# Looking for Awesome Gaming PC for $1000-$1500



## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Hello everyone,

I am interested in building a PC in the price range of $1000 to $1500 and I was wondering if anyone could give me some input and help to get me great deals on great hardware. Currently I am looking at a combo from newegg for about $1100 that includes:

Tower: Antec Lanboy air Red Black / Red ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case (Model:Lanboy air Red) $149.99

Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard with 3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support and UEFI BIOS (Model:Crosshair V Formula) $229.99

Video Card: ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (Model:EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/2) $289.99

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply (Model:HCG-750) $94.99
Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDE00ZFBGRBOX (Model:HDE00ZFBGRBOX) $189.99

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R (Model:CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R) $58.99

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST2000DL003) $79.99

Disc Drive: LITE-ON Black 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu-ray 3D feature SATA IHBS112-29 (Including CyberLink BD Solution) (Model:IHBS112-29) $94.99

I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on info about some of these items, if they are good or not, priced well, or if there are better alternatives for similar or better performance. Any input is awesome. 

Thanks


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## bear jesus (Sep 21, 2011)

I have to wonder if the motherboard and CPU could be replaced with something LGA1155 with a sandy bridge based CPU for a similar cost but greater performance also one thing that stands out is the hard drive, green models tend to be more about power saving than speed thus the 5900 RPM over the more standard 7200 RPM so you may want to look for another model.

Something to keep in mind though is Bulldozer based CPU's should be out in just a few weeks so it may be best to wait and see what it brings either performance wise or price drops on other products and even more so with today's news post on the prices of bulldozer CPU's "eight-core FX-8150, FX-8120, and six-core FX-6120, priced at US $245, $205, and $175".


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks I will keep that in mind. Very helpful. Also I believe the Harddrive I have in the original post is a 5900 rpm. Is that what you were saying was better or should I go with the 7200? 
Thanks


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## brandonwh64 (Sep 21, 2011)

Go intel, 2500K-2600K with Z68 motherboard.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 21, 2011)

I agree. Wait if you can. If you can't and definitely settled on AMD and AM3+. Pick up an Athlon II chip save your funds for an FX .


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> Go intel, 2500K-2600K with Z68 motherboard.



Will the 4 core processor perform as good as a 6 core processor?


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## brandonwh64 (Sep 21, 2011)

This will show you the diffrences, the intel chip performs much better. just look at the FPS diffrences

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=287


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 21, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Will the 4 core processor perform as good as a 6 core processor?



Further commenting; what will this PC be used for?


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

As for the tower, is the Antec Lanboy as good at heat dissipation as it claims with the positive pressure system?


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

It will be a gaming PC, I want to be able to run pretty much anything I throw at it.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 21, 2011)

K, and you want to order these ASAP? I'm still in favor of a little wait. Pretty sure FX processors hit "shelves" in 2-3 weeks. If you can't wait....

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

Oh also

LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 1...

And get 2 of these SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac... instead of the single 2Tb


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

I can wait, I only have about $1000 saved up right now and I have my laptop which runs well for the time being. If I were to wait 2-3 weeks could I get an even better computer for a similar price?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 21, 2011)

aries117 said:


> If I were to wait 2-3 weeks could I get an even better computer for a similar price?



Possibly. I would go ahead and order other items sans the cpu/mobo. Take a look around at the combo deals neweggs provides. May even find something worthwhile.

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152390 ETA October 12


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Would you recommend getting the one of the new AMD FX processors as opposed to an Intel 2600K? And are most mobos compatible with both so I won't have to wait to get the mobo?


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

On another note, is the Radeon 2GB Graphics card I posted a good deal for the price? I've always used nVidia but I have heard good things about ATI recently.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Sep 21, 2011)

Yes a good choice generally however unless you are playing above 1920x1200 (and I'm going to assume the answer is no) a cheaper 1GB card is likely sufficient even going forward awhile. But there is better "bang for buck" out there mainly with two cheaper cards in crossfire such as 6850s like I run. With rebates can get two for south of $300 like that 2GB 6950 (and yes two 6850s will beat a single 6950 or I wouldn't mention it). Two 6870s is even better of course and not much more. If you don't go AM3 perhaps your mobo will support SLI and then cheaper dual NV cards would be an option too.

Update: nvm remembered some AM3 boards support SLI too. If they do they will advertise it.


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

How would you make both of the ATI graphics cards run at the same time? Is it similar to the nVidia SLI?

Also the 6870s are two slots, that would be a lot of space if you had two

PowerColor AX6870 1GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256...

Would 2 of that card outperform the 6950 as well?

And how can you tell if the tower I want will have room?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 21, 2011)

If multi gpu is a possibility, cheapest solution if you don't mind skipping DX11 is a pair of GTX275's. Should be had for $90-110 used each.


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

So since the two card option seems to be the way to go, what are some great mobos that have 4 pci express 2.1 slots and have good specs that will be good for a few years into the future.


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

bear jesus said:


> I have to wonder if the motherboard and CPU could be replaced with something LGA1155 with a sandy bridge based CPU for a similar cost but greater performance also one thing that stands out is the hard drive, green models tend to be more about power saving than speed thus the 5900 RPM over the more standard 7200 RPM so you may want to look for another model.
> 
> Something to keep in mind though is Bulldozer based CPU's should be out in just a few weeks so it may be best to wait and see what it brings either performance wise or price drops on other products and even more so with today's news post on the prices of bulldozer CPU's "eight-core FX-8150, FX-8120, and six-core FX-6120, priced at US $245, $205, and $175".



If I was to wait to get one of the AMD FX processors what would be a good mobo for that?


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## bear jesus (Sep 21, 2011)

I think if you could wait about 3 weeks that would be best as even if bulldozer based CPU's are not the best option there could be price drops on some sandy bridge based cpu's so either way you should be able to benefit from the short wait.
But then motherboard selection depends greatly on weather you would go with LGA1155 (sandy bridge) or AM3 (bulldozer) as both have so many great options it's hard to narrow them down without knowing at least socket type. 

As far as the graphics card goes i would say it should vary greatly on the resolution screen you intend to use, as i often use 5040x1050 i went from two 6870's to a single 6970 for the extra memory even though it was a drop in max power although it does give the option to go crossfire and gain a bunch more power in the future but since then i have noticed several games using over 1gb of memory on a single 1680x1050 screen thus giving me a bias towards cards over 1gb.

Personally i would suggest going for 1.5gb or 2gb cards and even more so if you are aiming to use the card for years to come, greatly due to the upcoming console generation but also due to upcoming PC games because chances are as time passes they will eat up more memory when on high settings.

There should be plenty of room for a multi card setup with both cards being dual slot but honestly i would suggest that a dual card setup would want more memory per card as it would allow pushing settings to the max but then with both nvidia and amd multiple cards will always come with more issues as for one compatibility varys from game to game and is highly driver dependant so a single card although less powerful is often more simple to use.

As for hard drive i would recommend something at 7200RPM as a base suggestion as 5900RPM drives should always be slower but the specific model i can't say for sure but chances are anything with green in the name will be the slower version of the drive, if you want one from Seagate i think the Barracuda XT models are more about speed than power saving, with other brands like westerndigital it's the black models, really many 7200RPM drives will be of a similar speed but there should be no difference between sata 3gbps and sata 6gbps as far as speed goes on mechanical drives so that gives many suitable options.


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## bear jesus (Sep 21, 2011)

aries117 said:


> If I was to wait to get one of the AMD FX processors what would be a good mobo for that?



Well if you did end up with bulldozer then the ASUS Crosshair V Formula you originally selected should go great with one, really any AM3+ motherboard should work with bulldozer but may require a bios update to support the new CPU's.


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Ok, thanks you are very helpful. When talking about the 6950 graphics card what would the benefits of this one  Suggested Products where it uses 3 slots, to this one MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB ... which uses 2?


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## Crap Daddy (Sep 21, 2011)

If you can wait an unknown amount of time since AMD FX CPUs are nowhere to be seen and AMD themselves are not saying anything else than Q4 then wait and compare these with Sandy Bridge. My opinion is that for gaming purposes the best CPU price/perf is the 2500K. As for the GPU I'd sugest a GTX570 a card on average with the same power as the best single from AMD, 6970


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Also, what about power supplies? Is the one I posted good enough? or will I want to look for a 900w or one with more power?


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## bear jesus (Sep 21, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Ok, thanks you are very helpful. When talking about the 6950 graphics card what would the benefits of this one  Suggested Products where it uses 3 slots, to this one MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB ... which uses 2?



I would say that is a tough choice greatly depending on looks as they should both perform about the same and both cool very well, personally i would go for the dual slot version from MSI as it should keep crossfire in the future an option.



Crap Daddy said:


> If you can wait an unknown amount of time since AMD FX CPUs are nowhere to be seen and AMD themselves are not saying anything else than Q4 then wait and compare these with Sandy Bridge. My opinion is that for gaming purposes the best CPU price/perf is the 2500K. As for the GPU I'd sugest a GTX570 a card on average with the same power as the best single from AMD, 6970



According to the front page news today October 12th is the launch date for the first 3 models, but i agree that it seams that there is a lack of official confirmation.

Although personally not a fan of the 570's 1.2gb of memory i would agree on the power/performance, but i admit the lower memory is only an issue for me on one game at 1680x1050 and then the rest only apply at triple screen res so could be perfect for aries117 but i would say it depends on price difference between a 6950 and 570.


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## aries117 (Sep 21, 2011)

Sorry for all the questions lol, but thank you all for the help. I was wondering if the tower I chose, which is a mid tower, would have enough room to even do 2 for the crossfire if I did that as a future option, or would I need to go with a larger tower? And if so, what are some decently priced, ascetically pleasing towers that would work with this setup?


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## bear jesus (Sep 21, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Also, what about power supplies? Is the one I posted good enough? or will I want to look for a 900w or one with more power?



I would say it depends if you would want to go crossfire or sli with high end cards in the future, when using 6870 crossfire and with my current 6970 my 620w psu has easily handled them but a pair of 6950's, 6970's, 570's, 580's all would want more power.

If you think you may pick a higher end card and may want to go dual card in the future then you may be better off with 850w+ but apart from multiple GPU the PSU you originally selected should be fine.



aries117 said:


> Sorry for all the questions lol, but thank you all for the help. I was wondering if the tower I chose, which is a mid tower, would have enough room to even do 2 for the crossfire if I did that as a future option, or would I need to go with a larger tower? And if so, what are some decently priced, ascetically pleasing towers that would work with this setup?



We are all here just to help so ask away

As far as i can tell you should be fine with 2 dual slot cards in that case but pci-e slot arrangement may effect what other cards would fit along side a pair of gpu's.

Here is a dual slot card installed so you can see there is plenty of space for more


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## aries117 (Sep 22, 2011)

Ok, so going by what I have learned this is what I have in my cart for the time being, I figure I should wait until I get my processor to get a mobo, but the rest of this stuff should work. If any of it conflicts or is a bad deal or whatever, please let me know. Thanks :]

Tower: Antec Lanboy air Blue Black / Blue ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case $199.99
$154.99 after mail in rebate


Harddrive: 2x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -m #: N82E16822152185 $129.98
$119.98 after mail in rebate
($59.99 each)

GPU: MSI R6950 Twin Frozr  III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...Item #: N82E16814127575 $299.99

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE ...Item #: N82E16817371050 $149.99
$129.99 after mail in rebate


Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Item #: N82E16820145345 $68.99
$58.99 after mail in rebate

Disc Drive: LG Black Super Multi SATA WH12LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136226
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $79.99
$69.99 after mail in rebate

Is all of this stuff in line with what I have been told? If not please let me know. 

Thanks again for everything guys!


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## aries117 (Sep 23, 2011)

Is that hardware good? 
Thanks


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 23, 2011)

I know the case is more personal tastes than anything but here are my alternates to the Lanboy ....

Corsair Graphite Series 600T CC600TM Mid-Tower Gam...
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Ste...
COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black ...
SILVERSTONE Precision Series PS06B-W Black Plastic...
LIAN LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K9WX Black ...
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enth...
Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Ca...

No particular order


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## aries117 (Sep 23, 2011)

do you not like the antec lanboy? I want something that will have the ability for a lot of LEDs. Ideally I would like green, but there hardly seems to be any black and green towers out there at all let alone ones that look cool.


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## aries117 (Sep 23, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enth...
> 
> No particular order



NZXT Crafted Series Phantom Black / Green Trim Ste...

I really like this tower because it's black and green and is also a full tower.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 23, 2011)

aries117 said:


> NZXT Crafted Series Phantom Black / Green Trim Ste...
> 
> I really like this tower because it's black and green and is also a full tower.



I love it!


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## aries117 (Sep 23, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> I love it!



Now what about case fans? For both functionality and flare, what are the good brands for fans and what brands make green LED ones. On newegg they don't have too many and they don't seem to be from the name brands. Any ideas?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 23, 2011)

What price range we talking for each fan?

EDIT:

Ahhh here we go, these should fit the bill

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...en_LED_Fan_-_Medium_Speed_D12SM-12.html#blank


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## aries117 (Sep 26, 2011)

I was wondering if anyone had any comments on this PSU. It seems to have gotten decent reviews but I was wondering if any of you had anything to say about it.

Rosewill LIGHTNING Series LIGHTNING-1000 1000W Con...

Thanks

EDIT: I'm actually trying to find one with a green LED, but I can't seem to find one with a high enough power supply. I realize I could just replace the fan on a different PSU with a green LED one but that would most likely void the warranty and I would like to see if I can find one that comes that way.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 26, 2011)

When it comes to psu, I would skip on cosmetics and go strictly build quality and brand. Seeing as though you have nearly a full $150 budget for a PSU...

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V ...
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Perf...
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX950 (CMPSU-950TX) 950W...
Mushkin Enhanced MKNPSJL1000 1000W ATX12V v2.3 80 ...


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## aries117 (Sep 26, 2011)

This was the one I was considering before I saw the Rosewill one
LEPA G900-MA 900W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLU...
seems to be pretty good. What do you think?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 26, 2011)

Never heard of Lepa. I will have to do some research.  From my point of view it looks ok. To be honest, I would jump on that Mushkin PC P & C.


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## aries117 (Sep 26, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> To be honest, I would jump on that Mushkin PC P & C.



Does the fact that it's only 80 silver mean anything?

And also it says nvidia sli certified, but is it also compatible with ati radeon? Because the graphics card that I am considering at the moment is ati

Also, I ended up buying the NZXT Phantom Green on amazon for $119 and free shipping. I liked the case a lot and thought it was a good deal because it was much cheaper than newegg and had free shipping


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## stinger608 (Sep 26, 2011)

aries117 said:


> If I was to wait to get one of the AMD FX processors what would be a good mobo for that?



ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s...

The new Asus Crosshair V Formula would be a perfect match up for the new 8150FX


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## arnoo1 (Sep 26, 2011)

pick a 2500k with a nice gigabyte z68 ud3/ud4 mobo and 8gb corsair vengeance 1600 c8 1.5v kit,
you will have a killer setup


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

Another question. Unfortunately with the layout of my house, I will need a wireless adapter to connect to my router. I was wondering if finding a mobo with a built in adapter for 802.11n or actually buying a separate one would be best. Any suggestions?


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## bear jesus (Sep 29, 2011)

I have the same issue and the built in wireless connection is exactly what got me to pick the asus m3a32-mvp deluxe years ago, it's something i have been keeping an eye out for on current boards as it is something i would like to have again but so far i have not noticed any suitable boards with them built in, i have only really seen them on boards that are more designed for HTPC use 

I admit i have not specifically searched for one recently but it is in my general review browsing that i have not noticed any and that normally includes all the new boards suitable for a nice gaming PC.

The best option would be to get either a pci-e x1 or pci add in card to combine with the motherboard you choose.


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

Alright, then would the pci-e or an external usb option be the best?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 29, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Alright, then would the pci-e or an external usb option be the best?



External USB. Why bog down your choices internally with add-on cards when USB works just fine.


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## bear jesus (Sep 29, 2011)

Personally i have only used pci-e or pci cards, really though i think it would depend on your connection speed as i know some people have a much faster connection speed than the available bandwidth of usb.

Unless you have a super fast connection i would say it's down to personal choice, part of why i went internal pci-e x1 is because there was one available for £4 where i normally shop... yes i'm cheap when it comes to many components


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

lol, well the internet I will be getting friday is 30 mbps cable.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 29, 2011)

aries117 said:


> lol, well the internet I will be getting friday is 30 mbps cable.



Yeah and USB 2.0 plenty enough even for dual band wifi n. Wondering if there are USB 3 adapters out yet


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

On newegg I haven't seen any 3.0s I was actually looking for one too cuz a lot of the mobos I am looking at have a few of them.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 29, 2011)

Yah know, I am going to retract my previous statement.

Rosewill RNX-N180PCe Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b... 

That's a pretty damn good deal.


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

Sweet, that is one of the ones I was looking at :]


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

Alright, I am going to purchase a few more things tonight I think. That wireless adapter, and because I will most likely be getting the AMD FX 8 core and an AMD mobo, this GPU MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit... and maybe this RAM G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 S... and this PSU PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Perf...


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## aries117 (Sep 29, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> To be honest, I would jump on that Mushkin PC P & C.



I like this power supply, that being said there is a combo deal on newegg
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L... for the asus mobo and a 1350w psu. It's a little more expensive but if it's worth it I may consider it. I am just not sure if I would need 1350 watts lol


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 29, 2011)

It's nice but highly doubtful you will need 1300W.

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

There's also a good combo.


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## brandonwh64 (Sep 29, 2011)

Here is what I recommend, Its alittle over budget but could be tweaked to lower prices







*FIXED*


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## aries117 (Sep 30, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> Here is what I recommend, Its alittle over budget but could be tweaked to lower prices



This is definitely a viable option, but I'm still going to wait for the AMD FX processors to come out to make my final decision on mobo and cpu.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 30, 2011)

aries117 said:


> This is definitely a viable option, but I'm still going to wait for the AMD FX processors to come out to make my final decision on mono and cpu.



^^ It's a good build. I would swap out the board & video card though.

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6...

XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 ...\


Don't forget USE COMBO DEALS to your advantage.


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## aries117 (Sep 30, 2011)

This is what I have picked out so far, checked boxes are things I've already bought, I got the NZXT on amazon for $119 and it had free shipping.

*EDIT*


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 30, 2011)

Try out TPU Capture

www.techpowerup.com/tpucapture


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## aries117 (Sep 30, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> Try out TPU Capture
> 
> www.techpowerup.com/tpucapture



lol I can't actually install that at the moment because I am on my macbook.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 30, 2011)

aries117 said:


> lol I can't actually install that at the moment because I am on my macbook.



Phooey! Then head over to www.techpowerup.org for the image hosting side of TPU.


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## aries117 (Sep 30, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> Phooey! Then head over to www.techpowerup.org for the image hosting side of TPU.



Ok I updated my previous post with a working image this time, Thanks :]


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 30, 2011)

Heya bro, Just realized something. Combo deal in post #56 would serve you just as good as the choices in your basket. Just pointing it out that you can get your psu & ram for nearly same cost as that PC P&C.


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## aries117 (Sep 30, 2011)

I already bought the G-Skill RAM, but if I bought that combo and used all four RAM cards would they conflict at all? And would the slightly less power output of that psu become an issue later?

*edit* also the corsair PSU seems to have a few bad reviews for DoA and similar problems


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## springs113 (Oct 1, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Alright, I am going to purchase a few more things tonight I think. That wireless adapter, and because I will most likely be getting the AMD FX 8 core and an AMD mobo, this GPU MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit... and maybe this RAM G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 S... and this PSU PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Perf...



If you haven't bought your psu yet newegg has the seasonic x750 gold for about 130....awesome psu and if you are close to a micr*center or better yet order it on their website...for 160...actually that micro psu is the updated 760 version ...heres a review
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=235
also the i2500k is a better value in my op...its 179 at micro instore only though, newegg has been getting expensive lately.


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## aries117 (Oct 1, 2011)

springs113 said:


> If you haven't bought your psu yet newegg has the seasonic x750 gold for about 130....awesome psu and if you are close to a micr*center or better yet order it on their website...for 160...actually that micro psu is the updated 760 version ...heres a review
> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=235
> also the i2500k is a better value in my op...its 179 at micro instore only though, newegg has been getting expensive lately.



I'm actually trying to get something with at least 850 or 900w just in case I add a bunch of hardware in the future.


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## springs113 (Oct 1, 2011)

aries117 said:


> I'm actually trying to get something with at least 850 or 900w just in case I add a bunch of hardware in the future.



Understandable, check out the review though as it just isn't your ordinary psu, and I believe fellow members can say the same...that review that I posted is from a very well known psu torture tester.  His reviews carry a lot weight, also check to see if any specific psu that you are looking for is there.

On a side note if you check the case gallery you will see my am3 system running dual visiontek 4850s.. a p2 955 oc @ 3.7 with dual dvd burners, 300gb velociraptor, n 4 black 1-1.5 hdds, about 9 120mm fans...on an msi 790fx gd70 board all running on a seasonic 80+ certified s550 w psu


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## aries117 (Oct 2, 2011)

What about this one?

PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910W High Performanc...

*EDIT*
also can someone tell me what exactly makes this card 
HIS IceQ X Turbo X H695QNX2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB ...
30 bucks more than this card
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 25...

Thanks


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## springs113 (Oct 2, 2011)

aries117 said:


> What about this one?
> 
> PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910W High Performanc...
> 
> ...


Its the clock speed...as far ad your psu goes, ill check that out when i go home.


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 2, 2011)

springs113 said:


> Its the clock speed.



I can confirm. Only clock speed difference and tbh, it's a very minimal overclock as well, not warranting the premium at all.

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatp...

Add a video card and be done with the build!


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## aries117 (Oct 2, 2011)

Regardless of the mobo and cpu I get would it be a good idea to get one of those cpu heatsink coolers?


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 2, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Regardless of the mobo and cpu I get would it be a good idea to get one of those cpu heatsink coolers?



Here's the thing, if you are going to be learning or will be overclocking, you will need it.


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## aries117 (Oct 2, 2011)

Alright cool, I'll definitely get one then. And I think I have decided on that HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 25...
video card. So now all I need is a disc drive, psu, cpu+cooler, and mobo.


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 2, 2011)

aries117 said:


> disc drive



HDD or Optical?

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac...

If you want the capability:
Blu ray reading/burning
LITE-ON Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-...

Blu ray reading + DVD burning
SAMSUNG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SA...


DVD burner/reader
LG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 2...


EDIT:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152871

Pickup his Sunbeam CCF. Awesome cooler for his asking price.


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> HDD or Optical?
> 
> Pickup his Sunbeam CCF. Awesome cooler for his asking price.



An optical drive is what I'm looking for and his thread doesn't specify if its the 120 mm or the 92, it looks like the 92, and if so it's cheaper on newegg for a new one lol


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

JrRacinFan said:


> If you want the capability:
> Blu ray reading/burning
> LITE-ON Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-...



I was actually considering this one, it's cheaper
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 1...
thoughts?


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## springs113 (Oct 3, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Alright cool, I'll definitely get one then. And I think I have decided on that HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 25...
> video card. So now all I need is a disc drive, psu, cpu+cooler, and mobo.


 I didn't get a chance to check out the psu...but if you are looking to spend 180ish on a mobo I say go with the msi g3- gd65 z68 chipset.  I say go for the LG bluray burner drive for around 79....& give the corsair h60 or 80 cpu cooler...i have the 60 with a 2500k @ 4.2 default voltages and im idling around 30 n load around 40...max temp after 10 hrs prime 95 was 56


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

Well I am still waiting until the AMD FX processors come out to decide, I think I will wait a little bit after they come out to see reviews and see if there are any problems with them, then, if they aren't up to par, maybe I'll go with the intel chipset. I just want to get the most bang for my buck and 275 bucks for a record setting supposedly super powered 8 core processor seems like a good deal lol


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## springs113 (Oct 3, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Well I am still waiting until the AMD FX processors come out to decide, I think I will wait a little bit after they come out to see reviews and see if there are any problems with them, then, if they aren't up to par, maybe I'll go with the intel chipset. I just want to get the most bang for my buck and 275 bucks for a record setting supposedly super powered 8 core processor seems like a good deal lol



That was exactly my thinking but it seems like they taking forever.


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

springs113 said:


> That was exactly my thinking but it seems like they taking forever.



Well they announced that they will be released October 12th so I'm at least waiting until then.


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 3, 2011)

Its a wise choice even if they don't perform as well as it is being hyped to be.


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

I think I'm going to get this CPU cooler COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 120mm ...
it's the new model of the 212+ which got rave reviews and has broad compatibility. It also is pretty cheap.


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## springs113 (Oct 3, 2011)

aries117 said:


> I think I'm going to get this CPU cooler COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 120mm ...
> it's the new model of the 212+ which got rave reviews and has broad compatibility. It also is pretty cheap.



That was my choice for air cooling but I went with water(all in one).


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## aries117 (Oct 3, 2011)

springs113 said:


> That was my choice for air cooling but I went with water(all in one).


I am considering going with a water cooling system in the future, but I will stick with air for now.

Also I wouldn't even know where to start for water cooling.


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 4, 2011)

aries117 said:


> Also I wouldn't even know where to start for water cooling.



Watercooling really is simple, just need to make necessary precautions and more maintenance. There are many many people on the forums willing to assist when you're ready.


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## springs113 (Oct 4, 2011)

aries117 said:


> I am considering going with a water cooling system in the future, but I will stick with air for now.
> 
> Also I wouldn't even know where to start for water cooling.



the one i referred you to is an all in one heres  a link CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance L...


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## aries117 (Oct 12, 2011)

Ok, so now that FX processors have been released some of the reviews don't seem to be going to well. Thoughts?


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## bear jesus (Oct 12, 2011)

Honestly after seeing the results i would have a very hard time recommending that you go with bulldozer.

Really in almost every case you would be better off going with a sandy bridge i7.


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## aries117 (Oct 12, 2011)

would it be worth the price jump to go for the 6 core or will the four core be plenty?

*edit* and in either case I'm looking through the various cpu and mobo combos on newegg and I was wondering which combos were just blow you away good. 
Thanks :]


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## springs113 (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm glad I went sb, now my next upgrade to ivy will result in my wife's pc to jump to a quad which means she's either getting my 955 be p2 or my 2500k which is plenty fast for what she has now.  It AMD is banking that win 7 can't utilize the processor effectively then I can't wait till win 8 release with the new refreshes of this CPU


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## bear jesus (Oct 12, 2011)

aries117 said:


> would it be worth the price jump to go for the 6 core or will the four core be plenty?
> 
> *edit* and in either case I'm looking through the various cpu and mobo combos on newegg and I was wondering which combos were just blow you away good.
> Thanks :]



With the sandy bridge CPU's there are only quad cores and dual threaded quad cores.

Personally i would want to go with the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z and Intel Core i7-2600K but at $665 combined they would eat up a large chunk of your budget, honestly i'm not the best person to suggest a board though as i have not read enough reviews of the different LGA1155 boards.

But i would say that your best options for CPU should be the Intel Core i7-2600K or Core i5-2500K and then one of the higher end LGA1155 motherboards but as far as that choice goes i think colour scheme should play a role and then look through reviews or ask others if something you like to look of is good.


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 12, 2011)

aries117 said:


> I'm looking through the various cpu and mobo combos on newegg



Just noticed that NewEgg listed nearly all of it's combo deals containing a 2500K as out of stock.


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## springs113 (Oct 12, 2011)

bear jesus said:


> With the sandy bridge CPU's there are only quad cores and dual threaded quad cores.
> 
> Personally i would want to go with the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z and Intel Core i7-2600K but at $665 combined they would eat up a large chunk of your budget, honestly i'm not the best person to suggest a board though as i have not read enough reviews of the different LGA1155 boards.
> 
> But i would say that your best options for CPU should be the Intel Core i7-2600K or Core i5-2500K and then one of the higher end LGA1155 motherboards but as far as that choice goes i think colour scheme should play a role and then look through reviews or ask others if something you like to look of is good.



Your best choice other than waiting is to pick up a gen 3 mono and as of right the main z68 is probably the best bang for your buck with an I5 2500k...if you live near a microcenter you can pick it up for 179...a couple of weeks ago it was going for 150...I currently bought the aforementioned products and I am sitting @4ghz oc on stock voltages.


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## brandonwh64 (Oct 12, 2011)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=6982&name=LGA-1155-/-Socket-H2&

CHECK THAT for combo deals


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## aries117 (Oct 16, 2011)

I bought the NZXT Phantom full case. It supports 1 140mm fan in front, 2 200mm fans on top, 1 120mm fan in rear, and 2 120mm fans on the side as well as a 200/230mm fan on the side. Because I will be using a cpu heatsink/fan the 200mm side fan won't fit. I bought 3 120mm fans, 1 140mm and 2 200mms. I was wondering what the best setup for the fans would be. I was thinking that having the front, side, and rear fans all be intake and having the two 200mm fans on the top be exhaust would be pretty good seeing as heat rises and that would just work with the natural flow. I also thought that having the intakes near the psu, graphics card, and hard drives would help to keep them cool. If anyone has any suggestions please comment :]
Thanks

*edit*
also, on my cooler master hyper 212 eve cpu cooler, should i have the fan blowing upwards through the heatsink towards the exhaust fans? or facing upward pulling the air through the heatsink up towards the exhaust fans?


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## aries117 (Oct 20, 2011)

Anyone have tips for the fan setup?


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## phanbuey (Oct 20, 2011)

honestly, with that many fans, it really don't matter you can superglue them on sideways.... 

just do the standard:

front and sides intake, and rear and top exhaust.


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## sharat (Oct 20, 2011)

this psu has the ability to change colors i have one in my current computer.. Even with a broken fan blade( dont ask) it runs quit and nice.. Cant get a new blade for it though basically junk hence why i havent bothered replacing it as of yet
APEVIA WARLOCK POWER ATX-WA900W 900W ATX12V / EPS1...


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## PaulieG (Oct 20, 2011)

sharat said:


> this psu has the ability to change colors i have one in my current computer.. Even with a broken fan blade( dont ask) it runs quit and nice.. Cant get a new blade for it though basically junk hence why i havent bothered replacing it as of yet
> APEVIA WARLOCK POWER ATX-WA900W 900W ATX12V / EPS1...



At that price, there are so many better quality options, minus the "bling"


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