Help build a gaming pc
 

Hello,

I need help with buyign a pc for gaming, I had a HP laptop that I used for some minor games like css but I became a victim of inherently defective motherboard-gpu and I am fighting for a refund-replacemnt. My budget is £1300-£1500 and I dont want to buy it from companies liek dell or hp, prefer it to be build base. I been a customer to company called yoyotech and they seem to have a decent prices and I had a chance to build a pc on their website to see the price range.

Case: STARAY ATX PC CASE
PSU: CORSAIR TX 750W POWERSUPPLY
Motherboard: Gigabyte 790XTA-UD4 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 Six-Core CPU CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator & Fan CPU Cooler
RAM: G-SKILL PERFECT STORM 4GB KIT - 2200MHz DDR3 MEMORY
HD: SEAGATE 1TB SATAII 7200Rpm HARD DRIVE
GPU: HIS Radeon HD 5870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E 2.1 x 16 Graphics Card The above components come to about £1300 but I also want the shop to assemble the components + operating system so that coems to £1500
Some might suggest to get slower RAM but with more memory like set of 8gb... With the graphic card you might also suggest stronger one or get two weaker ones... I intend to upgrade the components in time like buy additional RAM as well as maybe get a second graphic card but that would happen after some time.

I open to suggestion and comments.

Thank you,

Milo

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

4GB memory is fine as it is, don't bother with 8 at this point. The 5870 will also be plenty for a long time.

If I were you, I would skip the shop assembly + OS, as that's really not worth an extra £200. Unless you're as technologically inept as yellowboy (don't ask =p), putting the parts together yourself is really not that hard and it's a good learning experience, and you can get an OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Premium x64 for dirt cheap. Then you can either save the money or put it towards something else, like a good gaming mouse and keyboard, or a display or something.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

That's a good looking build, and actually pretty close to what i would have suggested. I've never heard of the case before so i have no idea what its like, but good choice on the PSU. The Corsair TX series is the best around.

I would make some changes though. First, swap out that motherboard. The 790 chipset is old now, i would suggest getting something with the 890FX chipset, like the Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
(i know its a newegg link and they don't ship to where you are, its just to show you)

I would also ditch the 2200Mhz ram and go with some good 1600 stuff unless you plan on heavy OCing. AMD systems tend to like tighter timing over high clocks anyways.

Last, i wouldn't go with the 2GB 5870. Its not going to help you much over the 1GB version, and at the price they are at, you might as well get a GTX 480.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Follow Zam's and Doc's advice and you'll have a great rig. ;)

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Hello,

I have heard that its best to keep nvidia with intel cpu and amd with radeon

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Wrong. :) Doesn't matter either way.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Might want to find some lower speed memory with tighter timings, although those perfect storm sticks will do those super-low timings that AM3 will need. Most AM3 chips will have a hard time doing past 1600mhz 6-6-6, but those perfect storm sticks should do that with no trouble. So it all boils down to how much they cost compared to lower speed sticks with tight timings.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

The only case in which I've seen Nvidia to be preferable to ATI in terms of raw performance is tri SLI seems to work more consistently than tri Crossfire. I've seen some reviewers say it's a fairly common problem that tri Crossfire just won't work on a lot of setups. Not sure it has anything to do with choice of AMD vs Intel chipsets vs just certain hardware scenarios though.

I know a lot of people might think AMD is less likely to provide as good scalability in their MB chipsets for SLI, since obviously they're partnered with ATI, but I don't see anything verifying that really.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Hello,

I have made some decisions about the components...

CASE: Coolermaster HAF 922
RAM: Corsair Dominator GT 4GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3 PC3 12800 1600MHz
CPU Cooler: Corsair H-50

However I started getting some thoughs about the GPU...
I think the graphic card that I wanted to get was an Eyefinity 6 2GB ... I dont think I be investing in 6 screen so I probably go for Sapphire Vapor X Radeon HD 5870 2GB.
However I been going through some reviews and it seem slike the 2GB hasnt got that much of a difference over 1GB... so I alternatively I could go for HIS Radeon HD 5870 Turbo 1GB GDDR5 or even the GTX 480.

What you guys think?

Thanks,

Milo

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

I'd stay away from the dominator GT sticks, dont they cost more than the perfect storm?

Just stick with the 1gb radeon card.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

That case is one of the cooler cases on the market, but be prepared to clean the dust out frequently as it has no filters. There are YouTube vids showing how to do a filter mod with nylons though.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Who told you that?

Whoever did phails/10. :lulz:

Does not matter.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

5870 1GB or GTX 480.

It all depends on how much you want to spend, and if you mind the much higher power use and heat output of the GTX 480. The 480 is the most powerful single-GPU graphics card you can buy right now.

Still though, swap out the motherboard for something 890FX based. Going with a 790 board at this point would kind of be like shooting yourself in the foot since it doesn't support the new standards that the 890 based boards do.

About the HAF case. Meh. They are good cases i suppose, i personally just never liked the way they look, same with the 932.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

I can't get too excited about them either, but mainly because they're loud dust magnets that aren't easy to add filters to, unless you like your case wearing pantyhose. Then you have to worry about a run in your stockings if you don't clean them carefully. Ah, but it adds a woman's touch now doesn't it? LOL

The reason they're so popular is they put up some of the best numbers in air cooled cases. Uh, the case, not the pantyhose.

When it comes right down to it, I'd recommend the Azza Solano 1000 over the HAF 932 any day, esp now that they're only $80. It's solidly built, looks nice, has most everything the HAF has as well as being fairly easy to make filters for. The numbers I've seen on it's cooling ability are about as good too.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

Hello,

I just wanted to ask a few more questions... I got a fairly good idea on the iteams I be getting however what would be your suggestion on the cooler... I am not going with corsair h-50 anymroe decided to buy cooler master product either V8 or even V10. Is lean more towards V8 since it doesnt cost as much as V10 and its smaller but is it a still a powerful cooler?

Another thing I wonna ask about is the RAM... In this case I wonna go with corsair however if I am going to be overclocking the CPU should I go with the higher clock RAM like the 1600MHz or even more? How about the timing should I go with tighter timing or higher?

Finally if you can take a look at the setup below and let me know if everything will work fine together etc (my first time I am building down wonna find out one part is not compatibale with another or soemthing)

Setup:

Case: Coolermaster Haf 932/X
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition 3.2GHz
GPU: XFX Radeon 5870 1GB
PSU: Corsair 750W TX
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair IV
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asu [...] s-RAID-ATX
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster v8/v10
HD: 1TB Samsun Spinpoint
RAM: Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz XMS3 Dominator Memory (8-8-8--24) or Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz Dominator GT DHX Memory Kit (7-7-7-20)

I will probably purchas ethe parts after 8th of July since thats when the HAF X that I reallyw nat will be avaible in UK stores (unless you know of any other source I could buy it from now)

Thansk again,

Milo

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

For a AMD system, your best bet is getting sticks that will run the tightest timings you can find. 1600 would be the highest i would get for a AM3 build, some 1333 rated sticks with super tight timings would likely do you better though.

You don't need a tri-channel kit for your build.

Get a good 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333/1600 set.

Re: Help build a gaming pc
 

You can get a HAF 932 for around $140, a HAF X for $200, the latter now has filters, but I'm not sure either would fit a large CPU cooler like that with the big side panel fans they have.

Consider the new Antec DF-85, the new version of the 1200. It's fan layout is still the same except the top is two 140mm vs one 200mm, and the optional 120mm side fan is now positioned level vs with it's corners top and bottom. It looks like even with an optional side fan you'd have room above it for a big CPU cooler.

The front filters are now easily accessible via a swing out door for each fan, and there's 4 internal hotswap HDD bays which can be positioned anywhere. There's also a hotswap SSD bay at the top and an external USB3 port.

The HAF X has 2 external USB3 ports but only 2 internal hotswap HDD bays. The HAF X DOES however have a whopping 9 expansion plates and fits XL-ATX MBs. Overall I'd say Antec's build quality and customer service are better though.

The DF-85 is already being sold as low as $154, I'm definitely seriously considering it for my next build.

http://www.provantage.com/antec-df-85~7ANTG06Y.htm
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=MjQwNA==