My Super Computer

[il Duce Primo]

I plan on building myself a new computer. Right now I have picked out what I need from Newegg. The thing is I don't know much about computers and got some help from a friend who gave me suggestions on what I should buy. My budget is not much over $1000. This computer I want to be able to run next gen games such as Crysis. I have it set up so in the future I can run 2 moniters and have dual graphics cards.

What I am thinking of buying is this. Please give suggestions or tips/pointers on what I should do or avoid. Thanks!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827151173 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827151173)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16832116485 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16832116485)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129021 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129021)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115017 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115017)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139006 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139006)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150308 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150308)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231144 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231144)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813188026 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813188026)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100)

[Edward Elrich]

If you want to run Crysis with decent settings, you may want a bit more RAM (consider getting a third 1GB stick or something) That way when Windows runs all its services and stuff you still have plenty left for some of the memory hog games out there.

And make sure that the Windows disc you're getting is the actual OS and not an upgrade (kinda vague from the description which it is)

Other than that, with my vague computer knowledge it looks good, just make sure that you can get air circulation through that thing.

[LlamaMaster]

Moar ram, moar! Last time I went to best buy the computers had 6 gigs of ram. You don't need that much right now, but you should get more than 2gb for sure (of course, with more than 3gb of ram you need a 64 bit version of vista). Ram is ass cheap anyway.

[Edward Elrich]

Forgot about that one, consider a 64-bit version. It can run most 32 and even 16-bit apps (I'm pretty sure, haven't used many 16-bit ones lately...) and will be a lot faster and have better performance.

[il Duce Primo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Ok, I'll probably get the 64 bit instead. About the ram, I'll get more later because I doubt I'll need it right away.

Anything else that would be good to get.. maybe a part that has the exact same features that is cheaper?

[legionaire45]

My suggestions:
Get this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184) for your ram instead.

Unless you plan on using SLI, get this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148). IDK, the 750i is a decent chipset but with Nvidia's recent GPU woes I'd recommend avoiding their products for a little while until Nvidia straightens things out. From what I have read the 780 and 790 series have had numerous problems regarding data corruption and a whole mess of other stuff, so I'd try and stay away from their chipsets...

Along those lines, get yourself an HD4850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102759) instead. Either that, or wait for the updated GF GTX260's to come out in a few weeks/whatever.

If you don't need the computer this second, go ahead and hold out until November. Intel will be releasing new processors based off of their updated architecture that will perform better then their current stuff. They are a bit more expensive (least expensive is $266 or something like that), but at the very least the new processors will cause the prices of the old ones to go down.

[alby]

The 4850 is not better than the GTX 260. However if you're getting the GTX 260 I would get the new core 216 versions. Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130398) is one by EVGA and it's 279 after mail in rebate.

[legionaire45]

Performance GPU scores (3DMark Vantage P):
HD4850 512MB: 5759 (http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-4850-1gb-gvr485oc1gi-review/9)
HD4850 1GB: 7025 (http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-4850-1gb-gvr485oc1gi-review/9)
GTX 260: 7683 (http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-260-core-216--bfg-ocx-maxcore/11)
GTX 260 C216: 8257 (http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-260-core-216--bfg-ocx-maxcore/11)
Cost of each card:
HD4850 512MB: $139.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253) HD4850 1GB: $189 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102759)
GTX 260: $229 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370)
GTX 260 C216: $279.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130398)
Performance/Price Ratio (points/cent):
HD4850 512MB: 41.14
HD4850 1GB: 36.98
GTX 260: 33.55
GTX 260 C216: 29.49

Wow, that's actually somewhat surprising. Technically, the GTX 260 C216 is the best deal of the bunch.

That is, of course, assuming the GPU core doesn't unsolder itself from the PCB two years down the road :downs:.

[Bad Waffle]

Only 1000? wait until you have at least double that.

[Rob Oplawar]

I disagree, WoL. You can build a formidable gaming pc for less than $1000 these days. Take my computer for example.
$190cpu, $150gfx, $60ram, $150mobo, $100hdd, $150psu, $30optical drive, $150 case
Total value: $980
My computer scores 10646 on 3DMark 06, and runs Crysis at 40fps avg on mostly medium with a few high settings.

My point is, unless you foam at the mouth for the latest and greatest graphics or are insane about overclocking or want your computer to run absolutely silently, you do not need to spend $2000. That's "at least double" of what the average gamer needs to spend.

[Patrickssj6]

Only 1000? wait until you have at least double that.
My bro build one for 800 Euros...$1200. It runs Crysis on Very High 30fps even with 2AA and Vista.

[Hunter]

Maybe get a fan to put on the Ram? I think it makes it run faster if not hot.

[Amit]

Maybe get a fan to put on the Ram? I think it makes it run faster if not hot.

I don't think you can add a fan to ram but maybe a heatsink. The heatsink itself won't make it go faster but it'll keep it cooler when overclocking the RAM.

[Bodzilla]

it buys the 4850 or else it gets the hose again >: (

[Edward Elrich]

I would not advise getting the lesser motherboard, as Vista has run at a crawl for me sometimes with a dual motherboard with 1.9 GHz. You'll need the additional speed to play the next-gen games, plus the newer ones that come out later this year.

[legionaire45]

I wasn't aware that you could have a computer with a "dual motherboard".

Unless of course, you meant to say a dual core CPU at 1.9ghz. In that case the CPU is probably your problem and not the motherboard, since rarely will a motherboard have an incredibly large effect on performance.

The P45 chipset and the Nforce 780/790i are both very good performers - Nvidia's chipset might win in some cases but it also has a hell of a lot more issues. For one, it draws much more power and runs much hotter. Numerous people have also reported massive data corruption issues with it as well. From personal experience I can tell you that they are quite a bitch to get setup properly. I built a setup for a friend that had an EVGA 780i board, 8 gigs of ram, a Penryn based processor (8400 I think, don't remember) and dual 8800 GTS (G92)'s. Every time you would go to shut it down on a fresh install of Vista it would boot right back up again. He had to physically unplug it from the wall to get it to turn off for the first few months until they finally came out with a bios patch that sort of fixed it. It still reboots every once in a while. Meanwhile, every Intel chipset board I have worked with has worked flawlessly.

Protip: Either disable the Indexing Service or tell it to just search through the folders where you normally keep files. If it is indexing the temporary files folder then it is eating up performance and increasing wear and tear on the HDD. The indexing service is usually what makes people think that Vista runs slower - as soon as you turn it off, Vista flies.

[Edward Elrich]

Ack, wrong wording, sorry. You're right, legionaire, I meant to say "dual core" and not "dual motherboard." My fault. (half-awake when I made that post, and not the smartest when it comes to computer terminology.)
Anyways, the quad core you're thinking of getting now should work fine, but a bit faster might not hurt... (like 3 GHz or a bit more)

If you could get a quad core you'd be in even better shape, but those get pricey sometimes...

What were you thinking of for a cooling system? One or two exhaust fans won't be enough if you're going to be overclocking your graphics card and RAM in a game like Crysis.

And unless I completely missed it, there appears to be no sound card in this rig as of now... (you are, funny how we all seem to miss that one crucial component.)

We'll assume you have the monitors as well, right?

[Cortexian]

I don't think you can add a fan to ram but maybe a heatsink. The heatsink itself won't make it go faster but it'll keep it cooler when overclocking the RAM.
You can get RAM fans, but they're usually not worth it.

Also, if this is going to be a "Super Computer" you need a modular power supply, none of this old crap with tons of unused and unneeded cords.

[legionaire45]

Buy a power supply based off of it's rated specs, not off of it's cabling. Performance first, aesthetics second.

[Cortexian]

Buy a power supply based off of it's rated specs, not off of it's cabling. Performance first, aesthetics second.
Yea... Get a good modular power supply. Performance first, cable management for better air cooling second.

[il Duce Primo]

Thankyou for the comments, I think I'm settled on what parts I'm going to buy now with the help. What I want to know now is if all the parts I'm about to order compatible with eachother and all have the right connecters.

Motherboard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813188026

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115017

RAM- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

Video Card- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121266

Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129021

Power Supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139006

Hard Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152100

OS- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Optical Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827151173

Moniter- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236040

So main question is can all these be attached and work properly together.

[Sel]

btw 650 watt power supply.

[Cortexian]

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_modxstream_power_supply

or

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_evostream_power_supply

Like I said, quality modular supply, kthx. You'll enjoy it way more than any previous power supply that you've owned.

EDIT: Oh god, please get a different case, every "gamer" and their dog already has an Antec 900.

[DOMINATOR]

i don't know a whole lot about computers but:
don't get that power supply. you only need around 500w and that 750 is not modular and only has 1 rail.

this is what i got... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001&Tpk=corsair%20520w
3 rails, modular and crossfire ready (the 750 was dunno if you wanted that) BTW it's cheaper

also if you are on a budget why get a $105 case? there are plenty good ones for $50 and less. they are easy to mod and add fans if you want.

[LlamaMaster]

He needs more than 500w if he's ever going to crossfire/SLI.

[4RT1LL3RY]

More rails doesn't mean its better. Its easy to leverage power on a single 12v rail system then multiple because you don't need to set up the power a specific way.
If you are going multi-card, you will want around 750-watt.

My set-up theoretically draws around 400-watts max, so I have a 500-watt PSU.
Make sure you check the amperage on each rail if you get a multi-rail supply. Make sure you have your cards on seperate rails if you have multiples, GPUs are current suckers. A HD4850 draws 9 amps normally at max, and 12 amps maxed OCed. Most 12v rails handle around 17-ish amps.

Quality of the power is more important then teh amoutn of power.