New Computer

I'm looking to get a gaming computer soon, and I had a few questions. When it comes to building/buying computers I'm fairly clueless and don't know nearly as much as I'd like to.

I'm not really sure on a price range yet. I'd like to avoid spending too much money, but I don't want to end up getting something that's going to break on me or won't be any good in a few years just because it costs less. If I had to give a price range, it would be $1500-$2500.

Right now I'm looking at iBuyPower, and I made two builds there. The only difference between them is the motherboard and processor. I was told that AMD's processors are nearly as good as Intel's, plus they're incredibly cheap compared to Intel processors. I don't know how true that is though, so I'm reluctant to get an AMD.

I know absolutely nothing about motherboards, so I've got no idea how to choose one that's best for my computer. Any help with this would be appreciated.

Also not sure about the case or cooling, I really don't know anything about this either. I want the case to be able to hold additional hardware in case I decide to add second graphics card or hard drive later and be conducive to cooling. I don't plan on overclocking it and don't know anything about liquid cooling except that it's more effective than air cooling; I just want the cooling system to be good enough to prevent anything from overheating or getting damaged.

I've linked the two builds below:

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel_X58_Core_i7_Configurator/w/79953
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD_Phenom_II_X6_DDR3_Configurator/w/79951

 

Most pre-built systems will be fine and you wont have any problems. the main thing is what processor to choose As things stand the Intel Sandy Bridge Systems are far better than anything that AMD has to offer. In some benchmarks the top Intel chip has scored 150% better than the top AMD chip. Sandy Bridge is basically anything that begins with "i" (ie i3, i5 or i7).

That said if you can wait a month or two AMD are due to release their new Buzdozzer architechture. Their new CPUs which are due to be released in September are called Zanbieze and are set to smash the Intel Sandy Bridge systems. I have no idea how they will stack up cost wise but my advice wait a month or two and get a Buldozzer.

Cooling isnt really an issue with prebuilts so dont worry too much about that. you GPU is the other area for consideration. Personally I would spend the dollar on a top CPU and a top GPU. Memory is dirt cheap to add later on as are hard disk should you fill yours up.

 

I'd prefer not to get a pre-built system. I've got most of it figured out right now, I just need to decide on the processor, figure out how to pick the right motherboard, and a good case & cooling system.

Is there a way to effectively compare the different processors? It seems like there are too many factors to consider.

 

Like I say, if you can wait a month get an AMD Zambezie in September. If you cant wait get an Intel iChip I would suggest either i5 or i7 depending on your budget. The processor will determine the type of motherboard you need and budget will determine which board. Give me a bit of time tonight and I will see what I can put together. What country are you in?

 

you say that you don't want a prebuilt system, yet you are looking a i buypower for a system that is pre built. Which is it? If you want to build a system yourself, then you can do much better than ibuypower.

 

I'm in the US. I think I may go with an intel processor, either 2600k or 980. Looking at this chart (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html), the 2600K seems like the most bang for your buck among the high-end processors.

If you know of some good guides to determining all the right parts for a new computer like this, I'd be happy to read that and figure it out for myself instead of taking up your free time. I've been looking for one but haven't found it, which is why I posted here.

Anyway, if you want to put something together, I've got most of it figured out, and just changed to the 2600K and a smaller power supply: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Intel_Z68_Core_i5_i7_Configurator/w/80116

Only things there that I'm not sure about are the cooling, motherboard, and case. If the cooling is sufficient I'd prefer to stick with fans instead of liquid cooling. I'm not really sure how important the case is as long as it holds everything and doesn't get inhibit airflow. I'll probably switch to a smaller, cheaper case than the one I have selected. And as far as the motherboard goes, I just left the default choice. I won't be using a second graphics card, but I'd prefer that it be able to hold the 590.

And thanks for your time, I really appreciate it

Sorry, when I read pre-built I was thinking standard, mass-produced model. I'd like to build it myself, but I lack the knowledge and competence to do so. When I figure out exactly what hardware I want to use I'll see if ordering all the parts and assembling them myself is worth the money I'd save.

 

What is your budget?

 

@frank as 'them' is in here too asking questions and this gets confusing in a thread. I can't get to the AMD build as it times out on me for now. On the Intel build you can certainly do better than that for the price!:eek I would not buy a $1000 CPU extreme edition which is overpriced considering that you could get an i7 2600K for $330 ATM which you can overclock to the ying yang!

Your choice of power supply is interesting, are you intending to double up on the video card eventually? Otherwise it's overkill.

The H50 cooler will be good for you any which way you decide to go.

As to waiting 'til Sept.19 or so for the AMD Bulldozer, I think it's a good idea to wait as Intel's next generation is ready to ship and they're waiting for the BD release to price their chips which should push existing prices down. We're at the cusp ATM so if you can wait a couple of months to decide you could get the hardware at a cheaper cost.

I'd build my own at home as it's much more satisfying and you know every bit of it. It's not rocket science anymore.

 

I was going to go 2600k but the freaking G1.Sniper 2 is not out yet and I couldn't wait so I took it to the next level so I could have the G1.Sniper 1 on socket 1366 ... im impatient I know... :banghead

Originally I purchased the 2600k with the same idea , to overclock it like a mad scientist! O_O

 

To more so answer what Auggie is saying, yes wait... for the love of god be more patient than me lol.

The Bulldozer will be great , but as we know competition brings lower prices and AMD will give you you low price before INTEL will and AMD is great, well they better be... who else makes processors? -_- I don't see a third party ... lol

 

BTW, as a rule of thumb, I never upgrade unless there's at least a %30 increase in total performance, more is of course better depending on the cost. It's a judgement call there.

I've seen folks going from a Q6600 to a Q9550 for a measly 430MHz(%12) increase in stock clock speed, %20 increase in FSB and a %33 increase in L2 cache and complain about how they don't see a swifter PC for a $300(ATM) CPU? It's a machine with multiple systems and they all have to match.

I haven't noticed much snappier system response since the Q6600 but then it depends on what one uses the machine for.

/end rant Sorry about that.:-D

 

I want to keep it below $2500, preferably less than $2k.

In my last post I changed that, I looked at some benchmarks and the 2600k seems almost as good as the 980 but far cheaper. Also had a smaller power supply in that build.

I also removed the liquid cooling. I don't really know much about liquid cooling, and if fans alone can do the job I'd rather not bother. I'm going with a 590 for the graphics card, and don't plan on adding another one. This should be more than powerful enough to handle anything I run for the next few years. With that in mind, would you say the updated build I posted yesterday is OK without liquid cooling?

I got some clarification on the motherboard, so I just need to find out if a 590 requires SLI or not. Might also go with a cheaper graphics card since I think a 570 or 580 would be enough.

I'm going to look up prices for these on newegg to see how much cheaper making it myself would be, and I'll probably take your advice and wait for the processors to get cheaper with AMD's new releases. Thanks for all the help.

 

Keep the H50 cooler as you will only save $20 by getting something like my Cooler Master Hyper 212+ but which is also massive yet still does the job on my 2600K. Other similar coolers are also good. These water coolers are quieter and as good as the low end of high real ones are without the maintenance are.

The GTX590 is extremely pricey ATM @ $700+/copy. I'd rather get a couple of GTX 560Ti's or go XFire with a pair of ATI HD 6950's which will give more than double the processors for less than half the price for one nVidia GTX 590.

 

590!!! O_O That alone will put a dent in your Budget!!

You are talking a 700- 800 dolla GFX card, plus they are basically impossible to find. If anything you should go with the 580 with More bits and more Gigs 3 gig Version. Check that out on Amazon.... actually so much better to buy on Amazon because its tax free

PLus you can sign up on Amazon right now and do Amazon Prime and get Next Day shipping for freaking $3.99!!! O_O Dude you will save so much money if you can build the machine within a months time before the Prime is up and you get a charge fee.


By the way, I am really noticing that after being on Newegg a lot and have been doing a lot of shopping, really when you goto Newegg you are paying a lot more cause of tax and you mainly just pay for the name/guarantee, but Newegg price wise sucks... Check out Amazon man they have the best prices and offer just as much a newegg when it comes to warranties and such. Not sure on customer service but price wise its better. Even shipping is faster, so more of a bargain if you Amazon your times

 

$2500... Im gonna have some fun here!!!! Be back soon!

 

OK here we go. Id be grateful for someone to review this but I think this is a bit of a beast for the cash (I do have a habit of forgetting something important) the total is a few $ under 2K

Case:
Antec Lanboy Blue
Feel free to change if its not to your taste but I think it looks cool, and more importantly you can put upto 15 fans in it, so it is cool

CPU:
Intel Core i7 2600K
Best value to keep in budget

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P67A-D3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel
has 6Gb/s SATA, 2xPCIe sockets and supports XFire, and will run DDR3@2133

GPU:
2x VisionTek 900307 Radeon HD 4670 X2 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP in XFire
2 of these bad boy in Xfire will kick crap out of any high end nVidia cards (Thanks for the idea augiedoggie)

Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133
Fast and Reliable

Primary HD:
OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
SSD for booting and programs

Secondary HD:
Seagate ST32000445SS 2TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SAS 6Gb/s 3.5" Constellation ES Hard Drive
6GB/s SATA

PSU:
Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M
Maybe a bit overkill but with crosfire...

Cooler:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Limited Edition 92mm
I just a mid range cooler but on the grad scale of things the cooler is irrellevant so feel free to swap it for any other.

Keeping things legal:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM



I havnt included Optical drives as I assume you can plunder those from an existing system... If not they are only $30 or so. If you wanted to push the $2500 limit then you could swap the MB for one that supports PCIe 2.1 and then beef up your GPUs to 2x HD6970. That would prob add about an extra $350-$400 but would make a fair difference

 

pfft if thats the case here you go right here man :


Might as well spend the extra Cash... Not sure if you will like it cause some of the parts in it are a little high priced , that mobo sucks in comparison to the G1.Sniper but will this setup work for you?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...o.691329&cm_sp=DIY_PC_Combos-_-691329-_-Combo

 

Edit---
I cnat find a PCIe 2.1 board, so on that basis I think the 2.1 only applies to the GPU, in which case swap the above mentioned cards for 2 of these. I would have gone for the HD 6970 but they didnt have any in stock.

 

Go OEM PRO 64-Bit Win 7, that supports over 16GBs of ram so if you ever plan to go insane 24GBs of ram you won't have any issues with "Why is my computer only seeing 16 GBs of ram/is only available when I have 24GBs"

Believe me man I have been going up and down the street with this build... BUT if you wanna go 2600k , I advise you to wait for the G1.Sniper 2.

Man it comes with a Built in BIG FOOT KILLER NIC ( 150.00 value) and an
Onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Digital Audio Processor (20K2) with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity™ and EAX® AHD 5.0™ Technologies on the board saving you a TON of space man.

Be patient and wait for the G1.Sniper 2, I employ sir ! O_O

This will give you something to think about :hyper --->

BTW the board is Future proof and somewhat "Better THAN" the G1.Sniper 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIcUHHjZu6I

 

While the sniper is deffinately a better board I dont think OP will get best out of it as they dont plan to OC.

The combo you posted it good but $300 over budget

Twin HD6870s will kick the GTX580

booting with an SSD will imorive performance which the bundle doesnt have

The bundles RAM only runs at 1600MHz, mine is 2133MHz (yes you do have 12GB of it but I would take 8GB running at 2133 over 12GB running at 1600)

Ill hold my hands up and say that I dont know what performance difference you will get by using an LGA1366 over an LGA1155?

edit---

Seems to be tripple channel Memory which I guess the combo is using...

 

6 cores Vs. 4 You can OC all you wont but those 2 extra cores count - This is prolly why the 2600k can OC so much and the Core i970 can't hit a 5.0 GHZ OC But in the gaming world your build is more practical than mines... I really would rather go 2600k but I wanted to buy my processor from a store and the store did not have the i970 so it would be hell to go backwards . But yeah only way I will do it is if the Sniper 2 was out.