[Bullet1225]

Hi everyone, I'm building a new system, first time I'll ever have a computer this nice or expensive, so wanting to get the best I can for my money.
Mainly for gaming, but of course it'll be good for more than that, budget is around $1300.

Here's whats currently in my cart (ordering this week)
(Click links for newegg page to the parts in this post)

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Motherboard - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

NIC - Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter - OEM

Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 70SB088600002 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

PSU - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular

Memory - G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR

Processor - AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX

CPU Fan/Heatsink - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler

DVD/CD Burner - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Video Card - EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0

The above video card is the one I originally chose. I have about another $100 at -most- to spend still, doesn't mean I -have- to, but if I could improve much, I'd spend it.

The main thing I'm wondering about is this, should I keep the above video card, or go with a 560Ti for about $30 more, or, should I get rid of the sound card, and go with a GTX570 with the money I'll save?

Also, I'm definitely open to suggestions on all of the above parts or even if you wanted to throw a whole different system at me.

Personally I'd like to stick with NVIDIA for the video card, but I'll just relate my horrible ATI experiences to it being an AGP card that they don't really have drivers for, so I'd be open to going for ATI again IF it was a much better improvement over the NVIDIA card. (It takes hours to get the drivers to actually install on this current ATI AGP card.. and it's always different what gets it to..

)

I like AMD for the processor, but that's just because I've never had an intel processor so I'm kinda clueless when it comes to that side.

Thanks in advanced for any/all help

 

[Onions]

i would drop teh nic and sound card as your boards onboard will do jsut fine. Get yourself a nice strong card (570 or 580) (or even 480) also get some better ram atleast 1600 mhz ram

 

[Bullet1225]

Thanks Onions, I had those there because I was thinking it'd take some load off the CPU.. meaning less lag.. but I've never had anything near this powerful, so maybe I'm just underestimating it.. and according the to details tab of the motherboard, it doesn't support 1600mhz ram?

Edit: Would it be better to just find 1600Mhz RAM, or find 1333Mhz with better timings?

 

[willibj]

The build in this posting is better for the money:

http://www.overclock.net/intel-general/987420-new-i7-2600k-build-mabey-finaly-2.html#post13077192

Add your choice of sound-card (if you think it's necessary at all - I don't personally, go with HDD space instead), the power-supply and DVD chosen above, and your chosen GPU. If it's over budget, lose the SSD from the build.

Personally I suggest aiming for a GTX570 or an HD 6950. The GTX460 is old tech and whilst still capable, is going to be the bottleneck in gaming.

This build will destroy yours in gaming and just about everything else. Don't be scared of Intel builds, this IS the best bang for the buck in your price range and I really cannot recommend this enough over the 1090t. You should hit 4.5ghz EASILY with this, and clock for clock will destroy the 1090t in gaming.

*edit* I say this an AMD fan who intends on getting a 1090t for myself. Regardless, on a new build there is no reason to choose AM3 over Sandy Bridge ESPECIALLY when you have over $1k to spend. On your budget a 1090t would unequivocally be a mistake purchase, regardless of the intended application and ESPECIALLY if its a gaming machine.

 

[Firehawk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onions;13079145
i would drop teh nic and sound card as your boards onboard will do jsut fine. Get yourself a nice strong card (570 or 580) (or even 480) also get some better ram atleast 1600 mhz ram

^^This exactly. You mobo has a nic built in, you don't need another. And unless you're planning on getting high end headphones, you won't notice the difference from onboard sound.

 

[MIKEVALL]

+1
on better RAM and video! Sound card is optional depends on will you benifit from it?

1600mhz ram and a gtx570/560 in that ballpark

 

[mcole254]

Honestly the best buy you can get of the newest series of video cards is the reference 6950's as the unlock to the 6970's (perform very well without doing this too). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127555
As for drivers many have said that they have come a long way from where they were.

 

[holyhyperion]

Creative sound cards have a certain reputation of having terrible driver support. Plus, you need a pretty decent 7.1 sound system to justify the cost of a 7.1 sound card.

Also, drop the N1C. "Killer N1C's" are nothing more than a waste of money. Most of the lag for gaming comes from the server-side to the distance it takes to travel from the server to your client. Client-side latency is <1ms anyways. Onboard networking is really good these days.

 

[Bullet1225]

Quote:

Originally Posted by willibj;13079203
The build in this posting is better for the money:

http://www.overclock.net/intel-general/987420-new-i7-2600k-build-mabey-finaly-2.html#post13077192

Add your choice of sound-card (if you think it's necessary at all - I don't personally, go with HDD space instead), the power-supply and DVD chosen above, and your chosen GPU. If it's over budget, lose the SSD from the build.

Personally I suggest aiming for a GTX570 or an HD 6950. The GTX460 is old tech and whilst still capable, is going to be the bottleneck in gaming.

This build will destroy yours in gaming and just about everything else. Don't be scared of Intel builds, this IS the best bang for the buck in your price range and I really cannot recommend this enough over the 1090t. You should hit 4.5ghz EASILY with this, and clock for clock will destroy the 1090t in gaming.

*edit* I say this an AMD fan who intends on getting a 1090t for myself. Regardless, on a new build there is no reason to choose AM3 over Sandy Bridge ESPECIALLY when you have over $1k to spend. On your budget a 1090t would unequivocally be a mistake purchase, regardless of the intended application and ESPECIALLY if its a gaming machine.

Thanks.. just taking a look now.

 

[Faint]

For starters, I would get the CM 690 II Advanced over that Antec case, followed by changing the HDD to a Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1tb.

Links to the parts:

Samsung F3 1tb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=f3%201tb

CM 690 II Adv
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216&cm_re=cm_690_ii-_-11-119-216-_-Product

 

[Bullet1225]

Here's what I have with the intel build, priced $1300.91 not including shipping.
Why is it so much better, other than the overclocking capability?

 

[Bullet1225]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faint;13079370
For starters, I would get the CM 690 II Advanced over that Antec case, followed by changing the HDD to a Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1tb.

Links to the parts:

Samsung F3 1tb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=f3%201tb

CM 690 II Adv
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216&cm_re=cm_690_ii-_-11-119-216-_-Product

I really like the Antec case compared to all the other ones I've looked at, and why not take advantage of the SATA 6Gb/s?

 

[Firehawk]

SATA 6Gb/s is pointless on an HDD, it'll never saturate the bus. They can't even fill a SATA 3Gb/s connection. SSD can on the other hand.

You didn't list a case, have you settled on the Antec?

The Intel chips are just faster clock for clock and dollar for dollar than AMDs at present. That can change, but right now, definitely your best buy.

 

[willibj]

This is my suggested build. It's just about the best value and most well balanced system you could come up with right now (if I may say so myself).

CPU + heatsink/fan:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.625350

MB + RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.632698

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914

SSD (OS drive):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357

HDD (Applications & Storage):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

DVD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067

PSU (currently out of stock):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817116011

Back-up PSU (not matching, just as good):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003

Total Price $1,292

The GPU will most likely unlock to a 6970, and has voltage control for high OC's regardless.

The CPU is MUCH faster clock for clock than any AMD equivalent by quite a lot, and will overclock to 4.5ghz or more. At that speed, nothing can touch it in gaming, nor practically any other situation. They also run very cool on surprisingly modest air cooling (Hyper 212+).

The RAM has surprisingly good timings and runs @ 1600mhz. Sandy Bridge processors like high memory frequency over tight timings, so by loosening the timings on the ram you should hit 1866mhz, perhaps even 2000mhz.

The SSD drive will be a huge boost in load times and browsing for windows. The Samsung F3 HDD is faster and runs cooler than the WD Black equivalent.

The case is GORGEOUS, has big fans plus a fan controller for quiet operation and large airflow. Furthermore, it has loads of space inside and a wonderful system for cable-management.

This build is well balanced, can be upgraded with a 2nd 6950, has the room, the power, etc etc. Most importantly the build features high quality components and is a HUGE bang for your buck with plenty of future-proofing potential. Adding a 2nd 6950 and filling out HDD spaces to suit your storage needs will see you not needing to touch this build for years and years and years.

There's no reason to choose anything else at this point. Anything a 1090t could do at even 4ghz+ will be stomped by the Sandy Bridge quad-core @ 4.5ghz+ with the exception of perhaps some heavy video-editing situations where individual cores account for more, but even then the raw speed of the Sandy Bridge processor will leave them about even. For everything else, the Sandy Bridge will utterly destroy the 1090t in performance.

 

[Bullet1225]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firehawk;13079602
SATA 6Gb/s is pointless on an HDD, it'll never saturate the bus. They can't even fill a SATA 3Gb/s connection. SSD can on the other hand.

You didn't list a case, have you settled on the Antec?

The Intel chips are just faster clock for clock and dollar for dollar than AMDs at present. That can change, but right now, definitely your best buy.

Oops, I forgot the case at first.. just forgot to retake the picture, lol.. I'm still going with the Antec one unless I find one I like better.

Thanks for the info on the hard drive.. I really had no idea about it to be honest.. I guess I'll get a 3Gb/s one and save a little bit.

 

[willibj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullet1225;13079672
Oops, I forgot the case at first.. just forgot to retake the picture, lol.. I'm still going with the Antec one unless I find one I like better.

I HIGHLY recommend you look beyond the Antec series, below the 1200.

You WILL find that you've run out of space in there one day. With the mounting of the HDD's, you will potentially impede your ability to add a crossfire card and extra HDD's. They stick out into the area in which the motherboard occupies.

For the same style and price, PLEASE consider the Lian-Li Lancool PC-K62/K63, or the NZXT Tempest Evo, or the NZXT Phantom, or the Rosewill Blackhawk, or the Cooler Master HAF922/Storm Scout/CM690-II Advanced.

All of the above cases are undoubtedly better than the Antec in my experience and opinion. I personally started with an Antec 300 case and simply outgrew it within months. Great starter cases for people on budgets, but I'm trying to help you avoid a huge mistake. Trust

 

[Zackcy]

GET A 6950!

This should be a HUGE consideration. It unlocks to a 6970 which adds tremendous bang for buck.

 

[Bullet1225]

Quote:

Originally Posted by willibj;13079670
This is my suggested build. It's just about the best value and most well balanced system you could come up with right now (if I may say so myself).

.......

Total Price $1,292

The GPU will most likely unlock to a 6970, and has voltage control for high OC's regardless.

The CPU is MUCH faster clock for clock than any AMD equivalent by quite a lot, and will overclock to 4.5ghz or more. At that speed, nothing can touch it in gaming, nor practically any other situation. They also run very cool on surprisingly modest air cooling (Hyper 212+).

The RAM has surprisingly good timings and runs @ 1600mhz. Sandy Bridge processors like high memory frequency over tight timings, so by loosening the timings on the ram you should hit 1866mhz, perhaps even 2000mhz.

The SSD drive will be a huge boost in load times and browsing for windows. The Samsung F3 HDD is faster and runs cooler than the WD Black equivalent.

The case is GORGEOUS, has big fans plus a fan controller for quiet operation and large airflow. Furthermore, it has loads of space inside and a wonderful system for cable-management.

This build is well balanced, can be upgraded with a 2nd 6950, has the room, the power, etc etc.

There's no reason to choose anything else at this point. Anything a 1090t could do at even 4ghz+ will be stomped by the Sandy Bridge quad-core @ 4.5ghz+ with the exception of perhaps some heavy video-editing situations where individual cores account for more, but even then the raw speed of the Sandy Bridge processor will leave them about even. For everything else, the Sandy Bridge will utterly destroy the 1090t in performance.

Wow, thanks.. I had heard that SSD's were great but I really have no clue what to do when it comes to them or setting them up.. and on the card, like I said I'll go ATI.. but is there a similar NVIDIA card for roughly the same price, or could you try to convince me of why I should get that over an NVIDIA one?

I still prefer the Antec case over that one to be honest.

Here's what I have now:

DVD/CD Drive cut off, it's the only other thing you can't see in the picture, total price w/ shipping - $1322

 

[Firehawk]

Looks good.

For info on setting up the SSD, go here.

 

[Bullet1225]

Quote:

Originally Posted by willibj;13079762
I HIGHLY recommend you look beyond the Antec series, below the 1200.

You WILL find that you've run out of space in there one day. With the mounting of the HDD's, you will potentially impede your ability to add a crossfire card and extra HDD's. They stick out into the area in which the motherboard occupies.

For the same style and price, PLEASE consider the Lian-Li Lancool PC-K62/K63, or the NZXT Tempest Evo, or the NZXT Phantom, or the Rosewill Blackhawk, or the Cooler Master HAF922/Storm Scout/CM690-II Advanced.

All of the above cases are undoubtedly better than the Antec in my experience and opinion. I personally started with an Antec 300 case and simply outgrew it within months. Great starter cases for people on budgets, but I'm trying to help you avoid a huge mistake. Trust

Thanks, I've never seen these, and I've looked at several cases, I like the Lian-Li Lancool PC-K63 the best, but I'd go with the Cooler Master HAF922 if it were better somehow, my computer sits on a carpeted floor, if that would help decide?