Advice on a gaming/some video editng build

[Green Monkey]

Hi, looking to build a new system which will be primarily used for gaming and some video editing work. I have built some machines in the past, but haven’t really kept up with new developments in the last few years, so I’m looking for some advice from the experts. Here’s what I have so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819115202

Power Supply: Corsair 750TX 750 W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139006

Case: Antec Three Hundred
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811129042

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16822136283

Mouse: Logitech MX518
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16826104178

Motherboard: ?

Memory: ? (probably looking at 6 GB)

Video Card: ?

DVD Burner: ?

Not really sure what I should go with for the last few items, so any advice would be appreciated. The other items will likely stay, unless they are unnecessary/not compatible. Not looking for top of the line, but that nice level just below that will last a few years before needing major changes. I do still have several hundred dollars left in the budget, but I’m trying not to spend more than needed. No OS, keyboard, or monitor needed, although recommendations of solid monitors/brands might help when I buy a new one later on.

Finally, links to newegg.ca (or other retailers who ship in Canada) would be appreciated, but I can search the info out on my own if necessary.

[tomtoon]

What games would you like to play on this new system?

[Green Monkey]

Nothing in particular, just some new games as they come out. My old pc is several years old as isn't up to much anymore, so its about time to replace it.

[tomtoon]

Oh ok.

Well this build would be good

ASUS P5Q http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131295 $118.99
C2D E8400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037 $164.99
WD CAVIAR BLACK 500GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136320 $69.99
9800GTX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150314 $139.99 without $25 rebate
VISTA HP 64BIT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488 $99.99
CORSAIR 4GB RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184 $44.99 without $25 rebate
CORSAIR 650W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%20650w $89.99 without $20 rebate
LG DVD DRIVE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136152 $24.99

Case?? Its up to you

Total comes to $753.92 without rebates or shipping.

That build will last a long time. Unless you wanted core i7 which someone like jdeb would be able to help you out with.

[Green Monkey]

Thanks for the reply, looking into your suggestions as we speak. Would this build be upgradeable in the future, or is it more of a stick with what you have build but will last a few years?

Anyone else have any suggestions?

[Masaki 7-11]

Here is a good parts list for a computer with good upgradability and good video editing/gaming performance. When building a good higher-end computer, it's a good idea to stay away from dual cores; you're probably going to end up upgrading to a quad core later on, so why not skip the dual core right away and save some money.


LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS222-06
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16827106288
$33.49

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811129042
$69.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16822136283
$99.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813128387
$139.99

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814102801
$235.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139006
$129.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231166
$68.49

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819103471
$276.49

Subtotal: $1,054.42

[glc]

It would be upgradeable, but not outside the socket 775 architecture without replacing the motherboard, processor, and ram.

If you can wait a few months, i7 will be more mainstream then, prices should come down some, and all bugs should be worked out. Yes, I know people are doing i7 builds now without any problems, but I do not trust them myself yet. I also don't care for the current i7 motherboard prices and choices.

[Green Monkey]

Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be needing it soon, not so much for the games but I have quite a bit of video editing to get done, and my old pc isn't really up to it. Good point about the socket though, that had slipped my mind.

Masaki, I do like the look of the build you suggested, especially since you indicated that it would be pretty upgradeable in the future. I admit, though, that I'm less familiar with the current AMD processors than I am with the Intel ones. I'll do some reading up on it, but if someone could briefly get me up to speed on how they compare I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Masaki 7-11]

The Phenom II processors are about the same as Core 2 Quad clock for clock, the Phenom II X4 940 is about as fast as the Core 2 Quad Q9450. Intel are focusing on their Core i7 and upcoming Core i5 processors, so doesn't look like there will be anything faster than the Core 2 Quad for the Socket 775. Are you planning on doing any overclocking? If you are, you might want to take a look at getting an aftermarket heatsink (not necessary if doing mild or no overclocking as the stock heatsink that come with the AMD processors are pretty good).

[phigdon]

If you are thinking of AMD and a Phenom 2 get the X3 710 instead of the 940. It performs better according to tomshardware. if you can wait a little longer get the Phenom 2 910. its the same CPU as the 710 but with all four cores enabled. the 810 is also the same CPU but with less L3 cache.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by phigdon If you are thinking of AMD and a Phenom 2 get the X3 710 instead of the 940. It performs better according to tomshardware. if you can wait a little longer get the Phenom 2 910. its the same CPU as the 710 but with all four cores enabled. the 810 is also the same CPU but with less L3 cache.

That's weird, no other review puts the Phenom II X3 710 over the Phenom II X4 940. I wouldn't bother waiting for the new processors; all they have over the current Phenom II X4 940 is DDR3 support and slightly increased HyperTransport (from 3.6GHz to 4.0GHz); not enough to make up for their lower clock frequency. The only processor that is going to be faster than the Phenom II X4 940 is the Phenom II X4 955, however that isn't coming until the summer. Right now the Phenom II X4 940 is a pretty fast processor, there isn't going to be anything released by AMD that is going to be faster until the summer and even then the performance increase will be small (probably about 10%).

[glc]

there isn't going to be anything released by AMD that is going to be faster until the summer and even then the performance increase will be small (probably about 10%).

If that's true, you might as well build an i7.

[Green Monkey]

(just noticed the typo in the thread title...sorry about that)

The more I read up on it, the more I like the build Masaki posted above. Unfortunately, waiting isn't really an option at this point. I'm better off with something that is proven solid now.

You mentioned overclocking. The most I would probably be doing would be mild, both because its been a while since I've done any overclocking (a bit worried about messin up), and because I'm not sure the performance increase would be worth it. While this is getting a bit off topic for this, how easy would it be to do a mild overclock (nothing requiring a new heatsink) on the x4 940, and what kind of performance increase could I expect? If I were to invest in a new heatsink, whats the maximum performance I could expect while still maintaining system stability?

While I do like that build, I'm still a bit curious as to whether I'd be better off just biting the bullet and going with the i7, especially from a future upgrade perspective. Any further thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

[Masaki 7-11]

From a gaming perspective, Core i7 offers performance very similar to Phenom II and Core 2 Quad, but ends up costing more. Apps like transcoding and video editing are what Core i7 is better at than Phenom II and Core 2 Quad; whether it's worth the extra money is a different story. One of the problems with current X58 motherboards for Core i7 is that they may not work with the upcoming 6 core, Core i7; from what I've read newer models of the X58 motherboards will be released in the summer which will work with the 6 core Core i7.

AMD hasn't had such issues with upgrading; every AM2+ motherboard is compatible with AM3 processors, and even some AM2 motherboards support AM2+ and AM3. The performance of the Phenom II X4 940 is pretty good, you probably wouldn't notice the difference between the Phenom II and the Core i7 unless you were running benchmarks.

Overclocking the Phenom II is pretty easy, especially if you use AMD's overdrive software. With the stock heatsink you should be able to get the processor to 3.6GHz fairly easily; the performance increase is about equal to the increase in clock speed (a 20% increase in clock speed will usually result in a 20% increase in performance for CPU dependent application; games are more GPU dependent so the increase in performance won't be as much). With a better heatsink it's possible to get the Phenom II X4 940 to about 4.0GHz or more (once you get to around 4.0GHz it becomes pretty hard to push further without getting deeper into the settings).

Comparing the Phenom II X4 940 to the Core i7 920 at stock speeds, they are both about the same for gaming and the Core i7 is on average about 20% faster in apps such as transcoding, image and video editing, ect. Compared to the build above, a Core i7 build with similar parts would cost at least $300 CAD more and upgrading is iffy. It will ultimately be up to you to decide if this is worth the extra price. Whichever way you go you will end up with a great computer.

[Green Monkey]

Thanks for all the replies, there's a great deal of useful information in here. Looks like things are even more time sensitive than I thought, probably going to have to make a final decision and order on the weekend, but everyone has really helped me make a decision.

Just out of curiosity, Masaki mentioned that a similar build using an i7 would be at least $300 CAD more expensive. Anyone willing to give a quick parts list for one (the parts that change, that is)? Just wondering where all that extra money goes (other than the cpu, of course).

Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Green Monkey Thanks for all the replies, there's a great deal of useful information in here. Looks like things are even more time sensitive than I thought, probably going to have to make a final decision and order on the weekend, but everyone has really helped me make a decision. Just out of curiosity, Masaki mentioned that a similar build using an i7 would be at least $300 CAD more expensive. Anyone willing to give a quick parts list for one (the parts that change, that is)? Just wondering where all that extra money goes (other than the cpu, of course). Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

Here is a parts list for the three parts that change (CPU, Motherboard and Ram) from an Phenom II Build to a Core i7 Build:

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8TU-6GBPI
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231247
$117.99

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813131359
$307.99

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819115202
$359.99

Subtotal: $785.97

Here is the same parts list for the Phenom II Build:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813128387
$139.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820231166
$68.49

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819103471
$276.49

Subtotal: $484.97

[Green Monkey]

Wow, I see what glc meant about motherboard prices. Quite the difference. Thanks.

[glc]

I also do not like AMD (never have) so I recommend 1 of 2 things right now - go ahead and do a 775 build, which gives you excellent performance for the money and great stability (but future upgrades will be very limited) - or wait a while for i7 to become mainstream instead of cutting edge. Yes, AMD is a very viable option in there, but I won't get involved in any recommendations or discussion - unless I see something obviously wrong like incompatible parts.

i7 is just NOT cost-effective yet. If you don't care what it costs and a $300 motherboard doesn't faze you in the least, go for it, it's the performance king now and will be for quite a while.