New Build - Seeking Advice/Suggestions

[alteredform]

Hello,

I am in the final stages of piecing together my new build. I need some advice or encouragement. Does my proposed build look solid? This build will predominantly be my everyday machine. I don't play very many FPS games, I do enjoy WOW and will probably be picking up Star Wars: The Old Republic and Diablo III when released. Outside of that I dabble in photoshop/lightroom, outside normal computing activities.



CPU & Video Card Combo - AMD Phenom X4 955 & XFX Radeon 5870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.326000 $535.98 Combo
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-790XTA-UD4 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=GA-790XTA-UD4 $139.99
RAM - OCZ Platinum DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227297 $110.99 (AR)
PSU & Hard Drive - Corsair CMPSU 650W & SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1 TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.341076 $169.98 Combo (AR)
Monitor - ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236052 6824236052 $199.99 (AR)
Or
Monitor - ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236047 $279.99 (AR)
OS - Windows 7 64 Bit OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116754 $104.99
Arctic Silver - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-007-_-Product $9.99

I will reuse my current case (Older Aluminum Lian-Li Mid Tower). I assume this will work - I just wish it were black vs. silver.
I will also reuse my current keyboard, mouse, and speakers.



I have a couple of questions about my build...

1. I noticed that newegg stocks two "models" of the phenom X4 955 chip. Is there a difference? If so, which one do I want?
2. There are two varieties of the Samsung Spinpoint 1 TB Hard Drives - F3 & F1 - Which one do I want?
3. Is my video card overkill for what gaming I do? (Downsize to 5850?)
4. Is the PSU in the build a good choice? If my video card is overkill, this probably is as well...
5. Which monitor?

If you have any suggestions, other combo deals, or complete rebuild suggestions, please feel free to share.



Thanks,

 

[mfenn]

1. The two 955s are the MBOX and IBOX versions. One of them is a newer stepping (I believe its the MBOX, somebody correct me if I'm wrong), so you obviously want that one.
2. The F3s are a newer series with higher density platters, so you want one of those.
3. Even a 5770 is probably overkill for your needs. I would step down to that.
4. Corsairs are solid PSUs, but yes you could step down to something cheaper. The 650TX @ $100 is not bad value for money though.
5. Go big or go home. With the money you save by stepping down on the GPU, you can get the 25.5"
6. That RAM is OK after MIR, but you can get some Ripjaws http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-277-_-Product for $105 with no MIR (and no, the tighter timings on the OCZ will not make a noticeable difference)

 

[MisterDonut]

1. Ripjaw. I hear a lot more problems about OCZ than I do about G.Skill. And Ripjaw looks badass .
2. Agree with #5. An OC'ed 5850 to 5870 stock speeds reports about 2-3% slower (I forgot the link).
3. Corsairs are, imo, the most solid PSU mfg's. Antec comes a close second. Stick with the Corsair though. I would spend that extra 20-30 bucks for reliability. Otherwise you can probably drop to a 500w.
4. 5770. 5850 is only if you an enthusiast FPS player. (Drop to a 500w if you decide on the 5770).
5. I know WD is coming out with a 6gbps HDD (or is it already out?). WD Caviar Black 1TB. It's similar in speeds to the 640gb, but it has an incredible burst read speed (something about the Marvell controller....Marvell right?). Honestly that or a WD Black is the way to go.
6. You can probably save by dropping down to the A2 620 Propus (you probably don't even really need a quad-core, but it's under $100...)


ANYBODY LIKE THE ORDER OF THOSE .

 

[alteredform]

Is the the WD Hard Drive you were referring to? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533

 

[mfenn]

Is the the WD Hard Drive you were referring to? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533

Your link is busted, but if it was a link to the WD1002FAEX, then yes, that Is what MisterDonut was referring to. Personally, I don't think it's worth $120. The WD1001FALS or Spinpoint F3 are nearly as fast and nearly 20% cheaper.

 

[alteredform]

Yes, that was what I was referring. Odd, about my link...

On the flip side, would I be better off going the route of an i7 or i5 setup with a less powerful video card (ex. 5850)? I know this is an extremely broad question, but I was curious if; in my case, I would be better off with slightly more cpu power vs. graphics power.

 

[mfenn]

Yes, that was what I was referring. Odd, about my link...

On the flip side, would I be better off going the route of an i7 or i5 setup with a less powerful video card (ex. 5850)? I know this is an extremely broad question, but I was curious if; in my case, I would be better off with slightly more cpu power vs. graphics power.

Depends on how much money you want to spend. More CPU power is always better, but for your stated use, I don't see the need.

EDIT: More in depth answer. The Core i5 750 @ $200 isn't that much faster than the Phenom II 965 @ $180. You can use the same RAM and you can get a P55 mobo for about the same price as the one you have picked out, so that's a wash. To really see a big improvement you would need to move up to the Core i7 860 @ $290. It still isn't that much faster than 965: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=102&p2=108&c=1

If you want to spend more money, I would suggest that you stick with the Phenom and get a nice IPS panel like the Dell U2410. This will really help for Photoshop, as you will be getting very good color accuracy.

 

[Davidh373]

I would say that MMOs take more processing power. Especially if you raid with large groups, or like to keep steady framerates in high population areas. The Phenom X4 BE is PLENTY though. You won't need a brand new processor to play a game from 6 years ago... MMOs are targeted at anyone who owns a comp, so it's not going to be a huge deal to get a better one for many years if that is all you play. I would get a 4770, 4850, 4870, 9800GTX, GTX260, 5770. Again, since your processor sucks quite a bit of power, and MMOs take a lot of time, you, or your room mates, Dad, Mom, ect. (depending on age) aren't going to want the energy bill to skyrocket. So get a (high quality) 500W PSU, or at most a 650W, and a low power graphics card so no one is complaining.

One last thing. If you do decide to get one of the 5 series radeons, make sure you get it's measurement. my 4890 is HUGE, it went all the way to the end of my Thermaltake Element S Case. Make sure the graphics card will fit. The 5770 isn't a problem just so you know, it's a lot smaller.

 

[MisterDonut]

Most cases can fit mid-high range cards. The only card that has trouble fitting in any case is the 5970 @ 13'', was it? Anyways, go with the X4 BE & 5770, unless you'd rather stick with something more high end like the 5850/5870, in which case I'd drop the CPU down to the Propus if you need more money for it.

Yeah I don't think the HDD is worth $120. Specs are nearly identical except the burst read speed.

There's always the option of going dual-core, but I don't know how demanding the games you play are on processing power. I don't think the difference in power should be a factor...I'm sure it's barely noticeable.

 

[alteredform]

I'm just a casual gamer. I used to play WOW heavily in college. Now, I just play when I can - it's probably not even worth it. I do; however, play quite a bit of Team Fortress 2. I pretty much limit my gaming to that, because my current system (AMD Athlon 3200+, 2 GB ram, and Radeon 9800 pro) really doesn't pack the punch it used to 4 or 5 years ago. With a "proper" machine, I may start playing more, but I need to be realistic that I simply don't/can't game 24/7 like I used to attempt.

I failed to mention in my first post, my budget is roughly $1,500. Obviously less is more assuming the bang/buck is there.

Thanks,

 

[Davidh373]

get an i7 920, X58, 6GB ram, a 5850/5870, and a corsair 650TX. that is my setup now and it will kick any game's ass. If you want to wait, this may push your budget, but Nvidia is releasing fermi (Geforce 480) in march.

 

[fffblackmage]

At around the price of the PhII 955BE, you could do a core i5, possibly core i7, build for not that much more. If you're not into OCing, it's kinda a wash as mfenn said. But if do intend to OC, I'd say go with the Core i5.

Now, if you want some serious bang for the buck, get a PhII 555BE and unlock it. It's a gamble, but there's no better bang for the buck than paying for a dual core and getting a full quad core.

 

[alteredform]

Gamble?

 

[mfenn]

Gamble?

Since Phenom II X2's and X3's are just Phenom X4's with one or two cores disabled, many motherboards will let you unlock the disabled cores. However, you're not guaranteed an unlock because the locked core(s) may have defects.