Making a gaming rig. My first time

[Lurker87]

Hey guys,

I am new to computer building. I have wanted to learn more about computers for a while now, so I decided to put together a gaming rig with some help from my father. However, first I want to do as much of the research as possible, and am currently considering the following setup. I am planning on buying it near the start of '09, since I'll be away from home for December, and because I want to see how much prices drop during that time, with the introduction of i7 and the nature of price drops. Any criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


All parts together: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=13449027

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009

EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130365

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358

Current total = ~$1439

 

[MARCI]

If you intended to OC, Go for the ThermalRight Ultra 120 extreme Heatsink.. Newegg doesn't have it, but it's considered by many to be the best Air Cooling on the market.
The hard drive is good, But if this is a dedicated gamer you may also want a WD Raptor or Velociraptor or maybe even a SSD for OS and Apps.

The proc you picked is nice, but you may consider the E8600. It's a dual core, with higher clock speed. There's still not that many games that take advantage of multi-Threaded operations, and most of those that do don't have large performance gains going from 2 to 4 cores.

The Mushkin ram is nice, but alot of other people have had good experience with G.Skill. I'm not sure on the math, but 4x1 may have better bandwidth than 2x2. Someone else would have to confirm though

 

[Alien432]

I know this may mess up your combo deal but instead of Antec PSU check out the Corsair 750W for $99(after rebate). It should be enough power for your rig and it's better to have fewer rails when you've got power hungry GPUs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
I'd got with higher speed ram like 1066 for better OC and a better CPU cooler, check out Xigmatek 1283 or Zerotherm Nirvanna or Zen and the True 120 all are tops.

 

[Lurker87]

First of all, thanks your help guys. Yes, I am planning to OC slightly at first, and keep upping it as I learn more and feel more comfortable.

If you intended to OC, Go for the ThermalRight Ultra 120 extreme Heatsink.. Newegg doesn't have it, but it's considered by many to be the best Air Cooling on the market.
The hard drive is good, But if this is a dedicated gamer you may also want a WD Raptor or Velociraptor or maybe even a SSD for OS and Apps.

The proc you picked is nice, but you may consider the E8600. It's a dual core, with higher clock speed. There's still not that many games that take advantage of multi-Threaded operations, and most of those that do don't have large performance gains going from 2 to 4 cores.

The Mushkin ram is nice, but alot of other people have had good experience with G.Skill. I'm not sure on the math, but 4x1 may have better bandwidth than 2x2. Someone else would have to confirm though

Actually, I was considering e8x00s when I was first deciding on the route to go. I had heard similar claims, and understand dual to be better than quad atm for games, but had also found quad to be more future-proof (ignoring i7 introduction and such). I will go back and look into it further.

I had heard everyone absolutely loved mushkin, but wasn't quite sure how much it made a difference. I had been hearing that 2x2s were supposed to be easier on the mobo in some instances, and would allow for more room for upgrading the RAM in the future, which I was planning to do.

I know this may mess up your combo deal but instead of Antec PSU check out the Corsair 750W for $99(after rebate). It should be enough power for your rig and it's better to have fewer rails when you've got power hungry GPUs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
I'd got with higher speed ram like 1066 for better OC and a better CPU cooler, check out Xigmatek 1283 or Zerotherm Nirvanna or Zen and the True 120 all are tops.

The combo isn't that big a deal to me; in fact, I was having some trouble getting a good PSU, and was worried, at first, about which to go with since I was planning on doing at least some OCing. I had heard 750+ was the route to go, and the one I found was being used by many q9550 gaming rigs, and had many great reviews, so I ended up choosing it. The fact that it had a nice combo deal was also a blessing.

Thanks for your comments guys. Any other criticism will be greatly appreciated!

 

[OnDborder]

Welcome to the Forum! http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=491697 Lurker

 

[CleanSteve]

Seems like a good build overall, though I think folks' feedback about getting a dual (like the E8600) really makes sense.

As for a power supply -- this is a place where a little quality should trump quantity. For your set-up you don't need anything near what you have spec'd out. Yes it gives you head room, perhaps to run 2 GPUs, but even so is probably overkill. A lower wattage PSU with a single rail will meet your needs and give you flexibility, and cost less.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ou_phidelt]

Hey guys,

I am new to computer building. I have wanted to learn more about computers for a while now, so I decided to put together a gaming rig with some help from my father. However, first I want to do as much of the research as possible, and am currently considering the following setup. I am planning on buying it near the start of '09, since I'll be away from home for December, and because I want to see how much prices drop during that time, with the introduction of i7 and the nature of price drops. Any criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


All parts together: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=13449027

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
As others have stated a dual core will give better performance in games. I would go with either the E8400 or E8500. The E8600 is not worth extra $100. Futureproofing is a bad concept in general. If quads get to the point that they give more performance in games and you still happen to be on this system you can pick up a second hand Q9550 for $200. You will have gotten bettter performance in the meantime and saved money.
Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009
Overkill. If you intend on sticking with a single GPU I would go with a Corsair 620HX. Modular and a bit better unit than the 750TX.
EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130365
What resolution are you going to be playing at?
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731
Right now I really like these. Plenty of OC headroom and still a nice price.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Change this to the Black Edition. You get twice the cache and two more years on the warranty for $10.
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134
This will work for a dual core but will not cut it for a quad. In either case I would suggest the Xigamtek S1283 with retention kit. Close to the performance of a TRUE but with a much friendlier price tag.
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358
Also consider the P5Q-E. From the best I can tell the Gigabyte is a 6 phase, the Asus is 8 phase. The difference will only be noticable on higher end quad OC's. I also prefer the Asus BIOS but that is a personal thing.
Current total = ~$1439

 

[JonSimonzi]

I agree with just about everything ou_phidelt said. One thing I would change from what he said though, instead of that GTX280, get a GTX260 Core 216. It's a big step up from a GTX260 and a small step down from a GTX280, for about $100 less.