hardware compatibility and running Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

[IPxSynergy]

Hey Everyone!

I am building a new PC for Christmas this year and had a few questions since I've never built a computer by myself before. First of all, I wanted to make sure that all my parts will be compatible with each other and that these parts will be all I need to get the rig running (aka that I didn't forget a crucial part that I failed to think of).

The second question is: with this rig, would I be able to run Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, and games alike, at good settings, no lag, etc... I would like a comment more than, yes it will run it. j/w if I will need to crank the settings all the way down, or where I'm at.

The parts are:

Motherboard: ASUS M4N78 PRO
Processor: AMD Phenom X3 8750
RAM: 4GB Corsair XMS2 PC6400
Video Card: GeForce 9800 GTX+
HDD: WD VelociRaptor SATA
Power Supply: Raidmax Hybrid 2 730W

I really would appreciate your input! Thanks... PS, if you have suggestions for different parts, mention them knowing that I am on a budget and picked these for a reason.

 

[Muffin Man]

welcome.

with the current parts you have listed, you should be able to play MW2 on high, if not max settings.

where are you gonna get the parts from?

suggestions for different parts..

change to a phenom II cpu (x2, x3 or quad), they are better all around than the older phenoms.

how much are you gonna pay for that 9800gtx+? for around the some money, you should be able to find a 4850 or 4870, both of which are better.

and dont get a raidmax psu, get a psu from a better known brand like antec, corsair, ocz, pc power & cooling, seasonic.

 

[IPxSynergy]

I'm getting most of the parts from Tiger Direct, but wherever I found the cheapest parts. The processor was only 99.99, thats why i chose it. if it would be much better for a relative price, then i'd consider it. the graphics card is 134.99... wouldn't I have to get an entirely different motherboard then if I went to the amd II series? I have a total budget of about $750 and I want the best computer for that price. So i sacrificed some things, like brand of psu, to get performance.

 

[Muffin Man]

have you considered Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

wouldn't I have to get an entirely different motherboard then if I went to the amd II series?

that depends on the mobo. youd have to refer to the mobo makers cpu support list.

this is the mobo you currently have listed:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

for that particular mobo, no you wouldnt have to change it, it supports the fastest phenom ii cpu, the 965, but thats probably out of your price range.

so some other options around $99..
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
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

cant currently find this on newegg, but this gfx card would be much better for only $5 more.
XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 512MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, with FREE Stormrise Game at TigerDirect.com

and i understand that you have a limited budget, but the psu is the last place id cheap out on. were you looking at that raidmax psu on TD? i cant seem to find it; how much does it cost?

this psu would power both the card you picked and the card i suggested.
Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Power Supplies

 

[IPxSynergy]

I'll price out the suggestions you gave with my current and see where we are at...

Okay. the pricing, granted I got the correct parts, worked out really well. I'm at $755, and before I was at $730. The price difference was actually only because I chose better RAM, but I also want your opinion as to if I would be fine with a lesser quality set, which I will list below. I don't know how much RAM type affects performance and such. Here are all the parts I put together with your suggestions...

Motherboard: Asus M4N78 PRO
Processor: AMD Phenom II X3 720
RAM: 4GB DDR2 PC2-8500
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 4870
Hard Drive: raptor, still good. haha
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W

Alternative RAM: 4GB DDR2 PC2-6400

This is shaping up nicely! Thanks for your input!

 

[Trotter]

Newegg.com - ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
$100 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$99 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM - Desktop Memory
$92 w/free shipping

XFX Radeon HD 4870 Video Card - 512MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI at TigerDirect.com
$140

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$75 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
$55

Total = $561 plus shipping on the graphics card and PSU.

The WD Black line are almost as fast as the Raptors, but with a lot more storage capacity. I would take on over a Raptor any day, plus they have a five year warranty.

 

[IPxSynergy]

Wow. Thanks for your input also! that sure brought the price down, and the reviews on the hdd match what you said, one guy posted specs of it being faster than a raptor. Glad I didn't waste my money on that. haha. Now we have another problem, but a good one! You brought my cost down from 755 to 620 (I have a wireless card that I didn't include in the posts). Thus the problem comes with- any upgrade of about 80 bucks worth it for any of these? Also, the power supply i mentioned earlier vs. the one you brought up... which is better? And lastly- what cables will I need to set this all up? i don't know what comes with it, probably not much?

 

[Trotter]

Sorry but I don't understand what you mean about the $80 upgrade? What you could do with the spare $80, or what?

Antec makes a solid PSU. They used to be the main recommended PSU here before Corsair became the apple of everyone's eye. The quality is the same, but the Antec is more plain than the OCZ as well as cheaper.

The motherboard will come with:

• 1 x I/O Shield
• 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
• 4 x SATA cable(s)
• 1 x Q-Connector

The Antec has these connectors:

• 5 x peripheral
• 2 x SATA
• 1 x Floppy
• 1 x PCI-E

Anything outside of this you would need to buy when you oder everything else. An extra 6-pin PCI-E power connector and an extra SATA power connector or two would be a good idea, as would some MX-2 thermal paste.