My Build, your input

[Gunmetal87]

Hi Everyone,

This is a Gaming Build, my primary goal is to run Fallout New Vegas, Guildwars2, and Metro 2033 on their highest settings flawlessly.

Thank you in advance for any help and suggestions you have.

Budget <1650

Intel Core i7-860
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I7860

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

G.SKILL ECO 8GB
Newegg.com - G.SKILL ECO 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7Q-8GBECO

MSI N460GTX CYCLONE
Newegg.com - MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Kingston SSDNow V Series
Newegg.com - Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV425-S2BD/128GB 2.5" Desktop Bundle 128GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Western Digital Caviar Black
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS Black 24X DVD+R
Newegg.com - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

CORSAIR Professional Series AX850
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Corsair Graphite Series 600T
Newegg.com - Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Total Cost: $1,608.91

I am pretty attached to the Case, Power Supply and CPU. All other items are negotiable.

What do you all think?

[quartet-man]

You need to get different memory. That G.Skill is having major problems and my ASUS P7P55D-E LGA board was one of the victims. It will cause you a world of problems.

[Nikon]

switch to some a-data 1333 gaming memory, 4gb is plenty to game, save yourself about 100 bucks.

step the HDD up to the 1tb version, it is sata 6gbps
i would recommend asus version of the graphics card, afaik msi has questionable quality.

i believe the i7-870 is only 10 bucks more, but thats your call.

other than those, it should turn out to be a beast of a gaming machine, but to be honest, if you really want a strong gamer, tune down to an i5, and go with a gtx470, or stick with what you have, and SLI another gtx 460 when you can.

[Khalil]

I do not recommend the i7 period, for gaming you need the best video card for the money and the CPU is secondary.
I would put my money in either an ATI 5870 or an Nvidia GTX480 and lower the processor to an i5-750 or 760 or even an i3 would do the job perfect for gaming as long as you have the best video card you can attain for your budget.
The GTX460 + i7-870 will not play these games in full settings flawlessly!!

[Nuclear Krusader]

I second that, the i5 is right now the sweet spot between performance and price.

[jdeb]

Replace your cpu, memory, motherboard to the LX, and video card with this and you will come in just under 1600. If you stay with your motherboard, your still under 1650 by a hair. I know your attached to the three mentioned but I am going to throw this out there anyway, hope you don't mind. Your case selection is very cool, I like it.

Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115220

ASUS ENGTX480/2DI/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 480
Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX480/2DI/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX

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

You could save money on the case for sure and you could save money on the power supply with a

COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black $69.99
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX $149.99
Newegg.com - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

[David M]

For an additional $15 you could change your hard drive capacity from 640 GB to 1 TB and from 32 MB to 64 MB of cache.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-533-_-Product

[Gunmetal87]

Okay I changed the Video Card, Motherboard, RAM and Hard Drive.

Puts me at $1718 If I can afford to go $68 over budget why not stick with the i7?

ASUS ENGTX480
Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX480/2DI/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

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

A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB
Newegg.com - A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333G (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1333GB2G8-2G

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate your help and knowledge!

[Nuclear Krusader]

If you can afford it, by all means yes! Go with the i7 and future proof your machine.

[Gunmetal87]

I'm concerned about the LX Motherboard after read reviews on Newegg like this

"The big limiting factor is, if you decide you want to use USB 3.0 or Sata 6.0 you have to do the IO Power Up which limits the bandwidth on the PCIe x16 slot to x8.

In addition, from the sounds of it, you can only use one of the special features. USB 3.0 or Sata 6, can't use both at the same time. Otherwise they will operate at Sata 3.0 or USB 2.0."

[Nuclear Krusader]

Is that true also for the original mobo you had chosen?

[Gunmetal87]

I only found one reviewer that mentions it and says

"I got it for future proofing of having USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 onboard, and these not reducing PCIx speed while in use"

[Gunmetal87]

Now I'm reading that if you go SLI on the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro it will reduce the PCIe slots to x8 / x8 (Sorry I'm a Noob does this mean it cuts the performance in half?)

yeah I probobly won't ever go SLI but im weird and like to know i have the option to.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Gunmetal87 Now I'm reading that if you go SLI on the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro it will reduce the PCIe slots to x8 / x8 (Sorry I'm a Noob does this mean it cuts the performance in half?) yeah I probobly won't ever go SLI but im weird and like to know i have the option to.

If sli is a concern then stay with your original board. Keep in mind that your memory should clear the QVL, I will not deviate from this... but a few on here will. Your CPU, as Khalil suggested is the main cutting point in terms of dollars. His expert experience as well as my own, will suggest the better GPU upgrade in terms of graphical performance. The i5/650 is an incredible cpu for mainstream as well as overclocking. BUT you chose a CPU that is special in it's own right, although I perceive to be gregarious. With that being said, if your goal is to expense voltages towards your CPU, you may consider water cooling options to suffice your needs. As well, your system is shaping up to be in the enthusiast class, are you such?

[Gunmetal87]

I don't know what class I would be in, Iv built 3 computers 2 for myself and one for my wife. Its just something I enjoy doing and it saves money. I have never overclocked anything tho I'm sure I will someday and in my opinion water and electronics don't mix so I'll stay away from it.

This time around I just want to build a solid system that will last along time (4-5 years) that I won't need to upgrade anything except the video card and add more ram in 2 years

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Gunmetal87 I don't know what class I would be in, Iv built 3 computers 2 for myself and one for my wife. Its just something I enjoy doing and it saves money. I have never overclocked anything tho I'm sure I will someday and in my opinion water and electronics don't mix so I'll stay away from it. This time around I just want to build a solid system that will last along time (4-5 years) that I won't need to upgrade anything except the video card and add more ram in 2 years

I would think if your considering an sli board, than you are in the enthusiast class, unless you have additional hardware to add that you have not mentioned. It is my fault, I was mentioning hardware based on your budget, other suggestions from professionals (Khalil), and trying to maneuver around your limit and said needs. I proposed a viable solution in regards but over stepped my limits by suggestions.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Gunmetal87 Now I'm reading that if you go SLI on the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro it will reduce the PCIe slots to x8 / x8 (Sorry I'm a Noob does this mean it cuts the performance in half?) yeah I probobly won't ever go SLI but im weird and like to know i have the option to.

To get 16 channels per card for the second card you would need an X58 chipset. You can have a full 16 video channels for the second card or you can have a reliable P55 chipset. Unfortunately, that's the choice.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by David M To get 16 channels per card for the second card you would need an X58 chipset. You can have a full 16 video channels for the second card or you can have a reliable P55 chipset. That's the choice.

another professional opinion, well said.

[Khalil]

Stay away from SLI and the X58 chipset, unless you are glutton for punishment. One Super card like the GTX480 or the ATI 5870 is all you will need to play games full out for the next 3 years.

[Gunmetal87]

Thank you so much everyone for all the professional help and opinions!
I hope to put this build together within the next month.

[glc]

I would replace the LX with the regular P755D-E if you want both SATA 6 and USB 3 - and further upgrade to the Pro if you ever want to SLI or Crossfire.