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[spazzfish]

I'm putting together a list of parts for a friend. The budget is $900 and so far I got components that include the following:

Intel i5-750
ATI 5770
4GB DD3 RAM
500W PS
1 TB HD
24X DVD
Antec Nine Hundred

Cost so far is $889 + SH.

I'm not too sure about the 5770 though. All benchmarks I've seen state that the ATI 4890 and the Nvidia 260 are better cards.

To me the above setup looks like a beast, since my own pc only has an 8800GT and a Dual Core. What do you guys think? Any suggestions or better parts that you know?

Most would be happy with a 5770 it's quite a good card and you can easily slap another one in to crossfire later if you want.
What resolution will your friend be gaming at?
If you can scrape together a few more pennies then the 5850 is a very very good card for the money and plenty powerful enough for most games at 1920*1080 resolution.
Also make sure you get a decent brand power supply, do not cheap out in that area.
i would recommend corsiar, there are other good brands that i'll let others suggest if they feel inclined.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

I'm putting together a list of parts for a friend. The budget is $900 and so far I got components that include the following:

Intel i5-750
ATI 5770
4GB DD3 RAM
500W PS
1 TB HD
24X DVD
Antec Nine Hundred

Cost so far is $889 + SH.

I'm not too sure about the 5770 though. All benchmarks I've seen state that the ATI 4890 and the Nvidia 260 are better cards.

To me the above setup looks like a beast, since my own pc only has an 8800GT and a Dual Core. What do you guys think? Any suggestions or better parts that you know?

The ATI HD 5770 trades blows with the HD 4870, while the HD 4890 simply blows it away. The only pro to the HD 5770 is that is a new chipset, it supports directX 11 and it has a lower power consumption. Performance wise, it sits below the HD 4890 and its barely even with the HD 4870. From testing i've done with both cards, even if you overclock the HD 5770, it still won't surpass the HD 4890.

So unless being future proof (which doesn't exist in PC gaming) is a priority, it'd go with the HD 4890 (or even HD 4870) and save a few bucks.

The Nvidia GTX 260 (216) is just a bit better / even to the HD 4890, as well as in the same price range. They run a little higher on the power consumption.

 

[Minsc]

The ATI HD 5770 trades blows with the HD 4870, while the HD 4890 simply blows it away. The only pro to the HD 5770 is that is a new chipset, it supports directX 11 and it has a lower power consumption. Performance wise, it sits below the HD 4890 and its barely even with the HD 4870. From testing i've done with both cards, even if you overclock the HD 5770, it still won't surpass the HD 4890.

So unless being future proof (which doesn't exist in PC gaming) is a priority, it'd go with the HD 4890 (or even HD 4870) and save a few bucks.

The Nvidia GTX 260 (216) is just a bit better / even to the HD 4890, as well as in the same price range. They run a little higher on the power consumption.

Both the 4870 and 4890 are more expensive than the 5770. The 4890 only beats it by about 10% (sometimes less than 1 or 2%), but costs about $60 more, which is a decent amount when it's $140 for the 5770 and $200 for a 4890.

Edit: Had to look up benches, it seems the 5850 is only a small bit better than the 4890, which is only a small bit better than the 5770, so I don't know :lol

It's easy to look at the 5870 compared to that 5770 and say there's a big jump, but when you start looking at price increases for small steps in increments, nothing seems too spectacular!

Edit 2: My favorite, 5770 beating 4890 in the popular StarCraft 2!

It seems on average, if such a thing can be said because performance varies so much from game to game, a 4890 is up to 20% faster than a 5770, so it is worth considering too, especially if you get it cheap. Just sometimes that 20% turns to 0-5%!

 

[Fitz]

Seems a bit unlucky for your cpu to go, as it sounds that you haven't done anything too drastic with it.
Did you do anything else to your system since it was stable besides trying to up your overclock like adding a new graphics card?
If memtest has come back fine and your happy with those results and changing the psu hasn't helped then it looks deffo like your Motherboard or CPU. You say you got a crash when adjusting voltage in the bios is that correct?
Have you had any failing to post errors (beeps)?
The problem then is now to be careful. If your motherboard has gone then you don't really want to be turning your PC on any more because this can lead to other components getting damaged.
Have you got a friend who has an amd system where you can try your cpu in his machine?
Also can you tell me the make model of your motherboard please.

edit:
After a bit more pondering it is also possible that it could be the psu that was the problem in this scenario: The extra increase in volts/power draw might have been enough to cause your psu to cause one of your components like the motherboard or cpu to fail( if the psu has become faulty). Thus being the reason why a new PSU didn't fix your problem.
Now i'm not an electrician and don't know how to test to a PSU, so it might be worth going to someone who knows how test it to look at it for you (not by putting it into a friends machine).

edit:
Just to make sure you do have both power cables running into your motherboard don't you? The 24 pin one and the 12v 4 pin one normally found near the cpu.

Hardware wise, no, I haven't changed anything since installing this CPU, as for changing the voltage in the BIOS, it was whilst changing the voltage of the CPU fan slightly that it locked up. I haven't had any POST beeps, although there have been a few times when after setting the multiplier of my processor to it's stock of x16 the system would fail to boot, and come up with a "Overclock failed" message, so I had to put the multiplier back to "auto", although I still have the CPU voltage on 1.35V, instead of auto. I do indeed have all the correct cables going into the correct connectors.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

Both the 4870 and 4890 are more expensive than the 5770. The 4890 only beats it by about 10% (sometimes less than 1 or 2%), but costs about $60 more, which is a decent amount when it's $140 for the 5770 and $200 for a 4890.

Edit: Had to look up benches, it seems the 5850 is only a small bit better than the 4890, which is only a small bit better than the 5770, so I don't know :lol

It's easy to look at the 5870 compared to that 5770 and say there's a big jump, but when you start looking at price increases for small steps in increments, nothing seems too spectacular!

Edit 2: My favorite, 5770 beating 4890 in the popular StarCraft 2!

It seems on average, if such a thing can be said because performance varies so much from game to game, a 4890 is up to 20% faster than a 5770, so it is worth considering too, especially if you get it cheap. Just sometimes that 20% turns to 0-5%!

It is cheaper, but that's it. That bench mark is one of the it holds neck and neck.... that's not really beating it And its not really a demanding game, compared to some other games.

Crysis Benchies
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-7.html

Frycry 2 Benchies
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-7.html

Resident Evil Benchies
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2856/10

Left 4 Dead Benchies
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2856/12

Simply put, the 5770 is an underpowered card. The higher the resolution and the more quality you dial up, it starts to drop. Its not a bad card by any means, but if you can do better, do it. Cost wise, it hovers at $200, though you can catch it at 170 or so at times.

 

[teh_J0kerer]

As for resolution do you have a 1920x1080 monitor or no?

My TV is 1920x1080, which I would play certain kinds of games on (especially ones with pretty graphics). My regular monitor is 1280x1024.. if I got really hardcore into sc2 I might buy a new monitor for the aspect ratio, but Im not sure about that yet.

 

[Jtones]

If this post is too long, just look at the last few sentences.

I used to have some problems with "artifacts" when I was playing a game for an hour or so. But they disappeared when I stopped playing and rebooted my pc.

Yesterday, I was just browsing the internet and suddenly a wild artifact appeared! (sorry). I thought it was just a minor problem, so I rebooted my pc and saw that it showed artifacts here too, at the starting screen. Fucked up! So I went downstairs and took another graphics card and stuck it in my pc. It worked fine. I even played some games with it.

My dad called me and said that it could be because there was so much dust in it. He cleaned it and handed it to me so I could try. It didn't work.

But now the most fucked up part: I put the spare card back in, and he also shows artifacts!

My question(s): Is it really the graphics cards or another problem?

The first one broke down, and the second card also broke down. Maybe it's my motherboard? Or my power unit?

Lots of love for the one that solves my problem! It's fucked up that I ordered another graphics card already, thinking that was the problem, but I'm scared to put it in now when it arrives.

 

[GHG]

It is cheaper, but that's it. That bench mark is one of the it holds neck and neck.... that's not really beating it And its not really a demanding game, compared to some other games.

Crysis Benchies
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-7.html

Frycry 2 Benchies
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446-7.html

Resident Evil Benchies
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2856/10

Left 4 Dead Benchies
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2856/12

Simply put, the 5770 is an underpowered card. The higher the resolution and the more quality you dial up, it starts to drop. Its not a bad card by any means, but if you can do better, do it. Cost wise, it hovers at $200, though you can catch it at 170 or so at times.

Agreed. The 5770 is underpowered for what its supposed to be and hugely overrated around these here IMO, get a 4890 or GTX 260 core 216 if you can for around the same price or less. Hell, I'd even pay slightly more if it means better performence. Yeh you lose out on DX11 but there is nothing out there that requires it or makes a major difference yet. By the time there is anything out there that needs it it'll probably be time for an upgrade anyway.

That our wait a couple of weeks and see how the GTX 465 performs.

EDIT:

If this post is too long, just look at the last few sentences.

I used to have some problems with "artifacts" when I was playing a game for an hour or so. But they disappeared when I stopped playing and rebooted my pc.

Yesterday, I was just browsing the internet and suddenly a wild artifact appeared! (sorry). I thought it was just a minor problem, so I rebooted my pc and saw that it showed artifacts here too, at the starting screen. Fucked up! So I went downstairs and took another graphics card and stuck it in my pc. It worked fine. I even played some games with it.

My dad called me and said that it could be because there was so much dust in it. He cleaned it and handed it to me so I could try. It didn't work.

But now the most fucked up part: I put the spare card back in, and he also shows artifacts!

My question(s): Is it really the graphics cards or another problem?

The first one broke down, and the second card also broke down. Maybe it's my motherboard? Or my power unit?

Lots of love for the one that solves my problem! It's fucked up that I ordered another graphics card already, thinking that was the problem, but I'm scared to put it in now when it arrives.

Sounds like power supply mate. You're gonna have to do some troubleshooting. Have you got a low powered GPU that doesn't require any power direct from the PSU? If so try that. If it doesn't artifact then it'll be pretty safe to assume its your PSU.

 

[Jtones]

Sounds like power supply mate. You're gonna have to do some troubleshooting. Have you got a low powered GPU that doesn't require any power direct from the PSU? If so try that. If it doesn't artifact then it'll be pretty safe to assume its your PSU.

Well, I have a 500W PSU from Antec in my pc. The card that first broke down was a 8800GT. And he needed power direct from the PSU. The second one is a 7600GT, and he doesn't need power directly from the PSU, and it still broke down. So it's another problem I guess?

Also I don't know if it makes any difference, since I'm kind of a newb: but I can get on my pc when in safe mode.

I should also mention that the two videocards don't work on the "working" pc downstairs now. So they are definitely broken. Thinking that my mothercard is breaking them.

 

[spazzfish]

Hardware wise, no, I haven't changed anything since installing this CPU, as for changing the voltage in the BIOS, it was whilst changing the voltage of the CPU fan slightly that it locked up. I haven't had any POST beeps, although there have been a few times when after setting the multiplier of my processor to it's stock of x16 the system would fail to boot, and come up with a "Overclock failed" message, so I had to put the multiplier back to "auto", although I still have the CPU voltage on 1.35V, instead of auto. I do indeed have all the correct cables going into the correct connectors.

Just as a final thing try resetting the cmos and that then should eliminate any erroneous issues in the bios.
If that still fails then there isn't much more you can do besides try your chip in a friends machine if possible.

 

[Minsc]

Simply put, the 5770 is an underpowered card. The higher the resolution and the more quality you dial up, it starts to drop. Its not a bad card by any means, but if you can do better, do it. Cost wise, it hovers at $200, though you can catch it at 170 or so at times.

Agreed. The 5770 is underpowered for what its supposed to be and hugely overrated around these here IMO, get a 4890 or GTX 260 core 216 if you can for around the same price or less.

I don't know, it's $150 on newegg right now, and can be had for $125 from time to time with deals. That's a big difference between $200 for a GTX 260, I'd expect it to perform better than it does against the 5770 tbh. The GTX 260 uses more power, runs hotter, costs more, and only performs a little better.

The 5770 is one of the best cards made when it comes to power draw vs performance. And if you find a 5770 for $125, getting two at that price for $250 would basically run twice as fast as a GTX 260, for just $50 more. In fact, a XFire 5770 probably beats/ties a GTX 480 from time to time, for half the price.

 

[Scythesurge]

Hello from my new PC!

My RAM issue seemed to fix itself, but the booting issue is still happening. I don't get that same screen if I boot with the Wwindows disc in the drive. After I set up my connections and stuff I will look into the boot issue.

Edit: The one other issue I'm having is sound output...basically the headphone jack doesn't seem to be working. The only sound output that shows up in the sound settings is HDMI. Does this mean I just used the wrong sound connection?

 

[professor_t]

I'm going to take another stab at this . . .

The Tech Report suggestion for a utility player does not include a separate power supply. If I'm upgrading their utility build with a Radeon 5850, and I'm considering other potential upgrades down the road (I have no idea what, to be honest), should I include one, even if I use their suggested enclosure with the 500W PSU?

One other question: if I just bought and installed Win7 on a laptop, will I be able to install the same software -- and use the same key -- on the PC I build, or will I need to buy the software again?

Yeah, I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff.

 

[DogWelder]

People here really dislike Xfire huh? For $200 (non-sale price), there is no better performer than Xfire 4850s.

 

[rohlfinator]

The Tech Report suggestion for a utility player does not include a separate power supply. If I'm upgrading their utility build with a Radeon 5850, and I'm considering other potential upgrades down the road (I have no idea what, to be honest), should I include one, even if I use their suggested enclosure with the 500W PSU?

I'd say you should be fine. The 5850 only consumes about 30W more than the 5770 at full load, and their test system used ~250W with the 5850, so you should have plenty of leeway. Crossfiring with a second 5850 would be the only upgrade I can think of that might require a beefier power supply.

One other question: if I just bought and installed Win7 on a laptop, will I be able to install the same software -- and use the same key -- on the PC I build, or will I need to buy the software again?

Legally, you're supposed to buy another license. If you have a retail license (as opposed to an OEM license) you might be able to make it work on your new PC, but you're technically not supposed to do that, and there's a small chance that Microsoft might give you trouble for it.

 

[professor_t]

I'd say you should be fine. The 5850 only consumes about 30W more than the 5770 at full load, and their test system used ~250W with the 5850, so you should have plenty of leeway. Crossfiring with a second 5850 would be the only upgrade I can think of that might require a beefier power supply.


Legally, you're supposed to buy another license. If you have a retail license (as opposed to an OEM license) you might be able to make it work on your new PC, but you're technically not supposed to do that, and there's a small chance that Microsoft might give you trouble for it.

Thanks! I don't think I'll be crossfiring with a second 5850. I'm only looking to play games in 1080p with medium to high settings, so I think the i5-750 and 5850 combo should be adequate.

 

[Linkhero1]

Could someone help me build a cheap affordable gaming PC? I was going to build one a while ago but I figured I'd wait and see if parts got any cheaper. Anything around $500 is good for me.

 

[Reckoner]

Guys, is there a site where I can order motherboards, CPUs, graphic cards and all that stuff to build a new PC that ships for Europe?

 

[Yackie]

Hello computer expert GAF. My laptop is getting kinda old and I'm looking into getting a new one. It would be used mostly for work and home stuff (word processing, internet, some photoshop stuff). I'd also like to be able to play some games on it, namely Civilization 4 (and 5 when it comes out) and some games on Steam such as Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead1/2. Right now I have a MacBook, so I was thinking of just upgrading to a new 15" Macbook Pro, but I wasn't sure how well it cold handle these games. (I'm not opposed to getting a PC laptop, I've just been used to using a mac that last few years). So can a Macbook Pro handle these games, and possibly other more meatier games? Any recommendations?

 

[Ariexv]

One of my friends is looking to upgrade his kids PCs, they're gateway GT5404s with nvidia 9600(?)s atm, with about 2.5g of ram. Any Suggestions?

 

[K.Jack]

Hello computer expert GAF. My laptop is getting kinda old and I'm looking into getting a new one. It would be used mostly for work and home stuff (word processing, internet, some photoshop stuff). I'd also like to be able to play some games on it, namely Civilization 4 (and 5 when it comes out) and some games on Steam such as Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead1/2. Right now I have a MacBook, so I was thinking of just upgrading to a new 15" Macbook Pro, but I wasn't sure how well it cold handle these games. (I'm not opposed to getting a PC laptop, I've just been used to using a mac that last few years). So can a Macbook Pro handle these games, and possibly other more meatier games? Any recommendations?

Budget and battery life needs?

15" only?

 

[d0g_bear]

I'm going to take another stab at this . . .

The Tech Report suggestion for a utility player does not include a separate power supply. If I'm upgrading their utility build with a Radeon 5850, and I'm considering other potential upgrades down the road (I have no idea what, to be honest), should I include one, even if I use their suggested enclosure with the 500W PSU?

One other question: if I just bought and installed Win7 on a laptop, will I be able to install the same software -- and use the same key -- on the PC I build, or will I need to buy the software again?

Yeah, I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff.

Hey awesome I'm planning to do that exact same thing when school starts in the fall. would you let me know how it turns out? This will be my first crack at PC building too

 

[rohlfinator]

Thanks! I don't think I'll be crossfiring with a second 5850. I'm only looking to play games in 1080p with medium to high settings, so I think the i5-750 and 5850 combo should be adequate.

Yeah, that should work great for you then. That seems to be a pretty popular combo around here -- I'm probably going to upgrade to something similar when I get the chance (if I upgrade before the next gen of GPUs comes out).

Good luck with your build!

Hello computer expert GAF. My laptop is getting kinda old and I'm looking into getting a new one. It would be used mostly for work and home stuff (word processing, internet, some photoshop stuff). I'd also like to be able to play some games on it, namely Civilization 4 (and 5 when it comes out) and some games on Steam such as Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead1/2. Right now I have a MacBook, so I was thinking of just upgrading to a new 15" Macbook Pro, but I wasn't sure how well it cold handle these games. (I'm not opposed to getting a PC laptop, I've just been used to using a mac that last few years). So can a Macbook Pro handle these games, and possibly other more meatier games? Any recommendations?

The new MacBook should be able to handle those games just fine. It probably won't do 60fps on TF2 or L4D at max settings, but if you're willing to run them a step or two below max it'll run them smoothly.

 

[Hazaro]

*Reposting*
1)Basic Desktop Questions

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

2)General Guide on what to buy (Spring)
Tech Report Builders Guide!

A very good basic guide that has been updated for Spring (Right now there is some new stuff coming out + new GPU's on the way, so once that gets out of the way hopefully they will update.)
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18747/2

3) 15 minute video how-to
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/video_how_build_pc_ever_step_explained

If someone has a better short video please share.

4) Prospective laptop buyers please fill this out (and maybe even ask their forum):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

 

[Yackie]

Budget and battery life needs?

15" only?

My budget would be anything under $2000, which should give me plenty of options. Battery life doesn't really matter to me. Anywhere I take it I'd probably be plugging it in anyway. As for the screen size, I think anything over 15" for a laptop is too big and kind of defeats the purpose of a laptop, for me anyway. So 15" or smaller is what I'm looking for.

The new MacBook should be able to handle those games just fine. It probably won't do 60fps on TF2 or L4D at max settings, but if you're willing to run them a step or two below max it'll run them smoothly.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Linkhero1]

Budget: $500-600, USA
Main Use: Gaming and Casual Use
Monitor Resolution: at least 1280 x 800
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: GTA IV, Just Cause 2, Left 4 Dead, Dolphin Emulator

I want something to do over the summer and I think building a cheap gaming pc would be fun.

 

[Hazaro]

What you want is not going to be possible maxed. Dolphin and GTA need a fast intel (If AMD has caught up in Dolphin someone let me know). A fast dual is all you need for dolphin atm (I think it doesn't use more than 4 cores last time I checked).

Would you be willing to make a compromise on GTA to get a cheaper faster (but 'outdated') dual core?
Or save a bit more and get the faster quad with an upgrade path.

Is that resolution what you have now?

 

[satori]

Sup all, I am in the market for a Lap top actually. I mainly will be using it for basic simple stuff. Most of my gaming I will do on my desktop, but that does not mean I wont be using the Lap top for gaming. I really have cut back down on PC gaming due to time constraints and a bunch of console games that came out recently. But with Starcraft 2 along with others coming out, I definitely will be jumping back into the PC scene. No real budget actually, portability is not a big issue with me, along with Battery life since I will be near an outlet majority of the time. I do not really need a laptop but it would be nice to have for college and all that jazz.

I was browsing around and came across these two, what are you guys thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00352LQZS/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00361G0ZO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If you guys have any other suggestion, I would really appreciate it. A part of me tells me those two are a bit overkill for what I really need. I mean I am sure a sub 700 laptop is more than enough for what I intend to use it for anyways any idea would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[Hazaro]

Sup all, I am in the market for a Lap top actually. I mainly will be using it for basic simple stuff. Most of my gaming I will do on my desktop, but that does not mean I wont be using the Lap top for gaming. I really have cut back down on PC gaming due to time constraints and a bunch of console games that came out recently. But with Starcraft 2 along with others coming out, I definitely will be jumping back into the PC scene. No real budget actually, portability is not a big issue with me, along with Battery life since I will be near an outlet majority of the time. I do not really need a laptop but it would be nice to have for college and all that jazz.

I was browsing around and came across these two, what are you guys thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00352LQZS/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00361G0ZO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If you guys have any other suggestion, I would really appreciate it. A part of me tells me those two are a bit overkill for what I really need. I mean I am sure a sub 700 laptop is more than enough for what I intend to use it for anyways any idea would be great. Thanks in advance.

Jack(and 2 others I can't name) are the people to ask here but I'm sure filling this out would help. (also you can ask laptopreview)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

 

[satori]

Ah awesome, thanks for the heads up and the link Hazaro.

 

[professor_t]

Am I crazy, or does this seem like a really solid deal for a pre-built PC?

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/gateway-fx6831-01/4505-3118_7-34048068.html?tag=mncol;txt

It has a 5850, 8 gigs of ram, an i7 processor, a DVD burner, a 1.5TB HDD, and Windows 7 for $1299. I'm honestly not sure I can build a PC for much less than that, especially given that I'll probably have to buy Windows 7.

Am I missing something? What are the drawbacks of this deal?

 

[Hazaro]

Intel motherboard, FSP PSU (not bad though), stock cooler, no HS on RAM.

The main killer has to be the motherboard which will either have no overclocking or severly limit it.
Also the 860 isn't a 'real' i7

 

[professor_t]

Intel motherboard, FSP PSU (not bad though), stock cooler, no HS on RAM.

The main killer has to be the motherboard which will either have no overclocking or severly limit it.
Also the 860 isn't a 'real' i7

Would you say the 860 is still better than an i5 750?

I wish they reported what settings they used for Crysis, but 44fps at 1600x1200 with 4xaa seems pretty decent, doesn't it?

I imagine I would only get slightly better performance from my own rig at either the same or -- very likely -- a higher cost.

Hmm . . . Decisions, decisions.

 

[DogWelder]

Would you say the 860 is still better than an i5 750?

I wish they reported what settings they used for Crysis, but 44fps at 1600x1200 with 4xaa seems pretty decent, doesn't it?

I imagine I would only get slightly better performance from my own rig at either the same or -- very likely -- a higher cost.

Hmm . . . Decisions, decisions.

No, you could get similar performance from a $1000 system. The i7-860 has a slightly higher clock speed and HT. The difference between the two is minute when it comes to gaming. If you do a home build, the i5-750 is way better value. That extra $300 could get you better parts/aftermarket cooling for OCing your system; it would destroy that pre-built.

But admittedly, for a pre-built system, it is well-priced.

 

[professor_t]

No, you could get similar performance from a $1000 system. The i7-860 has a slightly higher clock speed and HT. The difference between the two is minute when it comes to gaming. If you do a home build, the i5-750 is way better value. That extra $300 could get you better parts/aftermarket cooling for OCing your system; it would destroy that pre-built.

But admittedly, for a pre-built system, it is well-priced.

I really don't think I can build a similar PC for $1000. I can assemble the tech report utility build + the 5850 (which has a better motherboard, less ram,the i5-750, and a slightly smaller hard drive) for just under $1000, but then I need to purchase windows 7 (I'm just not comfortable getting it through "other" means).

It looks like the standard price for win7 is $200, so that brings my total to 1180, which is about $90 cheaper than the pre-built Gateway at J&R Computer World.

Nevertheless, I appreciate your feedback. I don't mean to be difficult, and I no doubt would have more flexibility with a pre-built machine, but as a total noob who wants a decent performance at a decent price with no headaches, it seems like this is a decent deal.

I still haven't made up my mind, but my resolve (to build my own PC) is weakening. I'm such a coward.

 

[Linkhero1]

What you want is not going to be possible maxed. Dolphin and GTA need a fast intel (If AMD has caught up in Dolphin someone let me know). A fast dual is all you need for dolphin atm (I think it doesn't use more than 4 cores last time I checked).

Would you be willing to make a compromise on GTA to get a cheaper faster (but 'outdated') dual core?
Or save a bit more and get the faster quad with an upgrade path.

Is that resolution what you have now?

I'll be able to save a bit more. How much would it end up costing me in the end?

 

[DogWelder]

I really don't think I can build a similar PC for $1000. I can assemble the tech report utility build + the 5850 (which has a better motherboard, less ram,the i5-750, and a slightly smaller hard drive) for just under $1000, but then I need to purchase windows 7 (I'm just not comfortable getting it through "other" means).

It looks like the standard price for win7 is $200, so that brings my total to 1180, which is about $90 cheaper than the pre-built Gateway at J&R Computer World.

Nevertheless, I appreciate your feedback. I don't mean to be difficult, and I no doubt would have more flexibility with a pre-built machine, but as a total noob who wants a decent performance at a decent price with no headaches, it seems like this is a decent deal.

I still haven't made up my mind, but my resolve (to build my own PC) is weakening. I'm such a coward.

Oh yeah, forgot about Windows 7. I knew I was forgetting something when adding everything up. In that case, sure, go for the pre-built.

 

[professor_t]

Oh yeah, forgot about Windows 7. I knew I was forgetting something when adding everything up. In that case, sure, go for the pre-built.

I think I might pull the trigger. If I can play Crysis in 1080p with medium to high settings at about 40-45 fps, I'll be thrilled.

I haven't had a gaming rig since the first Unreal game came out (at the time, we we're shitting our pants over how good it looked).

One last question: Would upgrading the graphics card down the road be unlikely because I won't be able to add any sort of after-market cooling system?

Thanks for the help! Photoshop threads and PC enthusiasts helping random strangers are the two best things about neoGAF.

 

[snack]

Anyone here have the SideWinder™ X4 Keyboard? I'm thinking about buying it since I need a new one. I read some reviews and they're pretty decent to say the least. Just wanted GAF's opinion.

 

[Shambles]

I think I might pull the trigger. If I can play Crysis in 1080p with medium to high settings at about 40-45 fps, I'll be thrilled.

I haven't had a gaming rig since the first Unreal game came out (at the time, we we're shitting our pants over how good it looked).

One last question: Would upgrading the graphics card down the road be unlikely because I won't be able to add any sort of after-market cooling system?

Thanks for the help! Photoshop threads and PC enthusiasts helping random strangers are the two best things about neoGAF.

Well first off 8 Gigs of memory for 98% of people out there is pretty retarded so don't even bother trying to build a custom machine with that amount of ram. Secondly, even if a prebuilt machine was to match a custom build in price it is still usually a worse purchase due to locking you out of any sort of tweaking/overclock and they usually prevent you from upgrading in the future. If you're only looking for decent framerates on medium/high crysis you can do it for a lot cheaper than 1200$. Are you more interested in that performance level, or in filling a 1200$ budget?

 

[professor_t]

Well first off 8 Gigs of memory for 98% of people out there is pretty retarded so don't even bother trying to build a custom machine with that amount of ram. Secondly, even if a prebuilt machine was to match a custom build in price it is still usually a worse purchase due to locking you out of any sort of tweaking/overclock and they usually prevent you from upgrading in the future. If you're only looking for decent framerates on medium/high crysis you can do it for a lot cheaper than 1200$. Are you more interested in that performance level, or in filling a 1200$ budget?

Yeah, I'm not even factoring the 8 gigs into the price comparison. Ultimately, price isn't a huge issue -- I have a lot more money than time these days. I don't want to be stupid with my money, but the pre-built PC, if you factor in the DVD drive, the network card, and the KB/mouse, is actually cheaper than a comparable PC that I would build myself.

What I would build myself is tech report's suggested utility build plus the addition of the 5850 (over the 5770). Overall, I think it boils down to this:

Upside of building my own PC -- overclocking capabilities, better outlook for future upgrades
Downside -- I have to build it; if something goes wrong, I don't have a lot of time to do trouble-shooting, and I'd rather not deal with the frustration

Upside of Gateway -- no fuss, no muss; warranty, relatively few headaches if something goes wrong from the get-go
Downside -- very little flexibility; what I see is what I get, long-term.

 

[DogWelder]

I think I might pull the trigger. If I can play Crysis in 1080p with medium to high settings at about 40-45 fps, I'll be thrilled.

I haven't had a gaming rig since the first Unreal game came out (at the time, we we're shitting our pants over how good it looked).

One last question: Would upgrading the graphics card down the road be unlikely because I won't be able to add any sort of after-market cooling system?

Thanks for the help! Photoshop threads and PC enthusiasts helping random strangers are the two best things about neoGAF.

Yeah, you should be able to play Crysis on high with 4xAA at that framerate. I think you will even be able to play on very high with average frame rates in the 30s.

And you will be able to swap out the graphics card just fine.

 

[Salaadin]

Who makes a good gaming mouse pad? Im sick of scratching my desk by not using any at all.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Considering going with tech report's system, but reposting:

Budget: $500-600 USD. I'd like to get him a mobo capable of Crossfire, as I gave him my 4850, and it would be nice to Crossfire it once he has a little more dough. I'm also planning on getting him a Windows 7 install key from ebay for $25, so no worries of the OS
Main Use: Gaming/music/general usage
Monitor Resolution: He's 16 and honestly not very picky. 1080p not required. Probably be fine with 1440x900.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Modern Warfare, Bad Company 2, Source games, Alien v Predator. Nothing too strenuous, but would like these to be smooth while looking better than console counterparts

 

[Anton Sugar]

I'm interested, could you elaborate on this? I've been looking for Windows 7 software cheaper than $100. Does buying an install key imply that you already have the windows 7 software but it asks for, and expects a different key?

I bought a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit key from eBay, although most places you will research this online tell you "Don't do it, they aren't legit, etc.", even though they say they are. I bought mine 2 months or so ago and haven't had any problems with it. I get all my Windows updates, etc.

 

[MoxManiac]

If I get a gaming laptop in the $900-1100 range, how much power am I sacrificing for the convinence of a laptop, as opposed to a desktop ranging from $500-1000? Going back and forth whether to go desktop or laptop for my next PC. I really like the idea of a laptop for portability and ease of connecting to my HDTV but am concerned about not getting enough power for that kind of money.

 

[GHG]

If I get a gaming laptop in the $900-1100 range, how much power am I sacrificing for the convinence of a laptop, as opposed to a desktop ranging from $500-1000? Going back and forth whether to go desktop or laptop for my next PC. I really like the idea of a laptop for portability and ease of connecting to my HDTV but am concerned about not getting enough power for that kind of money.

You'll normally get about double (if not more) the performemce for the price when making the jump from laptop to desktop for around the same price.

 

[MoxManiac]

Double! Yeesh! What to do, Mox, what to do...

 

[GHG]

Double! Yeesh! What to do, Mox, what to do...

Real men get desktops and know how to put them together.

Not to mention you have problems with overheating and durability when gaming for long periods of time on a laptop.

 

[Slavik81]

Are there any good bootable CPU tests? Prime95 has done me well, but it requires windows.
EDIT: Actually, MPrime will probably do it.