# Budget Crysis



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Pun intended
Okay first of all i would like to give a thanks in advance for reading my thread and helping me out.  
Now to the point i am building a new computer because mine current one is a little outdated.
I was thinking of going AMD based but Intel is an option. I have an $840 budget ( minus the video card, i would like to keep my recently purchased HD 3870) and crossfire is an option. I do need a new monitor because my 15 inch LCD is not cutting it anymore.  
Now for what i was thinking...
CPU: Intel Core 2 duo E7200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

Motherboard:  DFI LANPARTY DK P-35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136043

Hard Drive:  Western Digital Caviar 320 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

Monitor: ACER 19" 1680 by 1050 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127 or 
Hanns-G 19" 1440 by 900 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254001

RAM:  Mushkin 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146764

PSU:  Antec NeoPower 650 (Recommendations are really need here.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371010

Speakers:  Logitech X-530 5.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121126

Mouse:  Logitech MX518 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178

Cooling:

HSF:  XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Video Card: Thermaltake DuOrb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106112

Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling Mx-2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

Fans: 2x Rosewill 80mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200027

1x Thermaltake 120mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999122

Case: (recycling from last build) http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=13&pPath=250&productID=254

Video Card: I already have this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050


----------



## Easy Rhino (May 23, 2008)

well at what resolution and quality do you want to be playing crysis at? that makes a big difference.


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

If your playing Crysis go Intel. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052&Tpk=E7200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136038

Heres a good video card for Crysis. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814260066


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Well the resolution will be dependent on which monitor i get, but eather 1440 by 900 or 1680 by 1050. i would like to play at high quality. i will be on XP not vista tho


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Shadowfold, will the blood iron support the E7200 without a bios update because i have an AMD system now and wont b able to flash the bios


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Go with a nice 19'' wide. Thats 1440x900, I think its a great res cause everything performs great and looks just as awesome.


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Shadowfold, will the blood iron support the E7200 without a bios update because i have an AMD system now and wont b able to flash the bios



My DFI Lanparty(higher end) P35 suported my E7200 out of the box so im guessing the Blood Iron will too  If you wanna be 100% sure get the DFI Lanparty T2RS on newegg. plus the 45nm update bios's came out around December so it doesnt have to be super new.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136043


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Shadowfold, do u have the DK or UT or LT?
Edit: very sorry new to this forum should have looked at ur specs


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

DK. Also someone on newegg said they bought the Blood Iron on 5/5/08 and it supported the E8400 out of the box.

Cant tell by my avatar/sig?


----------



## Easy Rhino (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Well the resolution will be dependent on which monitor i get, but eather 1440 by 900 or 1680 by 1050. i would like to play at high quality. i will be on XP not vista tho



well personally if you are gonna play at 1440x900 you should atleast play with x2 AA.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Shadowfold, sorry im not thinking to clearly right now, and Easy Rhino, i cant tell the difference between AA on and off, so y kill framerates especially with my card.
Also, to everyone sorry for my grammar, its getting late where i am


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Its ok  make sure your awake when you put it all together


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

also, will the first generation Pci-e slots on the P-35 motherboards harm performance now or in the future. 
on a side note i would like to thank every1 4 the quick reply's and general helpfulness


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

I think if anything i will go with the DK
does every thing else look good in the build


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

which video card are you looking at? know of the links work?!?


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

the links are not working?
ill try to fix...
for the card i already have a Diamond HD3870


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

ok one second i will fix all the links...
Edit links are fixed


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Naw you wont need PCI-E 2.0 cause 3.0 is coming out next year!


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

ok tyvm, do i realy need a 5.1 surround-sound system or will 2.1 suffice


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Im fine with headphones but I only care about loud not quality


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

lol, what headphones do you use?


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

if i was you i would get a phemon, that 5000+ will bottleneck with the HD3870. I know your wanting it for Crysis, but i thought i would just tell you this since i do own one. And it bottlenecks in about everything, 3dmark06, vantage, call of duty 4 and of coarse crysis.

I've got both of these, GOOD CHOICES!!!
1x Thermaltake 120mm  (I've got two)
HSF: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
Western Digital Caviar 320 GB (two of these also)


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Razer Piranhas. They are REALLY good. Pretty exspensive tho  I got mine for 70$ at Bestbuy. I highly recommend them tho cause the mic is excellent and the sound is good enough for me.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

by the way do you guys kno what kinda frames i owuld get in crysis at high quality no AA or AF at 1440 by 900 with the E7200 2 GB or ddr2 800 ram and a 3870 Overclocked to 903 core and 2600 mem (yeah i got relle lucky with my card)


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Well at that high of clocks it should be around 8800GT speeds so im guessing all high ~30fps.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

would these headphones be okay: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826158051


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

wow thats not to bad, i mean i can play  at 30 fps,
i would be overclocking the E7200 to its limits on good air of coarse


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

I was actually gonna get those instead but I figured the extra 30$ was worth it. They are a good pair of headsets I would get them.


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> wow thats not to bad, i mean i can play  at 30 pfs



Gonna need to OC the e7200 to 3.2ghz. But dont worry, my E7200 does 3.2ghz on stock volts


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> by the way do you guys kno what kinda frames i owuld get in crysis at high quality no AA or AF at 1440 by 900 with the E7200 2 GB or ddr2 800 ram and a 3870 Overclocked to 903 core and 2600 mem (yeah i got relle lucky with my card)



You can look here and get an idea: Crysis Benchmarks!!! 
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=57603&highlight=crysis+benchmark
Summary- These are at High Settings (1280X1024)
Dr.Spankenstein- HD 3870 34.17fps
niko084- HD3850 29.63fps
oli_ramsay- 8800gt 28.07fps


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

i will raise the v core .1 or .2 do u think a 650 watt psu will be fine or should i get a 750


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Naw I ran my E7200 at 3.2ghz for 9 hours on prime and its stable as a rock. I run all the stuff in my specs on a 550w so 650w is more than enough


----------



## JrRacinFan (May 23, 2008)

Oh about 20fps 

Seriously ... its quite hard to tell. You will first need to overclock that e7200. Your probly going to see 35fps.

Here, this will give you a couple bucks to float around with and you may be able to get yourself a bigger HDD with the saved $$. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

The only problem with that PSU is ill have 2 sleave it myself, and spending tht little on a PSU doesn't sound rite to me, i bed it would come back and bite me in the ass


----------



## JrRacinFan (May 23, 2008)

O rly? What if I told you that my psu can SLi 9600GT's? ....

Sleaving bah .... Your trying to be budget here right?


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

yeah i guess how long have u had that PSU


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Get a 7200.10rpm drive! They are REALLY fast, I went from a 7200rpm WD and the 7200.10 loads stuff twice as fast.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148261

As for my PSU recommendation I would get one of these.

60$ - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012
70$ - (I have the 350w version in my HTPC)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256037
100$ - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004


----------



## JrRacinFan (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> yeah i guess how long have u had that PSU



A good 4-5 months now.


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

wouldn't he need a psu with atleast x2 8pins. He did say crossfire was a option later on. Might as well get a psu that will be ready for crossfire.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

ok then i think ill go with that psu. hows is this ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146764


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

after doing a little more research i c that the performance gains at my resolution will be minimal so no CF is out


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

never mind


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

yeah im defenitly not going to do CF


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Then I would go with a 450-500w psu. Look at that OCZ 500w I linked its cheap and FSP makes OCZ psu's so its good.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

lol shadowfold i looked at the picture of your rig, wonderfully cable management, lol jk


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

then yeah go for the CORSAIR 550w


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

i m going to stick with the 650 because its cheap and will be good for future builds


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> lol shadowfold i looked at the picture of your rig, wonderfully cable management, lol jk



Yea I know.. my case has literally no way to manage the cables it sucks.. Thats what I get for paying 20$ for a case I guess!


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Is the DuOrb a good cooler i get... mixed review of it some say its great others say it sucks


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Is the DuOrb a good cooler i get... mixed review of it some say its great others say it sucks



It's an awesome cooler


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Get a Xigmatek HDT-S1290 or w/e the S1000 one is. They are pretty much THE best coolers out right now.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

ok because i want a little more out of my graphics card


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

oh yeah your best bet is the Xigmatek HDT-S1290 though. The blueorb is a good cooler though.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

they do not have the Xigmatek HDT-S1290 on newegg and im trying to keep it all from 1 place


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Sorry I meant this one 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

im sorry i ment the DuOrb for a grapghics card im getting the Xigmatek HDT-S1290 for my cpu


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

should i get MX-2  or AS5 for thermal compund


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Not sure about GPU cooling but the Battle Axe from Xigmatek has been getting good reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233013

and get MX2! Its alot better.


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

^ agree MX2 best bet

GPU- i've heard the blueorb is really good on the video cards. but yeah i thought you meant the cpu. 

Hey on the Xigmatek HDT-S1290 i put one of my 120mm fans on it, better air flow. cause for me sound it's really problem. lol

look at my rig for a pic


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

which is better the  XIGMATEK VD964 or the Tt DuOrb


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> which is better the  XIGMATEK VD964 or the Tt DuOrb



i would go for the XIGMATEK, just because i've XIGMATEK cpu cooler and it's really awesome. So the GPU cooler should be just as good.

will the Xigmatek even work on a 3780?<-----nevermind http://www.silentpcreview.com/article830-page1.html


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

ok how many slots does the xigmatek gpu cooler take up tho?


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> ok how many slots does the xigmatek gpu cooler take up tho?



that link says three 

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article830-page7.html


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

after reading that review i think i will stick with the DuOrb because it performs better, and is smaller


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

hmm, i wish i could use it. it works on the 2900 
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/xigmatek-auras-vga_8.html#sect0


----------



## imperialreign (May 23, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> Go with a nice 19'' wide. Thats 1440x900, I think its a great res cause everything performs great and looks just as awesome.



agreed - and even more amazing at that res with only minimal AA/AF needed.

But, TBH, if you intend to run Crysis at that kind of native resolution, I'd seriously recommend a dual GPU setup.  Actually, any resolution larger than 1280x1024 will seriously tax one GPU.

Case in point - my rig averages 45+ FPS with all settings on high at 1440x900.  That's about average as far as FPS go, and it can be a little irritating when things are loading up and FPS drops into the low 20s.  I couldn't imagine how poor it would run at the same settings with only one card rendering.

Just some food for thought . . .


----------



## Monkeywoman (May 23, 2008)

theres my shot, you'll be able to play crysis with out a problem using this rig.


----------



## CrackerJack (May 23, 2008)

^ He needs a monitor. And plus here already has a card and doesnt want to go sli


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

alright guys for my final rig i have 
19" Hann-G monitor
E7200 C2D
DFI Lanparty DK P35-T2RS
2 gig mushkin ddr2 800
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB
Antec EA650 650W
Logitech MX518
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2
Thermaltake DuOrb
Creative FATAL1TY headset
Every thing look okay?


----------



## cdawall (May 23, 2008)

4600 X2 its a windsor F3 so look for 3.5ghz or so on air 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103064

DFI lanparty 790FX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136044

now skip the VGA cooler since the one you have works just fine and you have cut your price by ~$100 now with that $100 you save you can run xfire with a 512mb 3850 and your already purchased 512mb 3870 i have a mod guide how to turn that 3850 into a 3870 (clockwise) and xfire will show a *more* significant gain vs the intel rig and a single VGA

either of these will work the MIS is $30 more but has a better cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131096\
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127339


----------



## ShadowFold (May 23, 2008)

Looks like a damn fine build  Good luck!


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

to Cdawall, i don't think that's suck a good idea:
1.) I do need an aftermarket cooler for my video card because i have a a high overclock and the stock fan at 70% is very loud and I still get very high temperatures.
2.) the 3850 even over-clocked to 3870 speed will lower my 3870 back to stock speeds.
3.) i know, from benchmarks, the E7200 would beat the 4600 X2 by ~ 25-30% clock for clock, and being based on the 45 nm instead of i believe 65 nm for the 4600 X2, it will clock higher.
4.) at 1440 by 900 cross-fire has minimal gains.

tyvm shadow i think i will order sometime in the next few weeks.


----------



## cdawall (May 23, 2008)

it has a 80% gain on my 3850s @ 1280x1024 

you were looking for a gaming PC that one has a phenom ok mobo that will support the next set of 45nm AMD chips which will run much better than the current B3s even according to intel they will lol

for gaming 2xHD38x0 cards @ 3870 or higher clock (mine do ~860core on 1.3v on the crap single slot coolers @ 80% fan speed)

as for the louder fan in the stock unit that kinda sucks....maybe a accelero s1?


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

80%, i don't mean to doubt you but something seems wrong there


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Also can some one give me a like with a comparison between the E7200 and the 5000+ X2 BE. i would like to see how they both do overclocked. ii searched google with no sucess


----------



## cdawall (May 23, 2008)

e7200 with luck and love will do 5ghz but a much more attainable clock on air is 4.7ghz or so at least for 24/7

5000BE will do 3.35ghz like mine with about 3hrs of work and will run there 24/7 now like i said that 4600X2 is a new chip its a windsor F3 those are well know to do 3.5ghz its the same core of the 6400BE with the cache disabled


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

Well sense most games don't fully utalize/ support x-fire i think i will stay with the Intel system


----------



## Black Panther (May 23, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> i cant tell the difference between AA on and off, so y kill framerates especially with my card.



AA is the 'jaggies' imagine you're seeing a power line and instead of appearing smooth it looks like as if the contours was made of little 'zzz'. Same goes for other stuff like tree trunks, practically any contours even those of your character.

AF is the clarity you get in a distance. Imagine you're viewing a long pebbly path. With no AF you see the pebbles beneath your nose but along the distance they blend. With AF you see the individual pebbles even quite far away.

AF is far less taxing on the video card than AA. A 512MB graphics card can cope with most of today's games AA quite well. 
The larger your monitor and the higher the resolution you use, the more you will see the need to use AA and AF.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 23, 2008)

i know what AA and AF are and what the do, it's just for the FPS drop they cause i don't think they are worth it because it really isn't that much of a difference


----------



## ShadowFold (May 24, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> i know what AA and AF are and what the do, it's just for the FPS drop they cause i don't think they are worth it because it really isn't that much of a difference



You wont have to worry about the loss with that E7200  I play everygame with 4x AA 8x-16x AF at 1440x900 with my rig.


----------



## Kei (May 24, 2008)

*Just a word of warning *



DarkEgo said:


> Cooling:
> 
> HSF:  XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
> 
> Case: (recycling from last build) http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=13&pPath=250&productID=254



Those two items may not go well together if at all...the HDT-S1283 is the greatest cooler I've ever owned, BUT and it's  BIG HUGE RIDICULOUSLY OVERSIZED BUT...it's also the biggest air cooler I've ever owned. Your stats show that your case is a Mid Tower and it's only 7.8" wide. The cooler is big enough that in my full tower case I had to remove the side fan and put it on the outside to fit...and I STILL only have approximately 3-5mm of space left between the side panel and the top of the cooler stems.

I don't believe that this cooler will fit inside your current case, so I'd recommend using the S963 instead as it's also wonderful and smaller for a very small "penalty" in cooling. It'd be more than enough I'd say for the E7200 if you end up with that instead of anything AMD.

I don't remember the exact size of the cooler but I know it's just shy 160mm (about 6 1/4") in height and of course that does not count your socket and cpu underneath the cooler and the raised motherboard tray which I believe will put you at least 25-30mm outside your case. The S963 on the other hand is only 134mm (about 5 1/4") in height which should be about right for your needs while keeping fantastic cooling to boot.

Good luck on the build,

K


----------



## DarkEgo (May 24, 2008)

I also have a full tower antec case, i just didnt want to use it because it uses 4 80 mm fans instead of the 120 and it has no side vent, so if it dosnt fit in the ultra ill but it into the antec


----------



## Kei (May 24, 2008)

Koo, if you really want a side vent you could always mod the case quite easily with a well placed cut from a hole saw. You could ensure you have the air going where you need it as long as you remember to make the rest of the case optimized for the flow. Not sure if you'd want to mod/cut your case but it's a thought...

K


----------



## DarkEgo (May 28, 2008)

Ok i have one last question guys,
what would have better performance gains at 1680 by 1050, a 5000+ overclocked with crossfired overclocked 3870 
or
a stock Intel E7200 with one overclocked 3870? 
also i am looking for future upgradability. The intel would be on a DFI DK P35 and the amd would be on a DFI DK 790FX


----------



## cdawall (May 28, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Well sense most games don't fully utalize/ support x-fire i think i will stay with the Intel system



yes they do? crysis does so do the NFS titles bioshock what games don't support it?


----------



## DarkEgo (May 28, 2008)

Some of the older games like TF2 and other steam based games that i like to play


----------



## ShadowFold (May 28, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Some of the older games like TF2 and other steam based games that i like to play



They arent old? Plus Valve used to use ATi cards to make there games, kinda like TWIMTBP thing by nvidia and I can play TF2 and HL2 with 16x AA and still get 60fps with a single card.


----------



## DarkEgo (May 28, 2008)

what i was saying, about the older (as in not very new) games, was thy don't fully utilize x-fire


----------



## ShadowFold (May 28, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> what i was saying, about the older (as in not very new) games, was thy don't fully utilize x-fire



They may not fully utilize it but games that dont still get a healthy boost from having two cards.


----------



## CrackerJack (May 28, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> They may not fully utilize it but games that dont still get a healthy boost from having two cards.



that's true, in non multi-gpu games. I still got an 15% increase. But for some games I got more. With FEAR I only got 50fps with a single card. But with two I get 92fps. So even if the games doesn't support it, you will see an increase. It might not be as high as should or atleast could be. But it does help


----------



## DarkEgo (May 29, 2008)

so would a 5000+ over clocked with x-fire 3870's on a 790fx
or
a E7200 stock with one 3870 on a P35 perform beter in games like Crysis, CoD4 and Oblivion (1680 by 1050 res, and high settings.)


----------



## DarkEgo (May 30, 2008)

Could anyone help me, i am going to buy soon, and i really don't know if i should get the:
5000+ BE and overclock it with 2 3870's in crossfire on a DFI DK 790FK
or
the E7200 with one 3870 on a P35, 
(note: the video cards will also be overclocked.)


----------



## cdawall (May 30, 2008)

in games the first one will win hands down in benchmarks the second one will win hands down


oh and if you want to save a couple bucks you could do HD3850 512mbs and flash them to 1.32v in the BIOS so you can clock them just like a 3870

hehe if you save enough you could get 3 and embarrass the e7200 rig in games and benchmarks


----------



## DarkEgo (May 30, 2008)

tyvm you have no clue how much that helped! lol, i could care less about benchmarks all i want is PERFORMANCE! so i am going to go with the AMD rig and get a 3850 as a secondary card and overclock it to 3870 speeds. (the 3850 is $25 than the 3870 and comes with a bunch of steam games [HL2, Portal, etc.])


----------



## cdawall (May 30, 2008)

lol no probs man you see my rig i built the best gaming PC i could afford now if i could just afford some games


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 1, 2008)

ok so for the final build i will get the 500-+ and overclock it, then i will get a second 3870 and put it all on a DFI 790FX with 2 gig's of ddr2 800 mushkinm all of this will be on a 19 in monitor and powered by a corsair 550 watt


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 5, 2008)

ok guys i just got a little bigger of a budget and now I'm wondering what would be better a 5000+ with a 3870 and a 3870x2 or a E7200 with 2 3870's


----------



## Castiel (Jun 5, 2008)

OKay, why are you building a system for Crysis??
Are you planning to do anything else with it?


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 5, 2008)

I will be doing other things besides Crysis, gaming will be this rigs main purpose. I play games like Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty 2, Counter Strike Source, Team Fortress 2, Half Life 1 and 2, Oblivion, etc. The only other thing i will use it for is the internet.


----------



## lilkiduno (Jun 5, 2008)

i would go with the AMD set-up.


----------



## cdawall (Jun 5, 2008)

lilkiduno said:


> i would go with the AMD set-up.



i 2nd this


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 5, 2008)

or would 3 3870's be better?


----------



## lilkiduno (Jun 5, 2008)

umm if you can get 3 3870's together go for it. im not sure on which board your going with


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 5, 2008)

Either the Dfi 790 fx or the msi k9a2 plat.


----------



## cdawall (Jun 5, 2008)

i love my K9A2 its a great mobo


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 5, 2008)

if he wanted to save a bit of money buy an E220 or a little better Intel and you will out perform that AMD still all day long...not flaming here fellas just my honest opinion here!

Edit: altho that E7200 is only $131 at the egg. The E2200 is $79.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 5, 2008)

i kno but then i have to spend 220 on a good x-fire mobo


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 5, 2008)

Look in my specs...I run 1280X1024 

you hava a HD3870 and you are looking to buy a better CPU than I have...I say that card will do ya just fine for quite a while.

Plus you could wait a bit and spend money on new tech for GPU's later!


----------



## cdawall (Jun 5, 2008)

sneekypeet said:


> Look in my specs...I run 1280X1024
> 
> you hava a HD3870 and you are looking to buy a better CPU than I have...I say that card will do ya just fine for quite a while.
> 
> Plus you could wait a bit and spend money on new tech for GPU's later!



try warmonger bet you cant max that out @ 1280x1024


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 5, 2008)

State of War..Warmaonger...released in 2004?

Im gonna download the demo.

And BTW I Fold on this GPU and can play everything in my games file, except for crysis, with it still running too!


----------



## cdawall (Jun 5, 2008)

sneekypeet said:


> State of War..Warmaonger...released in 2004?
> 
> Im gonna download the demo.
> 
> And BTW I Fold on this GPU and can play everything in my games file, except for crysis, with it still running too!



no this

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/863/Warmonger_-_Operation:_Downtown_Destruction_Full_Game.html


i cant play maxed @ 1280x1024 i get about 8fps average in xfire


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 5, 2008)

Trying it out to find out or not anyways, but I didnt see this as a required game by the OP...did I miss it or am I just finding out for you cd?

Also, I read he was wanting 1400X900 res screen, which is 1260000 pixels and I play as I said and thats 1310720 total pixel...so in essence his screen would be rendered with less work!


----------



## cdawall (Jun 5, 2008)

sneekypeet said:


> Trying it out to find out or not anyways, but I didnt see this as a required game by the OP...did I miss it or am I just finding out for you cd?



just for me and i looked at my SS its more like 20FPS average lol

post in here when your done

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=825408#post825408


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 5, 2008)

cdawall said:


> just for me and i looked at my SS its more like 20FPS average lol
> 
> post in here when your done
> 
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=825408#post825408



Edit^^^ and lets take this to PM's and let his budget continue!

@ DarkEgo...look at his thread and see what I mean, I still believe the intel and your HD are the way to go for now!
just my 2 pennies... Oh and I am on the Blood Iron...cheap entry into good performance!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

Actually i find these post quite helpful because i may decide 2 play these games, and i am going to play at 1680 by 1050.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Actually i find these post quite helpful because i may decide 2 play these games, and i am going to play at 1680 by 1050.



At those resolutions you may be stretching the card a bit thats 1764000 pixels total...thats a big jump.

If you were to go intel and crossfire, do you have a chipet in mind(is p35 ok?). there are some very proficient deal hunters on this forum.

Just a quick trip to the egg shows loads of cheaper (money wise) mobos....http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7+1070725639+1388027176+4017&name=$100+-+$200

There are a few DFI's loads of ASUS and the ABIT IP35 which is customer rated highly...all under $190


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

BIG Problem there is only one (or maybe 2) P35 mobo(s) that run at 8x 8x on the pci-e slots. at 16x 4x, the 4x bandwidth would provide very little increase. and i don't think they have that one board, the Asus Commando ( i think), that runs 8x 8x on the egg.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

Agreed, let me hunt the X38/X48's

X38's...not much under, but still under $200:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...08+107172333+1071729253+4017&name=$100+-+$200
 Upon further looking the DFI at $185 and 16X16 on the crossfire is the only new offering at that price!
X48's I agree with the pricing.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

open box is out of the question, if some returned it it probably has something wrong with it. and that DFI does look ok unless anyone has an objection...


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

Well here was my idea in a nutshell over AMD. 

Your Acer in post 1..... $180
DFI X38.................... $185
E7200...................... $132
Mushkin's in your pick.. $54(not my pick personally if planning to OC the snot out of it!)

Total........................ $551 before the card and shipping...well under the $800 in the OP!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

still need a power supply, i am looking at a 650 watt from corsair, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005. and i really don't want to use two raid 0'ed 80 gb hard drives so i am looking at this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262 last of all i need aftermarket cooling i am getting the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 also which card should i get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161218


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

Great cooler...PSU is fine same with the HDD.

The GPU I say HIS...but are the clocks similar to yours?  do you plan to OC them both.

Also just a general tally those included you are at $900 and still need a bit for shipping!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

mine is already OC'd and i will OC the second card.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

On 2nd thought i will go with the 5000+ and upgrade to a 45 nm AMD quad if thy get good reviews.


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> On 2nd thought i will go with the 5000+ and upgrade to a 45 nm AMD quad if thy get good reviews.



Ok sorry for the distraction!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

lol yeah i like the Intel but with lga 775 at the end of its life time and the whole build costing so much more i just don't think its worth it


----------



## cdawall (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> On 2nd thought i will go with the 5000+ and upgrade to a 45 nm AMD quad if thy get good reviews.



and a MSI K9A2 platinum or CF-F they are amazing together


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> lol yeah i like the Intel but with lga 775 at the end of its life time and the whole build costing so much more i just don't think its worth it



I have to agree but that 5000BE wont do anywhere near the reported 4.0GHz the E7200 has potential for either...lol(on air).


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

k9a2 platinum, in the future I will tri-fire, but i am going to hold off on quad-fire because it does not scale that much better then tri-fire. I am going to order the whole thing as soon as ATI's new gpu's come out because I am hoping for 3870 prices to drop.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

I know and the cache is smaller but at $50 cheaper i can take the performance hit. Also the mother board is $40 cheaper so yeah $90 for 2mb of cache and .6 GHz maybe.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

Would Cruical Ballistix be better ram then the mushkin i mentioned?


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> Would Cruical Ballistix be better ram then the mushkin i mentioned?



every set of ballistix Ive owned has done me very well...Thats DDR and 3 sets of DDR2


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

So you think ballistix would do better then mushkin? the balistix are 2.2 volts for 4-4-4-12 the mushkin is 1.9 volts for the same so i'm thinking the mushkin will have some nice OCing


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> So you think ballistix would do better then mushkin? the balistix are 2.2 volts for 4-4-4-12 the mushkin is 1.9 volts for the same so i'm thinking the mushkin will have some nice OCing



As cdawall will attest to...its the IC's on the sticks that matter, not the rated voltage!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

so which one has better IC's


----------



## cdawall (Jun 6, 2008)

sneekypeet said:


> As cdawall will attest to...its the IC's on the sticks that matter, not the rated voltage!



why did someone say my name

proof ratings have no bearing my ram is "rated" @ 5-5-5-15-24 2v i run 4-4-4-12-11 2.05v  this is not hte ram in my specs i haven't gotten that shipped to me yet


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

did find this googling a bit...http://forums.mushkin.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11675

seems to do `900MHz@ 4-4-412. I cant find anything on reviews or max oc speeds!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

so the mushkin... the mushkin and ballistix are about the same price


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

BTW on a different not....how bout some deals on AMD????/

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=62192


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

do u think it would be a good idea to buy that processor?


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

Its up to you...no real price difference from the egg 

Lapping does eliminate warranty , but helps greatly with temps.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

the price drop is only $2


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> the price drop is only $2



Edited. sorry was just showing ya what was new here...maybe PM him and work a deal for the CPU and mobo combo?...IDK if you are really interested in it!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

wellnone of his mobo's support 3 way x-fire which i want to be an option, so im not sure bout mobo


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

final build https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9701788. all in which ever case i find laying around


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> final build https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9701788. all in which ever case i find laying around



Wont show its private...requires log in! Pleases dont post login info!...lol


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

ohh sry 1 sec lemme fix sry, late!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 6, 2008)

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9701788 should work now


----------



## sneekypeet (Jun 6, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9701788 should work now



maybe a screenshot and host the image at www.techpwerup.org That secure part in the new link is keeping us out as well!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 10, 2008)

is this an F3 windsor? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773


----------



## ShadowFold (Jun 10, 2008)

It is a Windsor but idk if its F3. Doesnt matter tho.. I havent seen a 6000+ go any higher than 3.6ghz.


----------



## cdawall (Jun 10, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> is this an F3 windsor? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773



yes its F3 anything 5600X2 up is an F3


----------



## moocow0463 (Jun 11, 2008)

ps. if you go with the xigmatek cooler and you are easily frustrated get
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019
makes life 10x more simple especially on certain mobos'


----------



## DaedalusHelios (Jun 11, 2008)

moocow0463 said:


> ps. if you go with the xigmatek cooler and you are easily frustrated get
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019
> makes life 10x more simple especially on certain mobos'



That is awfully kind of you.

Thanks for the heads up!


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 11, 2008)

So... if i was going to go amd what processor would you guys suggest. (budget of $150)


----------



## DaedalusHelios (Jun 11, 2008)

DarkEgo said:


> So... if i was going to go amd what processor would you guys suggest. (budget of $150)



AM2 X2 BE

939 is dead and phenom is not so great.


----------



## ShadowFold (Jun 11, 2008)

Why arent you goin with the E7200 anymore


----------



## cdawall (Jun 11, 2008)

5000BE  or 6000+


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 12, 2008)

i might I'm not sure what I'm going to do anymore ShadowFold. I might just go with the E7200, or buy a phenom, when the 45 nm phenoms come out. i have a budget of like 1200, i just dont want to spend it all on computers.


----------



## DarkEgo (Jun 14, 2008)

Has anyone seen the new p45. I could go with one of them a E7200 and 2 3870's (or a 3870 and a 3870 X2) in crossfire(X). Much cheaper then the X38.


----------



## ShadowFold (Jun 14, 2008)

Yea that would be better


----------



## cdawall (Jun 14, 2008)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128344

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138118

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299


----------



## ShadowFold (Jun 14, 2008)

Go with ASUS! They have always been reliable for me. I had a ASUS GeForce 6100 AM2 for a long time and a ASUS 780G atm that works great


----------

