Here's my <$800 gaming pc build...what should I change?

[Pollux]

UPDATED

I'm building a gaming rig on an $800 budget. My monitor is 1920x1080 resolution. I am not overclocking.

I have no brand preferences. What should I change on this build to squeeze more performance out of my budget?

Case: NZXT Tempest -- $99.99 (Amazon)
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz -- $165.99 (Amazon)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P -- $85.42 (Amazon)
Video Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4890 -- $184.99 (Newegg)
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W -- $84.99 (Amazon)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 8-8-8-21 -- $91.99 (Newegg)
Hard drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s -- $54.99 (Amazon)
Optical drive: Sony Optiarc Black -- $26.99 (Newegg)

Subtotal: $795.35
Shipping: $0

 

[Wayward_Son]

I don't klnow anything at all about that power supply, but it's the one thing I'd seriously look at. I'm sold on Corsair and Seasonic (and from what I know, Seasonic makes Corsair PSUs), but you're going to add to the cost of your rig by moving up in the PSU department. Then again, I argue that it's completely worth it as the PSU is the single most important piece of hardware in your entire computer. You could offset the additional cost by moving down to a 320gb harddrive. I think I got the WD Caviar Blue in my sig for like forty or fifty bucks. You could also pick an ATI 5770 for your GPU as it should game about the same as the 4890, support Direct-X 11, and come in about thirty to fifty dollars cheaper. Different GPU, smaller hard drive in trade for the gold standard in power supplies for the same cost as the build you listed? Easy choice, in my opinion.

 

[Pollux]

I don't klnow anything at all about that power supply, but it's the one thing I'd seriously look at. I'm sold on Corsair and Seasonic (and from what I know, Seasonic makes Corsair PSUs), but you're going to add to the cost of your rig by moving up in the PSU department. Then again, I argue that it's completely worth it as the PSU is the single most important piece of hardware in your entire computer. You could offset the additional cost by moving down to a 320gb harddrive. I think I got the WD Caviar Blue in my sig for like forty or fifty bucks. You could also pick an ATI 5770 for your GPU as it should game about the same as the 4890, support Direct-X 11, and come in about thirty to fifty dollars cheaper. Different GPU, smaller hard drive in trade for the gold standard in power supplies for the same cost as the build you listed? Easy choice, in my opinion.

Is the 5770 gonna be good enough to run MW2 @ 1920x1080 max settings? I'll also be playing games like Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2.

 

[ratbuddy]

If you swap to a 5770 it'll shave a few bucks, same for switching to a non-fatality branded power supply. That'll leave you almost enough cash for an OS.

 

[DarkWhite]

Don't ever cheap out on a power supply, if your PSU goes, it can easily take your whole system with it, down to every last peripheral.

 

[ratbuddy]

Don't ever cheap out on a power supply, if your PSU goes, it can easily take your whole system with it, down to every last peripheral.

Of course not, but $70 for a fatality branded 550w is a ripoff.

 

[Neuromancer]

Corsair power supplies are popular. Not much upgrade room But gets you in the door for low cost and great customer support. (via Yellowbeard right here on the forums )

If you go 5770, and you should, not as good performance as a 4890 IIRC but less money, Less power, less heat... as well as the new features.. they vary from 165 -180 on newegg. Personally I think that is a little high.. shop around a bit. $140 is a good price point for them when the 5850s fall to 200 So in the long run its much cheaper.

If you NEED the power that 4890 provides now (about 10%-15% better performance), than by all means go that route and upgrade again when you need DX11


(5770 basically = a 4870)

 

[Pollux]

What would you recommend for the PSU at that price range?

 

[shotawe]

corsair has nice power supply i would get a cheap 5770 and use tat to get your powersupply xD

 

[ratbuddy]

What would you recommend for the PSU at that price range?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 will work beautifully with that system, assuming you do the 5770.

You said no OCing so the system at load will be drawing about 50% of that PSU's capacity which is right in the efficiency sweet spot and will save you some cash on the power bill even.

 

[Pollux]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 will work beautifully with that system, assuming you do the 5770.

You said no OCing so the system at load will be drawing about 50% of that PSU's capacity which is right in the efficiency sweet spot and will save you some cash on the power bill even.

I'm worried that when I do upgrade from the 5770 that PSU might not be enough.

Also, isn't the 4890 a lot better for gaming?

 

[Brando]

You'll regret it if you skimp on the power supply. You're going to end up wanting a better card that needs more power and then selling the ps you bought at a loss. Corsairs 650HX has a 7 year warranty so you know you're set for any single card system for 7 years. If there's any way in hell you can stretch the budget a tiny bit more you'll be glad you did. Get the system on credit from newegg and pay the last part off after you sell your old parts. You should be able to get at least a hundred bucks for the old rig I'd think.

 

[Pollux]

Do you think it's worth going for the 5850 as well?

 

[Brando]

If you can then yes. It's about 50% more powerful than the 5770.

 

[jgv115]

If you can get one for a reasonable price that is!

 

[Ritwik7]

The system looks very nice. The PSU is alright but a Corsair 550VX / 650TX would be better. The 650TX stands you in good stead for future upgrades. However, they are priced around $100.

The HD 5850 is an excellent choice provided you can get one. It's way more powerful than the HD 5770. In fact, 2x HD5770 just give marginally better performances over a single HD 5850.

 

[ratbuddy]

Even with a 5850 that system is only going to draw roughly 250 watts at most from the PSU during normal use, maybe 300 if you run Furmark and Prime95 at the same time. The CX400 is plenty.

If you want to be ready for crossfire down the road, sure, grab a 550 or 650, but other than crossfire, you don't need nearly that much PSU.

 

[Pollux]

I did more research and adjusted the build in the original post. How does that look? Should I make any last-minute changes before pulling the trigger?

 

[gregers05]

i have a 5770 and have no regrets so far. ive been able to play mass effect/cod4/dirt2 at full res.

 

[blackersabbath]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...SubCategory=58&SortField=0&PageSize=10&page=1

Nice combo of Antec 300 and a Corsair 550VX for 125 bucks =)