BleepingComputer.com: [zuXi] First Pc Build

First time builder, had help getting this build to where it is now.
Much appreciate the help. However i need a fresh set of eyes
from somewhere else to look this over and give me their opinion.

What im looking for really is, a PC that will last a few years, and
for now be able to play games on the highest settings.

Where are you located?
Canada
How much are you willing to spend?
$2000-3000 Canadian
What will you primarly use the computer for?
Gaming, possible video editing.
Which online stores/reatil shops do you prefer to buy from?
Newegg.ca
What Programs/Tasks/Games will you run on the computer?
Aion, Borderlands, Battlefield Series, Call of Duty Series, Sony Vegas
Are you willing to go over budget? If so by how much?
Gave a wide range, but i think 3000 will be the highest.
Do you need anything besides the computer itself? (monitor,
keyboard, operating system etc.)
Windows 7, and only a HDMI graphics card to hook up to my 42inch tv.


XFX Radeon HD 5870 - $430
ASUS P6T Deluxe - $340
Intel Core i7-920 - 310
GeIL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 x2 - $328
CORSAIR 750W - $150
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $115
PQI 32GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Disk - $99
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX - $120
-----------------------------------
Grand Total: $2,024.44Can

Someone suggested i get the ASUS P6T LGA to save me 60bucks from the
Deluxe. Im not tight for money, but im curious which would be better.

All I have left to get is a Win7 OS and a CD/DVD rom drive. Everyone
seems to have mix opinions on these, some dont work at all with the
Win7 OS apparently.

I hope the casing i chose can fit what im purchasing.
Anyways, thanks in advance for any help.

Now this is what I like to see! A good budget and a man willing to spend it!

Here you go. Note the Antec 900 as a case sucks, trust me. I used one. I have a similar rig as so.

IrishGrimReaper, on Dec 11 2009, 08:20 AM, said:

Hah well, i doubt everyone works in a crude mine like myself.
So the Ram and mobo you selected run faster ?

Quick question about ram. Is there a limit, or a point where
a lot is too much. Cause im aiming for 12gb of ram.

Going all out on a new Pc, considering my ASUS G2 i bought
two years ago was a poor investment.

zuXi, on Dec 11 2009, 06:01 PM, said:

Well, the thing about the RAM is, you could get the higher speed one for quite a considerable amount extra, but it's a performance increase you wont see. It's mainly aimed at people trying to get hardcord points with PC Mark vantage and other benchmark tests where every point counts.

The EVGA mobo is a great mobo, I always liked them, but the price was too much for me to get one and there's lots of potential for upgrading it too! You could get 12GB ram if you wanted aswell! But that's overkill in my books. But if you want it's your choice.

IrishGrimReaper, on Dec 11 2009, 12:10 PM, said:

I was told if i want to OC the 1600 would be a better buy.

Yeah, someone else agreed with the 12Gb ram. I will probably
just buy the 6Gb for now. I had chosen a EVGA first, but then
someone said i should get the ASUS.

What do you think about getting duel 5870s ?

Alternatively, you could use an AMD build. The Phenom II 965 is roughly on par with the i7 920 in most games and costs less. However, at the i7 950 range, it wins hands down. If you willing to spend over $500 on a CPU, that is. You would need to replace the motherboard, CPU, and RAM to the following.

Motherboard: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - This offers almost the same set of features as the eVGA above. It uses AM3 processors, DDR3 RAM, and Crossfire for much less cash. Usually the really expensive motherboards are meant for enthusiasts with loads of cash who will be overclocking their system to the extreme. $225

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz - This is AMD's best CPU. It is unlocked which makes overclocking very easy. $204

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - There is no technical reason why the RAM in the above build will not work, but it is a kit meant for triple channel memory to be installed in sets of three. AMD boards use dual channel memory to be installed in pairs. You will also be limited to 8GB of RAM, unless you want to pay for the super-expensive 4GB stick.

Personally, I do not see why any typical gamer would need more than 4GB or even 8GB of RAM in most situations. To use all that RAM the game needs to be coded for it, standard 32-bit software (most of the games out there today) will not take advantage of more than 4GB. Even some developers who make 64-bit compatible games sometimes do not go much beyond that limit. DDR3-1600 RAM is faster, but I'm not sure how much of a performance increase you will get between 1333 and 1600. You are also going to want a full ATX case if you're planning on keeping this PC for a while or upgrading later. Many of the large graphics cards will not fit properly into a mid ATX case and a dual GPU configuration is not suggested in such a case due to thermal and air flow issues. Dual 5870's are not needed, yet. They are already the most powerful single GPU cards on the market today. You can save some cash by waiting until they come down in price before purchasing a second card. The 5870 already offers impressive performance, a second one, or a 5970, may not be needed.

Well, thanks for all that info.
But i think ill stick with what ive used for years, and if
need be later on i need a bigger case ill get one. Dont
feel like spending 370 on a casing if a mid will last me
till i need some upgrading.

zuXi, on Dec 11 2009, 07:48 PM, said:

Asus are great, I won't deny. But so are EVGA, they would probably be regarded as the best manufacturer of Mobo/GPU's by alot of people. I've never used a product of theirs personally! But someone of the people who have used it told me great things, and these are people I trust.

Do you really need to OC the Ram? You still probably wouldn't see a performance difference. The main thing you'll want to overclock to get any kind of worth performance increase would be the CPU and the GPU. Although GPU OC'ing is quicker than the CPU the OC you get varies alot from card to card. More so than a CPU would.

If you want to add 2x5870 then go ahead! But I always look at one single GPU as the best thing, one powerful one! And the 5870 by itself is quite power! More GPU=More chance of a problem. So, it's really your choice if you want too. I might suggest that you maybe even get a 5850 now and wait for Nvidia to release their DX11 card known as the Fermi/GF100, it should come out sometime in Q1 2010. It is a few months wait, but I can feel that it's gonna be a card so epic the 5xxx series by AMD will be blown away!

Ive been on 4 different forums, its easy to tell my thread on
each site, same zuXi title. Most people seem to have different
opinions, some say either build will do fine.

I have had one guy tell me the ASUS is the only stable mobo,
and he emphasized on that too. Another guy told me to get the
green HD instead of the black considering i have a SSD. Then
youre the first to suggest 1333 Ram to me. So it gets to the
point of, which one should i pick.

Here is my current list.


Think i may stick with this and give it a go.


Edit: Edited to remove unnecessary quote. ~ tg

It looks great! And the reason they say green which I agree with; is cause it's cheaper and still fast enough, the Black is faster than a green. But you're using the SSD for you OS, and the green for storage! So speed isn't really necessary.

The one you have their is looking great Also, my mistake by the way I ment to suggest 1600Mhz Link the wrong G.Skill RAM. This is the one I ment.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...1-225-_-Product

But get the OCZ, just seen that it's cheaper, I use that ram aswell! Works great!


Also, I would use a modular PSU, personal preference

Guess ill grab the green to save a few bucks then.

Person who recommended some other parts had
that PSU in it. Has a few more Watts than the other
one i previously added. I dont know anything, so i
dont have much of a preference hah

All i can ask people is, what do you prefer.

Ill probably read some more, and order tomorrow night.

Well, with a modular PSU you can add and take away cables you don't need. With such a good high end rig I'd put the Modular PSU in cause there could be alot of cables you won't use that will look ugly sitting in the case. Can't really fault the current PSU selected cause it's great and it's cheap. But if I had the money I'd go with the 850Hx.

I added it, but the 5870 isnt in the list, checked, cant find
it anywhere on the site. Guess it sold out. Just my luck.

No longer ordering anything..


Edit: Edited to remove unnecessary quote. ~ tg

Yeah the supply of the 5xxx series card is quite low, and the demand is huge. Especially for the 5870 and 5850.

What are HIS brands like ?
Some just came into stock.