# About to Pull the trigger...Plz Help



## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 6, 2010)

Hey guys just signed up to get your input on this system I put together before I take the plunge....

Im pretty set on the Processor/Motherboard.....but would like to know what you would change otherwise.
 Im coming from and ancient Alienware PC circa 1999 with an AGP graphics card and 512 MB rambus   which is kinda sad by todays standards but shes still chugging along as I type this. Im looking for something that can handle todays games/Apps and be upgraded in the future as needed....(This rig will be used on a 23in Monitor @1080P/hdmi)......and here we go

-AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 
-MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
*Combo price = $317*


-CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 
*Price = $99*


-POWERCOLOR AX5850 1GBD5-MDHG Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 
*Price = $289 w/dirt 2
*

-SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
*Price = $89*

-OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire ----Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC ... - 
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106289
*Combo Price = $76 w/25 rebate*

-LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
*Price = $89 *

*Total = $964*

Is this OK guys?...im not exactly super strict with the budget, but If I can save Money on something and get the same/better performance Im all ears. Im still coming to grasp with All the different mobos/ram types ect. so any help is appreciated!

edit:1 quick thing...is the step up to a 5870 worth it?...im hoping this thing is up to snuff when crysis 2 comes about without too much upgrading. Ive heard that the 5850's OC like mad though. Thanks again!


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## DirectorC (Feb 6, 2010)

Yeah, that is a nice setup.  I would build an i5 as it crushes every Phenom II on the planet but if you prefer AMD then that is a bangin build.

And no, the 5870 isn't enough of an increase in performance to warrant the price premium.  It literally gets about 10% more FPS, that's Crysis at 1080 with settings up: 44FPS vs 40FPS--not noticeable.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 6, 2010)

Im going with AMD with the hopes of riding the AM3 socket to another processor in the future as I thought the i5 was a dead end upgrade wise?


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## DirectorC (Feb 6, 2010)

SilverSRT4turbo said:


> Im going with AMD with the hopes of riding the AM3 socket to another processor in the future as I thought the i5 was a dead end upgrade wise?



Everything I've seen about the longevity of the P55/1156 and the X58/1366 platforms vs the AM3 platforms is all speculation.  AMD could decide later this year that AM3 isn't good enough for 6 or 8 core processors and scrap it just like Intel could decide that P55 and X58 will be good enough for the next 2+ years.  I don't think anything is set in stone and the news coming from either party are more about processors they're pushing on their current platforms and you can expect it to be that way for the next year or two anyway.


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## InTeL-iNsIdE (Feb 6, 2010)

I would get a better psu than that a corsair 550w is ideal


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 6, 2010)

Thanks for the quick response, and yeah i might piece together an i5-720 rig to compare.


Would the HDD and RAM I selected be good for gaming purposes? Im still new to all of this stuff (been reading upon these forums) & want to be sure.

edit: yea...just picked up that particular PSU becuase of the combo deal, but might change that also.


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## Helper (Feb 6, 2010)

SilverSRT4turbo said:


> Im going with AMD with the hopes of riding the AM3 socket to another processor in the future as I thought the i5 was a dead end upgrade wise?



It's long away from being dead. At least a few years. Yes, I don't like i5 either. It looks like a Socket 754. And i7 sounds like it'll live more but i5 is nowhere dead man. It's just released the last year... and i'm pretty sure when that time comes, you'll move on to a complete new system. Just like how you're doing it right now.

By the way, I would change that PSU to a better one. That PSU wasn't meant to power systems like that. It was designed thinking of older systems. I'm not saying that it won't work with it. But something more powerful will be better for that.


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## DirectorC (Feb 6, 2010)

SilverSRT4turbo said:


> Thanks for the quick response, and yeah i might piece together an i5-720 rig to compare.
> 
> 
> Would the HDD and RAM I selected be good for gameing purposes? Im still new to all of this stuff (been reading upon these forums) & want to be sure.



The good thing about Corsair modules is that they always pretty much just work on whatever system you throw them in.  They're known to be reliable for stability at their rated speeds and latencies so you're always going to see love for Corsair RAM.  You can probably get something with lower latencies from GSkill, OCZ, or Mushkin though, they make good memory too.

The F3 is a top drive.  It'll definitely rip through any file operations you throw at it.

Educate yourself about RAID0, and SSDs too, if you haven't.  Look it up, you'll see I'm a big fan of both of these.  I'm running a RAID0 and file extraction and copy operations are more than twice as fast as they were on my single drive.  Game map loading gets a nice pick up also.


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## DirectorC (Feb 6, 2010)

Also: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

More better.

And this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

No need to spend extra cash on modular cables when you've got a case you can hide them in.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 6, 2010)

Thanks for the lightning fast responses guys.....im not in a mad-rush so Ill skim around a bit before making a decision and Ill be sure to update w/my progress. 

Will likely price an i5 config & see how that pans out.


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## DirectorC (Feb 6, 2010)

I built my dream machine based on your choices.  Definitely didn't save you any money though


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 6, 2010)

Ok...one final round of questions before I decide what im going to get.


1. How much "faster" are the i5 720's compared to the amd 965? Will it affect the performnce enough to justify one or the other?(not trying to start an amd vs intel flame war)

2. If the difference is substantial can the 965 be OC'd to match the i5?

3. I see all these Mobo's with different stats on the PCIE x16 slots..... some say they support crossfire but one is 16x while the other is 8x or 4x. Im assuming that the higher the number the better/faster? Like 2 @ 16x would be better than one @ 16x and another at 4x. How much would this affect performance if I decide to go crossfire in the future. 

Thanks for any help once again.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 7, 2010)

Done deal....

Went with the following

AMD x4 965 BE
MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Corsair 650w Power Supply
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
Found a code for $30 off the Asus 5870 & said why not.
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black

I may have went a little overboard for what I need but I just sold a junker car I had sitting at my dads house & Im getting Windows 7 UE for free so Its all good.

Thanks again for the help and Ill probably be back when I fry something putting it together


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## kurosagi01 (Feb 7, 2010)

you could always wait for phenom II X6 they should be coming out pretty soon.


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## Mussels (Feb 7, 2010)

kurosagi01 said:


> you could always wait for phenom II X6 they should be coming out pretty soon.



too late, you are. Quad core he has. MmmmmMMmmmm. [/yoda]


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## DirectorC (Feb 7, 2010)

SilverSRT4turbo said:


> Done deal....
> 
> Went with the following
> 
> AMD x4 965 BE



Too bad.

http://www.techspot.com/review/193-intel-core-i5-750/page6.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/193-intel-core-i5-750/page7.html

i5--It coulda made you happy.

LOL.


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## TIGR (Feb 7, 2010)

Welcome to TPU! And congrats on your purchase. It'll be plenty quick for you and a huge upgrade from your old system. Good choices on all the components, and 500w is great plenty for that rig.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 7, 2010)

I know the i5 is a little better, but I've had good experiences with AMD in the past & the difference isnt going to affect what I'll be doing for the time being anyway. And yea, they anouced the 6 cores & whatever I read about it last night before I bought my stuff, but If I wait for every new thing and price drop to come about then I'de never have a system at all

I probably could have gotten an off the shelf e-machines pc & been blown away compared to what I have now so its all good. 

Again thanks for the help, and Ill update with the progress. 

BTW, im coming from consoles & im not used to the k&m setup. Any sugestions on gaming mice that you guys have used?


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 7, 2010)

intel rig will kick the AMD in its teeth... i've had 1st hand experience.


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## Kursah (Feb 7, 2010)

Logitech makes some good ones, I've mostly used logitech for the last few years, my trusty G5 is still kicking ass for sure.

What OS are you planning on going with? Hopefully 7 (and x64 at that) for a few good reasons, dx11 being one of em. That looks like a solid build and should treat you quite well.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 7, 2010)

Fitseries3 said:


> intel rig will kick the AMD in its teeth... i've had 1st hand experience.



Maybe so, but I'll be fine with what I got.



Kursah said:


> Logitech makes some good ones, I've mostly used logitech for the last few years, my trusty G5 is still kicking ass for sure.
> 
> What OS are you planning on going with? Hopefully 7 (and x64 at that) for a few good reasons, dx11 being one of em. That looks like a solid build and should treat you quite well.



I know someone who works for MS so Im getting windows 7 ultimate ed. for free, plus pretty much any microsoft software I need. I'll need to ween myself off te controler for FPS's


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## DirectorC (Feb 7, 2010)

Yeah it's true that for daily use you will not feel the difference between any of those high end processors.  As far as keyboards I have always preferred Logitech.  A lot of people will also tell you to go with a Logitech mouse like a G9, but in my opinion it is a matter of personal preference and Logitech mice are too expensive.  I tried a Razer DeathAdder which I bought from CompUSA here in Tampa on special and it went bad on me.  Needless to say I am not happy about Razer quality anymore and I should have listened to all the people who told me about how their DeathAdder broke.  When it broke I went and got a cheap Sidewinder X3 (from CompUSA also) and I love it, it's more than fast enough (can pick up more DPI than the old DeathAdder) and feels better in my hands (it's a bit smaller).


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 7, 2010)

DirectorC said:


> Yeah it's true that for daily use you will not feel the difference between any of those high end processors.  As far as keyboards I have always preferred Logitech.  A lot of people will also tell you to go with a Logitech mouse like a G9, but in my opinion it is a matter of personal preference and Logitech mice are too expensive.  I tried a Razer DeathAdder which I bought from CompUSA here in Tampa on special and it went bad on me.  Needless to say I am not happy about Razer quality anymore and I should have listened to all the people who told me about how their DeathAdder broke.  When it broke I went and got a cheap Sidewinder X3 (from CompUSA also) and I love it, it's more than fast enough (can pick up more DPI than the old DeathAdder) and feels better in my hands (it's a bit smaller).



Tampa?...Im in Brandon here myself, but yea...I was actually looking at the death adder when I was finishing up my rig last night but decided Ill get something locally so I can return it with ease if it sucks. 

I was also looking at that belkin mini keyboard game contraption, but we'll see...im just hoping none of my parts arive DOA


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## TIGR (Feb 7, 2010)

Fitseries3 said:


> intel rig will kick the AMD in its teeth... i've had 1st hand experience.



And an SSC Ultimate Aero TT will kick a Ford Taurus in its teeth but that doesn't mean it's for everyone. And on a forum like this, when it comes to computer parts, most people have had firsthand experience. 

SRT4, the 790FX-GD70 + 965 were, for your purposes, I think the best choice. I'm going to an i5 setup myself but that's largely so I can take advantage of Intel Matrix RAID. If CPUs and motherboards were the only consideration, sticking with AMD would be a no-brainer for me. Looking around at benchmarks and verified _stable_ overclocking results, an Intel platform in many cases is not worth the typical price premium, though of course exceptions abound.


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## kurosagi01 (Feb 7, 2010)

For mouse you should go to a shop or something and hold the mouse and see what type of grip you have that suits you.
these 2 grip on a mouse are most common:
Claw Grip:




Palm Grip:





Then after you figured which is most comfortable for you can decide what mouse to get that is best suited for your grip.


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## TIGR (Feb 7, 2010)

I didn't read all the way through the thread before lol, just saw you're looking for a keyboard and mouse:

Saitek Eclipse keyboard
Logitech MX518 mouse

There may well be better keyboard options out there, it's just what I use. The MX518 mouse has got to be one of the best for the money though. Don't forget the mousepad, which isn't all hype—it can make a difference in games requiring precise control (like first person shooters). I use an XTrac Pro HS mousepad with my MX518. Overall, a very smooth, consistent, reliable, gaming experience.


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## xrealm20 (Feb 7, 2010)

Good choice in hardware -- I was considering the exact same setup before I purchased my new rig.  I'm sure you will be very happy with how the new PhII processors perform.  I've built several for customers and I've been very pleased.  'Grats on a kickass rig.


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## SilverSRT4turbo (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks again for all the responses. 

Seems like im a claw grip so I'll have to check out some of the stuff you guys suggested. Again, im just happy Ill have something that I can actually game on again. The last PC game I tried running was the original BF2 because all My friends had gotten gaming rigs at the time. It ran something like 20 FPS with with textures that made it look like I was playing starfox on SNES.

Im in the process of talking my friend into upgrading his PC (its a quad core Pentium, but his RAM and GPU are lacking)  & join me in the fun but he's a diehard console guy.


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## department76 (Feb 7, 2010)

gj on putting together a nice build, have fun!





DirectorC said:


> Too bad.
> 
> http://www.techspot.com/review/193-intel-core-i5-750/page6.html
> 
> ...



that review is missing the PII @ 4ghz.  they also don't arrange their charts by score, they leave the i5 @ 4ghz+ on top in every chart.  i don't like biased crap like that.


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## DirectorC (Feb 8, 2010)

department76 said:


> that review is missing the PII @ 4ghz.  they also don't arrange their charts by score, they leave the i5 @ 4ghz+ on top in every chart.  i don't like biased crap like that.



Still, if you read them, they don't lie.  The i5 @ 2.66 runs with the PII @ 3.4 and overclocking either processor doesn't dynamically expand its power by more than the other, does it?  In fact, if anything, the i5 may show the highest dynamic gain from overclocking, as it even says peace out to an i7 at the same overclock.

But in the end, you won't notice it doing anything besides encoding and other processor-intensive activities.  You bought a monster video card which will eat up everything you throw at it, and the PII will be no more bottleneck than the i5.


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