What Hardware should I focus more on?

[techguy31]

Hi, so I built a computer before from scratch and kind of forgot many of the research I have done before. Well basically my question is if I plan to build a computer solely for gaming and editing like photoshop, what should I spend my money most on. I want to be able to run the latest games or graphic extensive games that will be able to run flawlessly without any lag. I have a gigabyte p55 board and was hoping to build off that. Should I focus more on a ssd and graphic? Would any ssd work? I have a fairly cheap one meaning the lowest end you could get. Dont really have a budget.

Thanks.

 

[slyfox2151]

for Gaming you need a high end GPU, then CPU at witch point you dont want to cheap out on the PSU.

 

[techguy31]

what type of cpu and gpu would you prefer? Wouldn't ssd be important as well? Should I aim for ATI or NVidia? Would a ATI 6xxx be good enough or do I need 2? Should I get i5 or i7? I know the mid end of i7 is good but is it really needed for playing the newest games?

Thanks

 

[hat]

What kind of budget are we looking at exactly? A 2500k, 2x2GB DDR3 and a single 6870/6970 (depending on your needs) would make a great rig.

 

[n-ster]

What kind of budget are we looking at exactly? A 2500k, 2x2GB DDR3 and a single 6870/6970 (depending on your needs) would make a great rig.

I'd replace 6950 instead of 6970 but this is good advice for most

 

[RejZoR]

CPU is really the least of a problem these days imo. If you buy a semi capable quad core now or you already have it, there is no need to worry. Graphic cards are what you have to change the most.

 

[Deleted member 3]

CPU is really the least of a problem these days imo. If you buy a semi capable quad core now or you already have it, there is no need to worry. Graphic cards are what you have to change the most.

So, which are those semi capable quads and which are not? Based on your advice I still know nothing.

 

[n-ster]

TBH, I find the 2500K (when OCed) to be the best bang/buck CPU for midrange+.

 

[RejZoR]

So, which are those semi capable quads and which are not? Based on your advice I still know nothing.

If you already have Q6600 which are very common, you're good with it. Overclock it a bit and you're good for quite some time unless you really need raw CPU power which most users just don't.

 

[Deleted member 3]

If you already have Q6600 which are very common, you're good with it. Overclock it a bit and you're good for quite some time unless you really need raw CPU power which most users just don't.

So basically any quadcore will do then, as the Q6600 is about the slowest of them all.

 

[hat]

There are slower quads, like first gen AMD Phenom x4

 

[RejZoR]

Even these would work fine if overclocked a bit. I used to have E5200 clocked at 3,75GHz. It cost em like 50 EUR back then (like 3 years ago) and i could run pretty much anything easily. Have changed to quad because i was changing the entire platform. Otherwise i'd probably still be with it.
So for the sake of modern multithreaded games, any quad should do it really.

 

[techguy31]

Sorry guys, I should have specified a budget because anything $1500 up is too much. I thought that I would have to focus more on the gpu, cpu and psu. But mostly I plan to play games like gta 4, la noire and other games similar to that extent. Do I really need a 1500 up rig? I thought that prices have gone down for computer hardware so I said that budget was not a big deal. I guess I was wrong, but can anyone please help or recommend a good gpu, cpu, and psu that would work perfectly for this rig. I have to mention, I'm building it off a p55 board so I think I can only use one graphic card that will fully utilize x8 or x16 I think.

Thanks

 

[techguy31]

I thought 2500k was the price for the computer rig. I guess this rig looks pretty good. But you sure this will work for new games?

Thanks

 

[techguy31]

Can I use an existing i5 750 cpu I have and just get a the best gpu ssd and psu?

 

[n-ster]

Yes use your i5 750, do not triple post, there i an edit button, L.A. Noire is a Console only title, no you do not need to spend 1500$

 

[hat]

It would help if you gave us a full list of what hardware you already have... then we could tell you what is worth salvaging.

 

[xenocide]

Can I use an existing i5 750 cpu I have and just get a the best gpu ssd and psu?

Yes. With the remaining money get a GTX570/580, SSD, and a quality PSU. That is assuming you want to get a decent setup for the next couple years. If you just want something that will perform now; HD6950, SSD, Quality PSU. Shaves a couple hundred off.

 

[hat]

I don't get what the big deal is about SSDs... are they really that great to warrant their insanely high price compared to hard drives?

 

[erocker]

It would help if you gave us a full list of what hardware you already have... then we could tell you what is worth salvaging.

Yes please, as this thread is kinda useless without that information.

Go to the User CP, edit system specs and tick the box to make it viewable.

 

[LordJummy]

I don't get what the big deal is about SSDs... are they really that great to warrant their insanely high price compared to hard drives?

They really are that great. The boot time of my workstation alone makes the price worth it to me. I'm using two Corsair Force 120GB's in RAID-0 and I boot from post to desktop in less than 10 seconds. Applications on the ssd array load incredibly fast. There is no delay from clicking to things being open. Truly is amazing.

They are one of the biggest upgrades you can make to a computer right now. Switching to SSD's was my most noticeable upgrade over the past 5 years.

However, if you don't care about load times and stuff it's not necessary. It's just a luxury really.

 

[techguy31]

Alright, this is the hardware I hope to salvage.
1.Gigabyte P55 USB3
2.i5 750
3.Corsair 650x
4.Kingston SSDNow V100 64GB SATA
Things I have that I don't think will perform without lag for games like GTA 4 or anyother hardware extensive games
1.Sapphire 1GB ATI 5670
2.ADATA 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666)
Sound System Via PC
1.HT Claro Plus
2.Logitech z5500
My Questions
1.I am planning to replace the ht claro plus and logitech z5500 as they have failed to impress me. I am planning to buy this -->http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QQXDVC/?tag=tec06d-20and this --->http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R70ZMI/?tag=tec06d-20 . Will this setup up have good treble as well as mid and bass all in general?
2.Do I simply plug a optical cable via the receiver?

Thanks

 

[LordJummy]

I wouldn't really replace the Z5500 with that setup. The Klipsch set is very nice, but I don't think you're going to get a massive difference in sound quality. That's just my opinion though.

The Graphics card definitely needs to be replaced if you want to play intensive games.

I'm sorry to say but even the i5 750 will struggle with GTA4, even if you get a high-end GPU. Even with my i7 950 OC'd at 4.2GHz with hyperthreading the game gets lag from CPU. That's with my unlocked 6950 OC'd to hell also. That game can occasionally bring even a super high end machine to its' knees with horrible code conversion.

 

[techguy31]

I wouldn't really replace the Z5500 with that setup. The Klipsch set is very nice, but I don't think you're going to get a massive difference in sound quality. That's just my opinion though.

The Graphics card definitely needs to be replaced if you want to play intensive games.

I'm sorry to say but even the i5 750 will struggle with GTA4, even if you get a high-end GPU. Even with my i7 950 OC'd at 4.2GHz with hyperthreading the game gets lag from CPU. That's with my unlocked 6950 OC'd to hell also. That game can occasionally bring even a super high end machine to its' knees with horrible code conversion.

Questions
1.Would it make a difference if I watch movies and music. When I watch movies the movie sound does in fact sound decent, but in terms of audio (I don't know if it is the bitrate, but most of my mp3 are 320kbps) it is doesn't sound really that good.
2.I also don't know what I should do with the sound card if I was to get a receiver. Do I just plug it via optical from the sound card to the receiver? Would it make a difference in terms of sound quality if I was to plug from good sound card versus integrated sound card?
3.Although the boot time is about 1 min (that is pratically 2 programs in the ssd) and restart time is about 1min30secs(2 programs existing in the ssd), if I purchase a higher end ssd will i make the boot time a bit faster?


Thanks
Thanks

 

[LordJummy]

I'm not familiar with your card as I've never used it, but if it has optical output then yes - I would say run optical output to your receiver, then run whatever input the sound system takes to the z5500. Why do you want to run a receiver in between your sound card and the system though? Do you want to be able to output your soundcard/computer to other devices as well? Or do you just want to be able to hook-up multiple devices to the Z5500?

I don't own a Z5500 either so I'm not 100% on all the inputs and everything. Someone who is more knowledgeable with the system should help you. That's why I didn't originally comment on the sound card setup.

As for the SSD, I don't know about the model you chose. I'm using Corsair Force 120's and I boot from bios to desktop in under 10 seconds. Something like 7.5 seconds I think. Restart time is equally fast. It shuts down from desktop to power cycle in a matter of seconds. Maybe 15-20 seconds total for a reboot, sometimes much less. All I know is my boot times are ridiculous fast.