Building my first Gaming Computer

[worshipme]

I can guarantee that 600W will be more than enough. That system isn't going to pull more than around 350W at full load.

 

[Computear]

I can guarantee that 600W will be more than enough. That system isn't going to pull more than around 350W at full load.

With a 4870 no doubt, but the 5870s are expected to run at 225W by themselves, and the 730W PSU i found was only $80 anyway, so worth it imo to not have to upgrade later.

 

[wol-va-rine]

With a 4870 no doubt, but the 5870s are expected to run at 225W by themselves, and the 730W PSU i found was only $80 anyway, so worth it imo to not have to upgrade later.

it's only worth it if it's a quality psu, in a worst case scenario a top shelf system with a suspect 700w+ psu could overload the psu (if it's not a quality unit it won't put out anywhere near the watts it claims it can) and fry some other parts along with it, never, ever skimp on your psu, it should be the most reliable part in your build, Kingwin doesn't really have the reputation of the "name brands", it might be a good unit, but are you willing to take that chance based on Newegg reviews...? I've seen people post about how they have a "high level" of knowledge and say things as stupid as "I'm running SLI with "so and so" motherboard, it's great", the only problem was that he was talking about a motherboard with an Intel chipset (it wasn't an X58 motherboard either), Kingwin had a few lower powered psus (500w and 600w) fail pretty miserably in jonnyguru reviews while their 1kw unit got a good score but had ripple issues...

for about $20 more you can find an Antec or Corsair that would probably exceed your needs, and if you wait until the new ATI cards come out you can probably get a 4800 series cards cheaper if you decide not to get a 5800 series card because the prices will drop with the new release, that would probably make up the $20 difference right there...

 

[Computear]

it's only worth it if it's a quality psu, in a worst case scenario a top shelf system with a suspect 700w+ psu could overload the psu (if it's not a quality unit it won't put out anywhere near the watts it claims it can) and fry some other parts along with it, never, ever skimp on your psu, it should be the most reliable part in your build, Kingwin doesn't really have the reputation of the "name brands", it might be a good unit, but are you willing to take that chance based on Newegg reviews...? I've seen people post about how they have a "high level" of knowledge and say things as stupid as "I'm running SLI with "so and so" motherboard, it's great", the only problem was that he was talking about a motherboard with an Intel chipset (it wasn't an X58 motherboard either), Kingwin had a few lower powered psus (500w and 600w) fail pretty miserably in jonnyguru reviews while their 1kw unit got a good score but had ripple issues...

for about $20 more you can find an Antec or Corsair that would probably exceed your needs, and if you wait until the new ATI cards come out you can probably get a 4800 series cards cheaper if you decide not to get a 5800 series card because the prices will drop with the new release, that would probably make up the $20 difference right there...

Hmm good points. Can you help me find a reliable PSU ?

I like the OCZ Modxstream pros; but theyre sold out of the 600W, and the 700W... the 600W is only $50 after rebate too and I've seen a lot of people recommend it... with my build under maximum load (assuming I might upgrade to the HD 5870 @ estimated 225W) would 600W be sufficient?

How about the Antec Truepower New 750W?
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=140
got good reviews on JG; $100 on NewEgg


Looking for a monitor atm... $150-$250 preferred;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160041
100,000:1 contrast ratio? o.o Lol... anybody got good suggestions ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254040
24.6" for $199; not bad; thinking of buying this 1; anybody have good/bad experiences with Hanns-G?

 

[worshipme]

but the 5870s are expected to run at 225W by themselves

Your source?

And besides, that would be just the TDP. The HD 4870's TDP is also 225W (PCI-E:75W + 2x6pin:150W), yet it only pulls around 140W.

I like the OCZ Modxstream pros; but theyre sold out of the 600W, and the 700W... the 600W is only $50 after rebate too and I've seen a lot of people recommend it... with my build under maximum load (assuming I might upgrade to the HD 5870 @ estimated 225W) would 600W be sufficient?

Yes, it would be more than sufficient. Your system would only pull around 300-350W under full load.

You could try the Corsair TX650, only it's not modular.

Looking for a monitor atm... $150-$250 preferred;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824160041
100,000:1 contrast ratio? o.o Lol... anybody got good suggestions ?

I'd try to get a 24".

And don't pay any attention to the contrast ratio listed. There are so many marketing tricks used that it's no longer a reliable way to determine the quality.

 

[Computear]

ATM the main thing on my mind is a final choice: INTEL vs AMD?

I'm looking at about $200 more for a Intel build...
is:

Core i7 920 + X58 + extra 2GB RAM
worth $200 more over
Phenom II X4 955 + 790GX?

 

[worshipme]

Well, I already gave you my opinion:

It's probably not worth the extra cost to go with the Core i7 rig then. The Phenom II performs as well if not better in games than the i7. And you put the left over money towards a better GPU.

But I guess you don't trust me...

 

[Computear]

Well, I already gave you my opinion:

But I guess you don't trust me...

Ah, my apologies, no offense intended, I just have a very short memory span; and am quite indecisive...

You no doubt have more knowledge on the matter than myself; so I do take your opinion quite heavily into consideration.

The $200 extra *really* pushes my budget, so I think Im going to go with the AMD build to leave the extra $$ for the HD 5870


Can you help me find a good PSU for less than $99? atm i have the Antec Truepower New 750W in my cart but I won't need that much; I wish the OCZ's 600W would just get restocked; maybe I can find it on a different site... the Corsair TX650 are about the same price as the True New 750W

and is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366 a good mobo?

I'm going with the 24.6" monitor I listed in a previous post i think...

som1 recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220371
cheap RAM will that be reliable?

i dropped down to a 640GB HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

and I do appreciate your help; and every1 else who's helping out

i've gotten a ton of good feedback and will probably start ordering parts today


im almost definitely going AMD build; and dropping my HDD & PSU down a bit as well to save more $$$ for GPU & monitor n stuff

 

[worshipme]

Can you help me find a good PSU for less than $99? atm i have the Antec Truepower New 750W in my cart but I won't need that much; I wish the OCZ's 600W would just get restocked; maybe I can find it on a different site... the Corsair TX650 are about the same price as the True New 750W

The Antec is fine if you want to go with that. Just make it the TruePower and not the EarthWatts, there is a difference in quality.

and is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131366 a good mobo?

It's fine.
I prefer the Gigabyte (8 pin power connector, 2oz copper PCB etc) but it's your choice.
I don't expect that helped in trying to finalise your selection

som1 recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220371
cheap RAM will that be reliable?

Patriot are a very reputable manufacturer, it's fine.

 

[Computear]

The Antec is fine if you want to go with that. Just make it the TruePower and not the EarthWatts, there is a difference in quality.

Yeah I was reading a EW review and they recommended the TP instead; I'd like to find a cheaper, lower-W PSU, but atm still searching; the TruePower 650W is $5 less than the 750W, so no go there... might just stick with the 750W and hope it lasts long enough til i upgrade enough to actually need the extra power

It's fine.
I prefer the Gigabyte (8 pin power connector, 2oz copper PCB etc) but it's your choice.
I don't expect that helped in trying to finalise your selection

Not a clue what you said; but as long as its good

Patriot are a very reputable manufacturer, it's fine.

kk thx