[Pc Build] Starting/Info Stage.

zuXi

New Member
Im looking to build a Pc that will put me on highest settings for now,
and then gradually last me over the couple years to come.

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.

I would post up a pre-build. But i know it would be completely wrong.
Question, is the 5870 top of the line now ?

Thanks in advance.
 

linkin

VIP Member
Except anywhere you go those cards will be out of stock and in backorder. getting two 5770's would make a good short term fix as they perform around the same as a 4870, but slightly less. but you have DX11. :)
 

zuXi

New Member
Except anywhere you go those cards will be out of stock and in backorder. getting two 5770's would make a good short term fix as they perform around the same as a 4870, but slightly less. but you have DX11. :)
I see the 5870, instock somewhere and also one that
isnt instock below it. Except the title has "XXX Edition"
in the title and is 30bucks cheaper. Core clock and the
processor are a slight notch lower than the other card.

Im type of guy who likes the best of the best, so i guess
I have a long wait before i get my hands on a new comp
 

Jet

VIP Member

zuXi

New Member
The ATi 5870/5850/5970 prices are really funky right now--they're in and out of stock, so prices don't always make sense. The one you linked looks fine--no issues there.

Ive noticed that, yesterday there was a XXX series one
there for 30 bucks more and difference specs.
 

Jet

VIP Member
I just checked--the XXX version just is slightly overclocked--with a few minutes, you can do that to most any 5870 without spending the extra $30.
 

zuXi

New Member
I just checked--the XXX version just is slightly overclocked--with a few minutes, you can do that to most any 5870 without spending the extra $30.

Perfect thanks.
Now i just need to find out what else to select for my build.
ATI requires AMD mobo ? Which one would you recommend ?
 

Jet

VIP Member
ATi does not require an AMD motherboard--any motherboard with a PCI Express 2.0 slot will do. With your price range, I'd buy an Intel i7 920 with an X58 motherboard, 6GB of DDR3 1600 (triple channel), etc.
 

zuXi

New Member

Jet

VIP Member
6x240 pins means 12GB of ram ?
Im assuming it be better to go with the EVGA, not the combo.

Intel Core i7-920 - 288.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

EVGA E760 Classified, X58 - 404.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188048

Or i can get this combo - 439.98
Intel Core i7-920
ECS X58B-A2 Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.303802

If you want to spend way more than you need to, get the EVGA. However, I would strongly recommend the i7 920 and the ASUS P5T. The ECS motherboard is not that great, the EVGA is too much, but the ASUS is right where you get the best deals. If you want to spend money, buy a Solid State hard drive for your OS and programs--that will give you much more performance for what you are spending.

Also--are you planning on overclocking?
 

zuXi

New Member
If you want to spend way more than you need to, get the EVGA. However, I would strongly recommend the i7 920 and the ASUS P5T. The ECS motherboard is not that great, the EVGA is too much, but the ASUS is right where you get the best deals. If you want to spend money, buy a Solid State hard drive for your OS and programs--that will give you much more performance for what you are spending.

Also--are you planning on overclocking?

Did you mean the P55 ? Cause i dont see a P5T.
I see, P55, X58 and X48.

This mobo is half the price of the EVGA, still a X58.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

I have never OC before, i had thought about it with
my current ASUS G2, but the 8600GT idles at a temp
of 72'C already.

If i knew the cons of OC i could give you an answer.
More power consumption, requires better cooling ?

Edit - Also, never heard of Solid state hard drives
before. Theyre more expensive than internal HDs
 
Last edited:

linkin

VIP Member
Have fun with your build! I'm glad to see people taking a look at that thread i made :)

Problems with OCing:

Can be finicky, you must get everything stable
Some games are not good with overclocked hardware (Far Cry 2 gets the jitters, other games too)
Increased power usage

Generally the good points of OCing outweigh the bad ones.
 

zuXi

New Member
Have fun with your build! I'm glad to see people taking a look at that thread i made :)

Problems with OCing:

Can be finicky, you must get everything stable
Some games are not good with overclocked hardware (Far Cry 2 gets the jitters, other games too)
Increased power usage

Generally the good points of OCing outweigh the bad ones.

Thanks for the input.
Im having a lot of difficulty making a build. I look at
two items basically identical except one is slightly
more expensive and had some other one spec difference.
Then i wonder, is the 30bucks worth it ?

Such as :
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 4 (@ x16/x8/x4/x8)
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2

No idea what that is, or what difference it makes for 30bucks.
 

FATALiiTYz

New Member
Thanks for the input.
Im having a lot of difficulty making a build. I look at
two items basically identical except one is slightly
more expensive and had some other one spec difference.
Then i wonder, is the 30bucks worth it ?

Such as :
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 4 (@ x16/x8/x4/x8)
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2

No idea what that is, or what difference it makes for 30bucks.

Nahh, its not really worth it. I'd also stick to the Asus board that Jet recommended:D
 

Jet

VIP Member
Did you mean the P55 ? Cause i dont see a P5T.
I see, P55, X58 and X48.

This mobo is half the price of the EVGA, still a X58.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

Ha! Sorry, I typed P5T and meant P6T! That board or the one I linked earlier will do fine.

I have never OC before, i had thought about it with
my current ASUS G2, but the 8600GT idles at a temp
of 72'C already.

If i knew the cons of OC i could give you an answer.
More power consumption, requires better cooling ?

Overclocking is generally safe, but you can make stuff break if you don't do it right. If you're overclocking, you'll need a decent motherboard (ie, the P6T or many others) and proper cooling for your processor. However, it will be nice down the road to have the extra performance--my i7 runs at 2.66Ghz stock, and right now it's at 4.1Ghz--all with the i7 920, the ASRock X58 Extreme, and 6GB of DDR3 1600.

Edit - Also, never heard of Solid state hard drives
before. Theyre more expensive than internal HDs

Solid states are more expensive because they're newer technology. Basically, you buy a smaller SSD (say, 64-120GB) for your Windows installation and programs, and then put the rest of your info on another regular hard drive (ie, the 1TB I linked earlier). The solid state drives are much quicker when doing things like opening programs, booting into windows, etc--the random access times are <.1ms while normal hard drives are usually 8ms-14ms.
 
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