Gaming Need Help/Opinion on PC build.

Deleted User · Sep 4, 2011

Ok, well my mom works for intel, and I think once every year or so she gets a processor for free. This year she received the i7 990x (This One), which was surprising to me and she said that she would pay for parts so that I can build my own computer. Now i've never built a computer before, but I know most of the basics of computers. So I went on Newegg to find some parts, and here is the list I came up with.

Motherboard:
ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Case:
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Video Card:
HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

PSU:
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

RAM:
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

DVD drive:
LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

So the total for all those comes up to about $700 USD. I know there are a lot of Corsair products, but I chose them because I read the reviews. I don't want anything to happen to my computer, because my mom would be furious if something went wrong. Do you think this is a good setup for the price? I mean i'm not a Hardcore gamer on the PC but I like to play GTA IV, Borderlands, Minecraft, Terarria, Sims 3, L4D2, etc once in a while. I know the processor has excess amount of power but the more the better? I already have a monitor/mouse/ speakers, and was wondering does this computer need a sound card? Also the processor did not come with any heatsink/fan. Just the processor itself, I know I need a fan of some sort but dont know which one. This is my first time building a custom PC. Just wanted to know your guy's opinion, and if there are any alternatives that you guys reccomend. Sorry for the long post.

Thanks,

Zetta_x · Sep 4, 2011

I would suggest a better graphics card. The one you have posted will bottleneck your performance on a lot of games and you won't be able to do more intensive settings.

For the heatsink and fan; You will need some thermal paste to attach it to your processor. I don't have any recommendations for what to use but I heard watercooling is pretty epic.

myuusmeow · Sep 4, 2011

You could probably get a 500W-ish PSU and upgrade that GPU for about the same. A 4670 would really hold back a 990x.

You might want to even consider selling the 990X and using the money from that to get a 2500k build.

Deleted User · Sep 4, 2011

myuusmeow said:
You could probably get a 500W-ish PSU and upgrade that GPU for about the same. A 4670 would really hold back a 990x.

You might want to even consider selling the 990X and using the money from that to get a 2500k build.

There's no way that we can sell the 990. My mom said that she cannot sell it or she would get fired.
but ok, I dont really know which graphics cards are decent.i dont really want to pay over 200 for a GPU.

HaniKazmi · Sep 4, 2011

I'd agree with a more poweful graphics card. I say cut the power supply to 600watts, cut the ram in half and get at least a 5770, otherwise you'll struggle to run games beyond medium.

Outrager · Sep 4, 2011

My cousin works for Intel too and he gets 50% off all Intel products, so you might want to do what myuusmeow suggested (sell the 990x) and get a new Core i5 2500 (2500K might not be needed if you won't be overclocking) processor to start with a Radeon 6850 or equivalent video card.

Also you'll need to buy an OS like Windows 7 Home Premium and, if you don't have, mouse/keyboard/speakers/headphones.

Outrager · Sep 4, 2011

FYI you need to buy RAM in triplets if you are going to stick with the 990X processor/1366 motherboard.
So you'll want the RAM kits that come with 3 sticks of matched RAM.

And I don't know if your processor came with a heatsink so you'll need one of those if it didn't.

And I don't know how your mom can get fired for selling it. It's not like Intel will find out. I think she's just saying that because she doesn't want to take advantage of her company.

Originality · Sep 4, 2011

Ok, I'll go in order.

Motherboard: Based on a CustomPC magazine review I dug up from a year ago, it's a good motherboard. Good at overclocking too. Consider also the Asus Sabertooth X58 which is supposed to be one of the best X58 motherboards.
EDIT2: For reference, THE best X58 motherboard is the Asus Rampage III Extreme.

Case: It has the basic ventilation needed for a powerful system, so that's good (and all that matters). Otherwise, it's fugleh and looks heavy, but that's just my subjective opinion.

HDD: Since this will be your boot drive, get either a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB or a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB. Don't bother with drives that claim to be SATA 6Gbs, since they won't perform any better than SATA 3Gbs. Also, don't bother with Seagate drives because they are unreliable. Having a warranty doesn't mean much if you suddenly lose all your data once a year (based on my own observations).

Graphics: The HD 4670 isn't that good. It's an old mid-ranged graphics card (from 2 series ago), which these days is considered budget range (it only valued at $50). It scores a little over 700 in PassMark, which compared to modern mid-ranged graphics scoring ~2800... well, it's clear that it won't fare well with newer games. On the other hand, it should at least be capable of running GTA IV and Sims 3 at playable speeds, so I suppose that's all that matters to you. If, however, you want to play newer games as they come out (e.g. Diablo 3)... you may want to consider putting more budget into graphics.

PSU: It's good. You won't use more than 500W (I think) and should be aiming for 600W instead, but the brand is good and that's what matters.

RAM: You've made a fundamental mistake in choosing a 2x4GB kit of DDR3 RAM. LGA 1366 motherboards (for those big shiny Core i7s) require triple-channel memory. You should instead be looking for a kit of 3x2GB RAM. I recommend Corsair XMS3 6GB. FYI, there is no noticeable difference between Corsair XMS3 and Vengeance RAM (or any other brand for that matter). CPC magazine reccomends Crucial Ballistix Smart Traver 6GB, but they're much more expensive.

DVD: Nothing to say - any $18 DVD drive will do.

Heatsink (for the CPU): The best you can get is Thermaltake Frio.
EDIT: Best air-cooled HSF you can get at least.

Jasper07 · Sep 4, 2011

O.O I so wanna work for Intel now.

Anyway, yea you'll need a way better graphics card, like the GTX580 or AMD 6950 or better, because your cpu is way too good for the gfx card.

If you wanna hardcore overclock, as in, really hard core, take a watercooling setup (very expensive).
Otherwise take a Scythe Mugen 2 or a Corsair Hydro H50 or H70. (those three are very good btw).

Deleted User · Sep 4, 2011

I have Windows 7 Ultimate already, so no worries on that one.

Originality · Sep 4, 2011

LGA 1366 uses triple channel memory. If you don't buy RAM in triplets, you'll be cutting the available bandwidth by 1/3 (or 2/3 if you only get a single RAM stick).

~~Refer to my above post.~~
EDIT: The question about triple-channel memory got removed.

Deleted User · Sep 4, 2011

Originality said:
Ok, I'll go in order.

Motherboard: Based on a CustomPC magazine review I dug up from a year ago, it's a good motherboard. Good at overclocking too. Consider also the Asus Sabertooth X58 which is supposed to be one of the best X58 motherboards.
EDIT2: For reference, THE best X58 motherboard is the Asus Rampage III Extreme.

Case: It has the basic ventilation needed for a powerful system, so that's good (and all that matters). Otherwise, it's fugleh and looks heavy, but that's just my subjective opinion.

HDD: Since this will be your boot drive, get either a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB or a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB. Don't bother with drives that claim to be SATA 6Gbs, since they won't perform any better than SATA 3Gbs. Also, don't bother with Seagate drives because they are unreliable. Having a warranty doesn't mean much if you suddenly lose all your data once a year (based on my own observations).

Graphics: The HD 4670 isn't that good. It's an old mid-ranged graphics card (from 2 series ago), which these days is considered budget range (it only valued at $50). It scores a little over 700 in PassMark, which compared to modern mid-ranged graphics scoring ~2800... well, it's clear that it won't fare well with newer games. On the other hand, it should at least be capable of running GTA IV and Sims 3 at playable speeds, so I suppose that's all that matters to you. If, however, you want to play newer games as they come out (e.g. Diablo 3)... you may want to consider putting more budget into graphics.

PSU: It's good. You won't use more than 500W (I think) and should be aiming for 600W instead, but the brand is good and that's what matters.

RAM: You've made a fundamental mistake in choosing a 2x4GB kit of DDR3 RAM. LGA 1366 motherboards (for those big shiny Core i7s) require triple-channel memory. You should instead be looking for a kit of 3x2GB RAM. I recommend Corsair XMS3 6GB. FYI, there is no noticeable difference between Corsair XMS3 and Vengeance RAM (or any other brand for that matter). CPC magazine reccomends Crucial Ballistix Smart Traver 6GB, but they're much more expensive.

DVD: Nothing to say - any $18 DVD drive will do.

Heatsink (for the CPU): The best you can get is Thermaltake Frio.
EDIT: Best air-cooled HSF you can get at least.

Wow, Thanks.
I also agree that the case is fugly.lol
This should help a lot.

I don't really think I would overclock it.
Espeacially because I have no idea how to.
so yeah.

Deleted User · Sep 4, 2011

Outrager said:
FYI you need to buy RAM in triplets if you are going to stick with the 990X processor/1366 motherboard.
So you'll want the RAM kits that come with 3 sticks of matched RAM.

And I don't know if your processor came with a heatsink so you'll need one of those if it didn't.

And I don't know how your mom can get fired for selling it. It's not like Intel will find out. I think she's just saying that because she doesn't want to take advantage of her company.

She would never tell me why. :|

trumpet-205 · Sep 5, 2011

For graphics card,
I would go with GTX460, GTX550Ti, Radeon HD 5770/5850, or Radeon HD 6770/6850. Radeon HD 4670 is an old card that will have an extremely hard time with modern games.

For RAM,
Follow Originality's advice.

For HDD,
Avoid Seagate HDD. Don't let SATA 6.0 or 7200RPM be a determining factor (since it is meaningless to HDD).

Chhotu uttam · Sep 5, 2011

On HDD- Don't even look for Seagate.I recommend WD HDD as they are good.
If you don't know what Caviar Blue/Black/Green are then-->
Black- Maximum performance(among all),but are expensive.
Blue- Performance and reliability,are good ones and cost less.
Green- Cool, quiet, eco-friendly,are cheap.(usually recommended)

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