[guyx1992]

Hi...
I want to buy a new desktop PC. It's mainly for gaming (1680x1050 res).
I want it to be fast while having multiple apps working in the background.

I do not need any keyboard/mouse/monitor/any other stuff. Only the computer.

I want minimum 500GB.
My budget is 700$-800$. I may be able to stretch it a bit but don't go nuts

Thanks a lot!

Guy

 

[iriverdude]

Do you have existing quality case, PSU (if so make/model) optical & hard drives?

 

[guyx1992]

No I'm going to give my current PC to my folks to replace the old P3 550MHz
So I need everything fresh.
I'm a big fan of Intel so I rather have an Intel based PC but if AMD is better then I'll go with AMD.

 

[nyjets28]

you should try to build one yourself - that way you get exactly what you need where you need it...no spending extra on stuff you don't really need. and for 700-800, you can definitely build a good one for your needs, imo.

 

[nyjets28]

how about this (newegg prices):
mobo: gigabyte ud3p ($115)
hdd: wd raptor 74gb ($80) + wd caviar 1tb($100)
optical drive: most dvdrw/cdrw drives are ~$25
memory: ocz reaper 4gb ($43)
cpu: c2d e8500 ($180)
case: antec 300 ($60)

that's $600 before shipping and taxes. and then the rest can go towards vid card and any other pieces you may need. imo, i think that'll definitely satisfy your needs, although i don't really know how much gaming you do

 

[iriverdude]

74GB Raptor drives are ancient now, go for WD Black.

 

[guyx1992]

I don't need any Raptor or hi-end HDDs. The standard 7200RPM SATA2 should do the trick.
How about this?
AMD Phenom II X4 810
GA-MA770T-UD3P
500GB SATA2 16MB
G.Skill DDR3 4096MB (2048MBx2) 1600Mhz CL 9-9-9-24 NQ
Connect3D ATI Radeon HD4890 1024MB DDR5 PCIe
CoolerMaster Centurion 590
Seasonic SS-550HT 550W

 

[iriverdude]

Current Intel's are faster than AMD's offering. I'm not a Intel fanboy I'm on a AMD X2 but AMD have lagged behind performance CPU's this time round. Not sure if ATI or Nvidia or best this gen either, flipped between either one last couple of gens.

I'd have more than 500GB, what about two 1TB's?

 

[guyx1992]

At the moment 2TB is too much I think. I know 500GB is a bit (I currently have 450GB and struggle) but 1TB is a lot more, isn't it?

 

[iriverdude]

Not really look at hard disc prices, you only pay premium for largest and second largest. Not much price difference between small hard drives and 1TB.

 

[guyx1992]

I read that s775 is dying and I should go i7 or AMD. Because i7 is way over my budget AMD AM3 looks pretty good.

 

[iriverdude]

775 is on the way out if you want to upgrade CPU later get i7.

 

[revolink24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Current Intel's are faster than AMD's offering. I'm not a Intel fanboy I'm on a AMD X2 but AMD have lagged behind performance CPU's this time round. Not sure if ATI or Nvidia or best this gen either, flipped between either one last couple of gens. I'd have more than 500GB, what about two 1TB's?

Intel, however has lagged behind AMD's Price/performance

I say AMD, the motherboards are cheap, get a black edition and you will be overclock like a champ and it would be well worth the money.

1TB = 1,024 GB (Depending on source)

At that res, a 4890 is a bit overkill, 4870 would be alright. If you really need perfect Crysis benchmarks, go for the 4890 if you really want. I would say get a 4870 and a Black Edition processor though, so you get the unlocked multiplier.

 

[EnOYiN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif AMD Phenom II X4 810

Why not go with the 955? It's a little more expensive, sure but also quite a lot faster. The 955 has been my choice. The i7 was a lot more expensive over here and although it's better I don't think the price difference was worth it.

The stock fan coming with the phenoms has to go. It's pretty horrible even when you aren't thinking about overclocking your system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif GA-MA770T-UD3P

The UD3P only has 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16. The UD4P has 2 in case you'd want to add a second videocard later on. I went with the UD3P myself because I hate adding multiple videocards. Something to consider either way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 500GB SATA2 16MB

Good stuff. Get what you like. Maybe when SSDs get cheap enough add one of those to run your system on. (which will take another year or 2 for me) Your choice obviously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif G.Skill DDR3 4096MB (2048MBx2) 1600Mhz CL 9-9-9-24 NQ

The AMD AM3 processors support max 1333 for as far as I know. Not sure though. There was something which made me get 1333, but I'm not exactly sure any more what it was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Connect3D ATI Radeon HD4890 1024MB DDR5 PCIe

I got myself a Sapphire HD4890 Vapor-X. It was the best price/quality at the time for me. Such things change rapidly so I can't really give you any good advice there.

Both nvidia and Ati have been having problems with reading the EDID info from monitors. You'll get a black screen after installing the drivers. Ati solved it with the newest drivers for me, but I would test it before you buy it. The problem only occurs when using DVI. You would be able to run VGA, but that isn't exactly ideal in my opinion. I'm not sure on how nvidia is doing right now, but I'm pretty sure they've fixed it as well for most monitors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif CoolerMaster Centurion 590

Neat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyx1992 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Seasonic SS-550HT 550W

Never heard of it, but it might be the best thing since sliced bread. Dunno.

In general I would give you the following advice: If money is no object - and it pretty much always is - then go with Intel/ nvidia. They've got the better results right now. If you want to go cheaper go with AMD. It might perform a little worse, but it might save you quite a few bucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revolink24 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Intel, however has lagged behind AMD's Price/performance I say AMD, the motherboards are cheap, get a black edition and you will be overclock like a champ and it would be well worth the money. 1TB = 1,024 GB (Depending on source) At that res, a 4890 is a bit overkill, 4870 would be alright. If you really need perfect Crysis benchmarks, go for the 4890 if you really want. I would say get a 4870 and a Black Edition processor though, so you get the unlocked multiplier.

The AMDs are simply performing worse than what intel has to offer as well. Even when overclocking. And I don't mean ridiculous clocks like 5 GHz - 6 GHz which can only be achieved with ridiculous cooling. They are cheaper obviously so that why I went with one.

I don't know whether HD4890 is overkill really, if you really want to run everything smooth for a year to come you'd best get the fastest thing you are willing to pay for. It'll be slow soon enough.

 

[revolink24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnOYiN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not go with the 955? It's a little more expensive, sure but also quite a lot faster. The 955 has been my choice. The i7 was a lot more expensive over here and although it's better I don't think the price difference was worth it. The stock fan coming with the phenoms has to go. It's pretty horrible even when you aren't thinking about overclocking your system. The UD3P only has 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16. The UD4P has 2 in case you'd want to add a second videocard later on. I went with the UD3P myself because I hate adding multiple videocards. Something to consider either way. Good stuff. Get what you like. Maybe when SSDs get cheap enough add one of those to run your system on. (which will take another year or 2 for me) Your choice obviously. The AMD AM3 processors support max 1333 for as far as I know. Not sure though. There was something which made me get 1333, but I'm not exactly sure any more what it was. I got myself a Sapphire HD4890 Vapor-X. It was the best price/quality at the time for me. Such things change rapidly so I can't really give you any good advice there. Both nvidia and Ati have been having problems with reading the EDID info from monitors. You'll get a black screen after installing the drivers. Ati solved it with the newest drivers for me, but I would test it before you buy it. The problem only occurs when using DVI. You would be able to run VGA, but that isn't exactly ideal in my opinion. I'm not sure on how nvidia is doing right now, but I'm pretty sure they've fixed it as well for most monitors. Neat. Never heard of it, but it might be the best thing since sliced bread. Dunno. In general I would give you the following advice: If money is no object - and it pretty much always is - then go with Intel/ nvidia. They've got the better results right now. If you want to go cheaper go with AMD. It might perform a little worse, but it might save you quite a few bucks. The AMDs are simply performing worse than what intel has to offer as well. Even when overclocking. And I don't mean ridiculous clocks like 5 GHz - 6 GHz which can only be achieved with ridiculous cooling. They are cheaper obviously so that why I went with one. I don't know whether HD4890 is overkill really, if you really want to run everything smooth for a year to come you'd best get the fastest thing you are willing to pay for. It'll be slow soon enough.

Not really, the 955 stacks up pretty damn well against intel's offering (Core i7 920) and as for price performance, I've been wondering why the 9950 BE is so much less than Intel's comparable Q6600. AMD does, at this point, have sweet spots in the price/performance ratio that beat out Intel, not only because of the processors, but because of the motherboards as well. My current overclocked 9950BE beats out stock 920s in 3dmark/pcmark scores: thats quite something, IMHO. Maybe I'm just lucky, but my friend who built a higher-end Core i7 system even respects my mid-range AMD creation: It's a screamer if done properly, and certainly beats the pants off the price.

Although, its not going to be too mid-range when I get two more 4850s.... Quad crossfirex should be fun

And at 8x 8x 8x 8x speed, which is not bad, considering.
Also, you say max 1333? Bull****. The motherboard would be the issue there, and if the motherboard doesn't support 1600, it will just underclock it to 1333.