New Build - Need HELP! AMD, ATI

[zballa]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming (COD 2, WoW, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and Warcraft 3)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Roughly $1,000.00 Canadian

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Canada

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

Looking at building an AMD dragon platform with ATI 5850 (Asus, AMD, ATI, Corsair)

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

PSU: Corsair 700-Watt Modular PSU (2 months old)
GPU: ATI Radeon 5850
HDD1: 64GB Corsair SSD (OS, Wow)
HDD2: 500GB WD 7400
HDD3: 1TB WD 7400
Optical Drive

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
None.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

May overclock when I read up about it.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Next week.

9. What resolution do you use?

I currently have 3 24" Samsung 1920x1200 displays running Eyefinity at 5760x1200 (only use this for WoW)

Hi Guys,

First post here - and I am already asking for help.

So about two years ago I built a rig strictly for gaming - I had somewhat of a low budget to start off with but made it work. Here are my current specs:

Operating system:Windows 7 (64-bit) 2.6.1.7600
Case: ThermalTake Armor
CPU type:Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz
CPU Speed (GHz):2.414
CPU Cooler: Zalman (not sure the model)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus Formula
System memory (GB):3.999 (not exactly sure what type of memory, but I know the brand is Mushkin)
Graphics card model: ATI Radeon HD 5850 Series (running three Samsung 24" displays in Eyefinity)
Desktop resolution:5760x1200
Hard Drive (main OS): SSD 64GB Corsair
Hard Drive 2: 500GB WD 7400RPM
Hard Drive 3: 1TB WD 7400RPM
PSU: Corsair 700W

The above build is working out nicely - since I mostly play WoW, COD 4, and Warcraft III and Starcraft. I am looking forward to the launch of Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, as well as anything else on the horizon.

I would love to build a Core i7 but to do it right it will be out of my price range - I would like to keep it under $1000.00 CDN by using some parts from my existing rig. I am essentially looking for the most bang for the buck. The AMD Dragon platform is appealing to me. I love ASUS and Corsair products.

Here is what I have in mind at the moment - but please make your suggestions.

Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D (absolutely love this case)
Motherboard: NO IDEA
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
CPU Cooler: Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50
Power Supply: Existing Corsair 700-Watt
Memory: NO IDEA (at least 4gb)
GPU: Existing ATI 5850

Looking for suggestions on the rest.

Thanks,
Zoltan

[deathsupport]

To clarify, your budget of $1000 CDN is essentially for a new case, motherboard, CPU and memory?
If so, you definitely have enough for at least a low-end i7 build (which is by no means slow). The only thing you must consider is what you want to do in the future, as the Intel platforms are most likely limited whereas the AMD socket might (or will, not sure) end up accepting hexacore CPUs.
Personally, I'd go with Intel.

[zballa]

Yes, new case, motherbord, CPU, and memory

I dont mind going intel over AMD - any suggestions on chip, motherborad, and memory? Last i checked i7 motherboards are very expensive.

Thanks,
Z

[CroSsFiRe2009]

i7 860, p7p55d-e pro or an evga p55 ftw if your overclocking. G.Skill ripjaws, hyper 212+ should fit the bill nicely for a p55 build but I think with 1000, you can even go for a x58. I personally think the 800D is way to expensive at the moment but to each their own. Buying used off the forums would also make it significantly cheaper too if you don't mind used components and would let you have more options too.

[clone63]

Newegg.ca - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.ca - A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-2G or
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
Nothing wrong with that setup. I picked a SataIII board, since they really aren't too much more and it covers you for the near future. That ram is on the cheaper side of ddr3 4gb, so there are faster but more expensive options. There is always used as well!

[zballa]

Alright, Im looking at both AMD and Core i7 builds right now... I am starting to rethink the spending the 300+ on the case. If I picked up another 5850 and ran them in Crossfire - would I notice the same performance no matter which CPU I picked?

Thanks,
Zoltan

[Jamula66]

For gaming you should see the same performance from any of those CPUs, but when you get into things like video editing then the hyper threading of the i7s is the way to go.

For the purpose of your build with your costs I would look at:
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C9 6GB DDR3
Intel Core i7 930
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D

Total: $1047

If you want to save a bit of money then look for another case, but I know how hard it is when you really fall in love with a case and sometimes you just have to buy it - even if it doesn't suit your budget

[johnnyblazzwa]

just a heads up, the am3 X6 processors should be out any time now. 6 cores for cheap is ganster yo



6 CORES YO!

[CyHawk]

I really don't see any reason to spend the extra money on a i7-860 when the i5-750 is a very solid performer.

[crazyhorsejohnny]

Originally Posted by CyHawk

I really don't see any reason to spend the extra money on a i7-860 when the i5-750 is a very solid performer.

I believe the 750 overclocks really good too.