New PC for games

[ryanmercer]

1. What is your budget and does that include shipping/taxes?
hopefully as low as possible $800 but will go up to $1000 for a good computer

2. Where do you live?
Ontario, Canada

3. What do you need this computer to do (like gaming, Photoshop, and so on)?
Mainly gaming, some photoshop, watching blu-ray, multi tasking, multiscreen in the future addon

4. What parts will you need for the computer? Please list what parts specifically.
Everything but a case

5. Are you reusing any parts for this computer? If so please say what parts.
Case if I can.. pictures below. I have no clue what kind it is

6. What kind of monitor/resolution do you have or want to get to use for the computer?
Single 22"

7. Do you have a legit OS? If so what OS and is it 32-bit or 64-bit?
I need an OS

8. What are you looking for the motherboard to have feature wise? Like SLI, Crossfire, Firewire, USB 3.0, Sata 6.0 Gb/s, and so on.
I would like an i7 processor.. unless its not worth the extra $$$

9. Any plans to overclock the CPU or GPU?
Not really

10. What time kind of time frame are you planning on ordering these parts?
Less than a month.. Soon

I want to be able to play new games (Planetside 2, Tribes Ascend, new Star Wars MMO) on high graphics as well as watch Blu-Ray movies.

[ryanmercer]

Remove the OS from the budge to I will buy that out of budget

[Goku]

Change of plans I assume?

You can probably get away with that case, but it looks pretty old as far as cooling is concerned with 80mm fans. It will probably get rather toasty in there. Cases around $60-$75 will be quite the setup from it.

I'll see what I can pull together if you.

EDIT: Do you have the software to be playing Bluray on the computer? Not all the drives comes always have it combined with it is all.

[ryanmercer]

Okay well include a case just to be sure. So I need everything included in the build. I may buy a monitor, keyboard, and mouse second hand so if you dont include them in the budget no big deal.

I have no software at all so no blu-ray software.

Thanks, Ryan.

[Goku]

For the keyboard and mouse. Are you looking for the average Joe type of equipment or gaming (I would only recommend this for the mouse).

[ryanmercer]

Nothing special. I think I have an old g15 keyboard in the closet and an old mouse. So I am not to worried about them for now. A gaming mouse would be nice to have eventually.

[Goku]

Hanns-G HF225DPB Black 21.5" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor - $119.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262011)
CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 - $69.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028)
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W - $69.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112238)
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB - $92.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767)
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti - $249.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604)
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 -$35.49 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422)
Intel BOXDH67BLB3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 - $94.99 (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121506)
Intel Core i5-2400 - $199.99
(http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074)

Total = $933.42 not including shipping/tax/rebates

This is what I have come up with so far. I have to look into Bluray drives that come with software to use them otherwise the software is $100+. What do you think of the case?

I'll update this later with what I find and any component changes.

[ryanmercer]

Everything looks good to me. I am wondering what mini-hdmi is on the graphics card. Is that the same as an HDMI cable so I can attach it to my 55" if I go to watch a movie.

Also I am wondering the difference in the build you posted for me and the build you posted here (http://www.planetside-universe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38954).

If I opted out of getting the monitor would this be a better gaming rig for what seems like a decently equal price? Even if I do spend a little more, is it worth it?

[Goku]

You can get a DVI -> HDMI adapter if you wanted to to watch stuff on your tv.

The difference is mostly due to you being in Canada so had I to use Newegg.ca the other is from the US site. There is different prices unfortunately, which is why the components vary and you needed a monitor.

Are you saying you are not going to include the monitor in the budget and get it separately?

[ryanmercer]

Sorry I should have mentioned I don't mind buying off of an American website. I live 5 minutes from the Detroit border so I get my orders shipped to the states and cross to pick them up. That also means I get to use free shipping offers if sent somewhere in the states.

I was just thinking of buying a used monitor for now. Once I want to dual screen I will possibly buy a better brand new one and use the second hand one as the secondary screen.

[Goku]

Do you have a friend in the states you ship to? I don't think newegg ships to po boxes is all.

[ryanmercer]

Yes its an actual shipping address. So would that other build be a better option since without the monitor you have a little extra cash to spend on the graphics card.

I think I would do the 500gb hd and the upgraded graphics cards like you mentioned as well. Overclock it too if its easy to do for a 20% boost in performance.

[Goku]

One of the reasons I was recommending the 7950 was actually due to his friend most likely not playing PS2. PS2 is going to be taking advantage of PhysX as of right now I am recommending Nvidia cards (at lower price points) over the current similarly priced radeons. Yet the problem is Nvidia doesn't have a card to compete with the 7950, so its a toss up atm.

However if you wish to go for the 7950 still you can use what some call hybrid PhysX. If you buy a Nvidia card like a GT 430 for instance you can get hacked physx driver to allow that nvidia card to do the physx processing while your 7950 still does the game processing. I would only suggest grabbing the GT 430 in the future if PhysX proves to be worthwhile. If was me making this choice I would likely do this option today tbh.

Going with the 7950 with the PhysX option you will have to switch the h67 mobo out to this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488) to allow for the pci-e slot for the Nvidia card.

Oh yeah. What about the Bluray drive?

[ryanmercer]

Okay so the 7950 is obviously better than the GT 430, but it doesnt have PhysX which Planetside 2 may use. Can I still play Planetside 2 even with a card that doesnt support PhysX or when Planetside 2 is released I must purchase a GT 430 right away?

Here is the shopping card I made up. Also the power unit you suggested in the other topic is sold out. Is there an alternative?

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244)
COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216)
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767)
SAPPHIRE 11196-00-40G Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962)
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424)
GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488)
Intel Core i5-2400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074)

And I may have to purchase this card in the future if Planetside 2 uses PhysX

EVGA 01G-P3-1430-LR GeForce GT 430 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130579)

I dont know much about all this computer technology. My brother is a tech and will be putting all this together for me. I appreciate the help so far Goku.

[Goku]

Yes the 7950 is a far better card then the GT 430. You don't need to have a Nvidia card to play PS2, but you will likely need one to use PhysX. Thats why I was saying to wait and see if the PhysX will be worth investing the $40 on a dedicated PhysX for PS2 anyway. PhysX adds more to the game as far as Physics is concerned, but it can be turned off so it isn't required.

This unit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031) is a bit more expensive, but the other unit was on sale hence why it sold out.

You're welcome as well.

There is no Bluray in that build I put together don't forget.

[ryanmercer]

Okay so an extra $105 (cart is at $1,038) than your previous posted build but some more power. Seems fair to me.

I will get a blu-ray in the future, I don't even own any blu-rays yet so no rush for that. Hoping to order this tomorrow now.

[Goku]

The 7950 is at least 60% faster then the 560 Ti I originally had in your first build. You should be good to.

[ryanmercer]

Ordered it all. Apparently you can't even pay with a Canadian credit card on newegg.com even if shipping to the states.

I ordered every thing off of ncix.com instead. I paid roughy $100 more having to get a different case but got an awesome deal on a 700w power supply.

Thanks again Goku, made this fairly easy.

[Goku]

That sucks about not ordering off Newegg like that. Smart of their part I guess.

What 700W PSU and case did you get just out of curiosity?

Enjoy the new rig too!

[ryanmercer]

I got this power supply:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35456&vpn=OCZ700MXSP&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1029

This case:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=29812&vpn=THREE%20HUNDRED&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1029

This ram:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57869&vpn=KHX1600C9D3K2%2F8GX&manufacture=Kingston&promoid=1029

Same motherboard, graphics card, processor, DVD player.

[ryanmercer]

Also how would I go about overclocking the graphics card. Would it be a noticeable difference or downgrade the life of the card at all?

Is there a website that shows how to?

[Goku]

That PSU isn't the best of quality, but it will do at least you got a decent price and it looks modular on top of that.

Case and ram look like good choices as well.

For overclocking check out this guide here that was done for the 7950 (http://guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-7950-overclock-guide/1). As far decreasing the life of the card that is a possibility, but if it shouldn't be a issue even if you keep it for say 3 years. Just be careful to not put that much voltage into it if you decide to go that route.

[ryanmercer]

What is the difference in modular to non?

[Goku]

You can take off extra power connectors off you don't need. Helps keep the case more clean with not as many wires being in there.