The Ultimate 'Build-A-PC' Thread. Complete With Pricings & Recommendations (06/06/10)

[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']Any suggestions on how to uninstall/reinstall graphics drivers? It's been years since I've had to try and do this, and I think I fucked up a wee bit. I tried to uninstall the whole Catalyst Control Center and do a fresh install with the new version (10.10 from 10.8; I have an HD 5770). However, all that showed up in Add/Remove Programs under Windows 7 (64 bit) was the Catalyst Install Manager. I run that and try to use the Express option to uninstall everything (it says this as well, that it should remove ALL ATI/Catalyst components). Well, all it did was uninstall that manager, so now there's nothing ATI related under Add/Remove Programs. Running either the old or new setups for the install packages for Catalyst get me to the screen showing the options of "Install" and "Uninstall" and clicking either does nothing.

It's frustrating as all hell. I'm not sure how to proceed. It's as though Catalyst has its claws sunk in and refuses to let go, and I can't do anything to change/update/delete it. Any suggestions or thoughts?[/QUOTE]

uninstall the driver for your card and delete the ati folder.
 
[quote name='paz9x']uninstall the driver for your card and delete the ati folder.[/QUOTE]
Right before I tried this I looked one last time on Google and found the answer by sheer accident. Apparently it somehow overwrites/corrupts a necessary .dll file from Visual Studio or C++ or somesuch. There's a hotfix on Microsoft's site that fixed the problem. It finally installed without a hitch after that. Never would have guessed that was the reason for such an annoying headache.

Thanks for the response though. :)
 
wow awesome thread, I am about to invest in building a gaming PC of my own without any prior experience, thanks for the helpful tips!
 
[quote name='paz9x']performance on the 6800 cards is close to the performance of the 5800 series at the same price points.
6850 is similar to 5830, 6870 is similar to 5850.
biggest differences I noticed were increased eyefinity support.[/QUOTE]

Yep been reading a few reviews.

The 6800 series seems to scale better in xfire than 2 5800 series cards.

I'm a little mad that the 5850s haven't dropped in price (yet or at all) and that the 6870 being a mid range card is just about the same as my 5850 but cheaper!

It's only been a little over a month since I've built my computer. I definitely should have waited. I had onboard graphics as well :(.

On top of that I see that DDR3 2x2gb kits going for just under $60 on newegg. WTF. I bought a kit just last month for $90...
 
Hey guys, can I get a laptop recommendation? I'm in college now, and I'd like to make a major upgrade from my current wal-mart black friday special from last year. (USB ports don't work anymore, can't play many of the games I've been picking up off steam, battery lasts about an hour.. etc)

What I'm looking for is a good "Gaming Laptop" between $600 and $800. Preferably closer to the 600 end, try not to kill my wallet too much here.. :) I'm not looking to run Crysis at full settings here or anything, I'm basically just looking for something that can run some newer stuff at low if possible (stuff I got that I want to play is like L4D2, MLB 2k10, Red Faction: Guerilla). I'm also looking for something with a good battery for the library, possibly 3-4 hours? This isn't really important as I can just plug it in usually, or at least upgrade the battery down the road, but if I can get something that meets my needs all at once that would be great. I'm not sure if my expectations are too high here given my price point, but I'm hoping some of you guys in here can point me in the right direction. Thanks a lot!
 
[quote name='MillerTime2523']Hey guys, can I get a laptop recommendation? I'm in college now, and I'd like to make a major upgrade from my current wal-mart black friday special from last year. (USB ports don't work anymore, can't play many of the games I've been picking up off steam, battery lasts about an hour.. etc)

What I'm looking for is a good "Gaming Laptop" between $600 and $800. Preferably closer to the 600 end, try not to kill my wallet too much here.. :) I'm not looking to run Crysis at full settings here or anything, I'm basically just looking for something that can run some newer stuff at low if possible (stuff I got that I want to play is like L4D2, MLB 2k10, Red Faction: Guerilla). I'm also looking for something with a good battery for the library, possibly 3-4 hours? This isn't really important as I can just plug it in usually, or at least upgrade the battery down the road, but if I can get something that meets my needs all at once that would be great. I'm not sure if my expectations are too high here given my price point, but I'm hoping some of you guys in here can point me in the right direction. Thanks a lot![/QUOTE]

I really can't think of any laptop that can run games decently that cheap. I had a friend who bought one from best buy for about $600 (asus best buy exclusive or something), but thats about it. Recently I helped a friend find a deal on an i7 laptop with nvidia 335m graphics for $850, but that was after a $150 rebate and a decent price cut on amazon's side. I think you'll be hard pressed to find one that cheap that has your requirements, but if anyone can prove me wrong that would be sweet. Why don't you get a pc instead? You can get much better for cheaper.
 
Hmm. A gaming PC might not be that bad the more that I think about it. What would be a good build given my price point? I looked around the links in the OP but a lot of those builds have parts OOS. What do you got?
 
It all depends. My first concern is if you have a windows cd and a monitor to use. If you don't thats $200-300, unless you don't mind pirating windows.
 
Hey guys, anyone have any experience with integrated graphics cards? Specifically the ATI Radeon HD 4200 (included with my GIGABYTE mobo). I was able to overclock it to 700mhz stable. The only game I was able to do an actual stress test was Counter-Strike Source. It proved stable and averaged about 80 fps.

Now I'm wondering if this could possibly handle a couple other games at decent settings (I'm ok with 1024x768, before this, only had netbook which couldn't play anything at all). I really don't care about shaders and AA, I just want a decent fps, 60-ish range.

The main games I was looking at were really only Starcraft II and Street Fighter IV. Unfortunately demos are non existent and I really am not going stoop down and pirate.

I've just been out of the loop when it comes to pc games and video cards. Plus I am pretty cheap, been trying to cut the cost of this rig as much as possible. So far $320 for the mobo, cpu, case, hdd, psu, memory. Unfortunately no optical drive, or dedicated graphics/audio. Been relying on the amazing little mobo and have a usb dvd rom drive I salvaged from a dead laptop.

My other specs are 3.5GHz dual core Athlon (Single core Sempron unlocked and OC'ed, got lucky), and 4gb mem overclocked to 1000mhz. Both stress tested to be stable. Running XP pro SP3 as well
 
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Got my new build up and running today...typing on it now...went with:

AMD Athlon ii X4 3.0GHZ
4GB GSkill Ram
Biostar mATX A880G (Good Value $58) Really like the board
Cooler Master 341
520W Seasonic Power Supply

I got it all up and running pretty quickly. No hiccups or dead parts. The only thing left is the graphics card but I might wait to see if there are any really good deals on BF. I think I'm going to go with a 5770. Thanks to all for the help.
 
I actually already have a monitor and a copy of windows. Are there any good prebuilt machines on newegg or the like that would run me about 600-700 that could easily be expandable in the future? Not sure how confident I feel with myself building a machine.
 
Just go with an mATX mobo and expand from there. You really only need 1 PCI E slot (and PCI E x1) and a couple PCIs.

It'll save you space and money.

Building it by yourself can save you money. When shopping (i assume NewEgg), look for part combos which can save you even more.

The whole process of building a computer can take you an afternoon, assuming there are no roadblocks. And the only tool you really need is a screwdriver, seriously. You don't need to know computer language, arithmetic logic, etc. You just need a little patience and read instructions. After building a comp, you'll realize how easy it is.

I'll help with the experience I've gotten building a comp. As I'm sure others will too.

I just built one recently and overall cost me $320. I'm looking at the pre builts in the price range and none really compare to the performance I'm getting right now. Most, if not all don't allow flexibility in terms of overclocking and expansion. The main factor in allowing room to customize/OC/expand really boils down to the motherboard.

If you indeed are looking for an mATX mobo, I would suggest the GIGABYTE MA785GM-US2H or the Biostar jkam just talked about. Both allow more customization of the other parts (CPU, memory, etc.).
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.513430
I like this deal for the most part. The processor from what I read a while ago was neck to neck with the phenom II x4...955 I think. I don't really like mini ATX mobos but that one looks pretty good. I would get a new power supply though, I don't really trust rosewill. I can't say much about the case, it's got 12 reviews. All you would need after is a decent power supply, graphics card, and a hdd if you decide to keep the case. Can't really find any decent combo deals for graphics cards on newegg though. I'll keep looking if you're interested.
And about building a computer, I knew nothing about it either. There are a lot of instructions on the internet though, and if you follow it step by step, you'll get it.
 
If all else fails I could possibly end up going the building route, but I found this on another fourm, would you guys reccomend this for the price? Or is there something better I could do with the money (save building)

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD_Phenom_II_AM3_DDR3_Configurator/w/44975

I think building is a good project for down the road, but as of right now I like this, unless the CAG experts can give me some more input.
 
[quote name='MillerTime2523']If all else fails I could possibly end up going the building route, but I found this on another fourm, would you guys reccomend this for the price? Or is there something better I could do with the money (save building)

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD_Phenom_II_AM3_DDR3_Configurator/w/44975

I think building is a good project for down the road, but as of right now I like this, unless the CAG experts can give me some more input.[/QUOTE]

That's not bad. I would upgrade your power supply though, to one that says at least 80+. the 600 watt case gears 80+ would be nice for an extra $33.
Other than that it looks good.
 
Does anyone know if Earforce X-41s or Astro A40s have better microphone quality when being recorded? And for that matter, would getting a sound card for my PC make my recordings better?

I know I could just get a good quality mic only, but I want the headset to game as well. Are there any better headsets out there that work for both 360 and PC and are wireless?

Edit - And how about the Sennheiser PC 360 headset? I know it's not wireless, but I think I may be able to live with it as I do play pretty close to my 360 anyway. It would just be annoying, is all. Sennheiser does get points for quality products.
 
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[quote name='DarkRider23']Does anyone know if Earforce X-41s or Astro A40s have better microphone quality when being recorded? And for that matter, would getting a sound card for my PC make my recordings better?

I know I could just get a good quality mic only, but I want the headset to game as well. Are there any better headsets out there that work for both 360 and PC and are wireless?

Edit - And how about the Sennheiser PC 360 headset? I know it's not wireless, but I think I may be able to live with it as I do play pretty close to my 360 anyway. It would just be annoying, is all. Sennheiser does get points for quality products.[/QUOTE]

youd need a mixamp for the sennheiser to work with your xbox.
if I were buying a mixamp and seperate gaming headset id buy the turtlebeach hpa-2. the mic is very good (it also has excellent directional surround)
 
Hey P.C cag I have been thinking about building a gaming pc. I googled "gaming pc under 1000" and found this build( link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-overclock-components,2735.html ) .


$1,000 Enthusiast System Components
Motherboard Asus P7P55D-E LX
LGA 1156, Intel P55 chipset
$125
Processor Intel Core i5-750
2.66 GHz, Four Cores, 8 MB L3 Cache
$195
CPU Cooler Cooler Master HyperTX 3
$30
Memory Crucial 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3-1333
Dual-Channel Desktop Memory Kit
$90
Graphics MSI GeForce GTX 470
1280 MB GDDR5-3348
$300
Hard Drives WD Caviar Black 640 GB
640 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3Gb/s
$75
Optical Lite-On iHAS124 OEM
24x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 48x CD ROM
$20
Case Antec Three Hundred
$60
Power Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650 W
ATX12V, EPS12V , 80 PLUS Certified
$90

Total Cost $985 ( this build is a little cheaper now)



What I'd like to know is this a good gaming pc? How hard is it to build a pc ? And how do I learn to overclock the cpu.
 
Build looks fine to me. Building a computer isn't too hard, once you do it once. There are plenty of guides online that provide the steps. Just take your time, and follow the guide, try not to skip any steps. I've personally failed at Overclocking, but I think it was because my mobo was crap. I think some gigabyte mobos have some feature where they overclock for you, but I have no idea how good that is. There are plenty of guides online for that as well.
Also www.cyberpowerpc.com has some nice builds that you can customize. I've never shopped there though, so I have no idea how legit they are.
 
[quote name='drooli']Build looks fine to me. Building a computer isn't too hard, once you do it once. There are plenty of guides online that provide the steps. Just take your time, and follow the guide, try not to skip any steps. I've personally failed at Overclocking, but I think it was because my mobo was crap. I think some gigabyte mobos have some feature where they overclock for you, but I have no idea how good that is. There are plenty of guides online for that as well.
Also www.cyberpowerpc.com has some nice builds that you can customize. I've never shopped there though, so I have no idea how legit they are.[/QUOTE]

I bought cyberpower back in 2006. I can say their prices are meh. Should have just built my own computer back then. I found that my harddrive was a recertified. Still works so no harm done.

Those $1000 builds oh toms are pretty balanced and nice.

Building isn't hard. Look up newegg's tutorials on on building on youtube and you'll see.

OC'ing is a bit trickier and time consuming.
 
Hey guys, I am in the process of modifying an HP a6500f for purposes of running an arcade cabinet. Long story short, I want to connect the machine to a CRT television, but the onboard NVidia 7100 does not feature TV out functionality that I know of. The machine's power supply is only 250W, so if I upgrade to a discrete graphics card, I will need to upgrade my power supply as well.

As far as I can tell, I'll need to either upgrade both the GPU and power supply or use a VGA/DVI compatible display as the display for my arcade cabinet. Does anyone have a suggestion of a good, cheap video card which supports TV out? Even a GeForce 6 (or comparable) series card should be able to get the job done.
 
[quote name='thegamer4787']Hey guys, I am in the process of modifying an HP a6500f for purposes of running an arcade cabinet. Long story short, I want to connect the machine to a CRT television, but the onboard NVidia 7100 does not feature TV out functionality that I know of. The machine's power supply is only 250W, so if I upgrade to a discrete graphics card, I will need to upgrade my power supply as well.

As far as I can tell, I'll need to either upgrade both the GPU and power supply or use a VGA/DVI compatible display as the display for my arcade cabinet. Does anyone have a suggestion of a good, cheap video card which supports TV out? Even a GeForce 6 (or comparable) series card should be able to get the job done.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if this helps but I actually just pulled a geforce 7200GS card out of my old HP AMD computer. The card itself is a single slot card and I didn't upgrade the power supply when I put it in. It's a 256MB DDR2 card. My real point though is it supports TV-Out (S-video) and has DVI as well as VGA. I'm looking to get rid of it and I'll let it go on the cheap so if you feel it might be something that suits your needs send me a PM.
 
Hi guys, first time builder, long time lurker here and I would love you to take a look at this gaming machine I am considering building. I've compiled the build looking around several other builds on the web and it seems solid to me but I have never done this before. I'd love any opinions or advice you might have before I pull the trigger and buy all the parts.

A few questions off the top of my head I have are do you think i'll need to buy some more fans or additional cooling mechanisms and do you think I need a bigger power supply than the 500W one included in the case?

I've got a grand to spend on this machine and this build is currently around $900, after I buy a copy of windows that eats up the $1000 right there. I do already have a monitor and a mouse though, so that is nice. If you have any suggestions where I can swap out something for a cheaper component without sacrificing too much, do let me know! I'd love to have cash left over.

Thanks guys, I appreciate any help, here's the build.

  • Case: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
  • Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
  • CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT55TFBGRBOX
  • Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
  • Memory: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K2/4GR
  • Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

    Extras:
  • ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
  • ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
  • Rosewill RNX-N300X PCI Wireless Adapter (i know, wireless sucks but the wife wont let me drag a cord throughout the condo.)
  • LITE-ON SK-1688U/B Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard
 
Hey guys, I'm in need of some guidance.

I'm looking to upgrade my processor, I've had my sights on the Phenom II x4 955 and I've been waiting 'till Black Friday to pull the trigger in case there's a deal. However, I've got a friend looking to pick up Win7 OEM, and I noticed there's a combo pack offering the new 6 core Thuban 1055T. This machine mainly does gaming, not too much video processing to utilize the 6 cores all the time. Do you guys think it's worth it to get 6 cores? Is the processor actually worse? Because it's damned cheap compared to the Phenom, and I can't figure out why.

EDIT: Wow, the 1055T is performing noticeably worse across the board with anything that doesn't fully use its 6 cores, and I can't see many games utilizing it in the near future. http://www.hardcoreware.net/amd-phenom-ii-x6-cpu-review/5/
 
Hey guys, I'm a first time builder and already got the parts I want in mind and read/watched several building guides. I am looking for a "checklist" of tests to perform after the first boot (or even before) to make sure that everything is in proper order. Could anyone share some insight on that? Thanks!
 
My wife has a co worker in need of a new PC. She knew I was a gamer so asked my advice on buying a PC. Problem is that first off I am more of a console gamer and second when I do buy a new PC I just drop a grand or more and have a friend help me build something beefy, where as she is only looking to play World of Warcraft, Aion and Warhammer.

I have recommended she wait a few weeks and watch sales that come up for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and the holidays in general, but I want to recommend her a few sites in the mean time in case she can not find a good sale, or in case one of those sites has a good sale. So knowing that she is not looking for a break neck rig and instead something just good enough to play those 3 MMOs, what sites do you guys recommend for buying a prebuilt?
 
Thanks guys. I went with a combo of newegg and ecollegepc I told her though that she should really try and wait a month or so to order that way she can watch for sales leading up to Christmas.
 
I'm planning on building a new PC in preparation for Cataclysm and I've found out that I'm completely lost on what parts are good these days. I'm mainly looking to get the most bang for my buck from the MOBO/CPU and GPU. I've got around $1,000 to spend on the whole thing and I don't need speakers, monitor, mouse, or keyboard.

I'm just starting my research so I don't have many particular pieces in mind, but from a quick glance I've seen people recommend the 6870 radeon gpu as well as the gtx 460 gpu. Which one (if either) would you guys recommend or is there something better?

As for MOBO's I have no idea at all and would love some ideas.

For CPU's I've seen the Intel Core i7 875K (2.93GHz) recommended a few places, is that the best mix of value and performance for an intel chip? What would the equivalent AMD offering be? All things being equal I'd kinda prefer to go AMD but if there is a big difference in price and performance I'd be ok with Intel.

I'm planning on using this mainly for gaming, but would like the capability to do some high end video/picture editing. I'm not looking to get top of the line but I'd like to find that sweet spot between cheap value parts and top of the line.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.543492

My 2 cents for processor/graphics card combo Jimbo. As for MoBo, just get anything DDR3 and AM3 compatible. Stick with a good company like Asus or MSi. Get some DDR3 RAM as well. Maybe a combo like this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.559026

I'm guessing you'll need at least 600w for a machine like this.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the recomendations! What about the 6870 radeon instead of the 5770? Do you think the performance increase would be worth the extra 100$ or so? Also how do you think this card http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1290264009&sr=1-6 or this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4130575&cm_re=evga_460-_-14-130-575-_-Product stacks up to the 6870 and 5770?

I found this comparison http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...sk=view&id=628&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=1 and I think if I'm reading it right (which I might not be) the 460 GTX FTW was consistently better then the 6870.

Right now I think I'm kinda leaning towards either the 460 or the 6870.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']Thanks for the recomendations! What about the 6870 radeon instead of the 5770? Do you think the performance increase would be worth the extra 100$ or so? Also how do you think this card http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1290264009&sr=1-6 or this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4130575&cm_re=evga_460-_-14-130-575-_-Product stacks up to the 6870 and 5770?

I found this comparison http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...sk=view&id=628&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=1 and I think if I'm reading it right (which I might not be) the 460 GTX FTW was consistently better then the 6870.

Right now I think I'm kinda leaning towards either the 460 or the 6870.[/QUOTE]
in that comparison you should really be comparing the 1gb 460 with the 6870. the evga model has a significant overclock and isnt an apples apples comparison.
 
[quote name='Chimprage']
I've got a grand to spend on this machine and this build is currently around $900, after I buy a copy of windows that eats up the $1000 right there. I do already have a monitor and a mouse though, so that is nice. If you have any suggestions where I can swap out something for a cheaper component without sacrificing too much, do let me know! I'd love to have cash left over.

[/QUOTE]

If you have any old edu email address, you can get a copy of Windows 7 Pro for $65 from the Microsoft Store.
 
Thinking of making my first gaming build. I figured I am trying to make an all-in-one, tower and monitor for around 300-350 bones. I saw a deal on black friday at Target for one of these.

Think maybe some of these sites like ibuypower will have a similiar deal on BF? Or am I SOL?
 
[quote name='paz9x']in that comparison you should really be comparing the 1gb 460 with the 6870. the evga model has a significant overclock and isnt an apples apples comparison.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the overclocked 1gb 460 was the second one I listed, this one right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=1312731&SID= why wouldn't it be a good comparison? I'm not looking for a fair comparison between competing cards in the same tier, I'm looking for the video card that's going to give me the best performance for my money. Again just looking at that comparison wouldn't the overclocked 460 be the better card? It's about 20-30$ cheaper and beat or equaled the 6870 in almost all the benchmarks?
 
[quote name='Megiddo_CAG']Thinking of making my first gaming build. I figured I am trying to make an all-in-one, tower and monitor for around 300-350 bones. I saw a deal on black friday at Target for one of these.

Think maybe some of these sites like ibuypower will have a similiar deal on BF? Or am I SOL?[/QUOTE]

Might play Farmville unless you find some crazy deals.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']Yeah, the overclocked 1gb 460 was the second one I listed, this one right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=1312731&SID= why wouldn't it be a good comparison? I'm not looking for a fair comparison between competing cards in the same tier, I'm looking for the video card that's going to give me the best performance for my money. Again just looking at that comparison wouldn't the overclocked 460 be the better card? It's about 20-30$ cheaper and beat or equaled the 6870 in almost all the benchmarks?[/QUOTE]

im not saying its better or worse im just saying youre comparing an oc'd card to a stock card. the 6870 could be oc'd as well and youd have improved performance over what those tests are showing.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']Might play Farmville unless you find some crazy deals.[/QUOTE]

:lol: Figured.

I should have clarified though that by all-in-one I mean a monitor-desktop combo, I figured I could get a decent desktop and get a cheap lcd monitor to go with it.

Edit: Woops, saw that you bolded that part now and understood what I meant.
 
[quote name='paz9x']im not saying its better or worse im just saying youre comparing an oc'd card to a stock card. the 6870 could be oc'd as well and youd have improved performance over what those tests are showing.[/QUOTE]

Ah gotcha, that makes sense. Although I doubt I'd mess with OCing although I guess it could be an option down the road.

After some research this is the setup I'm heavily leaning towards:

CPU - Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A6G3V2/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

GPU - XFX Radeon HD 6870 1 GB DDR5 Graphics Card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047ZH7GE/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER)

MOBO - Gigabyte LGA1366 SATA3 ATI CrossFireX ATX Motherboard GA-X58A-UD3R (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034CSTFY/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

RAM - Corsair 6 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Triple Channel Memory Kit (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LZ1FPG/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

HD - Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

PSU - Antec EarthWatts 750 Watt ATX12v v2.3 Power Supply Unit (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QZMBEQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

Still undecided about Cases, CPU coolers, and DVD/CD RW drives. Although I am leaning towards this case: RAIDMAX Blackstorm ATX-615WU Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156251 ) unfortunately it doesnt appear that amazon has it. Any other case and CPU cooling option recommendations would be awesome too!

I'm also trying to grab everything at Amazon, preferably everything that ships with prime since I can save by not having to pay tax or shipping that way.

Without the case, fan, and DVD/CD drive the price was about $1,050 which is right in line with my budget, I figure I can add another 100$ or so to cover the rest of the stuff which would put me slightly over budget. I'd like to somehow try and shave about 100$ off, so like between $1,000 and 1,100 for everything. Only thing I can really think of to do this would be to downgrade from the Intel 950 to the AMD 970 and I don't know if the performance hit would be worth the savings.

EDIT: I think I've found a case and fan, NZXT Apollo CS-NT-APOLLO-U SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower, and Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 respectively.
I've kind of settled on the Intel CPU since I think it's just too much faster then then AMD 970BE to downgrade. GPU I'm still kind of up in the air trying to decide between the Radeon 6870 and GTX 470. I'm leaning towards the Radeon but I really couldn't tell you why. My other main concern is will all of these parts that I've picked work well together? Any potential compatibility problems? Last but not least how about the Ram? I have no clue on how to go about picking the best ram for this build. I just searched DDR 3 1600 and picked the corsair since it was the brand I recognized most.
 
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[quote name='DarkRider23']If you have any old edu email address, you can get a copy of Windows 7 Pro for $65 from the Microsoft Store.[/QUOTE]

I think i might, i'll test it out and give it a shot. Thanks, great idea
 
I run a 965 and am very happy with it's performance. I haven't seen anything to show that I should upgrade to a six core for strictly gaming....yet. Let me know if anyone can identify game(s) that do benefit from six cores.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']
Only thing I can really think of to do this would be to downgrade from the Intel 950 to the AMD 970 and I don't know if the performance hit would be worth the savings.[/quote]

Why do you have to cut costs by switching to AMD? Why not go with a less expensive Intel CPU? The i5 750 isn't that much slower than the i7 950 and is almost $100 cheaper. Going with the 750 also means you can save some money going with a LGA1156 board like this and save another $70 on your motherboard.

EDIT: I think I've found a case and fan, NZXT Apollo CS-NT-APOLLO-U SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower, and Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 respectively.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't really recommend the NZXT Apollo. Its the case I'm using on my current system and I just really hate the lack of any cable management and think the airflow could be better in it. If I were looking at something in that same price range I'd probably go for the Cooler Master HAF 912 instead.
 
[quote name='Mid Boss']Why do you have to cut costs by switching to AMD? Why not go with a less expensive Intel CPU? The i5 750 isn't that much slower than the i7 950 and is almost $100 cheaper. Going with the 750 also means you can save some money going with a LGA1156 board like this and save another $70 on your motherboard.



I wouldn't really recommend the NZXT Apollo. Its the case I'm using on my current system and I just really hate the lack of any cable management and think the airflow could be better in it. If I were looking at something in that same price range I'd probably go for the Cooler Master HAF 912 instead.[/QUOTE]

Thanks I'll look into the HAF, only reason I picked the apollo was it got great reviews on new egg. What I really wanted was the Raidmax Blackstorm, but amazon doesn't carry it :(

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the 950 now, I'd like to save the 100-150$ but really I can afford to spend it and I think the performance increase it probably worth it to just grab the 950.

How about my RAM choice, is what I picked any good or is there a better option in the same price range?
 
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