Gaming PC Idea- A couple questions.

[Hayden]

Hi!,
As you probably could guess, i've decided to build my own computer. I'm very new to this, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing yet.
Here's some base info about what I need it to do:
Basically, I need a good gaming PC that can handle huge games smoothly like Starcraft 2. My budget for this computer is around 900 dollars.

Here's what I've put together:

Case
-Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX Mid Tower Case
Amazon.com: Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX, MATX Mid Tower Case with Window: Computer & Accessories

or

-NZXT HADE- Lexa S Mid Tower
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...22598&CatId=32

CPU
-Intel Core i5 I5-750 2.66 GHz Processor

Motherboard
-Asus P7P55D EVO Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...578&CatId=4720

Soundboard
-Haven't selected one yet

RAM
-Corsair Dominator DHX 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM
Corsair Dominator DHX TW3X4G1600C9D 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM - PC12800, 1600MHz, 4096MB (2x20248MB) at TigerDirect.com

Harddrive
-1 TB Hitachi Deskstar 7200 RPM(Idk if i need that much memory)
Hitachi 0F10383 Deskstar 7K1000.C Hard Drive - 1TB, 3.5, 7200 RPM, SATA 3G, 16MB at TigerDirect.com

Graphics Card
-MSI N470GTX-M2D12-B GeForce GTX 470 Graphics Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...=19-46715348-2

or

-PNY VCGGTX465XPB GeForce GTX 465 Graphics Card - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...=19-46715403-2

OS
-Windows 7

PSU
-Corsair TX

Optical Drive
-Have extras

Accesories
-I have extra ones at home

So I have some questions:
1. Will this machine function?
3. Does the CPU need to be that good or can I go with a cheaper one?
2. Is the mobo OK for a good gaming machine? If not, can anyone suggest a better one?
3. Would it matter that much if I were to get the cheaper graphics card?
4. Is 7200 RPM for the hardrive enough? Or do I need a better speed?
5. Any other tips, tricks or suggestions to reduce cost but keep effectiveness?

Thanks for any help at all!

[Nikon]

im not familliar with intel as much, but the common reccomendation would be an asus p7p55d mobo (select the flavor you wish, there are a few with different options), plus support for usb3 and sata 6

the i5 is a great cpu for gaming, but you can most likely get away with an i3, and sink the extra money into a slightly better graphics card like a 5830

soundcard is generally un-needed unless you have some rather unusual setup or are just that picky. i find onboard sound to be quite good on most any machine.

the ram you picked would require an overclock to function on the board you picked, but would 'plug and play' on the p55 board. also, it is unnecessarily fast (1333 is all you really need) for gaming, as the increase in speed/price will only net you 3-4fps max.
other thought: that is a good price for that ram afaik. no reason to do away with it.

i have never dealt with hitachi HDDs before, but from reviews they rank among the most 'reliable and failure resistant' ones out there. alas, the recommended HDD for gaming would be a western digital caviar black.

other thoughts:

dont forget an optical drive!
dont forget a psu! (recommend a corsair 650TX or HX)

[orbrit]

Some general recommendations:

Stick with ASUS motherboards.
Don't need Dominator RAM - standard XMS3 is good enough
Stick with WD Caviar Black hard drives
Stick with Diamond, ASUS, HIS, Sapphire video cards
Don't need a sound card - 8 channels built in should suffice


And some specific ones:
Look at the P7P55D-E LX motherboard from ASUS
You don't have a PSU - recommend Corsair 650TX - only $5 more than the 550VX after rebates.
You can step down the CPU to an i3-540

Consider the ATI HD 5830 - slightly better than the gtx460
Newegg.com - HIS iCooler V H583FN1GD Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/Eyefinity

[Hayden]

Thank you so so much!
I have an extra optical drive at home, and thank you for reminding me of the PSU!

Also, with the HADES tower, would I need to worry about overheating?

[orbrit]

That P7P55D EVO would be a good option if you want Crossfire/SLI support but don't need USB3/SATA6.0Gb/s

If you only want one card, but may want USB3/SATA6.0 Gb/s then the P7P55D-E LX is the right board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131634

Oh and the NZXT case should be just fine. They are good value for money cases.

Make sure your optical drive is at least a DVD ROM - Win 7 media is DVD.

I'd recommend Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit for system builders (OEM)

[orbrit]

This is the Corsair 2x2Gb kit on the QVL for the P7P55D Evo board
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX

[Hayden]

So the updated specs:

Case
-NZXT HADE- HADES Mid Tower
NZXT HADE-001BK HADES Crafted Series Mid Tower Case - 9 Bay, 200mm Front Fan, 140mm Top Fan, 200mm Side Fan, 120mm Rear Fan, Temperature Display Panel at TigerDirect.com

CPU
-Intel Core i5 I5-750 2.66 GHz Processor

Soundboard
-Haven't selected one yet

Mobo
ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3865134&SID=

RAM
OCZ OCZ3G1333LV8GK Gold 8GB PC10666 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Upgrade - 1333MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 2x4096MB
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...233&CatId=4524

Hardrive
-Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB
Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs at TigerDirect.com

Graphics Card
-PNY VCGGTX465XPB GeForce GTX 465 Graphics Card - PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM
PNY VCGGTX465XPB GeForce GTX 465 Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, Dual DVI, Mini HDMI, SLI, DirectX 11 at TigerDirect.com

OS
-Windows 7

PSU
-Corsair TX
Corsair TX650W 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, 120mm Fan, SLI-Ready, SATA-Ready, 80Plus at TigerDirect.com

Optical Drive
-Have extras

Accesories
-Taken care of

Estimated total: ~1,000

Will this computer function as is and are there any other suggestions?
Is the RAM ok? and should I splurge on a better Graphics card?

[Hayden]

In laymans terms, is there a difference between these two motherboards?

1.Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

2.Asus P7P55D EVO Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, Core i5, 2133MHz, DDR3 at TigerDirect.com

[Nikon]

the evo board supports sli, the other does not.
the lx board supports usb 3/sata6, the other does not.

[glc]

1. You don't really need 8gb ram - 4gb will do fine. Also, OCZ has been having issues, we recommend Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data.

2. If you need a quad core, look at the i5-760. Otherwise, look at the lesser i5 dual cores or even the i3's.

3. You shouldn't need a sound card. Onboard sound these days is generally more than adequate.

4. The GTX465 is not a particularly good video card for the money. The GTX460 1gb is actually a slightly better card. If you want something significantly better than that, look at a Radeon 5850.

[Hayden]

Mobo - Asus P7P55 LX Motherboard
RAM - Corsair Dominator DHX TW3X4G1600C9D 4GB Dual Channel DDR3
Graphics Card - Radeon 5850
CPU - i5 760
Hardrive - Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs
OS - Windows 7
PSU - Corsair TX650

Can someone give me alink to the Radeon 5850?

[David M]

Originally Posted by Hayden Also, with the HADES tower, would I need to worry about overheating?

That depends on the underworlds ambient temperature.

Seriously though, I think many cases are overkill now with all the fans they have. Unless your PSU is cranking out a lot of watts with one or two really high end graphics cards, you are probably fine. Pretty much by definition, a 650 watt PSU does not need to be in a case with a half-dozen fans roaring away.

Originally Posted by Hayden Can someone give me alink to the Radeon 5850?

What kind of link are you looking for?
http://www.google.com/search?client=...=Google+Search

[Hayden]

Yeah, it's a little confusing because there's a few Radeon 5850s.

Like this one:
Diamond Radeon HD 5850 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI at TigerDirect.com

or this one:
Diablotek VX5850 1GBD5-DH VTX Radeon HD 5850 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, DVI, VGA, HDMI at TigerDirect.com

or this one:
Visiontek 900297 Radeon HD5850 Video Card - 1GB, DDR5, PCIe, Dual DVI at TigerDirect.com

So i'm not sure which one he's talking about. Or does it really even matter?

[Nikon]

in theory they are the same. best brands are HIS/ASUS

[Hayden]

So this one?
HIS H585FNT1GDG Radeon HD 5850 iCooler V Turbo Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI, FREE COD: Modern Warfare 2 Game Coupon at TigerDirect.com


and would it be bad to go with a cheaper brand of radeon 5850?

[Nikon]

no, a cheaper brand means cheaper components and cheaper manufacturing, thus a lower quality in general. i recommended his/asus for a reason =D

beware though, expencive does not always mean better. his/asus have some of the best quality products out there.

[Hayden]

Mobo - Asus P7P55 LX Motherboard
RAM - Corsair Dominator DHX TW3X4G1600C9D 4GB Dual Channel DDR3
Graphics Card - HIS Radeon 5850
CPU - i5 760
Hardrive - Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs
OS - Windows 7
PSU - Corsair TX650
Case - HADES Mid Tower

Final Price = ~$1,200

Some final questions
Will this machine function as is?
Any other suggestions for more cost effective parts?

btw, thank you to everyone who has made comments on this, this is a HUGE help

[David M]

Originally Posted by Nikon in theory they are the same. best brands are HIS/ASUS

...and Diamond.

[glc]

Originally Posted by David M ...and Diamond.

Yes, I'd take a Diamond over a HIS.

You don't need Dominator ram - the most stable ram on a P55 chipset is 1.5 volt standard ram. Unless you are going to be overclocking, any ram faster than 1333 is a waste, it can't RUN any faster than that.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by glc Yes, I'd take a Diamond over a HIS. You don't need Dominator ram - the most stable ram on a P55 chipset is 1.5 volt standard ram. Unless you are going to be overclocking, any ram faster than 1333 is a waste, it can't RUN any faster than that.

Do you have a link to RAM you'd suggest?

[glc]

Newegg.com - A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333B2G9-DRH

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by glc Newegg.com - A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333B2G9-DRH

Thank you so much.
And you said you would suggest Diamond over HIS/ASUS for the graphics card?

[glc]

Not necessarily - but my order of preference is Asus, then Diamond, then HIS. It's not that critical, my preferences are based on support quality. All 3 are quality cards.

[Hayden]

Case - HADES Mid Tower ($80)
NZXT HADE-001BK HADES Crafted Series Mid Tower Case - 9 Bay, 200mm Front Fan, 140mm Top Fan, 200mm Side Fan, 120mm Rear Fan, Temperature Display Panel at TigerDirect.com

PSU - Corsair TX650 ($70)
Corsair TX650W 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, 120mm Fan, SLI-Ready, SATA-Ready, 80Plus at TigerDirect.com

Mobo - Asus P7P55 LX Motherboard ($120)
Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU - i5 760 ($209)
Intel BX80605I5760 Core i5 760 Processor - 2.8GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail at TigerDirect.com

OS - Windows 7 ($100)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD, English at TigerDirect.com

RAM - A-DATA DDR3 4G Dual Channel RAM ($85)
Newegg.com - A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333B2G9-DRH

Hardrive - Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs ($90)
Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs at TigerDirect.com

Graphics Card - Diamond Radeon 5850 ($300)
Diamond Radeon HD 5850 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI at TigerDirect.com

Grand Total (w/o shipping) ~ $1054

Will the CPU work in conjunction with the Mobo and Video Card?
And on a scale of 1 to 10, how good hypothetically would this setup be?

[David M]

Yes, that CPU/motherboard combination will work.

Originally Posted by Hayden And on a scale of 1 to 10, how good hypothetically would this setup be?

That's a very hard question to answer because the more money you put into a computer the lower your return per dollar spent. What you do have is a very upgradable computer that can run most of the newer games out there at maximum or close to maximum settings. Its a very good gaming computer. If I had to put a number on it I would give it an 8. If it was money intelligently spent, probably a 9 for a $1500 computer and a 10 for a $2000 computer. Beyond $2000, the incremental return on money spent is practically nothing. The difference between a $1000 and a $2000 gaming computer is mostly the cost of the graphics card.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by David M Yes, that CPU/motherboard combination will work. That's a very hard question to answer because the more money you put into a computer the lower your return per dollar spent. What you do have is a very upgradable computer that can run most of the newer games out there at maximum or close to maximum settings. Its a very good gaming computer. If I had to put a number on it I would give it an 8. If it was money intelligently spent, probably a 9 for a $1500 computer and a 10 for a $2000 computer. Beyond $2000, the incremental return on money spent is practically nothing. The difference between a $1000 and a $2000 gaming computer is mostly the cost of the graphics card.

Thank you so so much.
And thanks to the other people who had suggestions, this forum helped so much.

[Hayden]

Are these the same motherboards?

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Amazon.com: ASUS P7P55 LX - LGA 1156 - Intel P55 - DDR3 - ATX Motherboard: Electronics

[glc]

Hayden, this is the second time I've merged your threads. Please do NOT open new threads for questions about the same build. Thank you.

No, they are not the same. The -E board has SATA 6.0 and USB 3.0 and is a newer board.