The Glade 4.0

I'm so out of the loop!

I'm looking for a good gaming PC that will be able to run games like Modern Warfare 2, Unreal Tournament 3 and Mass Effect 2 on full settings (if that's even possible).


Is Intel still the way to go? I'm assuming ATi is as well?

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

You're looking at a core i7 intel with appropriate motherboard, pref 8gb ram and a large hdd. I'd prefer nvidia over ati still, but thats personal bias.

So I was doing some noodling around and my friend gave me the idea to do a Phenom II build.


Here's what I've come up with so far...going for a bang for the buck type of price/performance ratio here.



Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103727

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130223

Video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102864

Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145260 (2 of these...for a total of 8GB)

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136319


Seems like if I go with AMD things work out a lot cheaper.

What do you think?

This puts me at about $800... All I'd need from there is a case...and a PSU, but I'm not sure what kind of PSU I need yet.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

$200 for the CPU? You should be able to get an i5 for that, no?

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Is intel really that much better? For the price on the AMD it seems like the clock speed and number of cores is better.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Not really for that price point. Also, the intel boards are not as future proof as the AMD boards. The AMD processors use the same socket, and will be using the same socket for the near future.

Intel? Changes their socket every 6 months :p

Tom's Hardware has some good information on that.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

QFT

Also, that CPU is a Black Edition (unlocked multiplier) which have been getting very favorable overclocks on most of the review sites. That's always a nice way to squeeze a little extra performance out of your rig. But it is risky if you're not careful. You have been warned.

Apparently, lots of people are still a little jaded towards AMD CPU's. It's understandable, since there for a while, AMD just wasn't able to keep up with Intel. But that was a couple of years ago. True, the first gen Phenoms did have quite a few issues, but from all indications, those are very much a thing of the past with the new Phenom II's, and even some of the new Athlon X4's. They offer much better competition to Intel's lineup than previous AMD offerings, and are very close to beating them again in price/performance ratio.

That's not to take anything at all away from Intel. Those core i7's are hella sweet. And there's no doubt that their chips perform very well. It's just that their CPU/Motherboards tend to be a good deal more expensive than a comparable AMD setup. So if you want the absolute best performance, and don't mind spending the money, then go with Intel. But if you wanna save a few bucks, and can live with a slight performance decrease, then get an AMD rig.

Then spend the money you saved on a better video card that will have a much more noticeable impact on your performance.

_________________
"I Live, I Love, I Slay, and I Am Content."
- Conan the Barbarian

The next step up in videocard would be almost double the price!

I think I'm good on parts so far-- just need to figure out what I need in a PSU and case.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

buy a second 5770, get a psu for a hundred, and a case for a hundred, and you've got a badass system and you're under 1200ish.

Win.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

OK here's the plan. 1 video card now....and 1 video card from Santa. Hehe


Apparently the mobo supports 4 video cards, too....

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Keep in mind that a dual video card wont double performance. You'll be lucky to squeeze a 30% increase.

I've never though dual cards were worthwhile, for that reason.

Especially when you consider the extra power requirements and heat load.

Well then maybe santa wont bring another card, haha.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

On that AMD option: what CPU/motherboard would you go for, then?

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

Just placed my order, here's what I got:

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130223

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817256049

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103727

RAM: 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145260

Video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102864

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136284


Total: $955


Not bad. I'll be using my current case, a Cooler master. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

No Intel or Nvidia? What a rebel.

Haha! It's weird though I've always used AMD / ATI. I almost went with an Intel when they came out with Core 2 Duo...but for as long as I waited it felt like AMD was the better deal for a "bang for the buck" PC.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Why buy an nVidia card anymore?

The new ATI offerings destroy anything the little n has to offer nowadays.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

I'm kinda torn between picking up a 5700 series card now, or waiting until January-ish when the DX 11 Geforce cards come out...those look like an absolute beast too.

WATCH OUT! IT'S A TRAP!!

hehe.. Seriously, the problem with waiting till January is, you will pay 'new tech' premium prices. If you wait a few months after that for the prices to settle down, then some other new tech will be only a few months away...

The cycle, she is viscous!

Yah, typically I end up buying like one step below the bleeding edge for that reason hehe...this is kind of a different case though.

January is supposed to be Nvidia's DX11 card, and from the sounds of it could handily compete with Ati's new 5700 series, and since I've kinda had a preference toward nvidia for some time anyways...well, I'm waiting to see I guess. =)

PC kicks *** so far. Just finished installing windows 7. Windows 7 is good.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Well...I gotta say. The new computer definitely passed the Unreal Tournament 3 test with flying colors.

Now I need some more graphic intensive games to test it out on.

Any suggestions?

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Shattered Horizon will make you weep at its beauty.

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Only if you're a girl.

_________________
The Dude abides.