New Build (Intel CPU, ATI GPU)

[Jdorty]

Alright, I'm going to re-use my antec three hundred case, my keyboard, my win 7 64 bit OS, keyboard, and mouse. I will be getting a new monitor to use as a primary monitor and use my current 22" as a second monitor. Gonna use my WD 500 gb as a second HDD. This is mainly a gaming PC and I don't have a specific budget in mind. It needs to be under $2000, but I'm not terribly concerned it will get anywhere near that =]

So far, this is what I have as a list:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

Antec TPQ-850 850W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active ... - Retail

ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

G.SKILL ECO 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8Q-8GBECO - Retail


There are a few things I'm not sure about. As I'm sure you'll notice, I haven't included a graphics card. I'm not sure what I should go with for the best bang for my buck. I'm looking at the ATI 5000 series. I was thinking about a 5850, 5870, or 5970, but I'm not entirely sure which I should go with. I'm not too terribly concerned with prices, but I don't need overkill if I won't notice a difference in 1920x1080 resolution.

A couple of other things:

1. Is the Antec 300 a suitable case to stick with?

2. Is 8 gb of RAM overkill, or should I go with 6 gb? Also, I have 1600 RAM listed, should I drop that to 1333 or 1066. I do plan on trying some CPU over clocking, which was the basis of my decision on 1600. I'm not very knowledgeable in over clocking, so I'm not sure.

3. Is there any reason to go with the anything higher than the i5-750? I see the i5-670, i7-860, i7-920, and i7-930 all within a reasonable price range as well. I was planning on avoiding the 1366 socket type as last I heard they can be unstable/unreliable. However, I haven't read anything about the newer CPUs (the 930 and 670), so I have no idea if this is still true with the 930?

Assuming we're discounting the 1366s, how seriously should I think about the 670 or 860?




I do like to have my graphics decently high, which I'm not too worried about with the graphics cards I listed. I am a bit unsure about the CPU however. I also like to multi-task or run multiple games at the same time on different monitors, which is where me being unsure about the CPU and RAM comes in.

Sorry for all the questions and the long post!

Edit: Forgot to ask if I need an 850W PSU, or if I should go smaller. I currently have either a 500W or 550W Antec and figured I'd need at least a bit bigger for this setup.

Edit2: Don't see that RAM on the QVL, so I was looking at this ram instead: G.SKILL ECO 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7Q-8GBECO - Retail

Either 6 gb or 8 gb, depending on the responses I get here.

[glc]

Either go with 4gb or 8gb ram. 6gb is for triple channel, which that motherboard doesn't do. For gaming and multitasking, the i5-750 is the best bang for the buck - all the other i5's are only dual core. The i7-860 is a very good option, but only if the software you will be using can benefit from hyperthreading. Pick a video card and tell us the exact model of your current power supply, it may be suitable for reuse.

Radeon HD 5830
Excellent 1920x1200 performance in most games

Radeon HD 5850
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, 2560x1600 in most titles

Radeon HD 5870
Good 2560x1600 performance in most games

Radeon HD 5970
Great 2560x1600 performance

[Khalil]

For this budget I believe the card to get is the 5870, I am running 2 Asus gtg 24" monitors on mine both at 1920 x 1200 and sometimes I play 2 instances of EQ2 with it all graphics at max and never see lag or any graphics issues.
I am also playing other games like Dirt2 and Oprtation Flashpoint Dragon Rising that are very graphics intensive but the 5870 chews right through them without a glitch.

[Jdorty]

Alright, thanks GLC. I think I'll go with 8 GB of RAM. For CPU I'll stick with the 750. I do use Photoshop and some other adobe programs every once in a while, but not often or intensively enough for me to justify the CPU upgrade. The power supply is an Antec BP500U:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371004

I see that it says it only has a 1x6 pin for PCI-E and the 5870 need 2x6, so I'm assuming it won't work even if it is powerful enough? Advice on PSUs?

Khalil:

That's basically what I'm thinking also. I play Eve Online and Everquest 2 on separate monitors. Or sometimes I'll have one of those open for on the other monitor for breaks in MW2 or L4D. So, I think I'm gonna go with the 5870. Asus:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121374

Oh, and will my Antec 300 case be suitable to fit all of this?

Thanks for the replies Khalil and GLC. This will actually be my first PC with an Intel CPU in it. They better not screw up their chance to convert me!

[glc]

The Basiq 500 isn't going to cut it. This is a great deal:

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
Was: $119.99
$74.99
After $20.00 Rebate
$5.99 Shipping

Another excellent deal:

$10 off with promo code add10, ends 4/12
Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371015
Was: $99.99
$79.99
Free Shipping