Building my first computer from scratch

W

web1324

New Member
Hello everyone! I've decided to do what I've always wanted to do and build my own computer from scratch. I know a decent amount about the components that go into computers, but I wanted to just double check to see if I've missed anything and to make sure everything is compatable. I've put everything together using newegg.com and below are all of the components I've picked out. Suggestions are also welcome, and I'm trying to stick to a budget of around $1,000.

Case –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

Hard Drive –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

Motherboard –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Processor –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Power Supply –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339002

Wireless Networking –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166063

Graphics Card –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

Memory –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180


Optical Drive –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136241

Operating System –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
 
Please add item descriptions to the OP so we don't have to click through many links to figure out the components you are considering.
 
Is this primarily a gaming computer?

If you're not doing any intensive rendering or multitasking (And I mean INTENSIVE multitasking) switch out the CPU for a 2500k, or wait a day or so for Ivy Bridge CPUs. Then use the money saved on a better graphics card.

Go for a Z77 chipset motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296

Go for 8GB of 1600mhz RAM. Only $11 more:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

Replace the power supply. Would get a better brand, and 750w is overkill:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256071
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256061

And to make sure, you have blu ray discs that you want to play/buy, correct?
 
azeem40 said:
Please add item descriptions to the OP so we don't have to click through many links to figure out the components you are considering.
Click to expand...

Case = Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower• ATX Mid Tower
• Steel
• External 5.25” Drive Bays = 3
• Internal 3.5” Drive Bays = 6
• Expansion Slots = 7
• 2 Front 120mm three speed blue LED Fans
• 1 Rear 120mm three speed Fan
• 1 Top 140mm two speed blue LED Fan
• Dimensions = 18.30” x 8.10” x 18.00”
• Weight = 15.9lbs
• 3 Year Limited Warranty

Hard Drive = Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive • 500Gb Capacity
• 7200 RPM
• SATA 6.0Gb/s
• 16Mb Cache
• 3.5” Form Factor
• IntelliSeek (power saving)
• Shock Guard (protection against bumps and vibration)
• 2 Year Limited Warranty

Motherboard = ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard • LGA1155 Processor Socket
• Core i7 / i5 / i3 Compatible
• Supports Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel K Series Unlocked CPU’s
• Supports Hyper-Threading Technology
• North Bridge = Intel Z68
• Number of Memory Slots = 4 x 240 Pin
• Memory Standard = DDR3 2133(oc) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800
• Maximum Memory Supported = 32Gb (8Gb per slot)
• Dual Channel Support
• 2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCI Express 2.0 with Sandy Bridge CPU)
• 2 PCI Express x1 slots
• 2 PCI slots
• 4 SATA 3.0Gb/s ports
• 2 SATA 6.0Gb/s ports
• Onboard Audio Chipset = Realtek ALC892 (8 Channels)
• Onboard LAN = Realtek 8111E (10/100/1000Mbps)
• 1 PS/2 port
• D-Sub + DVI Video ports
• 1 HDMI port
• 4 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 USB 3.0 ports
• 5 Audio Ports
• 24 Pin ATX Power Connector
• 8 Pin 12V Power Connector
• Front Panel Audio Connector
• Dimensions = 12” x 8.6”
• Premium Gold Caps
• Supports Intel HD Graphics Built-in Visuals
• Support Intel Smart Response, Lucid Virtu Switchable Graphics
• Xfast USB support
• Xfast LAN support
• 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)
• 2 Year Limited Warranty

Processor = Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K • Intel Core i7-2600K (quad core unlocked)
• 3.4GHz (3.8GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Core = Sandy Bridge
• CPU Socket Type = LGA1155
• L2 Cache = 2 x 256KB
• L3 Cache = 8MB
• Integrated Memory Controller = DDR3 - 1066 / 1333
• Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Graphics Base Frequency = 850Mhz
• Thermal Design Power = 95W
• Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
• Intel Hyper Threading Technology
• Intel Smart Cache
• 64 Bit Support
• SLI Ready
• Cooler With Fan Included

Power Supply = hec Zephyr MX 750 750W Peak Output ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply • Type = ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91
• 750W Peak Output
• 1 x 120mm Fan (<16dBA)
• 20+4 Main Connector
• +12V Rails = 4
• 2 x 6-Pin PCI Express Connectors
• 2 x 6+2-Pin PCI Express Connectors
• 8 SATA Power Connectors
• SLI Ready
• Up to 88% Efficiency
• 80 PLUS Certified
• Over Voltage Protection = +5V MAX 6.3V, +12V MAX 15.6V, +3.3V MAX 4.5V
• Overload Protection = 110~150% load
• Input Voltage = 100 - 240 V
• Input Frequency = 50/60 Hz
• Input Current = 10A
• Output = +3.3V@24A, +5V@20A, +12V1@30A, +12V2@30A, [email protected], [email protected]
• Dimensions = 6.5" x 5.9" x 3.4"
• Fully compatible with INTEL Core i and AMD Phenom series multi-core CPUs
• Fully supports latest NVIDIA 2-Way/3-Way SLI with 8pin PCIe 2.0 connectors (backwrad compatible with 6pin PCIe connector)
• High value and efficient +5V standby energy: Fully support microsoft Windows VISTA/7 power management function and USB devices can be charged under PC power off status
• Over Current/Voltage/Power Protection, Under Voltage Protection and Short Circuit Protection
• Active PCF up to 99%
• ATX12V V2.3 & EPS12V 2.91 standard and backward compatible with ATX12V 2.01 standard

Wireless Networking Card = Rosewill RNX-N180PCe Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Revision 1.1 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-bit WEP (Hex & ASCII), WPA(TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2(AES with IEEE 802.1x) • Standards = IEEE 802.11 B / G / N
• Wireless Data Rates = Up To 300Mbps
• 64/128 Bit WEP / WPA / WPA2
• Two External Detachable Antenna
• System Requirements = Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7 (32/64bit), and Linux Kernel 2.6.x
• Dimensions = 2.57" x 1.69"
• Support MIMO Power saving mechanism
• Chipset: Realtek RTL8191SE
• 1 Year Limited Warranty

Graphics Card = EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card • EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi)
• PCI Express 2.0 x16
• Core Clock = 951MHz
• Shader Clock = 1903MHz
• CUDA Cores = 192
• Effective Memory Clock = 4356MHz
• Memory Size = 1GB
• Memory Interface = 192 Bit
• Memory Type = GDDR5
• Direct X 11 Support
• Open GL 4.1 Support
• 1 Mini HDMI Port
• 2 DVI Ports
• RAMDAC = 400MHz
• Max Resolution = 2560 x 1600
• 3D Vision Game Ready
• SLI Support
• Cooler With Fan Included
• Dual Link DVI Support
• HDCP Ready
• Dimensions = 8.25" x 4.38"
• NVIDIA PhysX Technology
• NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
• NVIDIA 2-way SLI Ready
• NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround Ready

Memory X2 = G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK • 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
• DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
• Cas Latency = 8
• Voltage = 1.5V
• Timing = 8-8-8-21
• Dual Channel Kit
• Heat Spreader Included
• High Performance For Gaming Memory
• Unbuffered
• Lifetime Limited Warranty

Optical Drive = LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA 12X Super Multi Blue with 3D Playback & M-DISC Support WH12LS39 LightScribe Support - OEM • Internal Blu-Ray Burner
• 4MB Cache
• BD-ROM Access Time = 180ms
• Data Transfer Rate = 1.5Gbps / 1.2Gbps
• Lightscribe Direct Disc Labeling
• 5.25” Form Factor
• SATA Interface
• Serial ATA Interface
• Operating Systems Supported = Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
• M-DISC Support
• BLU-RAY, DVD, and CD Family Read/Write Compatible
• 12X BD-R Read and Write Capability
• 3D Playback & 2D to 3D Content Conversion

Operating System = Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
 
claptonman said:
Is this primarily a gaming computer?

If you're not doing any intensive rendering or multitasking (And I mean INTENSIVE multitasking) switch out the CPU for a 2500k, or wait a day or so for Ivy Bridge CPUs. Then use the money saved on a better graphics card.

Go for a Z77 chipset motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296

Go for 8GB of 1600mhz RAM. Only $11 more:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

Replace the power supply. Would get a better brand, and 750w is overkill:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256071
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256061

And to make sure, you have blu ray discs that you want to play/buy, correct?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply and suggestions. I plan to use it for a lot of things really. Everyday use, website design, working on some games with Torque3D, and also playing a few games like Sim City 4, Red Alert 3, and perhaps even COD Black Ops. Other than that, the real reason I'm using to justify this purchase is so I can better work in Torque3D and Blender. I also want something that will last a long time. The only other computer I have now is a laptop which is good for everyday use but nothing more really, and a crappy desktop I use to experiment on.

Also, I plan to purchase the memory listed x2. What are the major advantages to getting a Z77 chipset motherboard? Will Ivy Bridge be that much better than the processor I have now? Will it be much more expensive? Thanks again for your help!
 
Its just the newest chipset. Same price, can go to Ivy bridge if you ever want to update (You mention you want it to last a long time. This will be beneficial.) and the most up-to-date, so why not?

And the i7 2600k would be perfect for Blender and all that.

But I would try to stretch to 16GB of RAM to work with 3D modeling. Would benefit you greatly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315

Something like that.

If you don't want that much, I still would advise you to get the RAM I suggested. Fast, takes up 2 slots only, and cheaper than two kits of the ones you had.

And those games would be fine with the graphics card you chose.
 
claptonman said:
Its just the newest chipset. Same price, can go to Ivy bridge if you ever want to update (You mention you want it to last a long time. This will be beneficial.) and the most up-to-date, so why not?

And the i7 2600k would be perfect for Blender and all that.

But I would try to stretch to 16GB of RAM to work with 3D modeling. Would benefit you greatly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315

Something like that.

If you don't want that much, I still would advise you to get the RAM I suggested. Fast, takes up 2 slots only, and cheaper than two kits of the ones you had.

And those games would be fine with the graphics card you chose.
Click to expand...

Thanks again for your reply and suggestions. Out of curiosity, which of the four power supplies that you posted would you most recommend and why? Would those power supplies have enough connectors for everything including all the fans that come with the case?
 
web1324 said:
Thanks again for your reply and suggestions. Out of curiosity, which of the four power supplies that you posted would you most recommend and why? Would those power supplies have enough connectors for everything including all the fans that come with the case?
Click to expand...

The 600w or the XFX. Has the most power, good quality parts, good efficiency. They would have all the connections necessary.
 
claptonman said:
The 600w or the XFX. Has the most power, good quality parts, good efficiency. They would have all the connections necessary.
Click to expand...

Okay, thank you for all of the helpful information! I think I will get one of those two power supplies and upgrade to the amount of RAM you suggested, because I will be doing quite a bit of 3D modeling after putting this thing together.

I do have one more question for you though. I was researching the Z68 chipset vs the Z77, and from what I'm seeing, there isn't really that much of a difference between the two. According to some forums I just looked at, the Z77 seems to have quite a few bugs that still need to be worked out while the Z68 is pretty solid at this point. I would just like to get your thoughts on all of this seeing as you seem to know what you're talking about. Do you think it's really worth it to go with a Z77 chipset instead?

Also, I was wanting to put this thing together this week, but if there is a newer processor coming out soon for the same price and everything, then I may as well wait a little longer in order to get the latest technologies. When is the 3rd generation i7 supposed to be up for sale? Do you think it will take a while to get to newegg.com?
 
Its already on sale in the UK, so it should be there by today or tomorrow. But it is about $70 more, for a little performance boost.

And for the Z77, I would still go with it. A few members here have them and haven't reported any bugs.
 
claptonman said:
Its already on sale in the UK, so it should be there by today or tomorrow. But it is about $70 more, for a little performance boost.

And for the Z77, I would still go with it. A few members here have them and haven't reported any bugs.
Click to expand...

Well, thank you for all of your help, I really do appreciate your suggestions! If you have any more, please let me know!

At this point anyone else can jump in with their recommendations too I guess. :)
 
web1324 said:
Case = Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower• ATX Mid Tower
• Steel
• External 5.25” Drive Bays = 3
• Internal 3.5” Drive Bays = 6
• Expansion Slots = 7
• 2 Front 120mm three speed blue LED Fans
• 1 Rear 120mm three speed Fan
• 1 Top 140mm two speed blue LED Fan
• Dimensions = 18.30” x 8.10” x 18.00”
• Weight = 15.9lbs
• 3 Year Limited Warranty

Hard Drive = Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive • 500Gb Capacity
• 7200 RPM
• SATA 6.0Gb/s
• 16Mb Cache
• 3.5” Form Factor
• IntelliSeek (power saving)
• Shock Guard (protection against bumps and vibration)
• 2 Year Limited Warranty

Motherboard = ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard • LGA1155 Processor Socket
• Core i7 / i5 / i3 Compatible
• Supports Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
• Supports Intel K Series Unlocked CPU’s
• Supports Hyper-Threading Technology
• North Bridge = Intel Z68
• Number of Memory Slots = 4 x 240 Pin
• Memory Standard = DDR3 2133(oc) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800
• Maximum Memory Supported = 32Gb (8Gb per slot)
• Dual Channel Support
• 2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (PCI Express 2.0 with Sandy Bridge CPU)
• 2 PCI Express x1 slots
• 2 PCI slots
• 4 SATA 3.0Gb/s ports
• 2 SATA 6.0Gb/s ports
• Onboard Audio Chipset = Realtek ALC892 (8 Channels)
• Onboard LAN = Realtek 8111E (10/100/1000Mbps)
• 1 PS/2 port
• D-Sub + DVI Video ports
• 1 HDMI port
• 4 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 USB 3.0 ports
• 5 Audio Ports
• 24 Pin ATX Power Connector
• 8 Pin 12V Power Connector
• Front Panel Audio Connector
• Dimensions = 12” x 8.6”
• Premium Gold Caps
• Supports Intel HD Graphics Built-in Visuals
• Support Intel Smart Response, Lucid Virtu Switchable Graphics
• Xfast USB support
• Xfast LAN support
• 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)
• 2 Year Limited Warranty

Processor = Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K • Intel Core i7-2600K (quad core unlocked)
• 3.4GHz (3.8GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Core = Sandy Bridge
• CPU Socket Type = LGA1155
• L2 Cache = 2 x 256KB
• L3 Cache = 8MB
• Integrated Memory Controller = DDR3 - 1066 / 1333
• Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Graphics Base Frequency = 850Mhz
• Thermal Design Power = 95W
• Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
• Intel Hyper Threading Technology
• Intel Smart Cache
• 64 Bit Support
• SLI Ready
• Cooler With Fan Included

Power Supply = hec Zephyr MX 750 750W Peak Output ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply • Type = ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91
• 750W Peak Output
• 1 x 120mm Fan (<16dBA)
• 20+4 Main Connector
• +12V Rails = 4
• 2 x 6-Pin PCI Express Connectors
• 2 x 6+2-Pin PCI Express Connectors
• 8 SATA Power Connectors
• SLI Ready
• Up to 88% Efficiency
• 80 PLUS Certified
• Over Voltage Protection = +5V MAX 6.3V, +12V MAX 15.6V, +3.3V MAX 4.5V
• Overload Protection = 110~150% load
• Input Voltage = 100 - 240 V
• Input Frequency = 50/60 Hz
• Input Current = 10A
• Output = +3.3V@24A, +5V@20A, +12V1@30A, +12V2@30A, [email protected], [email protected]
• Dimensions = 6.5" x 5.9" x 3.4"
• Fully compatible with INTEL Core i and AMD Phenom series multi-core CPUs
• Fully supports latest NVIDIA 2-Way/3-Way SLI with 8pin PCIe 2.0 connectors (backwrad compatible with 6pin PCIe connector)
• High value and efficient +5V standby energy: Fully support microsoft Windows VISTA/7 power management function and USB devices can be charged under PC power off status
• Over Current/Voltage/Power Protection, Under Voltage Protection and Short Circuit Protection
• Active PCF up to 99%
• ATX12V V2.3 & EPS12V 2.91 standard and backward compatible with ATX12V 2.01 standard

Wireless Networking Card = Rosewill RNX-N180PCe Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Revision 1.1 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-bit WEP (Hex & ASCII), WPA(TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2(AES with IEEE 802.1x) • Standards = IEEE 802.11 B / G / N
• Wireless Data Rates = Up To 300Mbps
• 64/128 Bit WEP / WPA / WPA2
• Two External Detachable Antenna
• System Requirements = Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7 (32/64bit), and Linux Kernel 2.6.x
• Dimensions = 2.57" x 1.69"
• Support MIMO Power saving mechanism
• Chipset: Realtek RTL8191SE
• 1 Year Limited Warranty

Graphics Card = EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card • EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi)
• PCI Express 2.0 x16
• Core Clock = 951MHz
• Shader Clock = 1903MHz
• CUDA Cores = 192
• Effective Memory Clock = 4356MHz
• Memory Size = 1GB
• Memory Interface = 192 Bit
• Memory Type = GDDR5
• Direct X 11 Support
• Open GL 4.1 Support
• 1 Mini HDMI Port
• 2 DVI Ports
• RAMDAC = 400MHz
• Max Resolution = 2560 x 1600
• 3D Vision Game Ready
• SLI Support
• Cooler With Fan Included
• Dual Link DVI Support
• HDCP Ready
• Dimensions = 8.25" x 4.38"
• NVIDIA PhysX Technology
• NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
• NVIDIA 2-way SLI Ready
• NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround Ready

Memory X2 = G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK • 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
• DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
• Cas Latency = 8
• Voltage = 1.5V
• Timing = 8-8-8-21
• Dual Channel Kit
• Heat Spreader Included
• High Performance For Gaming Memory
• Unbuffered
• Lifetime Limited Warranty

Optical Drive = LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA 12X Super Multi Blue with 3D Playback & M-DISC Support WH12LS39 LightScribe Support - OEM • Internal Blu-Ray Burner
• 4MB Cache
• BD-ROM Access Time = 180ms
• Data Transfer Rate = 1.5Gbps / 1.2Gbps
• Lightscribe Direct Disc Labeling
• 5.25” Form Factor
• SATA Interface
• Serial ATA Interface
• Operating Systems Supported = Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
• M-DISC Support
• BLU-RAY, DVD, and CD Family Read/Write Compatible
• 12X BD-R Read and Write Capability
• 3D Playback & 2D to 3D Content Conversion

Operating System = Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Click to expand...

Get the i5-2500k over the 2600k. I don't think web designing makes use of Hyperthreading. If it does, then keep the 2600k. Get the Radeon 6850. It performs much better than the 550ti.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541?vs=539 is the source.
 
Get the i5-2500k over the 2600k. I don't think web designing makes use of Hyperthreading. If it does, then keep the 2600k. Get the Radeon 6850. It performs much better than the 550ti.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/541?vs=539 is the source.
Click to expand...

Well, web design won't be the only thing I'll be doing with this computer. I will also be doing a lot of work with Torque3D:
http://www.garagegames.com/products/torque-3d
I will also be doing a lot of work with Blender (3D modeling):
http://www.blender.org/
 
azeem40 said:
I posted the difference in a link. :)
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry, I must have overlooked that link. Well, according to the site you gave me, the Radeon seems much better than the 550, and only a little more expensive. However, what brand would you recommend?
 
azeem40 said:
I personally recommend Sapphire. I have the Sapphire 7950 and I can't hear it at all!
Click to expand...

Would you say there are any major downsides to not going with an NVIDIA card? I know NVIDIA has physX, which seems nice in theory, but does it really make that much of a difference? Do the Radeon cards offer anything similar? Also, now I'm looking into the Radeon 6870 cards as they are only a few dollars more and the performance increase seems significant enough to justify the price increase. I'm mainly just looking for more information on the Radeon cards though because like I said before, I haven't paid much attention to Radeon over the years...

Also, any other suggestions?
 
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