New computer, need Advice.

[Guest Dyaval]

Alright so my budget is gona be around 2k$ wana try to keep it around 1400 / 1500 range though. This is what i wana get so far. Radeon HD 5870 1 GB X 2 -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125326 price 269.99$ AMD 890GX Motherboard. -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631 price 149.99$ AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ- [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727[/url] price 159.99 Rosewill 1000w ATX12v-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727 price 129.99 tuniq cr-pro120 heat sync-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154013&Tpk=Tuniq%20CR-PRO120-BK-RV1%20120mm price 59.99. Antec 1200 tower-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 price 159.99 Xigmatek 200mmfan-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233075 price 18.99 Xigmatek 120mm fan-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233048 price. 9.99 If im forgetting any parts please tell me. i have 6 g of ddr3 1330 ram Id like to use if i can. if u guys know of anything better for a price please tell me. or anything on here thats better for a price im looking for input. Also if anyone knows anything about Harddrives and /drivers w/bluray capability plz do tell.fyi im noob at computers.

[Guest BigMac530]

Click this >[URL='http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-aurora/pd?oc=dpdodz1&model_id=alienware-aurora']http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-aurora/pd?oc=dpdodz1&model_id=alienware-aurora[/URL] Im telling you right now, this is the best deal you will ever get from this company.

[Guest RET.CDR.CrAzY_NuTtA=US=]

[quote='PFC.BigMac530=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79070#post79070'] from this company.[/QUOTE] Is the big thing here. He's looking for budget and what the best thing is he can get for his price, not what he can get for a price.

[Guest BigMac530]

Thats what I am saying. I know myself that Alienware is and can be expensive. But we have a good deal and a good budget. Lets see what Dell gives us STARTING. Remember, this is only [U]stock at $1,400[/U] [U][U]Processor:[/U][/U] Intel® CoreTM i7 930 (3.36GHz/8MB cache) [Liquid Cooled] [U]Operating System:[/U] Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit [U]Memory[/U] 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz [U]Hard Drive[/U] 1TB SATA II hard drive (7200RPM) [U]Video Card(s)[/U] ATI Radeon HD 5770 [X2] [U]Optical Drive[/U] Single Drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability This is a better configuration then what he has in mind. Now with optional adjustments: ATI Radeon HD 5870 [X2] (for $350 more of base price) OR ATI Radeon HD 5970 [X1] (for $250 more of base price) Either way, it will still be in his price range. And he will have money left over to buy mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. This is a good deal. But if you rather build your own thats fine.

[Guest BigMac530]

Here is a Walkthrough from Dell of the Alienware Aurora if you do decide to buy this machine. - [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5pDGHVHPCM[/url] I also recommend like i did to go around YouTube and look at unboxing, reviews, etc. of this computer. If one doesn't know how to use and get around this computer inside and out, you can do major damage to it.

[Guest Ret.Maj.Xander=US=]

That system posted is worse than Dyavals Newegg system. Sorry BigMac Alienware is for the uneducated or the lazy. Building a computer with parts from newegg is very easy to learn and you save a lot of money in the long run. There is a reason most real gamers build their computers, because they know its the cheaper and better choice. If Dyaval can build a computer no matter where you are looking you won't find a better deal. Antec cases are alright, but IMO Cooler Master HAF cases are very nice and every computer I build for me or friends uses a cooler master case. Also that Mobo only supports dual channel RAM. So if you have 2 3GB sticks thats fine, but if you have 3 2GB sticks you will lose some speed by using the 3rd stick. I have that problem now. I have a triple channel mobo and 4 1GB sticks but I only use 3 because its faster. I also see that mobo has onboard video which is a little pointless since ur getting a PCIe card. It would be better to find a mobo that doesn't have that and maybe has triple channel or a faster FSB. That space/money could be used for a better build.

[Guest RET.CW4.ThievingSix=US=]

Alienware - Custom Built Intel i7 930 = Phenom II X4 965 875W PSU < 1000w PSU HD 5770 x2 < HD 5870 Those are just the important parts, for one let me say that dell uses its own mounting screws and its own CPU cooling screw placement meaning that in the future if you want to upgrade your CPU cooler or even motherboard you cant because dell has its own screw placements meaning you will have to drill holes. This was a major problem i found down the track you won't notice it immediately but as technology upgrade's itself dells will not upgrade well, the power supply dell use is always seriously undercut, 2 5770's draw 600w that leaves 350w for something else, however if you go with a single 5870 you will get better performance, and cost effectiveness in the future as you can always add another 5870 for half the price you added the first one for because of depreciation, as 5770's are already depreciated cards. Some people say the i7 is better some say the phenom but its up to you, AMD is generally cheaper that intel. Here's where it gets tricky, some people say that AMD CPU's burn up, however this is complete bias, don't trust anyone when they say that, they simply did not have a decent CPU cooler. The i7 has hyper threading which theoretically makes it superior to the Phenom, but again this is only THEORETICALLY! most applications cannot even use hyper threading and your not going to notice a difference between the 2 CPU's at all. If your looking for value go AMD if your looking for something with the added hyper threading and you KNOW you have applications which can actually utilize it go for Intel.

[Guest MAJ.Kaossilator=US=]

[quote='Capt.Xander=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79075#post79075']Also that Mobo only supports dual channel RAM.[/QUOTE] My apologies on that one - I didn't spot that. However, to utilize triple-channel, wouldn't he have to switch to an Intel-based system? I thought AMD Phenom was limited to dual.

[Guest BigMac530]

I would go with the Alienware if i was Dyaval. Its a good deal for a good computer.

[Guest Ret.Maj.Xander=US=]

[quote='PFC.BigMac530=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79078#post79078']I would go with the Alienware if i was Dyaval. Its a good deal for a good computer.[/QUOTE] You're not making sense. His computer posted is both cheaper and better (spec wise) there is no point to get a Dell, are you getting paid for recommendations or something? And I guess you're right about the dual/triple channel. I have a Core i7 920 (awesome CPU its almost 2 years old now for me). If thats the case I would buy one more stick to make it an even 8. That way it will still be dual channel. So just one more 2GB stick at that same speed should do it.

[Guest BigMac530]

[quote='Capt.Xander=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79080#post79080']are you getting paid for recommendations or something?[/QUOTE] I wish. I would buy you one.

[Guest CC.Decayed=US=]

Don't buy the alienware, that's the best advice I can give you. Besides that. 1000w is overkill. You can save some money. Unless you are going to overclock a lot... If you are trying to future proof i guess it's ok, but eventually 1000w will get cheaper esp once 2000w become available. what is your current psu? 965 is ok. Right now the best card for the money is the 6950 with unlocked shaders. $300. Even if you don't unlock it, save money on ur psu, and buy the 6950 it outperforms the 5870. 5870 is so last year lol. Ram is super cheap, just get 1600 ddr3 8 gigs for like $100. No point in reusing that old ram. Or use 4 g of it if u want, but i wouldn't recommend 6 on an AMD. like xander said. what's the speed on them? If you want to spend money get a corsair case. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139001[/url] but that's expensive but a damn nice case lol. I am too lazy to do a lot of looking right now, but you probably want an ssd and some sort of raid0 for your storage, i'd recommend f3 spinpoints. if you're going to go all out, then why have hard drives be the choke? I know this is a lot of info, but bottom line is don't go alienware. That's not a good deal and you end up with crap parts.

[Guest Mullens]

Check out [url]www.ibuypower.com[/url] that is where i got mine for about 1000. I have a I-7 quad intel 3.0Ghz. with liquid cooler free upgrade. 9800 GT 1Ghz Navida card sound blaster X-fi gamer thing 3 fans 500Gb HD Sata with digital temperature. Dvd-R/w and cd-rw combo keyboard, mouse nice case oh yeah 4 GB ddr3 9x9x9x24 RAM Corsair XMs3 Dominator w/DHX Technology which was a free upgrade. SPC

[Guest Dyaval]

Appreciate the input thus far, please keep it coming xD.

[Guest RET.CW4.ThievingSix=US=]

Speaking of input, i would be careful when you buy a bundled package from ibuypower, know what your getting, and know exactly what your getting. Often they too will undercut one or 2 components. In saying that though they are much better than dell.

[Guest Mullens]

oh yeah forgot i got a 700watt power supply free upgrade to. there is a lot of deals with ibuypower. yeah they do cut off some stuff however, i personally work with the guy there well his son owns the business he gets stuff new that comes out and sells the older ones for a lot less. like if a video cards is out today like a 9800gt 1gb he probably got a new one in like a 240 and will sell the 9800 half off or get a free upgrade or something. its worth checking it out. The motherboards are great I have a asus motherboard top of the line so i pay like 250 for. Just make sure you know how to work a computer that is mostly a lot of peoples problems now and days people don't know how a computer works just turn it on and go. I'm not saying your dumb as hell on working on a computer just know what you are dealing with. Let me know how it goes.

[Guest Dyaval]

bump

[Guest gamerk2]

Right now, [B]I would NOT build a new PC for the next month or so.[/B] Both Intel and AMD are about to release new lines of CPU's, requiring new motherboards, so going the Phenom II or i7/i5 route right now is probably not the best action you can take. The first Intel Sandy Bridge CPU's should be out late next month, and AMD's Bulldozer architecture should be out by mid 2011. Unless you need a PC TODAY, I would strongly suggest waiting a month or two, as Sandy Bridge is expected to be significantly faster (10-15%) then current CPU's. Also, avoid Alienware, they tend to be overpriced. Shop around and see what else is around. VelocityMicro, Cyberpower, Ibuypower, DigitalStromOnline, and others were significantly cheaper the last time I was building a new PC.

[Guest MAJ.Kaossilator=US=]

Idk I'll stand by the [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631']original mobo[/URL] on your list. The onboard video doesn't really make a difference one way or another. You're not getting hosed in any way just because it's there. If you never use it, that's fine. Between USB 3 and SATA 6 this stacks up nicely. If you're getting DDR3 1600 memory, I know it doesn't specifically say that's the memory standard on this board, but that should not be a problem. For the vid card, Decayed is right when he says the 6950 > 5870. However, if you're going to go with the 69xx series, bear in mind that there are performance differences between the 6950 and 6970 that may or may not make it worth spending the $80 more/per for the 6970. [QUOTE] Specifications and features: GPU Radeon HD 6970 Core Clock 880MHz Memory Effective Memory Clock 1375MHz (5.5Gbps) [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] Specifications and features: GPU Radeon HD 6950 Core Clock 800MHz Memory Effective Memory Clock 1250MHz (5.0Gbps) [/QUOTE] There is a 30MHz stock difference in the core clock speed and 125MHz in effective mem clock. Someone else might be able to chime in on whether or not you'll actually notice that if you do OC anyway. In general, though, it's worth it to go with the 69xx series over the 58xx series. The 69xx has some significant design improvements that make it more flexible and future-proof where games are concerned. Specifically, it breaks open the bottleneck when a game utilizes tessellation, which is basically just a way of rendering a surface. You'll see a significant drop over time with the 5870 whereas the 69xx will last much longer given how games are being made these days. [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102915']6970 link[/URL] [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914']6950 link[/URL]

[Guest BigMac530]

[quote='PVT.gamerk2=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79131#post79131']Right now, [B]I would NOT build a new PC for the next month or so.[/B] Both Intel and AMD are about to release new lines of CPU's, requiring new motherboards, so going the Phenom II or i7/i5 route right now is probably not the best action you can take. Also, avoid Alienware, they tend to be overpriced. Shop around and see what else is around. VelocityMicro, Cyberpower, Ibuypower, DigitalStromOnline, and others were significantly cheaper the last time I was building a new PC.[/QUOTE] +1 On the CPU info. It is true. The deal that he would get on the Alienware provided before is cheap for an [U]Alienware[/U]. Not saying he should get it. But ordering from Dell means that someone gets to come to your house and fixes the PC if there ever is a problem. I didn't build it, so why should i worry? Building your own equals tons of receipt , numbers to call, and things to remember if something does go wrong or if you want to replace/return something.

[Guest RET.CW4.ThievingSix=US=]

Any PC store in your local area(not the one's from manufacturers) will do that for you, and if your not in dells limited warranty period you pay for that service. Alienware comes standard with 1 year, after that you have to pay something like $100 a year for up to and extension of 3 year warranty period. Many hard drive companies have a 3 year warranty period on their drive's alone, meaning your missing out. Ibuypower however offers 3 years standard which is very good. Its also important to note that warranty and technical support are entirely different, warranty means they will cover you by replacing whats broken free of charge if its their fault. Technical support means that they will tell you whats wrong and then you pay them even if its their fault to replace the part. Usually this applies once its out of warranty.

[Guest CC.Decayed=US=]

[quote='PFC.Kaossilator=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79132#post79132']Idk I'll stand by the [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631']original mobo[/URL] on your list. The onboard video doesn't really make a difference one way or another. You're not getting hosed in any way just because it's there. If you never use it, that's fine. Between USB 3 and SATA 6 this stacks up nicely. If you're getting DDR3 1600 memory, I know it doesn't specifically say that's the memory standard on this board, but that should not be a problem. For the vid card, Decayed is right when he says the 6950 > 5870. However, if you're going to go with the 69xx series, bear in mind that there are performance differences between the 6950 and 6970 that may or may not make it worth spending the $80 more/per for the 6970. There is a 30MHz stock difference in the core clock speed and 125MHz in effective mem clock. Someone else might be able to chime in on whether or not you'll actually notice that if you do OC anyway. In general, though, it's worth it to go with the 69xx series over the 58xx series. The 69xx has some significant design improvements that make it more flexible and future-proof where games are concerned. Specifically, it breaks open the bottleneck when a game utilizes tessellation, which is basically just a way of rendering a surface. You'll see a significant drop over time with the 5870 whereas the 69xx will last much longer given how games are being made these days. [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102915']6970 link[/URL] [URL='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914']6950 link[/URL][/QUOTE] When you flash your bios to the 6970 you can easily match the clocks and even surpass them. As for waiting for bulldozer/sandy bridge, that's always gonna be the case. Cause Ivy Bridge will be next and so on and so forth. Don't forget about light peak. Hey might as well wait another 2 years. If you have the money to be an early adopter then you have the money to build one now and buy one when the new chips come out. If not, you can probably stick with this current build for a year or two and you will be fine.

[Guest MAJ.Kaossilator=US=]

[quote='CC.Decayed=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79143#post79143']If not, you can probably stick with this current build for a year or two and you will be fine.[/QUOTE] I believe he'll be fine for longer than a year or two with this build. That 965 is exceptionally OC'able, especially with that Tuniq heatsink sitting on it. The Antec 1200 is one of the highest rated airflow cases around, so heat dispersion will never be a problem and full-case size makes this very expandable. Add to that those Zigmateks are beastly air-movers [I]and[/I] quiet, it's pretty solid. Sure, AM3 locks him into the Phenom II x4/x6, but as I said, the 965 is a very solid CPU. The dualies he's going to be running on a 69xx series (assuming he goes that route) will be future-proof for MUCH more than 1 or 2 years. 1TW PSU is also future-proof beyond his current components.

[Guest gamerk2]

[quote='CC.Decayed=US=','http://clanunknownsoldiers.com/hq/thread/?postID=79143#post79143']When you flash your bios to the 6970 you can easily match the clocks and even surpass them. As for waiting for bulldozer/sandy bridge, that's always gonna be the case. Cause Ivy Bridge will be next and so on and so forth. Don't forget about light peak. Hey might as well wait another 2 years. If you have the money to be an early adopter then you have the money to build one now and buy one when the new chips come out. If not, you can probably stick with this current build for a year or two and you will be fine.[/QUOTE] True, but lets face it, the Nehalem arch wasn't significantly better then Core 2 Quads when it came out. Everything about Sandy Bridge indicates around a 15% performance boost, making it a significant upgrade over the older arches. Throw in the fact Intel needs ANOTHER new socket, and the Nehalem is basically already on life support, and I really don't see a reason to make a new build on that platform right now... In either case, its still better to wait, simply because older generation parts will probably get a 20% price cut across the board. :P

[Guest Dyaval]

O.o really If anyone has time to talk to me about diff cpu / mobos id appreciate it