looking to build a new computer with a $1000~$1300 limit.

[donutseeds]

Don't waste your money on a raid. They simply arent worth it, especially as the drive you install your OS on, as it'll increase seek latency (doesnt matter for large files, but for smaller system files that the OS needs it's pretty key). Invest in a small SSD for your core OS drive, then use a platter based drive for data storage.

[Reeno]

Don't waste your money on a raid. They simply arent worth it, especially as the drive you install your OS on, as it'll increase seek latency (doesnt matter for large files, but for smaller system files that the OS needs it's pretty key). Invest in a small SSD for your core OS drive, then use a platter based drive for data storage.

well, would you be able to suggest one of each? (SSD and platter based) im not to computer savvy =(

&that Asus monitor is better that the LG? & whats crossfire? sorry im so computer-dumb...im just basically getting what people suggest

[Omnipotent]

well, would you be able to suggest one of each? (SSD and platter based) im not to computer savvy =(

&that Asus monitor is better that the LG? & whats crossfire? sorry im so computer-dumb...im just basically getting what people suggest

You are paying 150 for LCD vs LED. Not worth it.

[Reeno]

ya after reading up on it, im changing to the Asus 24' and getting another 5770 LOL Thank You!

[Celeras]

If you game at resolutions 1920x1200+, newer processors do next to nothing for you.

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/CPU/...ad/Page-3.html

In the above example, Crysis Warhead gains 0.9FPS when switching from a Core2Quad to i7 with all other hardware remaining identical.

TLDR: At modern resolutions, i7 does nothing for gaming and you can save a lot of money by building around older Core2 technology, and instead put that money into a top-of-the-line GPU which will net you better performance. 2x 5970 Quad Crossfire would be the best available setup you could get until Fermi.

[Omnipotent]

If you game at resolutions 1920x1200+, newer processors do next to nothing for you.

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/CPU/...ad/Page-3.html

In the above example, Crysis Warhead gains 0.9FPS when switching from a Core2Quad to i7 with all other hardware remaining identical.

TLDR: At modern resolutions, i7 does nothing for gaming and you can save a lot of money by building around older Core2 technology, and instead put that money into a top-of-the-line GPU which will net you better performance. 2x 5970 Quad Crossfire would be the best available setup you could get until Fermi.

That's + 700ish to his bank roll lol. Go with the dual 5770's.

Edit: EACH.

[xopher]

Why does anyone still go AMD?

[Omnipotent]

Why does anyone still go AMD?

AMD is basically a cheap alternate to a gaming computer without the extreme customization/innovation intel has to offer. Basically allowing you to focus on a better GPU / MOBO, accessories. Without spending alot on a CPU.

[Reeno]

Ok so i did some late night tweaking to my build and came up with the final product... http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=13901586

im just stuck on ONE last thing... a case... which of these two would be best bet? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129043

thank you in advance~! =))

also if you have any other case suggestions in that price range please let me know, looking to submit order sometime before the weekend

[Deadgye]

If you game at resolutions 1920x1200+, newer processors do next to nothing for you.

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/CPU/...ad/Page-3.html

In the above example, Crysis Warhead gains 0.9FPS when switching from a Core2Quad to i7 with all other hardware remaining identical.

TLDR: At modern resolutions, i7 does nothing for gaming and you can save a lot of money by building around older Core2 technology, and instead put that money into a top-of-the-line GPU which will net you better performance. 2x 5970 Quad Crossfire would be the best available setup you could get until Fermi.

Yeah no. You're being bottle-necked by the GPU in those examples, which means the CPU difference is negligible. You are right to say save on the cpu and put more into the gpu, but not right in what you said. Also, nobody except extremists should be getting 5970.. let alone 2x.

If you want to show the difference between an i7 and a duo you need to make sure you're not limited by the gpu.

[Ruiner]

Best tower you can build for $1300:



SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151188
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$25.99


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129021
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$139.99
$99.99


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$109.99
$99.99


XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150443
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$399.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$119.99
$99.99


OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99


GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128375
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$198.99
$188.99


Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$288.99
Subtotal: $1,363.92 ($1,298.92 after rebates)

[Olo401]

Hang on.. don't order yet. You got so many issues with this list that I need to sit down & go through it.. but I'm about to leave for work so I'll check back in when I get there.

And of those two cases it's a tossup.. the difference between them is going from a mid-tower to a full tower, which is at least half a foot taller.

Edit: Ok first.. even without the switch you made from a potential dual/RAID config to a storage/OS drive config, I'm almost certain that you'll need more space. At the very least you should get a 750GB, but prices on hard drives are great right now so a 1TB is worth it. Also to be honest standard 7200rpm hard drives are fast enough to hold their own, and SSDs are nice but way too overpriced (both because they're new and because memory prices are insane right now). I feel you would be better off dropping the SSD and putting that money into your video card since that is going to be where you want the most performance.

Second, you only need a 3-stick tri-channel memory kit for a Core i7/Socket 1366 build. On anything else right now it has no practical use - in fact it's going to be a detriment because it'll prevent you from running even dual-channel. So I would scale that back to a 2x2GB kit. You'll also want to make sure the timings are tight out of the box, 8-8-8-24 or lower.

And last unless you're using multiple computers on a single internet connection, you won't want a router. I'm assuming you've either got DSL, Cable or FIOS with a wireless-capable modem already (or you plan to use "community access" heh), which means you actually need an adapter. Get one of the ones capable of WiFi-N because they have the largest range and multiple antennae to keep the connection steady.

[Reeno]

getting the router for i can play on my PS3/Xbox also and my laptop =) so you think i should drop the 500 HD, pick up a 1TB, drop 4GB of the OCZ gold and upgrade my graphics card to what?

[Reeno]

submitted my final build, im pretty happy with everything =)) thank you everyone for all the help with the tweaking and what not!

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=13901586

[Olo401]

Drop from 6GB to 4GB of memory, yes.

[Ruiner]

Best tower you can build for $1300:



SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151188
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$25.99


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129021
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$139.99
$99.99


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$109.99
$99.99


XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150443
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$399.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$119.99
$99.99


OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99


GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128375
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$198.99
$188.99


Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$288.99
Subtotal: $1,363.92 ($1,298.92 after rebates)

Don't feel like making a new thread for something that comes up so often... can anyone verify is this is a solid $1300 tower? I always get paranoid and feel like I'm missing something when I put together builds.

[Celeras]

Yeah no. You're being bottle-necked by the GPU in those examples, which means the CPU difference is negligible. You are right to say save on the cpu and put more into the gpu, but not right in what you said. Also, nobody except extremists should be getting 5970.. let alone 2x.

If you want to show the difference between an i7 and a duo you need to make sure you're not limited by the gpu.

Woosh'd.

Don't feel like making a new thread for something that comes up so often... can anyone verify is this is a solid $1300 tower? I always get paranoid and feel like I'm missing something when I put together builds.

The very first review on the newegg page of your motherboard says "Not compatible with OCZ ram", which you picked. Could be a defect, but who knows, I'm not familiar with this model. But its pretty cheap for an i7 board.. so it wouldn't surprise me.

I still wouldn't go i7(simply not worth it for gaming, see page1), but if you're set on it I'd shell out for a different board. And just remember that if you chose to drop down because of expense, you save on not just the processor but also the motherboard and ram since you no longer require ddr3 (which also is negligible not only for gaming, but most everything other than being 'required' for i7). It adds up.

[edit]And just to add, I disagree with the previous conversation of ram saying 4gb is enough. Right now, I'm using 1.63gb with just Windows 7 and firefox. Windows 7 is a major memory hog. Throw in a game and you'll be approaching 3.. and that last gb isn't always enough of a buffer if you're going to be multitasking. I go with 8, and would recommend at least 6 for windows 7.

[Deadgye]

It adds up.

In both price and performance. It increases the latter much more than your failure of a benchmark shows.

[Celeras]

You really should quit while you're ahead, before I decide to explain why you're being epically wooshed.

[Deadgye]

Sure, go ahead and tell me why an i7 is worthless compared to a core2duo by posting more benchmarks that are GPU limited using a 280 when the OP has posted his list with a 5870, something that's better than 280x2.

When you want to compare CPUs, you make sure you're not limited by GPUs. When you want to compare GPUs, you make sure you're not limited by CPUs. It's a very simple concept.