How's my build?

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=11871532

I'll be getting 230mm blue LED replacement lights from CM's site.

I'm still debating graphics cards; I will probably end up waiting for the Radeon 5870 but incase it sucks should I crossfire two 4890's or get a single BFG Nvidia GTX 295?

Not my cup of tea.

Take the extra money you are blowing on a $180 keyboard and lights and get an 850HX PSU, a better CPU cooler, and proper 5-1 speakers.

For $40 more you could have an i7 920/X58 combo.

Just an opinion, I could be wrong.

Edited by dpunisher, 23 September 2009 - 09:04 PM.

AMD builds are generally good for value or if you're on a budget. However, the higher end motherboards, with Intel or AMD, are generally a waste since well-made, but less expensive boards can do the same thing. Also, you need a video card, like the new Radeon HD 5870 if you want performance. From all the reviews I've read, it's a very nice card that performs well. Anyway, I would make some changes and here they are.

Motherboard: ASRock M3A785GXH/128M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - This will do the same as your chosen board but cost much less. $99

CPU: The 965 is a good CPU, but it is a 955 only 200MHz. faster with more watts, and much more expensive. I suggest the AMD Phenom II X4 955 for $189.

Monitor: I would go for an ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) since it has HDMI, is an inch larger, and costs the same as the one you chose.

Speakers: DPunisher has a very good point. Unless you listen to audio over your headphones and only use speakers occasionally. That's what I do, I have simple 2.1 speakers that didn't cost very much, but I also have an expensive pair of headphones since that is my preferred method of listening to audio. Remember, audio is one of those things that if any part of the audio experience isn't good, the whole thing won't sound nice. That means the audio file has to be of good quality, the audio card must be decent (none of that on-board stuff if you're really into audio), and the speakers, or headphones, must be good. If all those are nice, you get great audio.

Operating System: Why are you getting an upgrade of the most expensive version of Windows 7? First, the upgrade can only be used on PC's that have Windows already installed and activated. Second, Microsoft will be releasing the OS in OEM form soon and that will be the better choice. Third, there is no reason for the average consumer to need the Ultimate edition of 7. Each version of 7 is a superset, so Windows 7 Professional, the version enthusiasts should get, has everything from Home Premium. Ultimate has everything Professional does, but also the Enterprise edition stuff that no one uses. Here is a page comparing the product editions.

Video Card: If this is a performance PC, the XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 is an excellent choice. It should be available to ship sometime within about a week.

Not my cup of tea.

Take the extra money you are blowing on a $180 keyboard and lights and get an 850HX PSU, a better CPU cooler, and proper 5-1 speakers.

For $40 more you could have an i7 920/X58 combo.

Just an opinion, I could be wrong.

I'm a bit of a computer noob I have been researching alot in hopes of making a killer gaming computer. I will be saving this money up for the next few months so within $3,000 US would be nice.

*I could save about 120$ by switching my keyboard and mouse to the g11 keyboard and g5 mouse; should I?

*My speakers were definatly not well researched; what would you suggest?

*Whats the difference between HX and TX, compatibility?

*The I7 920 seems to be slower or equal to the 965; why is it better?

*Why is my CPU cooler bad; I have seen many people use it and Zalman is supposedly top of the line?

"Video Card: If this is a performance PC, the XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 is an excellent choice. It should be available to ship sometime within about a week"

*Would you suggest a crossfire or SLI build, or will crossfire even be worth it with the 5870?

Thanks for all the suggestions; I'll definatly be looking over my build after seeing this. You cleared up alot of fuzzy information.

Edited by Zinus, 23 September 2009 - 09:57 PM.

A keyboard and mouse should look and feel comfortable to you. Buying an expensive mouse and keyboard is pointless if it doesn't feel good. I use the Saitek PZ30AU Black Keyboard and the older version of the Logitech M500. I haven't had any reason to upgrade and they easily meet my gaming needs.

Speaker selection depends on how much you listen to music and what passes for good quality with you. As an example, I listen to music and watch movies very often on my PC, so I have the expensive AKG K-701 heaphones and the Xonar D2X. Both of these are premium products and, in my opinion, worth every penny for me. Others might want a good sound card like the Xonar, but choose not to get very high end speakers or headphones. For a simple 2.1 system, I have used both the ALTEC LANSING VS4221 35 Watts 2.1 Speakers and the ALTEC LANSING VS4121BLK speakers both to good results.

The HX power supply model is modular and more expensive. The modular nature of the PSU allows for easy cable management since you install only the ones you need.

The i7 920 and the Phenom II X4 955/965 (they're both the same thing when the 955 is overclocked) are both powerful processors. The i7 platform is more expensive, but more powerful depending on the rest of the equipment. AMD systems are usually less expensive. Determining which processor is more powerful can be tricky. You could go strictly by the design specifications of the processors. You could also see how they perform in real-world conditions. That can also be a little problematic since there are many different computer configurations and some applications prefer one processor over the other. In my opinion, the i7 950 or above is where the power is at. However, at the i7 920 level, or, depending on the CPU, the i5, the Phenom II X4 955/965 are close to parity. If an appropriate motherboard is purchased, there can be substantial cost savings in choosing the AMD CPU at the expense of a slight performance hit. For instance, the PII 955 ($189) plus a solid ASRock motherboard ($99) will cost $288 whereas the i7 920 ($280) with an inexpensive ASRock X58 motherboard ($169) will cost $448. Some people do need the power of an i7 and are unwilling to lose 5 or so frames per second with the Phenom II. Either CPU will work well, it just depends on your budget. Personally, I would get the Phenom II and use the savings to get a more powerful GPU.

Your CPU cooler isn't bad, I have a Zalman. It's considered a very good cooler that does its job well. You could get the Thermaltake CL-P0456 140mm CPU Cooler. As a rule, you should get the largest fan your PC case can handle. Larger fans move more air and can be quieter.

As to your graphics card. The HD 5870 easily beats the GTX 285 with the GTX 295 being slightly ahead in performance. A Crossfired system with the HD 5870 will be expensive, but you will have one of the fastest graphics systems around, that is, until the HD 5870 X2 (two 5870's on a single card, hence the X2) comes around in a few weeks. Here are some reviews of the new card from [H]ardOCP, HotHardware, Legit Reviews, PC Perspective, Anandtech, and Driver Heaven.

Edited by DJBPace07, 24 September 2009 - 12:10 AM.

I will probably switch to the G11 and G5 to save money; I won't really know if I like it until I try it but I'm not to picky so it should be fine.

Okay; so what exactly does a sound card do? I see that it fits into a slot on the motherboard and has a pannel that comes out the back, so I assume as long as I have that slot type it will work?

So the HX has uninstallible power cables and only works with Intel?

I don't plan to overclock so would it be worth it to go up to a better CPU or is the 920 the best bang for your buck?

I was unaware bigger was better , is that the top of the line?

Well I have a few choices with the G-card I suppose; I can get a single GTX295 for 570$ or two 5870's for 800$ or wait (which I will be doing any way) for the 5870x2. Is the x2 like crossfiring? If so why wouldn't the price be the same?

A sound card handles sound processing, similar to how a GPU handles graphics processing. On-board sound cards are usually enough for most people. Dedicated sound cards, like the one I have, usually offer better sound with more features. The motherboards in this thread all have on-board sound.

A PSU is CPU agnostic, you can use it any PC, Intel or AMD. The HX model has removable power cables and, like all other power supplies, will work on either Intel or AMD systems.

The Phenom II X4 955/965 and the Intel i7 920 are both good processors at stock speeds. If an application doesn't use all four cores or doesn't allow for multi-core processing, the higher clock speed of the Phenom II's might be more beneficial. It all depends on the games you play.

The ATI's X2 cards and the GTX 295 are both cards that have two GPU's but plug into a single PCI-Express X16 slot. Think of those cards as pre-Crossfired or pre-SLI'd. You plug them in and they work similar to a multi-GPU setup without having to occupy multiple expansion slots or worrying about which technology the motherboard supports. Those cards are good for people who have only one PCI-E slot or who want Crossfire, or SLI, but don't have the necessary technology in their motherboard. PC enthusiasts sometimes buy two X2 cards to have a quad GPU system with four GPU's. However, few games can use more than two graphics cards anyway, so the performance gains from such a setup are minor. Therefore, if you have a motherboard with Crossfire and want to use an ATI X2 card, it will often be less expensive to simply buy two non-X2 cards and use them. There are drawbacks to using SLI/Crossfire or a dual GPU card. The main problem has to do with scaling, not all games take advantage of the additional GPU's. This is why it is a good idea to use the most powerful card you can afford with a Crossfire/SLI system. If the game doesn't scale well and uses one card, that card is powerful enough to run the game at a decent framerate.

Oh ok so if their a 2x card does that mean the motherboard doesn't have to be crossfire or SLI compatible? Saying I got an SLI mobo but a 5870 x2 VGA would it work as intended?

As a side note will the 5870's even be able to run? Direct x11 isn't compatible with all mobo's at the moment and it runs GDDR5. I may be lost in translation but doesn't that mean your mobo must support GDDR5 which none do...

Edited by Zinus, 24 September 2009 - 07:25 PM.

Yes, it doesn't matter which technology is supported with the X2 cards, though those cards often cost more than two single ones in Crossfire.

I think you're a bit confused here. DX11 doesn't interact with the motherboard, so you can use any you want. However, it does interact with the graphics card. For instance, if a game had a DX10 mode and the gamer wanted to use it, but the video card only went up to DX9, then the gamer could only use DX9. However, if a gamer had a DX10 card, then they could use either DX10 or DX9. GDDR is designed for graphics cards only, it doesn't matter which memory standard the motherboard uses since all the graphics memory is contained on the card itself.