Bulding a gaming pc

mk555

hello guys

Since buying a laptop didn't work so well ( didn't find what I was looking for ) , I decided to build a gaming pc so I need help picking what I need
This what I have so far

Processor : i7-960 3.20 GHz 3.20, 8M/LGA1366 for $598.00
Graphic card :Sapphire Radeon HD5870 2GB DDR5 for $588.00 or Inno3D Geforce GTX 480 1.5GB DDR5 for $599.00
Ram : 4GB ddr3
HDD : Seagate-Maxtor 500GB 7200RPM S-ATA II 16MB for $54.00

now here comes my problem I have absolutely no experience with motherboards , sound cards , cases and all the other stuff so can you help me choosing whats right .

PS : I don't need a mouse , keyboard , monitor , speaker . And my budget is around 1500$
I dont need anything fancy I just want what I need for running games , so look (and by look I mean case ) is not that important.

(All the prices are from pc and parts )

Edited : here are the new specs

Processor : Core I7 930-2.80 GHz , 8M/LGA1366 ($305.00)
Graphic card : Inno3D Geforce GTX 470 1.2GB DDR5 ($445.00)
Memory : Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) ddr3-1333 ($116.00)
Hard drive : Seagate-Maxtor 500GB 7200RPM S-ATA II 16MB ($54.00)
Mainboards : GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R
Case : ThermalTake VJ400G1N2Z V9 Black/ No Win w/Side 23cmFan ($165.00)
PSU : Thermaltake W0175RE TR2 Power 900W PSU ($279.00)

arithma

You will need a brand thermal system and a brand PSU. The usual one does not cut it. On pcandparts, those are usually the Thermaltake ones.

Enjoy spending the money (which is particularly the best part of the process).

babum

i would recommend you looking for i7 compatible motherboards such as intels x58 (there are many more but look for the compatibility)

I have read somewhere that using 3GB DDR3 memory could be faster with setting, lets wait for the other guys to reply.

the sound card you want to get depends on the sound system you want to use. if you are looking to use a simple two speaker system then try using the default motherboards sound card.

Case is indeed important when building a pc, you dont want your computer to overheat and decrease its performance or suffer from sudden restarts, try looking for fanned cases with enough space for the pieces.

I would recommend you looking in tigerdirect.com for alredy built pcs with your same specs so you can see how they got them running and build a similar system.

mk555

babum wrotei would recommend you looking for i7 compatible motherboards such as intels x58 (there are many more but look for the compatibility)

As I said I have no experience with motherboards so if you can provide me a name I will be very thankful .

babum wrotethe sound card you want to get depends on the sound system you want to use. if you are looking to use a simple two speaker system then try using the default motherboards sound card.

Yes I will use two speaker system . So I wont need to buy a separate sound card but just the motherboard ?

babum wroteCase is indeed important when building a pc, you dont want your computer to overheat and decrease its performance or suffer from sudden restarts, try looking for fanned cases with enough space for the pieces.

Of curse , what I meant is that the look of the case isn't that important .

babum wroteI would recommend you looking in tigerdirect.com for alredy built pcs with your same specs so you can see how they got them running and build a similar system.

I'm trying to stay away from already built pcs .

mk555

arithma wroteYou will need a brand thermal system and a brand PSU. The usual one does not cut it. On pcandparts, those are usually the Thermaltake ones.

Do you think they will cost more than 100 $ , and do you think this one is good http://www.thermaltake.com/product_info.aspx?PARENT_CID=C_00000193&id=C_00000212&name=Aguila&ovid= for $125.00

Nemesis-301

for the vga, go for the GTX 480 its wayyy better then ati...

mk555

Nemesis-301 wrotefor the vga, go for the GTX 480 its wayyy better then ati...

Tell you the truth I like the Gtx 480 much more , but I heard that it suffers from overheating and very high power consumption wish will lead to a very high electricity bill . Is it true ?

babum

mk555 wrote
babum wrotei would recommend you looking for i7 compatible motherboards such as intels x58 (there are many more but look for the compatibility)
As I said I have no experience with motherboards so if you can provide me a name I will be very thankful .

babum wrotethe sound card you want to get depends on the sound system you want to use. if you are looking to use a simple two speaker system then try using the default motherboards sound card.
Yes I will use two speaker system . So I wont need to buy a separate sound card but just the motherboard ?

babum wroteCase is indeed important when building a pc, you dont want your computer to overheat and decrease its performance or suffer from sudden restarts, try looking for fanned cases with enough space for the pieces.
Of curse , what I meant is that the look of the case isn't that important .

babum wroteI would recommend you looking in tigerdirect.com for alredy built pcs with your same specs so you can see how they got them running and build a similar system.
I'm trying to stay away from already built pcs .

Yes sorry for that, try checking this GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R, which is a low priced mid end motherboard, it only supports 4 ram slots and no nvidia sli, but i think it will be more than great for your purposes. try checking this website as to why choose this motherboard http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/23989.aspx?p=2

Now the sound card comes included in these two motherboards so you will be fine with the default card.

respecting the casing, yes sorry I misunderstood what you were saying but what I mean with looking for alredy built systems is that you can see how they built them, what PSU unit they used, how many fans, stuff like that so that you can replicate it or have a fair idea on what to buy.

About the power comsumption, I am not able to confirm that but Im sure that any increases in power usage made by this card wont be noticeable on your bill (as they are not going to be big amounts) and it wont function at 100% of its capacity unless you are planning on playing non-stop 24/7.

I will try to give you a little example as to how you could build your computer,
mi PC is running with a 750 watts PSU, a dual core 1.6 ghz intel processor, nvidia 8800 gtx video card and 4gb ram without any problems, so i would recommend getting a psu somewhere between 750watts and 1000 watts

Nemesis-301

mk555 wrote
Nemesis-301 wrotefor the vga, go for the GTX 480 its wayyy better then ati...
Tell you the truth I like the Gtx 480 much more , but I heard that it suffers from overheating and very high power consumption wish will lead to a very high electricity bill . Is it true ?

yeah its true but they have a voltage tweak that you can do, and about the high temperature you can install a water cooling system, and trust me its well worth it just look at these statistics:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/inno3d-geforce-gtx-480-ichill-black-series-review/13

at CODMW2 (everything set high) the gtx 480 goes at 240 fp/s where the ati 5870 goes only at 142fp/s...

WizaRd

GTX 470 vs GTX 480 vs 5870 vs 5850.

Simple Google search, happy reading :)

My opinion: I'll take the 5870. It's better in the long run for future games when you'll start craving for that extra 0.5GB memory.

Flakk

go for the 5870

babum

I would recommend going for the nvidia as they are by far more superior and more compatible in many games

Nemesis-301

Flyingwizard wroteGTX 470 vs GTX 480 vs 5870 vs 5850.

Simple Google search, happy reading :)

My opinion: I'll take the 5870. It's better in the long run for future games when you'll start craving for that extra 0.5GB memory.

well, did you check out the link that i posted? it clearly shows that the gtx 480 is way better, and remember that 90% of the games say "the way its nvidia meant to be played" at the begining of the game...

mk555

babum wroteYes sorry for that, try checking this GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R, which is a low priced mid end motherboard, it only supports 4 ram slots and no nvidia sli, but i think it will be more than great for your purposes. try checking this website as to why choose this motherboard http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/23989.aspx?p=2

Now the sound card comes included in these two motherboards so you will be fine with the default card.

respecting the casing, yes sorry I misunderstood what you were saying but what I mean with looking for alredy built systems is that you can see how they built them, what PSU unit they used, how many fans, stuff like that so that you can replicate it or have a fair idea on what to buy.

About the power comsumption, I am not able to confirm that but Im sure that any increases in power usage made by this card wont be noticeable on your bill (as they are not going to be big amounts) and it wont function at 100% of its capacity unless you are planning on playing non-stop 24/7.

I will try to give you a little example as to how you could build your computer,
mi PC is running with a 750 watts PSU, a dual core 1.6 ghz intel processor, nvidia 8800 gtx video card and 4gb ram without any problems, so i would recommend getting a psu somewhere between 750watts and 1000 watts

Thank you so much for your replay it was really helpful .

Flyingwizard wroteGTX 470 vs GTX 480 vs 5870 vs 5850.

Simple Google search, happy reading :)

My opinion: I'll take the 5870. It's better in the long run for future games when you'll start craving for that extra 0.5GB memory.

Flakk wrotego for the 5870

I think I will stick to nvidia

With the information that babum provided here are my new specs

Processor : Core I7 930-2.80 GHz , 8M/LGA1366 for $305.00
Graphic card : Inno3D Geforce GTX 470 1.2GB DDR5 for $445.00
Memory : Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) ddr3-1333 for $116.00
Hard drive : Seagate-Maxtor 500GB 7200RPM S-ATA II 16MB for $54.00
Mainboards : Intel DX58SO ($231.00)
Case : ThermalTake VJ400G1N2Z V9 Black/ No Win w/Side 23cmFan for $165.00
PSU : still searching ...

babum

so you can still afford another 200$ on your psu, im not really familiar as to how to choose a psu but i would recommend you reading this http://compreviews.about.com/od/cases/a/PSUWattage.htm
and this http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

good luck with your search

mk555

ok so I found this PSU wish looks pretty good will it be enough for my pc ?
Cooler Master UCP 900W PSU
link: http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=5197

Flakk

The Thermaltake W0175RE TR2 Power 900W PSU $279.00 from pcandparts thats the lowest i could find, the rest are out of stock.

But overall your rig is really kickass, i recommend you order it now (once you decide on the psu)

babum

just check that the electrical output of your graphic card matches your psus or else you will have to buy some kind of converter, also keep in mind that the motherboard I recommended you doesnt support nvidia sli (more than one nvidia video card) so it isnt really needed to buy a sli certified psu.

mk555

babum wrotejust check that the electrical output of your graphic card matches your psus or else you will have to buy some kind of converter,

How do I know ?

babum wrotealso keep in mind that the motherboard I recommended you doesnt support nvidia sli (more than one nvidia video card) so it isnt really needed to buy a sli certified psu.

Since I'm not going to use SLI I will go for a GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R

Flakk wroteThe Thermaltake W0175RE TR2 Power 900W PSU $279.00 from pcandparts thats the lowest i could find, the rest are out of stock.

But overall your rig is really kickass, i recommend you order it now (once you decide on the psu)

The Thermaltake W0175RE TR2 Power 900W PSU it is .

ok thanks guys (specially babum) , I will order it as soon as I am able to do so (probably in two days)

babum

well I checked your psu and graphic card and you should be fine with it.
also I would like to refer you to this forum http://forum.desktopreview.com/ which I have only used the notebook section but they guys there are great and know a lot about computers, installations, software, and any problems you might come up while installing your drivers, I would really recommend you joinning it.