Originally Posted by The Crotch MarshallJacob: If you're looking for a better GPU than the 560, this is a good deal for a 7870, which is a pretty substantial improvement. And it's not a crappy XFX 7870 or anything. Also, free game, albeit not one I'd be too interested in.

Thanks for the heads up Crotch (wow that feels wrong saying), but by the time i had a chance to look at that it was all snatched up, (im gonna look for it elsewhere, but thanks for the heads up on XFX, they seem cheaper, but I guess theres a reason for it). I did look at the 7870 cards, but all the graphics cards in the world seem to have good reviews. I honestly saw a video for the 660ti and became enamored (plus it comes with B2), but if its a graphics card that is likely to die before it gets to actually really utilize its power I dont want to waste the extra money. Sorry for clogging up this thread with all my noobness, but I really appreciate the help.

Edit. Was completely torn between this 660ti w/ a Borderlands game code @ Amazon for $309, and this Asus HD7870 for $260 plus a $20 MIR on Amazon (kinda bummed they dont have Sleeping Dogs codes, but about to beat it on 360 so no biggie) From what I've read (which could be false) the 7870 is on par with the 660ti, and in some ways its superior, and cheaper. I ended up going with the 7870 and it should be here within a week or so, which should give me time to get the MOBO and CPU so I can finish this thing.

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Originally Posted by HumanSnatcher I'm on the opposite end...I bought a 64gb SSD and wish I had gone bigger. But then again, Its mostly only for the OS and certain small programs. Everything else goes on my 2TB hdd

Exactly. For installs, 256 GB is too much for me. And it's too little for storage.

First time posting in this forum, but I figure I'll see what others think of this configuration as I haven't built a PC for a few years and damn has the technology changed. (I used to be Store Manager of a local PC and repair shop specializing in custom builds, so I've got experience.)

I'm looking to replace my 6 year old computer (built at shop I managed) that now is finally starting to show it's age.

I'd be upgrading from the following:
- AMD Athlon X2 6400+ 3.2GHz
- 4GB DDR3-800 Memory
- Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
- EVGA Superclocked 8800GT 512MB

I'm looking to build something that will smash anything I throw at it, so here is what I have so far (Pricing from newegg.com)

AMD FX-8150 3.6 GHz Socket AM3+
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) (2 sets for 16GB of memory)
HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870 2GB (2 cards to set in CrossfireX mode)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive
Crucial M4 128GB SSD (2 drives to mirror in case of drive failure)
Samsung SATA DVD Writer Black
Antec DF85 Case
Antec CP-1000 Power Supply
Logisys Dual Red Cold Cathode
Rosewill 120mm Red LED Fan

Total for all of this came out to $1,510.86.

I was also considering getting two Asus VE248H 24" Monitors to go with the setup which would be $359.98.

Total for Tower + Monitor = $1,870.84

I'd be loading it with a Win 7 64-bit copy I have. My only concern is with the SSD drives as I've never used them before. I know they are super fast but reliability was a concern when they were coming out (the last time I looked at them) I figure mirroring them will be beneficial to ease my worry in case one fails.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciative. I'm looking to get another 5-6 years of use out of this guy.

Originally Posted by Monoxide1986 I'm looking to build something that will smash anything I throw at it, so here is what I have so far (Pricing from newegg.com) AMD FX-8150 3.6 GHz Socket AM3+ Asus Sabertooth 990FX Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) (2 sets for 16GB of memory) HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870 2GB (2 cards to set in CrossfireX mode) Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive Crucial M4 128GB SSD (2 drives to mirror in case of drive failure) Samsung SATA DVD Writer Black Antec DF85 Case Antec CP-1000 Power Supply Logisys Dual Red Cold Cathode Rosewill 120mm Red LED Fan Total for all of this came out to $1,510.86. I was also considering getting two Asus VE248H 24" Monitors to go with the setup which would be $359.98. Total for Tower + Monitor = $1,870.84 I'd be loading it with a Win 7 64-bit copy I have. My only concern is with the SSD drives as I've never used them before. I know they are super fast but reliability was a concern when they were coming out (the last time I looked at them) I figure mirroring them will be beneficial to ease my worry in case one fails. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciative. I'm looking to get another 5-6 years of use out of this guy.

Here's my opinion.

Personally, I don't like AMD, but I won't go into that.

Don't buy two sets of RAM. Buy a kit of 4x 4GB or 2x 8GBs, matched.

Get a single gfx card over the XF, such as the GTX 680/670 or 7970. Higher compatibility with everything, and less heat/power. I personally would (and did) go with a 670. You're also looking at only 2x 1080p.

Samsung platter drives are horrible.

Mirroring an SSD can lower it's performance. What you should do is get a single Samsung 830 or Intel, and run a backup program to backup onto a platter drive.

Originally Posted by elessar123 Here's my opinion. Personally, I don't like AMD, but I won't go into that. Don't buy two sets of RAM. Buy a kit of 4x 4GB or 2x 8GBs, matched. Get a single gfx card over the XF, such as the GTX 680/670 or 7970. Higher compatibility with everything, and less heat/power. I personally would (and did) go with a 670. You're also looking at only 2x 1080p. Samsung platter drives are horrible. Mirroring an SSD can lower it's performance. What you should do is get a single Samsung 830 or Intel, and run a backup program to backup onto a platter drive.

I've always been a fan of AMD (and only built gaming rigs with them for myself) so I've always stuck with them. No rhyme or reason other than the products I got from them performed well and lasted a long time at a cheaper price than intel. I'd be interested in hearing arguments for either or.

I'll take note on that RAM and get one pair of two 8GB. Makes sense now that it's been pointed out to me.

On the video card I've always stuck by nVidia, but have heard that AMD (ATI still to me) has gotten significantly better. I wouldn't mind sticking with nVidia, but figured I'd give AMD/ATI a shot. The two cards was mostly just to say I had a setup like that. I'll probably end up switching out to a higher end single card. Any big difference between the GTX 680/670 or 7970?


I was skeptical of Samsung drives until I put two mirrored 2TB one's in my media center PC and they've been running great for over a year and a half now. I'm a die-hard WD fan so I'll most like end up switching it over to one of those. Seagate is trash to me (saw too many failed ones at the shop I ran and I won't even consider it).

On the SSD, it's still new ground to me. All of my tech buddies are urging me to switch over to one as my primary drive, but I've read too many reviews stating that they failed with in the first 6 months or so. My wife tends to store a lot of kids pictures and whatnot on the desktop so in the chance that it fails and I don't have proper fail-safes in place.. I'm dead. My same tech buddies also mentioned some software that does backups to another drive in the system automatically. How long does a backup typically take with that and are there any specific products that are good. I used to use Acronis True Image a bunch for imaging drives. The short life before failure still worries the hell out of me though.

Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to more.

Originally Posted by elessar123 Exactly. For installs, 256 GB is too much for me. And it's too little for storage.

Considering how much real estate most programs use, whether they be games or plain applications, 256gb is a lil on the low side. Maybe if you wanted to put a couple games on it. I'm waiting for prices to drop more on ones larger than 256.

The onlything other than Win7Ultimate on mine are a few productivity apps. Such as video converting software and dvd copy software (thankfully TigerDirect sells licenses and downloads). And a few games that I can only run using the built in VM of XP (I'm looking you You Don't Know Jack series....). Generally if its under 250mb, I'll allow it to install to the SSD.

Word of advice to the builders with SSD...you might want to disable the hibernation file. That took up 12gbs on my system, on a 64gb, thats very valuable real estate. Its not like your running an ultrabook, the system will still boot up quick as hell. I also disable the paging file. That was 16gb. Then again, I have 16gb of RAM. Unless a game requires the paging file will I go in and create a small one. Of course that all goes for if you go with anything under 64gb SSD

Definitely go for an Intel CPU and definitely don't go for SLI/Crossfire.

Originally Posted by Monoxide1986 I've always been a fan of AMD (and only built gaming rigs with them for myself) so I've always stuck with them. No rhyme or reason other than the products I got from them performed well and lasted a long time at a cheaper price than intel. I'd be interested in hearing arguments for either or.

I've always liked Intel better. I never had great experiences with AMD. It's like everything is made using Intel and Nvidia, so there's usually a tiny bit of compatibility issues with AMD and ATI (which is obviously now both the same company).

Originally Posted by Monoxide1986 On the video card I've always stuck by nVidia, but have heard that AMD (ATI still to me) has gotten significantly better. I wouldn't mind sticking with nVidia, but figured I'd give AMD/ATI a shot. The two cards was mostly just to say I had a setup like that. I'll probably end up switching out to a higher end single card. Any big difference between the GTX 680/670 or 7970?

Depends on what you want to do with the graphics cards. Most games run slightly better on the 670/680. Some run better on the 7970. Three monitor setup on AMD is better. The 670 is about $100 cheaper than the 680, and can be overclocked to perform like a 680. I think the 7970 does calculations significantly faster though.

Originally Posted by Monoxide1986 On the SSD, it's still new ground to me. All of my tech buddies are urging me to switch over to one as my primary drive, but I've read too many reviews stating that they failed with in the first 6 months or so. My wife tends to store a lot of kids pictures and whatnot on the desktop so in the chance that it fails and I don't have proper fail-safes in place.. I'm dead. My same tech buddies also mentioned some software that does backups to another drive in the system automatically. How long does a backup typically take with that and are there any specific products that are good. I used to use Acronis True Image a bunch for imaging drives. The short life before failure still worries the hell out of me though.

If you're putting photos on your SSD, you're doing it wrong. That's what a platter drive is for. And I think SSDs have a decent warranty period. I'm new to using it at home, so I'm not sure. We use tons of Intel drives at work, and they're fairly reliable. But they're 2x the price of other brands.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131835
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115091
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339
SDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139950
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135247
Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121642
Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1046194

Could someone tell me if all the parts I have listed will work together and if anything is missing. This is the 1st time I will be building my own PC so I am a little lost on the parts and everything, but I have put them together before.

Also feel free to give me better recommendations for parts. I am trying to keep it below $1000 and the total of all the parts I listed is $798

Originally Posted by clonesniper666 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131835 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115091 Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424 HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339 SDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139950 DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135247 Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121642 Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1046194 Could someone tell me if all the parts I have listed will work together and if anything is missing. This is the 1st time I will be building my own PC so I am a little lost on the parts and everything, but I have put them together before. Also feel free to give me better recommendations for parts. I am trying to keep it below $1000 and the total of all the parts I listed is $798

Your graphics card is a tier lower than everything else that you have listed. General rule is to spend the same amount on your cpu and your graphics card. You PC spec is by no means a slouch, but in terms of gaming PC, you always want your graphics card to be the stand out component of your PC.

Look for a 560Ti/560 Ti448 core for a better card at the same comparable price.

Originally Posted by j-cart Your graphics card is a tier lower than everything else that you have listed. General rule is to spend the same amount on your cpu and your graphics card. You PC spec is by no means a slouch, but in terms of gaming PC, you always want your graphics card to be the stand out component of your PC. Look for a 560Ti/560 Ti448 core for a better card at the same comparable price.

Most of the 560ti cards I just looked at were around $200-$250 and only offered 1Gb. Not sure how much a difference a 2Gb would offer but would this be a better replacement: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130810. It is only about $50-60 more than most 560ti I looked at.

this brings my total to $938 or $863 if I drop the SDD and use an old 80Gb Hdd for the OS

This is where you have to make the decision that I cannot make for you.

Price vs Performance.

Go ahead and look here:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-ra...7770-review/21

My old GTX 470 is still out performing the 7770 that you plan on purchasing (my card is now three generations old compared to the radeon 7700 series and I only paid $180). Now that difference is only 10 FPS, but it is the difference of 30 fps vs 20 fps, which is a huge difference in terms of gameplay. I push the 560 ti because it is a solid card at a decent price now.

I don't have any personal experience with the 660, but the numbers on it look great. Understand that it is new generation card of the 560ti, so the prices will be a lot higher just because it is new.

Honestly, if you can find a 560 ti 448 core for around $200, get it. Best damn price pointed card on the market. It is a limited run, but its basically a 570 but better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130738

Okay I think I decided to get this card since for it is a bit cheaper and also seems to do really good in the games I am interested i playing.

Would you recommend I just drop the SSD and use and 80 GB HDD though, since it would save $75?

Hell no. Check slickdeals for flash sales SSDs.

Make sure you also get a regular HDD aswell. Run the OS on the SSD (get steammover if you are steam users) as you collect and complete games you can transfer them back and forth from the SSD to HDD.

SSD is worth it.

Also, hell yah on the 560 ti 448 core You are gonna love your rig.

/edit: just looked at slickdeals

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/7933...lr225sat2120gb

My brother uses OCZ SSDs and he says they run well. Price is extremely cheap.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/7920...sd-sh103s3120g

I have a kingston similar to this and it is awesome. For the price it is worth it, kingston knows how to package their products and their support to consumers with customer service.

Either one would be a solid pick up.

To clonesniper: Why would you pay $240 for the 560ti when you can get a 660ti or 7850 for just a bit more? That's a buy you would really regret if you go through with it. Here's a quality 7850 that outperforms the 560ti for less money.

I had forgotten about this thread...I'm also very ready for a new card. I don't care if I wind up with ATI or Nvidia, I just want it to be a beast for the price. The 7950 and 670 are both flirting with $300 for the off-brands, and I'm holding out until I can get a good brand (MSI, Giga, ASUS) with good cooling at that price. It's going to happen soon.

And if I play my cards right, maybe I'll get a free copy of a game I'll never play. I just hope they keep fighting on the MSRP. I like that ATI responded with the drop on the 7950 and below, my hope is Nvidia decides to nudge things further. And I'm not talking game promos, I'm talking cash money, yo.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131835
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115091
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151256
Graphic Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738
Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1046194
Wireless Adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166046

And 3 SATA cables

Yes I dropped the SDD for the moment but will buy one next payday, plus the extra 80GB HDD is only for the OS. Also I decided to get a normal DVD drive over a bluray drive. Total is $870.41 via Newegg, is that a good price for the part listed?

Would I need any other cables besides the SATA ones since I only recall the HDD/CD drive needing a cable besides the one from the PSU. A 650W PSU should be enough for this build , corret or do I need more?

Got my board and cpu to go with my 7870, for the cpu I got the amd fx8120 8 core 3.1ghz and for the board I got a GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard. Turns out when I got the gpu I did get the sleeping dogs game code but about to finish it on the 360 so will probably look to trade that.

Nvidia drivers > ATI drivers

well, that's just my opinion

Should be able to find the 560 ti 448 core for around $200 (the newegg link includes a rebate) but there have been a few deals awhile ago for $200+ Batman:AC.

If I went with an i7 over an i5, would I see a lot of difference?

And on the i7's I'm debating between these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115229

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070

Not really. Get a 3570k.