Is it worth it?

jmcdonald93

jmcdonald93

New Member
I am considering putting a new system together with the main aim being gaming. I wanted to be able to run games such as Crysis, World in Conflict and Far Cry 2. Is the system below worth building?

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-8500/1066 (2x XMS2 2GB) TWIN2X4096-8500C5D RAM
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN
Asus EAH4870-DKHTDI-1GD5 RADEON 4870, 1G, DDR5, PCIE2.0, 2xDVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI, DK
Antec EarthWatts 500W ATX Power Supply
Antec NSK4000 Case
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black)
Western Digital Caviar Green Power 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs

Thanks in advance for any of your opinions.
 
upgrade your psu choice...

psu max output on the two combined 12volt rails is 34amps and the minimum power requirement of your gpu is 34amps at 500 watts!

its not known if combinning the two 12volt rails on the psu will give true output readings so it might not even push out 34amps

the CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V gives out 41amps on one single dedicated rail, it would be a better choice but if you wanted to go crossfire with 2x 4870's you would need something a bit better like the 750 watt version
 
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it is. although unless you will be running high resolustions (using like a 22 in monitor) you dont need 1gb memory on the video card, which will save you money.
 
Thanks for your input. Would you recommend the 4870 512MB or another card? As for the PSU, is there a specific brand/model that you think would work well?
 
the 4870 512 version is great.

corsairs do make good psus. a few other brands are thermaltake, silverstone, ocz, hec.
 
Due to price constraints, I was considering the Gigabyte N96TZL-512I GF9600GT, 512MB, DDR3, PCIE2.0, DVI, HDMI, HDCP, SLI. Would it be worth paying that little bit extra for the ATI 4870 512MB.

Thanks for your suggestion regarding PSU, the change will cost extra but after I change the GPU, it should overall, bring the cost down.
 
Alright, thank you so much for your help. If anyone has any other suggestions regarding something else on that list, feel free to post.
 
I'm sorry bout' this, but I've got another question. Which of the following setups would you recommend?

Corsair VX-550 550W ATX Power Supply - $157.30
Cooler Master Elite 341 Black Tower Case (No PSU) - $48.40
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-8500/1066 (2x XMS2 2GB) TWIN2X4096-8500C5D RAM - $93.50
Western Digital Caviar Green Power 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs - $85.00
PowerColor Radeon HD4870, 512MB DDR5, D-Sub, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDTV, Tv-Out, HDMI, HDCP, PCIe2.0 - $289.80

Total - $1193.70

OR

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power Supply - $181.50
Asus EAH4870-DKHTDI-1GD5 Radeon 4870, 1G, DDR5, PCIE2.0, 2xDVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI, DK - $349.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-5300/667 (2x2GB) Value Select RAM (VS4GBKIT667D2) - $64.90
Cooler Master Elite 330 Black/Silver Tower Case (No PSU) - $53.90
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 1.5Gbs - $88.00
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00

Total - $1257.00
 
jmcdonald93 said:
I'm sorry bout' this, but I've got another question. Which of the following setups would you recommend?

Corsair VX-550 550W ATX Power Supply - $157.30
Cooler Master Elite 341 Black Tower Case (No PSU) - $48.40
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-8500/1066 (2x XMS2 2GB) TWIN2X4096-8500C5D RAM - $93.50
Western Digital Caviar Green Power 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs - $85.00
PowerColor Radeon HD4870, 512MB DDR5, D-Sub, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDTV, Tv-Out, HDMI, HDCP, PCIe2.0 - $289.80

Total - $1193.70

OR

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power Supply - $181.50
Asus EAH4870-DKHTDI-1GD5 Radeon 4870, 1G, DDR5, PCIE2.0, 2xDVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI, DK - $349.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-5300/667 (2x2GB) Value Select RAM (VS4GBKIT667D2) - $64.90
Cooler Master Elite 330 Black/Silver Tower Case (No PSU) - $53.90
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 1.5Gbs - $88.00
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00

Total - $1257.00
Click to expand...

the second rig
 
jmcdonald93 said:
I'm sorry bout' this, but I've got another question. Which of the following setups would you recommend?

Corsair VX-550 550W ATX Power Supply - $157.30
Cooler Master Elite 341 Black Tower Case (No PSU) - $48.40
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-8500/1066 (2x XMS2 2GB) TWIN2X4096-8500C5D RAM - $93.50
Western Digital Caviar Green Power 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 3Gbs - $85.00
PowerColor Radeon HD4870, 512MB DDR5, D-Sub, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDTV, Tv-Out, HDMI, HDCP, PCIe2.0 - $289.80

Total - $1193.70

OR

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / 3.16Ghz / 6MB Cache / 1333FSB / LGA775 - $292.00
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L Intel Mainboard - 4x DDR2 / 6x SATA / 1x IDE / Gigabit LAN - $194.70
Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power Supply - $181.50
Asus EAH4870-DKHTDI-1GD5 Radeon 4870, 1G, DDR5, PCIE2.0, 2xDVI, HDTV, HDCP, HDMI, DK - $349.00
Corsair DDR2 4GB PC-5300/667 (2x2GB) Value Select RAM (VS4GBKIT667D2) - $64.90
Cooler Master Elite 330 Black/Silver Tower Case (No PSU) - $53.90
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 1.5Gbs - $88.00
Pioneer DVR-216 SATA DVD Re-Writer (20x - Black) - $33.00

Total - $1257.00
Click to expand...


Absolutely option B.
You have a better graphics card, more wattage on the PSU, and, something that I was going to comment on: I've heard bad things about those grenpower drives, and I love Seagate. Having said that, your HD choices in B are way more in line.
 
Also, where do you pay $181.50 for a TX650?
Click to expand...

The prices come from the website of a good local store that I plan on purchasing everything from - www.centrecom.com.au

If you're gong to pay $300.00 for a CPU and $200.00 for the board,
you can get i7 for the same price.
Click to expand...

I would I only be able to get i7-920 and keep it within my budget. Would this still be a good choice? Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with the i7.

The extra money you'll spend on DDR3 RAM can be subtracted from the
$349.00 Radeon 4870, and replaced with a GTX260 Super Clocked:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130433
Click to expand...

The GTX260 is actually $339.00 from the place I plan to purchase it. I've been told that the performance of 2GB of DDR3 RAM is equivalent to 3-4GB of DDR2. I find that hard to believe, is it true?

What brands of DDR3 would you recommend?

I've heard bad things about those grenpower drives
Click to expand...

Do you mind if I ask what kind of bad things?
 
The i7 920 is a great chip. The 940 is not worth the extra money, because the
920 will clock past the 940 stock clock easily.

You see my point about the swapping anyway, sorry about the prices where
you plan to purchase.
 
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