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Help with New gaming rig that is most needed

Thx, I've read mixed reviews regarding the gpu you linked, maybe due to the fact that ppl were having trouble with afterburner and the voltage tweaking of it.

Can gimme so example of ref cards, I'll look at two/three suppliers that at nearby.

Thx,

HoboBob
 
A reference card has the black and red (batmobile) cooler on it. I wouldn't be worried about the reviews. The bad reviews seem to come from people who don't know what they are doing. I have a friend with that Twin Frozr and it's a great card, voltage adjustment works fine.
 
i agree for every solid good review on an items theres about 20 ppl that bitch and i fall victum to the user error on occasion as well :roll: so there yea go human nature were more likely to complain when something dosent work then praise it if it does
 
The cheaper Sapphire would be a good card. No need to spend the extra $80 bucks to have them overclock it for you.
 
HoboBob said:
Thx a lot guys for the replies, again great arguments from both sides.

Feeling sick today, so I might not hang around for the night (explains the lack of reply from myself too :shadedshu )

Regarding the SLI hack, well... I don not believe in my skills enough, 1. I never had a SLI rig before, 2. it looks possible on (virtual) paper, but will I really be able to do it? I might would have tried it if I was still in school 10 years ago and it wasn't my parts, but today, I'm already lost and it would be on parts that I just bought :laugh:

Yes SLI looks really good, but such a pain when it comes to pair it with AM3, so I might go with a 5850. Why not go with a 5870, well they are pricey... yes the 5850 is overpriced, but it runs cool and is not power hungry.

For now I'll keep looking around and posting here (for sure, you guys seem to enjoy helping ppl and I enjoying reading and learning) and I'll try to spot some deals (if possible from newegg.ca or something)

For you know, it's fun to play with a new rig, but it's way better (imo) to shop for parts and learn how to build your rig to it's (almost let's face it I'm a noob) full potential. :toast:

Thx, again (might come up with more post in the evening)

HoboBob
Click to expand...

Bob, if you don't feel comfortable with doing the SLI hack on an AM3 board, then I feel going i7 on P55 would be your best bet. Because that will be your only real option for SLI along with X58, but it will offer you most of the performance for hundred/s less.

I took a look at your AM3 build. First of all, you don't need a 850w PSU. That's way more than what you'll need unless you plan on going GTX 470 SLI and overclocking. The 750w XFX I selected will still be more than enough and is much cheaper, so you can save some money here.

You can save some money from going with a different set of RAM as well. G.Skill ripjaws come to mind and you can probably find a set of Corsair XSM3 for around the price as well. Those Mushkin and Flares are overkill.

Did you already buy the 5850s? While great cards, they are very overpriced right now. A pair of OC'd GTX 460s will match stock 5870s in crossfire right now. So even if you overclocked the 5850s, I suspect you'll only get the same amount of performance as a pair of GTX 460s. So spending a lot more for the same performance doesn't really make sense, especially given your budget.

erocker said:
You want a reference card.

Unfortunately Newegg doesn't really sell them anymore. This is the next best as it supports voltage control with Afterburner: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127500&cm_re=Hd_5850-_-14-127-500-_-Product
Click to expand...

^^ This. If you go 5850, get a reference model for volt tweak ability.
 
ebolamonkey3 said:
Bob, if you don't feel comfortable with doing the SLI hack on an AM3 board, then I feel going i7 on P55 would be your best bet. Because that will be your only real option for SLI along with X58, but it will offer you most of the performance for hundred/s less.

I took a look at your AM3 build. First of all, you don't need a 850w PSU. That's way more than what you'll need unless you plan on going GTX 470 SLI and overclocking. The 750w XFX I selected will still be more than enough and is much cheaper, so you can save some money here.

You can save some money from going with a different set of RAM as well. G.Skill ripjaws come to mind and you can probably find a set of Corsair XSM3 for around the price as well. Those Mushkin and Flares are overkill.

Did you already buy the 5850s? While great cards, they are very overpriced right now. A pair of OC'd GTX 460s will match stock 5870s in crossfire right now. So even if you overclocked the 5850s, I suspect you'll only get the same amount of performance as a pair of GTX 460s. So spending a lot more for the same performance doesn't really make sense, especially given your budget.



^^ This. If you go 5850, get a reference model for volt tweak ability.
Click to expand...

I don't think he needs SLi 460's. A single 5850 will suffice. I'm giving him RAM advice off of what I know works the best with AMD, which I have some good experience with. Most Ripjaws don't work well with AMD. I just saw some Geil 1333mhz ram for about $119 that does 6 6-6-20 which would be perfect. There is nothing wrong with going overboard on a PSU. It will run more efficient. The SLi hack is nice but it isn't perfect, nor is it supported by the manufacturer's. For a new build that's not something I would want to risk. Saving hundreds less by going to Intel is just plain incorrect.
 
erocker said:
I don't think he needs SLi 460's. A single 5850 will suffice. I'm giving him RAM advice off of what I know works the best with AMD, which I have some good experience with. Most Ripjaws don't work well with AMD. I just saw some Geil 1333mhz ram for about $119 that does 6 6-6-20 which would be perfect. There is nothing wrong with going overboard on a PSU. It will run more efficient. The SLi hack is nice but it isn't perfect, nor is it supported by the manufacturer's. For a new build that's not something I would want to risk. Saving hundreds less by going to Intel is just plain incorrect.
Click to expand...

Erocker, normally I'd agree with you, but in this case OP wants to keep his rig for a looong time. So eventually he would be getting a second video card and in light of that, I think he should go w/ SLI. A single GTX 460 should be fast enough for most things now and a second one 6 month or even a year from now would complete his build.

And OP also has a budget of $1500 CAD, so given the inflated pricing of 5850s, GTX 460 just makes more sense IMO.

Like I said before, if OP doesn't want to do the SLI hack, I recommend P55 instead of 980i or X58 like some other posters have recommended. And I meant saving hundred/s by going P55 instead of X58, not from going to Intel from AMD. Perhaps my last post was unclear.

I think the XFX 750w would already be overboard for this build, and the 850HX is $35 more (not including the combo discount for the XFX psu). Both are silver so efficiency should be the same or small enough to be negligible.

Those Geil ram would be perfect though, 1333mhz and 6 timing is just awesome :)
 
Got you. ;) I still don't agree with the GTX 460. An overclocked reference 5850 will still walk all over it. Adding a 2nd card in time and it will be even better. Another thing to consider is ATi will be releasing the 5 series replacements soon and the 5 series will get much cheaper. I don't see Nvidia having anything to replace their current lineup anytime soon and the GTX 460 will remain around the same price. In the long run he can most likely have two 5850's for the same price (if not less) than the SLi option. With that said, I don't think it's ever a good idea to buy for the future. Buy what is good and fast now because in the future everthing is eventually considered old junk anyways.
 
ebolamonkey3 said:
Did you already buy the 5850s? While great cards, they are very overpriced right now. A pair of OC'd GTX 460s will match stock 5870s in crossfire right now. So even if you overclocked the 5850s, I suspect you'll only get the same amount of performance as a pair of GTX 460s. So spending a lot more for the same performance doesn't really make sense, especially given your budget.
Click to expand...

No, I did not buy any parts yet, I'm patient. Maybe it's safest to wait for the price drop as I can still play my games now, at super low settings, still... one 5850 now, and another one later sounds good to me.

We'll see.

Thx,

HoboBob
 
I think 5850s vs 460s will be similar in price/performance for OP, w/ the edge toward Nvidia. One reference 5850 will cost him $330 now and say $200 later for $530. One 460 will cost him $230 now and say $180 later (to compete w/ the $200 5850 :p). So it's $530 for 2x 5850 and $410 for 2x GTX 460s, and since OC'd 460s slightly edge out 5870 crossfire right now, I think the performance between these two sets of cards will be pretty close.

Though if he does go ATI, he can also go AMD instead of Intel.

Hmmm.. back to square one?? :roll:
 
Indeed hahaha

No sweat, I like to learn and like I said, I enjoy reading about it and building something I'd like for a couple of years (let's face it it won't last 6 years I was just too lazy to build a new rig and I was tight on money) :D

Thx,

HoboBob
 
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I don't think there is any downside, though I'd take the Asus over the MSI for sure as they have much better bios support. Both are good boards, but the Asus is suprisingly less expensive and that is reason enough to go with that.
 
the MSI board can do TRI sli or sli + physx since it had 3x PCIe x16 slots at x16 x8 x8 and the Asus is just 2 PCIe x16 @ x16 x16
 
crazyeyesreaper said:
the MSI board can do TRI sli or sli + physx since it had 3x PCIe x16 slots at x16 x8 x8 and the Asus is just 2 PCIe x16 @ x16 x16
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True, on the long run if I decide to change the gpu for something better, but is it really an option? I mean the 460 will only go 2 way anyway.

Ok, so the verdict is, more support from asus. ok, got it.

Thx a lot,

HoboBob
 
Update my specs for all to see how pathetic my rig is :D

Take care guys,

HoboBob
 
2 way is fine but that 3rd slot could be for example a gt 240 for just dedicated physx etc but its w.e floats you boat sli 460 + 240 for physx or sli 460s on the cheaper board etc etc or better yet buy a cheap used 8800gts 320mb 8800gs 9600gso gt 240 9600gt w.e for physx whatever u can find dirt cheap to go dedicated with your sli setup on the msi board altho i to prefer asus over msi if i was going to just go balls out id take the msi board
 
Cool thx for the tip,

Will brb later, going to class for some kung fu action (another reason why I can't afford an awesome gaming rig) :D

Thx,

HoboBob
 
geez this was a painful thread to read through, at first i thought it was a congressional debate,

just my two cents i think crazyeyes is right, single GPU really is best, i would go 5850 or 5870.. i wouldn't bother crossfire, when 6000 comes out (November- December) id sell your card on ebay get 70-90 of the value back.. and then buy the next best single gpu you can afford,

the problem with crossfire as i see it is when you do decide to upgrade (you wait alot longer), you now have to sell two used cards that have lost alot of value, as opposed to spending less on a better single card, and being able to upgrade more often and loosing less money on the upgrade, i think with GPUs it always pays to have the latest one if possible, processors, HDs, motherboards, RAM, you can keep those parts for alot longer without upgrade

i actually sold my reference 5770 for more than i bought it on ebay, and the 5870 (6) i have now is actually worth 150 more than when i bought it ii guess they made a limited supply?), i should have bought a whole bunch and made some money off them, i actually make money off upgrading, or maybe im just lucky?, also save the box and other extras, crossfire bridge ect, that will get you more money when you resell, another benefit of going single gpu save some money on your motherboard and psu, more money for GPU = win
 
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Good day to you all,

Thx for the tip surfingerman, I'll see what I'll do. I might have to put the rig on hold, cuz something bad occurred, or I might go for something under 1000$. life > :nutkick: < me

I'll figure something out! :rolleyes:

Thx,

HoboBob
 
Hey guys, me again :toast:

PSU:

I think more and more that I'll go with the Corsair 750TX http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 since it is cheap and free shipping is awesome.

The question: Will it be enough in a Element G with a lot of fans running + OC'ed 1055T + Frio cooler + SLI of GTX 460 OC'ed ?

Thx again, I've read the 750w is enough for a 460 SLI setup, but is it still valid with all the stuff I mentioned?

Thx again,

HoboBob
 
Me again... been a while since the thread last saw some activity.

Finally ordered my rig! I want to say a big thx to all of you especially crazyeyesreaper, ebolamonkey3 and erocker :toast:

Here's what I got (well... what I'm waiting for :rolleyes:) :
AMD_gaming_rig_final.jpg


Feel free to debate my choice and selection of parts. It's by debating earlier that I learned a bit more from you guys.

For the rig, I'll wait and get another gpu later and soon a new monitor (waiting for some deals).

Thx again,

HoboBob
 
look for different ram namely 1600 cl 8 at the least phenom cpus benefit from tight timings not speed since your gonna oc via the bus the 1600mhz ram will do you nicely but theres better choices out there ill let other ppl say there piece first tho im not good with ram i tend to buy 1333mhz cl 7 sets for simple set it and forget it and go from there but in your case 1600mhz gives you head room ... at this point Cadaveca and Erocker are your best bets for ram knowledge on an AMD system
 
^ The ram is fine, its high end enthusiast memory so he should be able to tighten the timings and increase the bus without issue.
 
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