Building New Gaming Rig

[OriginalJoeCool]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of building a new gaming PC and am looking for any and all suggestions.

Basically, I'd like an obscenely and offensively powerful computer. Ok, not that extreme, but I want something that will be able to play any game released within the forseeable future.

Unfortunately I don't have an unlimited money supply, but I have enough, so assume for now that money's not a problem. Here's what I've come up with so far:

- Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7 AMD motherboard

- Sapphire Vapor-X 100281V1-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video card

- CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 22/EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready Crossfire Ready PSU

- AMD Phenom II x6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHx Socket AM3 125W

- ThermalTake Armor+ VH6000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full tower computer case

- Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
Is 8GB enough or should I go for 12GB?

- Intel X25-M 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive

- Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

For my display, I'm thinking of a 3x1 eyefinity setup. I haven't decided on the monitors yet. I also need a Bluray writer of some sort.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tharic-Nar]

What you may want to do is get a cheaper graphics card, like a 5770 for the time being and wait for the new AMD 6000 series to come out over the next few months. I can't say for certain if the top of the line model will be 'available' (released is one thing, getting one is another) this year, so it depends on how long you want to wait. A more mainstream card willl tied you over very well and will play all current games at good quality levels, it may have problems with a 3x1 setup, but it's certainly no slouch. The 6000 series will be mainstream to begin with and released soon, one of those might be a much better option, but can't say for sure until we get our hands on one .

What is your upgrade path like, as in, do you wish to upgrade in the future or buy a new system? 4GB memory modules are still fairly expensive, so getting 4x2GB will be cheaper, it just depends if you want replace all the modules later for 4GB modules or just get a new PC. 8GB will last you a fair while, a good couple years at least, only go for 12GB if you either NEED it or can afford it.

I guess the question is, do you want something now or how long are you willing to wait...

 

[DarkStarr]

WAIT!!!!! I would say wait atleast till the 6870 (two months away SUPPOSEDLY) comes out so you could get the 5870 a bit cheaper or maybe the 6870 which should beast all over the 480 and possibly even the 5970 Other than that 8 Gb of ram is good unless you do lots of Photoshop or video editing or something else that uses tons of ram. Personally I like ASUS, if you dont need 6 PCIe slots then I suggest the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131644 ) they have an open box one as well ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131644R )

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

Thanks for the suggestions. I may wait for the 6870-- it should be worth it judging by what I've read online.

Tharic- Nar, I intend to keep this one around for a while, and upgrade it when necessary rather than buy a whole new PC. I figured 8GB would be enough, so I'll probably just go for that.

And in response to DarkStarr, I like the Crosshair IV, but I'm not sure I would get it over the Gigabyte one. I'll have to think about. By the looks of things, I have a couple months.

 

[Rob Williams]

If I were a gamer in the market for a new GPU right now, I'd hold off until the Radeon HD 6000 series, because if rumors are proven true, the gained performance will be worth the wait. The HD 5770 series is a good gateway into the next series like Tharic said, but if you are willing to hold off, then it will be money saved. Is the PC you're on now capable of gaming at all?

On the future upgradability front, I wouldn't really ever expect to go past 8GB of memory on today's motherboards, unless you're using Intel's X58 chipset and have six DIMM slots. 4GB modules have always been too expensive, and generally much slower than their 2GB counterparts. If upgrading past 8GB, it'd almost be more sensible to go for Intel's higher-end platform and getting 12GB from the get-go.

The need for more than 8GB of RAM is still limited though, and mostly unneccessary unless you are a heavy multi-tasker and perform system-hogging processes all the time, like video editing/encoding. I have 12GB and love it, but I do a fair amount of video encoding, and not to mention run multiple virtual machines.

If you're going for the 1090T, there are what seems like a billion boards out there to handle it. I just received an ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 and it looks quite good so far (haven't tested it yet). I think even without testing it I'd recommend it over the UD7, since that board is a bit of an acquired taste, and targets more of a specific niche (folders). On the Gigabyte side, I'd say the GA-890FXA-UD5 would be a great choice.

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

The UD5 looks perfect; thanks for recommending it. I don't foresee needing 12GB, so I think 4x2GB would suit me. Is there any brand of memory you recommend?

Currently, I'm using an HP Pavilion with a core 2 duo @ 1.50Ghz and the intel 965 chipset, so obviously it's limited, but I can do enough with it to keep myself occupied for now.

 

[Rob Williams]

For the most part, memory is memory, with the main selling-point of some kits being their design. If you run a case with a window, then chances are you're going to want a kit of RAM that adds to the aesthetic value, but if not, then as long as the speeds and timings are good, along with the price, the vendor doesn't matter a great deal. I tend to be drawn to Kingston, but also have OCZ and Corsair in our testing rigs.

A "good" performance kit of RAM will be DDR3-1333 7-7-7 or DDR3-1600 8-8-8.

And yes, you are definitely long overdue for an upgrade

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

I hope you guys don't mind me resurrecting an old thread, but I've updated my plans for the system I'd like to build:

Corsair HX Series 750W PSU
ThermalTake Armor+ ATX Full Tower case
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s Internal HDD
Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5 motherboard
Sapphire Radeon HD 6870
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) SDRAM Desktop memory w/ Red & Green LEDs
AMD Phenom II x6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHx Socket AM3 125W
Samsung Black Blu-Ray Combo Drive
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX120G 3.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal SSD
Asus Glossy Black 24" HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Logitech G510 Black USB game keyboard
Logitech MX518 USB Optical gaming mouse

Some main points:
-- I've decided to go for a less expensive PSU. Thoughts?
-- I'm opting for one 24" monitor (ASUS) instead of a 3x1 eyefinity setup. After all, I can get a couple more monitors if I want.
-- Of course, I'm getting a 6870 instead of 5870.
-- I'm thinking of a 120GB OCZ ssd instead of the 40GB intel one so I can put more applications on it

According to Newegg.com, all this will be $2283.88 (taxes included). A few pretty pennies, but I don't drink,smoke, or gamble so I have enough loot stashed.

I just want to see what you guys think.

 

[DarkStarr]

WOW....... however I would recommend more ram since your going high end on everything else but that's my opinion.... Looks pretty good but I have yet to see something that proves SSDs are better than HDDs to me, yea they are fast but they have limited writes and just because they are fast doesn't mean much, so far as I know they won't help you get more FPS in games or anything like that + I love storage space XD

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

Oops, I meant 4 x 2GB. And about the SSD, I guess I'm just curious about the technology. Maybe I could just get an HDD for now (after all, 2TB should be more than enough) and see what happens from there. I imagine the SSDs will come down in price ... eventually. Right now they're absurdly expensive.

 

[DarkStarr]

Ok yea 4x2 is what I have, 8 Gb Corsair DDR3 1600 but since they are 2 kits they are only guaranteed to run at specs as 1 kit >.< total BS On HDDs I have 3 1 TB Hitachis, 1st 2 were 84 per on sale and the last was 54 on sale, like 6 months or less later.......

 

[Tharic-Nar]

More to a PC than gaming, and an SSD will make the experience so much smoother. As for a SSDs impact on games specifically, it'll decrease load times and minimise jerky behaviour in openworld type games, so it won't increase your FPS, but it will make it more consistent (from a loading perspective).

Edit: ignore the mem quote, lol, forgot I asked.

Optical Mouse - not a laser mouse? What about a G500 or something, or you not too picky? It's not just higher DPI you get from a laser, it's to do with tracking accuracy as well (surface etc). Also found that a decent surface helps. The subjective nature of peripherals is a pain though, the thing with them is that the greater variety you use for extended periods, the more picky you become.

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

I hadn't thought of the laser vs. optical point - the G500 looks good.

As for SSDs, it's tempting -- do you like any company or brand in particular?

 

[Tharic-Nar]

The company is less important than the controller. Go Intel or SandForce, so the OCZ vertex 2 is a good choice or the Intel X25, but the vertex 2 is much cheaper. Robert's the man to talk to for SSDs. Just don't use them for storage, get a large 1TB or 2TB drive for storage and possibly keep backups.

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

I think I may be able to convince my parents to chip in on, so I'll probably go all-out and get that 120GB OCZ vertex 2 SSD.

The 480GB one is $1199CA. Holy cow!

 

[Doomsday]

Aaaah! The thrill and excitement of a new gaming PC build! Can u Feeel the Darkside of the Force!!

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

So that's what that feeling is?

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

I posted this over a year ago, and I still haven't built anything (there are extenuating circumstances). Still really want to though.

Now I'm thinking Sabertooth motherboard ....

 

[Doomsday]

going for the X79?? Cool!

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

I posted this over a year ago, and I still haven't built anything (there are extenuating circumstances). Still really want to though.

Now I'm thinking Sabertooth motherboard ....

The Sabertooths are epic. I absolutely LOVE mine.