discussion Noob PC builder needs advice!

[kristopher72]

Hey guys,
So I am building a computer and really have no idea what parts are best for what. What I am really looking for is a PC that is capable of playing any game they can put on the market, I'm not a super hard core gamer but I want to keep my options open for games. I want a lot of storage for downloaded movies, and generally just a decent computer. I am looking for opinions here and am open to any help that's given, but remember I have never done this before so some parts I pick may seem stupid

So far this is what I've picked out for my build, hoping I did at least one thing right:

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
A-Data 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Diamond Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card
Apevia X-Dreamer3 Black ATX Mid Tower Case
Antec 850W CPX Power Supply

That together puts me at around $700.00 for my build and I'm hoping to keep it around that price range, any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Kris

 

[moocow]

For $700, it doesn't look bad. But I have this little voice in the back of my head saying wait a bit and see what is coming in a few months. 660Ti is just around the corner and that may press AMD video card prices down even more. If you're willing to spend the money on a 7770, may as well back step to an older 560 or 570 Nvidia. While the X6 1090T can run against the newer FX, don't forget it's an older chip. Unless you can get the chip for like $100, I wouldn't look into that route. I priced the following from Newegg.com (don't know where you're from):

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$54.99

HGST Deskstar 7K1000.C
$89.99

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support FPB Video ...
$219.99 (+ $30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card)

Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active ...
$99.99

Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BLT2KIT4G3D1337DT1TX0
$44.99


ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$94.99

Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637I53550
$209.99

Total $815 USD before tax and shipping.

So, for about $150 more, you get newest Intel quad core CPU, which beat the crap out of anything AMD has to offer and it's not even the most powerful CPU. Yes, the 560Ti is old but better than the 7700 and it's not made by Diamond. I downgraded the PSU to 750 because if you're running 1 or 2 HDD and 1 GPU, you don't need 850W.

 

[bigFOIG]

take moocow's advice and go with intel

 

[Dzzope]

Agree with the above.. but if your getting z77 and a $200 chip you may as well go the lil extra for a 3570k..

Alternatively, drop in a cheaper i3 and then you have the option in the future to just buy an i5 3570k for a "drop in upgrade"..
the i3 will beat the phenom or fx in games and it provides a much less painful upgrade path in a few years when the i3 is just not doing it for you any more.

The PSU can be dropped right down to a 650 watt.. Corsair TX650M is very nice and and about $90.. it's enough to run any single card system and overclocks allowing pain free upgrades again...

$700 budget is right where I would advise going Intel over AMD.. AMD's have some great value BUT are no-where when it comes to sheer performance compared to Intel.

 

[BryceBooth]

Intel is superior, but if you are bent on an AMD rig, perhaps you could save some cash by opting for a cheaper quad-core. Most games are still 95% GPU, and if you don't use your computer for heavy-multitasking, encoding videos and such, you are better off directing money in that direction. Also, for a single GPU build, a 500-650 Watt PSU should be plenty, just make sure to buy a reputable brand. All things considered, that looks like a damn nice build.

 

[horusray]

I thought modern AMD cpu easily bottlenecks strong gpu, or in the future.

 

[Dzzope]

I thought modern AMD cpu easily bottlenecks strong gpu, or in the future.

Possibly in the most CPU intensive games but otherwise no, they are fine but really reaching the limits of their life and vs an Intel they will last no-where near as long.

 

[horusray]

Well doesn't the processor on MSI GT70 laptop (Radeon7970m version) bottlenecks the 7970m? That's what mos tppl have been saying, and same for desktop cpus...

 

[BryceBooth]

Ideally one would build a well-balanced system, however, a modern 2.8 GHz quad-core or higher is generally sufficient for most all games available on today's desktops. You may want a stronger CPU if you are a heavy multi-tasker, play RTS's (Total War), or use it for video transcoding/editing, etc. A high clocked dual-core would also be fine in a gaming-oriented box.
Lean to heavily on either side of the GPU or CPU equation, and there will be bottlenecks, just the same as memory and storage. If you want to primarily game, use GPU-compute, it is strongly advised to spend more on the graphics card as it will pay off much more to your overall, real-world user-experience.

 

[Dzzope]

Well doesn't the processor on MSI GT70 laptop (Radeon7970m version) bottlenecks the 7970m? That's what mos tppl have been saying, and same for desktop cpus...

Totally depends on what processor your talking about.. and laptops are a totally different story.. They tend to run lower power states etc depending on circumstances.
Also an i5 or i7 doesn't necessarily mean quad core on a laptop therefore the cores you do have are doing more and can bottle neck quicker.

Need to be more specific than a random laptop model (actual processor)

Back on-topic... Sorry to the OP.