Newbie tries to build gaming rig...

[mliraved]

First you were talking about i7's , and then AMD's. Have you considered LGA 775's? (Intel quad and dual core)

Originally I was torn between the i7 and the AMD 720, but then I decided the i7 was too much. As for the Intel quads, I can't say I know enough about building to "consider" them. I've only gone off what seems to be popular on Newegg and builds posted here.

 

[Dauntae]

If you decide to go with a 775 build, You will still have a booming system but you will be pretty much maxed as far as upgrades can go other than video cards, However this one should last you a while and comes in right around your budget at $999.87 and has $50 in mail in rebates.
Case
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
OS
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems
DVD
Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
HD
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Ram
Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
CPU
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
GPU
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Mother Board
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TForce TP45HP LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
PS
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
This is pretty close to my system except this can crossfire and I can't. I figured I would give another option and if you want to OC this one should be good too.

Dauntae

 

[newbiebuilderguy]

I like this hdd better Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
And will probably want one of these Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

 

[Dauntae]

$10 cheaper too, I should have search WD anyway. there my fav. and seagate 2nd

Fixed the build

Dauntae

 

[jfenwick]

The 650 will run Crossfire 4870's but you'll have to use those annoying molex to 6pin adapters that come with the card [when/if you go dual cards]....is personal preference but I'd spend the extra $20 and get the 750 that has 4 6pin connections. But I'm just anal about cleanliness, wire management and maximizing air flow

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

 

[mliraved]

Alright, so I guess I'm torn between a 720 build I came up with last night and the 775 build Dauntae suggested. The difference in price seems to be pretty large, though. I'll just post the 720 build as I had it last night with the addition of the cheaper HD you guys showed me.

The 720 Build (Please review; I don't know if everything's compatible)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB ($145)
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Processors - Desktops

Mobo: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX ($104.99)
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

RAM: G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM ($49.99)
Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Vid Card: Radeon HD 4870 1GB ($189.99)
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 32MB Cache SATA ($89.99)
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Optical Drive: LG Black DVD-RW/CD-RW ($24.99)
Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V ($119.99)
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Case: Antec 300 ($59.95)
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

OS: Microsoft Vista Home Premium, 64 bit ($99.99)
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems

This all comes out to $884.88. I sort of like the price, since I'm thinking of getting a dedicated sound card as well. Question for newbiebuilderguy: would you suggest I buy the CPU cooler you linked even if I go with the 720?

I won't rewrite Dauntae's build (thanks very much for taking the time), since it's right above this post, but I have a question about it. The difference right now between the builds is around $115. If I were to spend $115 bucks, would I be better served by upgrading the vid card for my 720 build or upgrading the processor to the 775? I'm going to be using this for gaming, and I usually don't have a lot running at once.

Best,
M

 

[Whirlwind]

Both of those will be very good builds and both will let you play all the games that are out there.

Get ready too have alot of fun :super_happy:

 

[mliraved]

Oh, I'm looking forward to it!

My 720 build should be able to run WoW at max settings, I expect? If I don't want to overclock (stability is a big deal to me), should I upgrade to the quad-core like Dauntae suggested?

Edit: Wanted to clarify that I plan to use this machine for games other than WoW, though WoW will probably be what I'll play the most.

 

[NightSurge]

I would say if you are truly interested in the best quad core (non i7 build), you should go with the Phenom II X4 940 like you had at one point. I would also get that core contact cooler even if you are not overclocking because it will help keep things even cooler. Doing basic overclocking is not hard at all and will bring you good gains.

So if I were you, that's what I would do. Use the 720 build, just switch the CPU for the X4 940.

Also, any of these will be able to max out WoW and almost any other game up to 1920x1200 resolution.

 

[mliraved]

I would say if you are truly interested in the best quad core (non i7 build), you should go with the Phenom II X4 940 like you had at one point. I would also get that core contact cooler even if you are not overclocking because it will help keep things even cooler. Doing basic overclocking is not hard at all and will bring you good gains.

So if I were you, that's what I would do. Use the 720 build, just switch the CPU for the X4 940.

Also, any of these will be able to max out WoW and almost any other game up to 1920x1200 resolution.

Two questions for you:

1. Is there any tangible gain from switching the 720 to the 940 Deneb if I'm not doing processor-intensive tasks like video editing? Or rather, is the gain substantial enough to merit the ~$80 price increase? Lastly, wouldn't the $80 be better spent on a better GPU? I'm not looking for a quad-core build necessarily, unless there's some benefit to it I'm not aware of (very possible, by the way).

2. The fan that newbiebuilderguy suggested was this:
Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
I'm a little hesitant because all the comments on Newegg hint at it being a very large fan. Would I be able to fit all this in the Antec 300?