My System Build-Need suggestion

[Artista]

This build will be for general use, surfing the web, dragon naturally speaking, other misc office software and of course gaming. Probably
"mid-range gamer" would be my category. No interest or budget beyond that.

I will probably do FPS games such as Call of Duty (latest), FEAR (latest), etc. That includes stuff a few years old and/or the latest games. Just depends.

My screen is a 25 inch LED-LCD 1280 x XXXX native resolution.

Here is what I have so far: (All bought on sale over this year) I need to finish the system out before what I bought already becomes totally outdated.

Antec EarthWatts Platinum Series EA-650 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371056

Microsoft Windows 7 Pro SP1 64-bit-oem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116992

Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147153

OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX90G 3.5" 90GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227601

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

Thinking of this for video card: (Puting more money into GPU than CPU) Sapphire-Radeon 6950-2Gb on sale $199.99-$10 MIR= $189 after reabate

SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102987

No clue as to Mother board and CPU I should buy.

I figure since I am aiming for a "mid-range" gamer system, it doesnt matter as long as I stay in a "mid-range gamer" budget. I really do not want to spend over a $100 for each the MB and CPU or a total of $200 bucks for both. If the case can be made that I need to spend a little extra to get more life from the system I would consider it, but things are tight money wise. (This is a want, not a need at this point.)

My case does have front ports for e-sata, USB, and sound so a header on the mother board that will allow me to actually use the front ports is required.

Thank you ahead of time.

 

[Durvelle27]

whats your budget ? answer this sticky

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=80121

 

[Ken g6]

In general terms, these look like a good mobo/CPU pair for under $200 total:

Biostar B75 mobo, $60:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138357

i3-2120, $110:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115077

I don't suppose you can return that OCZ and get a $100 Samsung drive from Amazon?

Edit: How about an XFX 7850 video card for $210AR?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150617

 

[Artista]

Would that Radeon 7850 1Gb be that much better than a Radeon 6950 2Gb? (less RAM on board)

Probably would flash the Radeon 6950 with that Bios that unlocks the shaders to a 6970.

I would rather keep the price of the MB and CPU to around $200 for both.

I probably will not overclock unless I get a "idiot proof" overclock utility for the CPU and/or GPU. Then I would only do that moderately.

 

[Ken g6]

So that's why everyone's been steering me away from that card. :$ I didn't even know they made 1GB 7850s! And apparently that's the only one. The next step up is $10 more.

Honestly, I'd rather overclock a 7850 than try to flash a 6950. As long as you keep an eye on the temperatures, and don't fiddle with the voltage much if at all, it seems like a much safer procedure.

 

[MGF Derp]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1029246

Bundles help. If you dont like that get the cheapest 1155 i3 and whatever board you like that fits in your budget. 6950~7850. If you can get the 6950->6970 it will be better.

 

[Artista]

Question: Will the low end Intel chips blow the AMD chips in similiar price range away? (thought about a high end Phenom II 3.4Ghz even though its on the way out)

 

[Ken g6]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1029246

Bundles help. If you dont like that get the cheapest 1155 i3 and whatever board you like that fits in your budget. 6950~7850. If you can get the 6950->6970 it will be better.

Did you manage to find a quad-core CPU bundle that almost fits in $200? Yes. Is it better? I don't think so. CoD doesn't need more than 2 cores, at this GPU level anyway, and FEAR doesn't need more than one! So the i3 at 3.3GHz should be better than the i5 that won't turbo over 3.2.

Now, you could bundle the i3 with that cheap board to save about $35. The B75 provides things like USB 3.0 (good if you get a device that can use it) and SATA3 (good if you trade in that SSD). If you're never going to use those extra features, this i3 bundle could be good for you.

Question: Will the low end Intel chips blow the AMD chips in similiar price range away? (thought about a high end Phenom II 3.4Ghz even though its on the way out)

Well, we just went over quad vs. dual cores. An i3 2100 meets or beats the fastest PII x4 at stock on gaming. And even AMD-loving Tom's Hardware has to admit that the i3 beats Bulldozer. So unless you want to do crazy overclocking on the PII, I'd still go i3.

 

[Durvelle27]

Did you manage to find a quad-core CPU bundle that almost fits in $200? Yes. Is it better? I don't think so. CoD doesn't need more than 2 cores, at this GPU level anyway, and FEAR doesn't need more than one! So the i3 at 3.3GHz should be better than the i5 that won't turbo over 3.2.

Now, you could bundle the i3 with that cheap board to save about $35. The B75 provides things like USB 3.0 (good if you get a device that can use it) and SATA3 (good if you trade in that SSD). If you're never going to use those extra features, this i3 bundle could be good for you.

Well, we just went over quad vs. dual cores. An i3 2100 meets or beats the fastest PII x4 at stock on gaming. And even AMD-loving Tom's Hardware has to admit that the i3 beats Bulldozer. So unless you want to do crazy overclocking on the PII, I'd still go i3.

yeah the i3 beats the FX at stock but when oced it a different story ?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Firstly I'm surprised you have a 25" LCD monitor that's native resolution is something as small as 1280x1024, that is either really really old or you're not running it at its true resolution (I'm guessing the former).

yeah the i3 beats the FX at stock but when oced it a different story ?

Didn't you link a benchmark that showed the i3 still beating out the FX line in almost every single title? If you support AMD CPU's that's fine, but don't say that they're better than Intel's when for the past few years they aren't even in the same league. They fill a very particular niche, and they fill it pretty well (really budget gaming systems) but for anything beyond that Intel's offerings are far superior for CPU scaling.

Not to mention you're basing this on the fact that the FX CPU will hit a specific frequency or higher with its overclock, are you going to leave a system up to luck of the draw whether or not you can achieve an OC high enough to beat out some other CPU's stock performance for the same cost?

 

[Durvelle27]

Firstly I'm surprised you have a 25" LCD monitor that's native resolution is something as small as 1280x1024, that is either really really old or you're not running it at its true resolution (I'm guessing the former).



Didn't you link a benchmark that showed the i3 still beating out the FX line in almost every single title? If you support AMD CPU's that's fine, but don't say that they're better than Intel's when for the past few years they aren't even in the same league. They fill a very particular niche, and they fill it pretty well (really budget gaming systems) but for anything beyond that Intel's offerings are far superior for CPU scaling.

Not to mention you're basing this on the fact that the FX CPU will hit a specific frequency or higher with its overclock, are you going to leave a system up to luck of the draw whether or not you can achieve an OC high enough to beat out some other CPU's stock performance for the same cost?

i didn't say AMD was better than intel just said and i3 wasn't better than an oced FX that's all ?

 

[Artista]

I gave the wrong information on my monitor/LED-LCD TV. It is a LED-LCD TV and is actually 23.6 inches in the "24 inch class" The resolution is 1280 x 1024 auto detect out of my computer using the DVI to HDMI port.

Anything will be better than my current five year old rig. (AMD 64 X2, GeForce 8800 GT, etc) It rocked when I built it and still handles a lot of stuff but showing its age, like me. lol

Frankly I just need to complete this build. I started buying parts a long while ago and just need to put something together in the "medium/ budget" gaming category.

 

[Durvelle27]

whats your full budget ?

 

[Artista]

whats your full budget ?

GPU ~$200
CPU ~$100
MB ~$80-$100 -need headers for front panel.

I have everything else sitting here.

Looking for most bang for the buck. I of course have to spend a little more on a GPU and that is why I thought the Radeon 6950 2GB @ ~$200 on sale at newegg fits the bill.

 

[Durvelle27]

so $400

 

[thescreensavers]

make sure to keep things backup on that OCZ drive...

 

[Durvelle27]

Intel Core i3-2120 $109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115077

BIOSTAR B75MU3+ 1155 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138357

MSI Twin Frozr HD 7870 $259 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127662

Total: $450

or

Intel Core i3-2120 $109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115077

BIOSTAR B75MU3+ 1155 $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138357

Sapphire HD 6950 $189 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102987

$370

 

[krnmastersgt]

Why are you suggesting such overkill cards?

At 1280x1024 a single 6870 could probably power almost any game you'd want at max settings. I'd recommend looking into a better monitor to drastically increase your enjoyment of games as with a TV of that size, 1280x1024 is pretty unsatisfactory imo.

 

[Ken g6]

Somehow, I don't believe a 23.6" monitor has a native 1280x1024 resolution. Can you post the model name and number? Maybe we can help you get it set up for higher resolutions?

It is possible for you to afford that 7870, if you went with the $137 cpu/mobo bundle, though I still say some 7850 would be your best bang for the buck. But we really should clear up this monitor resolution issue before discussing video cards further.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Somehow, I don't believe a 23.6" monitor has a native 1280x1024 resolution. Can you post the model name and number? Maybe we can help you get it set up for higher resolutions?

It is possible for you to afford that 7870, if you went with the $137 cpu/mobo bundle, though I still say some 7850 would be your best bang for the buck. But we really should clear up this monitor resolution issue before discussing video cards further.

Seems based off the square-ish resolution that he has a pretty old or cheap LCD TV, I've seen them with lower resolutions at that size, not sure why but they make them.

 

[Artista]

Forgive my ignorance. The screen even with this video card can go up to the resolution of 1920 x 1080. If that is what you mean by native. The tv/monitor is: I bought it at Thanksgiving 2011 sale at Compusa for a killer price on Black Friday.

http://www.compusa.com/applications/...173&CatId=5987

The video card I want (Radeon 6950 2 Gb ~$190) may be over kill but maybe not now that you know my correct resolution. Plus better to spend a little more on a GPU so it will last for years playing most games, even if not at everything maxed out. The last thing I want to do is buy something that wont even play the current or next generation games, even at low settings.

The last build I did lasted five years.

I may end up spending a little extra money if I open a newegg preferred account with zero interest. (Not a habit to get into though buying on credit)

 

[Durvelle27]

if the res is 1920x1080 than the HD 6950 would be the best choice ? or HD 7870 ?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Well the 7870 for sure but it does go beyond the budget a bit, I'd say it's worth it if you don't plan on upgrading for a while though.

If you are going to buy on credit and just pay it off over time, see if you can't spring for a GTX 670 or 7950/7970 as those cards are quite powerful, and the more recent/modern the card the longer it should last while meeting your expectations. Though it may be better to periodically just sell the card and buy a replacement upgrade to it every 2 years or thereabouts.

 

[Ken g6]

Well the 7870 for sure but it does go beyond the budget a bit

Yesterday, with that ultra-cheap H61 bundle, it wouldn't have. But today the CPU has gone up in price, and that board is out of stock. Today it's hard not to blow the budget with a 2GB 7850. But it's possible to fit it all in $400, with USB 3.0 and SATA3 on the mobo...

CPU/mobo combo for $179:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1029301

VisionTek 7850 from Amazon for $220:
http://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Radeon-Express-Graphics-900505/dp/B007KJ1URG/ref=sr_1_3

...if you ignore the $7 shipping for the mobo.

 

[mfenn]

If you are going to buy on credit and just pay it off over time, see if you can't spring for a GTX 670 or 7950/7970 as those cards are quite powerful, and the more recent/modern the card the longer it should last while meeting your expectations. Though it may be better to periodically just sell the card and buy a replacement upgrade to it every 2 years or thereabouts.

Let's not go down that path please.