · Jul 29, 2009

Firestorm said:
What budget are you working with?

Thanks. Don't have a set budget. Anything from 500 to 1000-2000, though preferably below 1000. I don't really need a super powerful PC. Just want to play current games like Hearts of Iron III and Armed Assault 2 and 'future-proof' it for the next 4-5 yrs (lowest settings is fine, don't care about graphics settings - I just want a good performance).

Not a student, so no freebies for me

Okay, so it seems that if I choose not to wait for Win7, I should just get the RC now, and then buy the OEM later on (even if I don't get a PC at the same time). Can I just upgrade from that, or would I need to reformat or something?

What's the price difference between OEM and retail? Full (non-upgrade) home edition of Win7 is 225 at Futureshop; what can I expect the OEM to be? Whereas NCIX has Vista + Win7 OEM upgrade for 160, for comparison.

Firestorm · Jul 29, 2009

$1000+tax should be enough for a good PC that should last you a while. The one I just ordered is $1000 after rebates although I didn't need an OS and it isn't counting monitor. It would be a little less for you as you wouldn't be restricted to Intel processors for your needs.

Vista Home Premium OEM seems to be only $20 less. I think the Upgrade route might be the best way to go.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=40693&vpn=66I-03525&manufacture=Microsoft

Dunlop · Jul 29, 2009

brain_stew said:
Huge US update:

lol, I tried to match your US specs at newegg.ca for the $550 rig

Came to $797 - $35US MIR alittle painful then...
$44 ground shipping..ouch but seems within the norm...until
$100.11 handling fee (no clue)

total $912.08

I think I'll stick with the cnd links you provided

thanks for this thread, I am so far removed from PC specs (even though I work with them all day) since the kids that it would have taken me forever to research

Truespeed · Jul 29, 2009

Dunlop said:
$100.11 handling fee (no clue)

What? You thought you were exempt from tax?

Firestorm · Jul 29, 2009

Dunlop said:
lol, I tried to match your US specs at newegg.ca for the $550 rig

Came to $797 - $35US MIR alittle painful then...
$44 ground shipping..ouch but seems within the norm...until
$100.11 handling fee (no clue)

total $912.08

I think I'll stick with the cnd links you provided

thanks for this thread, I am so far removed from PC specs (even though I work with them all day) since the kids that it would have taken me forever to research

Which one are you going to be looking at? $600? Do not get the video card listed there as I said to Llyranor. The 1GB version is cheaper. Use NCIX + Pricebot instead of NewEgg.ca. NewEgg Canada sucks.

Firestorm · Jul 30, 2009

Ok this took longer than I thought, but I updated the $650 Canadian Build for you brain_stew.

BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC - $179.99 - $20 MIR = $159.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38853&promoid=1016

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $77.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1016

Coolermaster Elite RC-330 - after Price Match it's $40.70
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20935
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/114936/COOLERMASTER/RC_330_KKN1/

Seasonic S12II 500W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply - $69.99 - $10 MIR - $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29896&promoid=1016

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 - after Price Match it's $80.94 - $10 MIR = $70.94
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35762
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD4096&vpn=GA-MA770-UD3&manufacture=GIGABYTE

AMD Phenom II X3 720 - after Price Match it's $155.00
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=35467
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=443136

Samsung SH-S223F Black 22x DVD Writer SATA - after Price Match it's $27.24
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=38115
http://www.memoryhouse.com/products/4179/Samsung/SH_S223F_BEBE/

2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance Viper RAM: $69.99 - $25 MIR = $44.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31269

Total: $707.84 - $55 in rebates = $646.84

HDD Upgrade if you want for $6 more:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB HDD - $83.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37232&promoid=1016

Kintaro · Jul 30, 2009

Hey brain_stew, just wanted to tell you that you're a kick ass poster on the forum.

Are those Phenoms offering better/higher performance than my E8400 or am I good for quite awhile still? I would be OCing the CPU, but for some reason, this mobo can't OC for shit. I've wasted weekends trying to get anything out of it only to end up with nothing so I'm just rolling with stock 3.0 Ghz.

pseudocaesar · Jul 30, 2009

Is it worth getting a HD4890 1GB over the HD4870 1GB? I can get a 4870 for AU $206, or the 4890 for AU $263.

Firestorm · Jul 30, 2009

Dragmire · Jul 30, 2009

My PC is running awesomely now (after a BIOS update), but I just got Mirror's Edge for $7 from Newegg and it runs like absolute shit. Are there known issues with this game? I have an ATI Radeon HD 4850. After running the Crysis demo at high settings and having the game run fine, this game chugs down to 2-3 fps in the second level when people start shooting through the windows and glass flies everywhere. And that was after I turned settings all down to medium and resolution to 800x600. Wtf?

[edit] In hindsight, I should have found a Mirror's Edge thread. Sorry.

Firestorm · Jul 30, 2009

Dragmire said:
My PC is running awesomely now (after a BIOS update), but I just got Mirror's Edge for $7 from Newegg and it runs like absolute shit. Are there known issues with this game? I have an ATI Radeon HD 4850. After running the Crysis demo at high settings and having the game run fine, this game chugs down to 2-3 fps in the second level when people start shooting through the windows and glass flies everywhere. And that was after I turned settings all down to medium and resolution to 800x600. Wtf?

[edit] In hindsight, I should have found a Mirror's Edge thread. Sorry.

Update your drivers.

Sysgen · Jul 30, 2009

Dragmire said:
My PC is running awesomely now (after a BIOS update), but I just got Mirror's Edge for $7 from Newegg and it runs like absolute shit. Are there known issues with this game? I have an ATI Radeon HD 4850. After running the Crysis demo at high settings and having the game run fine, this game chugs down to 2-3 fps in the second level when people start shooting through the windows and glass flies everywhere. And that was after I turned settings all down to medium and resolution to 800x600. Wtf?

[edit] In hindsight, I should have found a Mirror's Edge thread. Sorry.

Just a guess based on The Last Remnant issue. Turn down shadows?

DodgyGeezerFella · Jul 30, 2009

Dragmire said:
My PC is running awesomely now (after a BIOS update), but I just got Mirror's Edge for $7 from Newegg and it runs like absolute shit. Are there known issues with this game? I have an ATI Radeon HD 4850. After running the Crysis demo at high settings and having the game run fine, this game chugs down to 2-3 fps in the second level when people start shooting through the windows and glass flies everywhere. And that was after I turned settings all down to medium and resolution to 800x600. Wtf?

[edit] In hindsight, I should have found a Mirror's Edge thread. Sorry.

Could be PhysX causing it. Turn it off in the options and try it again, i had the same problem when it came out (not sure if it was fixed in a driver update).

Ceebs · Jul 30, 2009

That beastly $500 machine is tempting me so much. I had an X3 720 system and 4850 in my cart waiting for payday this weekend. It's about $100 for the X4 954 and a 4890...money is tight but I may have to go ahead and just stay in and be broke for 2 weeks.

Llyranor · Jul 30, 2009

Thanks for the updated builds, Firestorm! Don't have time to check them out yet, but will do so sometime this week. I'm real bad with the hardware, so I might even just use the build as is.

Dragmire · Jul 30, 2009

Ogs said:
Could be PhysX causing it. Turn it off in the options and try it again, i had the same problem when it came out (not sure if it was fixed in a driver update).

Yeah, that was it. Turned it off and it runs like butter. In the options, it said it was hardware acceleration so I didn't want to turn it off, but it's obviously not meant for ATI cards. Runs great now.

Abubakr · Jul 30, 2009

Firestorm said:
Ok this took longer than I thought, but I updated the $650 Canadian Build for you brain_stew.

BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC - $179.99 - $20 MIR = $159.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38853&promoid=1016

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $77.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1016

Coolermaster Elite RC-330 - after Price Match it's $40.70
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20935
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/114936/COOLERMASTER/RC_330_KKN1/

Seasonic S12II 500W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply - $69.99 - $10 MIR - $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29896&promoid=1016

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 - after Price Match it's $80.94 - $10 MIR = $70.94
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35762
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD4096&vpn=GA-MA770-UD3&manufacture=GIGABYTE

AMD Phenom II X3 720 - after Price Match it's $155.00
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=35467
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=443136

Samsung SH-S223F Black 22x DVD Writer SATA - after Price Match it's $27.24
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=38115
http://www.memoryhouse.com/products/4179/Samsung/SH_S223F_BEBE/

2x2GB Patriot Extreme Performance Viper RAM: $69.99 - $25 MIR = $44.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31269

Total: $707.84 - $55 in rebates = $646.84

HDD Upgrade if you want for $6 more:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB HDD - $83.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37232&promoid=1016

Thanks for the update. How does the GTX 260 compare with the 4870 1GB? Is the GTX 260 better?

Xdrive05 · Jul 30, 2009

Overall it's better by a comfortable little margin, but there will be a game or two where the 4870 will best it (far more the other way around). The card he linked is the one I have (the BFG). I can vouch for great results with overclocking and temperature.

However if you know where to look you can probably get a 4890 for the same price.

Giriath_89 · Jul 30, 2009

The $538 rig will cost $1,268 at the cheapest online retailer in Sweden. I certainly hope you guys over in America don't make a whole lot of money compared to us.

Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew · Jul 30, 2009

Got a new PC!!!

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