New gaming rig build, need advice!

[RaiMX]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I find it really useful! Good work guys!
I want to build a new rig, I must say that I've never done this (untill this time I was buying ready to work rigs)
The computer I'm building is mainly for GAMES and some video editing.
My budget is 1200$ and I want to maximize my advantage.

Here is what I was thinking about:

CPU: --------Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366
MoBo:-------Asus P6T Intel x58 (should I get Deluxe V2?)
Memory:-----6 GB DDR3 (1333 or 1600) What brand? OCZ?
Video Card:--GeForce GTX 275 – 896MB or similar ATI
PSU:-------- Corsair, don't know needed power. 750W is enough I think (no OC for now)
Processor Cooling: Thermaltake, TRUE or some other. don't know which is the best
Case:-------What case would you suggest?

I'm not going to OC it untill next year (when this machine will become comparatively slow)

But I was also thinking of maybe I should get i5 so MoBo will be cheaper I guess, so I can save money and get better video card. As I have read that i5 is also a good processor, but since I'm buying a new computer and not upgrading, it is better to get i7. Still does it worth buying now? Maybe I can buy i5 now and wait for 1-2 years so i7 would be cheaper.

If it is better to get i5, what MoBo should I buy for it?
And what is the best place to buy parts? Newegg?

Any kind of comment would be great and helpful for me!!!

~Raim

 

[Zonnza]

An antec 1200 for a case is pretty xpensive but thats what I ended up buying. Your build might be similar to mine; take a look. If you subtract the SSDs from my build and maybe downgrade the PSU and Vid Card, it will meet your budget.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=618435

I would recommend the OCZ ram, and if not then get G.skill ram.
I didnt buy any cooling for my processor (same one as yours) because I believe the case will make cooling a non-issue while being able to OC the processor to 3.4-3.6GHz.

Hope this helps,
Zonnza

 

[diaz]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I find it really useful! Good work guys!
I want to build a new rig, I must say that I've never done this (untill this time I was buying ready to work rigs)
The computer I'm building is mainly for GAMES and some video editing.
My budget is 1200$ and I want to maximize my advantage.

Here is what I was thinking about:

CPU: --------Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366
MoBo:-------Asus P6T Intel x58 (should I get Deluxe V2?)
Memory:-----6 GB DDR3 (1333 or 1600) What brand? OCZ?
Video Card:--GeForce GTX 275 – 896MB or similar ATI
PSU:-------- Corsair, don't know needed power. 750W is enough I think (no OC for now)
Processor Cooling: Thermaltake, TRUE or some other. don't know which is the best
Case:-------What case would you suggest?

I'm not going to OC it untill next year (when this machine will become comparatively slow)

But I was also thinking of maybe I should get i5 so MoBo will be cheaper I guess, so I can save money and get better video card. As I have read that i5 is also a good processor, but since I'm buying a new computer and not upgrading, it is better to get i7. Still does it worth buying now? Maybe I can buy i5 now and wait for 1-2 years so i7 would be cheaper.

If it is better to get i5, what MoBo should I buy for it?
And what is the best place to buy parts? Newegg?

Any kind of comment would be great and helpful for me!!!

~Raim

For a i5 motherboard, I would get anything Asus/MSI/Gigabyte within your price range. Usually all decent contenders for reliability/quality. i5 Processor is a great selection, great performance with a new socket.

I like newegg alot, its probably not the very cheapest place to buy each component, but when you buy several components the prices balance out and with the several discounts you get with newegg, its my favorite place to buy parts anyways...

Computer case; what are you looking for? A flashy case with lights, or a sleek proffessional look? Quieter, or more airflow? I assume you want to spend under $100 since you want to keep the bigger cash for a good GPU..

-D

 

[jgv115]

Go for the UD4P, it's right up there but not low end either. You go with the UD5 if you wanted to.

 

[RaiMX]

Thank everyone for your comments! Much appreciated!
I think I will stick to i5. Saw neighbor post about 1200$ limit and I think I like specifications that are suggested there, gonna follow them.
Also about the case: I don't want shiny and flashy case, professional good look is OK for me.

@jgv115: see your machine, so how is i5 in work? Does it bother you? Works smoothly?

My friend tells me that for now I won't load i7 so much that it will start to have hard times doing what I want it to do (unless doing 3D Rendering and things like that). Primarily I will play games so I will make more emphasis on video card.
Another thing, hard drives!!! I was thinking to have SSD as my primary drive and 1TB as data. I see that SSD's are expensive, so do you think 60GB SSD is enough for system needs?

 

[jackso75]

not that i am really in any way an expert in the field,

but you may want to consider buying ram in pairs, from what i've read and experienced,
its a good philosophy to follow.

 

[ratbuddy]

My friend tells me that for now I won't load i7 so much that it will start to have hard times doing what I want it to do (unless doing 3D Rendering and things like that). Primarily I will play games so I will make more emphasis on video card.
Another thing, hard drives!!! I was thinking to have SSD as my primary drive and 1TB as data. I see that SSD's are expensive, so do you think 60GB SSD is enough for system needs?

i5 will be just fine for a gaming rig. You are correct to put more of your budget into graphics. I'd hold off another week for the ATI launch of their new series. In a $1200 build, you can afford the 5850, if not the 5870. Buying right now leaves the door open to regret, assuming the new products perform as well as expected.

A 60GB SSD would be enough for your OS and maybe 4 games or so. It won't really help in-game performance, just give you snappier OS feel and slightly lower load times. If that's important for you, go for it. Otherwise, just get a standard hard drive, and use the savings to go bigger on the graphics end of things, or to get a bigger/better monitor.

 

[RaiMX]

hmm, These new cards are coming up 23 Sep? yep, I will wait for that definitely! Prices for GeForce should drop down, right?
I will re-consider getting SSD if the difference is not so obvious (will save more money ) Current hard drives give 3 gb/s, that's enough I think.
What MoBo to get is the next question, this mobo seems to be good one, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128400 but when I read one of the reviews it says that there will be very little place to put video card, that's something bad. Is it ok? (eg. if I buy new Radeon card )

@jackso75: you mean, buy ram in increments of two? (2x2Gb or 2x4Gb) I think I should, because 1156 is dual channel

 

[ratbuddy]

What MoBo to get is the next question, this mobo seems to be good one, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128400 but when I read one of the reviews it says that there will be very little place to put video card, that's something bad. Is it ok? (eg. if I buy new Radeon card )

What reviews? That mobo has pretty much the same room as any other, things always get crowded if you are using dual 2+ slot cards

 

[RaiMX]

I mean customer review in newegg (there are only 4 reviews), but hell yeah! I'm not gonna have 2 cards
I want SSD but it's expensive! Nooo!!!
P.S. Ehh! just saw beer smiley and I want beer! It's too late to get one! Dammit!

 

[Zonnza]

I mean customer review in newegg (there are only 4 reviews), but hell yeah! I'm not gonna have 2 cards
I want SSD but it's expensive! Nooo!!!
P.S. Ehh! just saw beer smiley and I want beer! It's too late to get one! Dammit!

SSD make big differences in speed vs the best hard drives out there (raptors?). You WILL notice the difference! Depending on how many games you play, you may want to grab a 30 or 60gb SSD for the OS + programs/games you plan to use on the computer. Then just keep all your music/videos on your hard drives.

Now one thing to keep in mind is that the bigger the SSD in size, the less money you pay per GB of space. But when you can buy multiple small SSDs and raid0 them, the faster they go! So I would try to pick up at least 1 60gb SSD or 2 30GB SSDs and raid0 those 2. That seems like enough space for and OS+programs and a few games and you will get amazing increase in speed.

The price is the only thing that almost held me back in getting mine as well, but after a friend showed me the difference in his PC, I was amazed. You can also find some videos on youtube of the differences.

Hope this helps,
Zonnza

 

[psionic98]

with the size of new games, a 30gig ssd will be obsolete quickly.. isn't WoW, which isnt even gfx intensive, still ike 5-8gb plus every 1g+ expansion?

 

[RaiMX]

Yeah, SSD's are great but I have to keep in mind 1200$ limit I saw couple of SSD and 60GB that are less than 200$ seem to be good, but some customer reviews say that they sometimes don't work correctly. Which of them do you suggest?
I haven't played WoW but I think they take so much space because of downloading new locations and such stuff. Next gen games are pretty much heavy! Now they are almost more that 10 gigs per game!
Here is what I've decided to buy for now (without GPU)

CPU--Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 -200$
MoBo-GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard -170$
PSU--CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V -120$
CASE-Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower -55$
RAM--G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -85$
HDD--Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB -95$
------
725$
but will wait for next week, maybe prices will change

 

[RaiMX]

Guys! Please help!
So here is what I finally decided to get:

CPU--Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156
MoBo-GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
PSU--CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V
CASE-Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
RAM--G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDD--Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB

NOW HERE IS THE QUESTION:
Is it going to be OK if I buy HD5870 with above hardware? Is it going to be compatible? Any comments would be really appreciated! Just waiting to ensure that I'm doing the right thing

 

[Zonnza]

isn't WoW, which isnt even gfx intensive, still ike 5-8gb plus every 1g+ expansion?

my WoW folder takes up over 16gb x.x



anyways for RaiMX: id still consider getting a ssd for your main drive, they are honestly worth the money in my opinion

althought i noticed their prices went up very slightly recently... but they will probably drop again at the start of next month
i noticed from the last 4 months that the prices on SSDs drop at the start of the month and about 2/3 into the month they go back up

 

[juane414]

NOW HERE IS THE QUESTION:
Is it going to be OK if I buy HD5870 with above hardware? Is it going to be compatible? Any comments would be really appreciated! Just waiting to ensure that I'm doing the right thing

Your system would be fine for the HD5870, as long as you don't plan on adding another HD5870 in the future. Your power supply is probably powerful enough to handle one HD5870, but two might be pushing it.

 

[RaiMX]

my WoW folder takes up over 16gb x.x



anyways for RaiMX: id still consider getting a ssd for your main drive, they are honestly worth the money in my opinion

althought i noticed their prices went up very slightly recently... but they will probably drop again at the start of next month
i noticed from the last 4 months that the prices on SSDs drop at the start of the month and about 2/3 into the month they go back up

yeah, I saw that. Just for this time I'll buy regular HDD. I just have to wait to October to start, when I receive my scholarship money they give me each month And I'm good to go with SSD!!!

 

[RaiMX]

Your system would be fine for the HD5870, as long as you don't plan on adding another HD5870 in the future. Your power supply is probably powerful enough to handle one HD5870, but two might be pushing it.

I might do 2nd 5870, but not this year
Do you guys think that I have to buy additional cooling for this system? No overcklocking for now

 

[psionic98]

if you want another 5870, even down the line, you gotta upgrade your power supply.. and should probably do that now so its not an added expense when you decide on 2

As for extra cooling, the standard heatsink for the i7 works as long as it isnt oc'd, if you ever plan on turning it up and giving it even a slight oc you would probably want to upgrade that too..

 

[RaiMX]

bought the system! It is great!
BUt have one very annoying problem: drivers for HD5870 are bad for now, I'm using Win 7 Pro x64 and can't play HD videos (file or streaming, the adapter stops responding) and the cursor sometimes becomes 4 times it's size! The only solution for this problems is to reboot.
Playing Crysis at highest settings!!! or any game at highest settings!!! YAY!