RealGaming - Need help on a build!

[xquizit]

That's right.. I'm back, and I have been anticipating the release of COD4 #2. A lil' history before I start. I've played counter-strike for 6+ years, and no game has compared to the competitive 5v5 that was experienced. I purchased an xbox360, and hopped away from PC FPS and onto console FPS. I fell in love with Hardcore search and destroy on COD4, and I got addicted. It seemed so fair, everyone has the same console and most-likely the same controller. On a PC I feel hopping in a game is more difficult, but the feel for a mouse and keyboard must be soothing. I still haven't done a comparison on my favorite game: COD4 on the PC and console, but I feel like I would be more comfortable on a PC. So now that being said: Let's build me a nice gaming build, but not too expensive please.


My budget is some-what unknown. Black Friday and Christmas aren't too far away. I might subject to changing a couple items if I see a huge sale.

Budget: $1,400.00..scratch that, I want a fresh start..so this means really I will pay up to $2,000.
Purpose: FPS Gaming, and maybe blue-ray movies(that's if I get a ps3, and decide to connect it to my new monitor)?
What I need: Everything, because I want to use my old PC for web browsin' and downloading.

I want a fresh start, I want to start with an amazing case that I can use for a long time!
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
or should I get the bigger version?
Customer Reviews Of COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
people are saying things about 95% of PSU that are placed in this case are faced down, making it harder for the fan to do it's job. Is this true? This brings me to a modular PSU: Better airflow for the win, but which PSU. I do want to be SLI/Crossfire future proof for whatever card I buy now, I wouldn't mind buying it's twin brother when he's a lil' bit cheaper.
Customer Reviews Of CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
Now, this isn't modular..but should I go that route? I might even build this computer by myself if no one helps me. That doesn't matter as of now, but should I go for a modular PSU? Or will I be able to tuck everything behind a HAF 230, or even a 220?
Next, the processor *CPU*
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
or should I get this?
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
I want to OC this badboy! I know I will need help, but I live in SoCaL (818). So, I hope I meet some cool people that might help out. That means I would need a great motherboard, to support a future crossfire/sli.
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Graphics card, am I pushing it? I do want to play cod4 #2 with max settings on 1920x1200 with everyone on(for quality).
Rethinkin about getting the ATI 295 (heard its 2x gpu..the 275 people suppose) ! ATI will take my vote, but I'm worried about the drivers. I understand it's a new card, but are they more stable than the 295 cards?..Furthermore, I won't even link a card.. I will wait for the 300, and see price changes/reviews. What do you guys think though?
Memory, I wouldn't mind learning how to OC.. You know I'm just heavy gaming.. do I want 12gb or 6gb...and of what?
Newegg.com - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Desktop Memory
Should I get this one instead?
Newegg.com - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Desktop Memory
Harddrive(s), I just want to game. Is it best to have two HDs. One for the OS, and one for the media? What is the Raid 0 and Raid 1 stuff about? Should I just get one fast raptor drives? Or save moeny and get one regular HD?
Optical Drives: No need for blue-ray. I'd rather get a Ps3. What type of cd burner do you guys suggest? I don't need a DVD burner, unless I can benefit from using DVD type of cds to play music in my future car (BMW 2009+ 335i).
Cooling: Do I need a heatsink or any extra fans in my case? A fan for a future graphics card? Any ideas?
Monitor: Very important.. I remember when my eyes got a **** attack.. switching from a 17inch CRT to a 19 inch LCD 7 years ago. Ever since then my eyes haven't been the same. I noticed ghosting in Counter-strike (fps game). 20-30 vision, and family members notice I sit pretty close to the computer. Like a foot or two hiatus from the computer screen to myself. I really want a low response monitor, because I want to play competitive online. So I'm assuming a TN panel is the only route here, and I don't care about viewing angles <just me infront of the computer>. Quality is very important, because I tend to keep monitors for a long time. I spent $1,000 on my Samsung SyncMaster191T, and I stopped using it a month ago (lasted 6-7years). Any recommendations on a monitor? Must support 1920x1200, and what I want to know is.. will I have any problems hooking up a ps3/xbox360 to a monitor with such resolution? What if want to watch a blue-ray? I know even the games can run on 19200x1080. A perfect size for me would be anything more than a 19". I don't want too much real estate, because I want to FPS game. I want to be precise, and accurate. So let's saywhere 22"-27" is a good range (27 is pushing it a tad).
I heard Samsung and LG are the companies to go for, because they sell you items from their company most of the time(as in their products, and not someone else's lower quality product that they are trying to make a larger profit off of). Furthermore, I need to do some research on how important it is to calibrate the colors of a monitor when you receive it.

Mouse: I use a MX518, but what do you guys recommend? Since, I no longer game. I don't mind getting a new mouse to get use to. Back in the day, it was annoying playing a game..and changing a mouse, having to adapt.
Keyboard: I like to press up to four keys at the same time.. if a keyboard is not capable of this..... Wowzers! Looks are a plus here, some keyboards illuminate. Honestly, I want performance over looks. But give a range of keyboards you know are great for FPS gaming. I want to be able to crouch, shoot, move forward at the same time, and talk I just realized four keys is too much..but the three at the same time is great.

Thank you for reading, sorry I didn't keep it boring it simple!

 

[Yami]

First, AAAH MY EYES

There are plenty of good monitors, they aren't my specialty but I know several others here are good with monitors.

Harddrive(s), I just want to game. Is it best to have two HDs. One for the OS, and one for the media? What is the Raid 0 and Raid 1 stuff about? Should I just get one fast raptor drives? Or save moeny and get one regular HD?

Yes, it's best (for you) to have an OS drive and a storage drive. Don't get a Raptor, they don't actually provide much of a performance boost any more compared to 7200RPM drives. If you're looking for a fast drive for OS, look into getting an SSD (Solid state drive), something like an OCZ Vertex II (best bang for buck IMO), or if you have the budget look into the new Intel ones (blazingly fast, 250MB/s+ read). The 60GB ones look like the sweet spot right now, and that's plenty for OS + most programs.

Memory, I wouldn't mind learning how to OC.. You know I'm just heavy gaming.. do I want 12gb or 6gb...and of what?

12GB is really a waste (and harder to OC with), just go with a 3x2GB set. I would recommend the OCZ since it's generally cheaper and just as good (thought I'm not as sure when it comes to OCing it).

I want a fresh start, I want to start with an amazing case that I can use for a long time!

Go for the bigger version (HAF 932), as you can see in my sig I have it, and can wholeheartedly recommend it. Though that's not to say the 922 is bad in any way, I just can't comment.

Optical Drives: No need for blue-ray. I'd rather get a Ps3. What type of cd burner do you guys suggest? I don't need a DVD burner, unless I can benefit from using DVD type of cds to play music in my future car (BMW 2009+ 335i).

You can't buy CD drives any more as far as I'm aware, just get a decent DVD-RW, from Sony or somesuch - unlikely to cost more thsn $20. However if you're going to be getting a massive monitor, I really would recommend getting a Blu-ray reader, they're only about £50 here now, so I'm guessing something about $80 there - much cheaper than a PS3.

Graphics card, am I pushing it? I do want to play cod4 #2 with max settings on 1920x1200 with everyone on(for quality).
Rethinkin about getting the ATI 295 (heard its 2x gpu..the 275 people suppose) ! ATI will take my vote, but I'm worried about the drivers. I understand it's a new card, but are they more stable than the 295 cards?..Furthermore, I won't even link a card.. I will wait for the 300, and see price changes/reviews. What do you guys think though?

By 'ATI 295' I assume you mean GTX295, which is a nVidia card, not ATi And if the most taxing game you're planning on playing will be Modern Warfare 2, then a 295 will be WAY overkill, by several orders of magnitude. Get a GTX260 or GTX285, though as I'm not too knowledgable on the game's requirements that is probably overkill too. ATi alternatives would be HD4870 and HD4890.

Next, the processor *CPU*

Intel i7 920, nothing more, nothing less.

That means I would need a great motherboard, to support a future crossfire/sli.

I'm not too great with motherboards either, especially the newer i7 ones, so I'll let someone else give advice there.

people are saying things about 95% of PSU that are placed in this case are faced down, making it harder for the fan to do it's job. Is this true? This brings me to a modular PSU: Better airflow for the win, but which PSU. I do want to be SLI/Crossfire future proof for whatever card I buy now, I wouldn't mind buying it's twin brother when he's a lil' bit cheaper.

That's not true. Or even if it is, I haven't noticed it make any difference Anyway, again in my sig you can see I have the 750TX; I have no problems with cables in my HAF932, though it is a mess to organise through (like trying to organise the tentacles on a live octopus, until you get used to where each of the cables are) and I now wish I'd got the modular version But yeah, I can recommend eithe the 750TX, the 850TX, or their respective modular versions. However, only get one of those if you're sure you want to do SLI or Crossfire (nvidia and ATi's respective multi-GPU solutions); otherwise, go for something like the Corsair 550VX.

Keyboard: I like to press up to four keys at the same time.. if a keyboard is not capable of this..... Wowzers! Looks are a plus here, some keyboards illuminate. Honestly, I want performance over looks. But give a range of keyboards you know are great for FPS gaming. I want to be able to crouch, shoot, move forward at the same time, and talk I just realized four keys is too much..but the three at the same time is great.

I've had my eye on that Razer keyboard (Lycosa Mirror I think it's called), has glowing keys so you can read them in the dark and you can press a large number of keys at the same time. It's ungodly expensive if I remember right, though

Mouse: I use a MX518, but what do you guys recommend? Since, I no longer game. I don't mind getting a new mouse to get use to. Back in the day, it was annoying playing a game..and changing a mouse, having to adapt

I haven't used the MX518, but you're probably fine just sticking to that. If not, look into the Roccat Kone.

Cooling: Do I need a heatsink or any extra fans in my case? A fan for a future graphics card? Any ideas?

If you go for either HAF then you won't need any extra fans, but you will need a heatsink no matter what case you get. And, if you get the retail version of whatever processor, it will come with it's own (not-very-good) heatsink, if you get the OEM then it won't. If you're planning on OCing, I highly recommend getting an aftermarket heatsink; there is a great range of them to choose from.


Anyway, I think that covers everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Sorry I didn't reply to your post in any particular order, it was a little difficult to read

 

[xquizit]

I know, but thank you for the respone. I really want to tackle this build alone, but if I get an aftermarket heat sink I wouldn't know how to apply the thermal compound properly. I don't know if a FPS game like COD4#2 is a CPU based game, and I'm sure my GPU will matter a lot. Do you think I will need to OC my i7 a bit to get everything on max settings, and still play with 75+ FramesPerSecond? In addittion, do you recommend modular PSU (probobly 550w) if I won't be crossfiring/SLI'n? I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I might want to get the second identical card (when it's cheaper). If I were to OC the ram, will it be more difficult than OCn the CPU (which I highly doubt, but I'm uncertain)?

 

[xGodlyPoison]

Do you think I will need to OC my i7 a bit to get everything on max settings, and still play with 75+ FramesPerSecond? I/COLOR]

I'm running an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8220 at 2.33GHz with an HD4350 and I run CS:S quite smooth(I idle at 80+ FPS and while actually playing I do 65-80FPS). I also have 4GB of RAM if you care to know that.

 

[aliasaid]

The i7 920 Is popular mainly because of its ability to Overclock. It runs at 2.66ghz, but a lot of people have gotten over 4ghz easily. It would be a waste if you didn't overclock.

 

[alexsabree]

If your getting a graphics card, Look at the ATI Radeon 5850 or 5870. The 5870 is the fastest single graphics card on the market. The bad thing about having dual-cards (SLI/Crossfire) is that the game has to support using more than one card, else you won't see any performance boost at all and it doesn't scale that well either.

 

[xquizit]

Much appreciated fellas! So I will be taking on overclocking. Yes, as a noobie. So that being said. Foxconn Bloodrage mobo? What kind of aftermarket heatsink? Should I get the dominator or gold (OCZ ram, both of em). I heard the dominator has a setting you can easily place, and it runs at 1800 no problem. I'd rather have one graphics card and save money for a monitor. So my monitor should be 22-24 1920x1200 Res, and response times are very important. Chime in with your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[newbiebuilderguy]

here's your heatsink : Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

and you'll need this : Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-LGA1366 LGA 1366 Core I7 Socket Retention Bracket Set - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

to learn how to apply thermal paste / other tips on building , watch Youtube videos on computer building