New computer - thoughts?

[JScones]

My daughter is nagging me for a computer, so I'm thinking of giving her my current four year old one and buying a new one. I'm looking at the following config:


Intel I7-860 CPU
GA-P55A-UD4/P55chipset with USB3 & SATA3
4GB DDR3/1600 XMP Kit/Kingston
1GB DDR5 ATI HD5870/Sapphire
2X 1.5TB SATA2/64M Cache/7200 Western Digital HDD
SATA Pioneer DL DVD+/-R/RW/DVR-218LBK
Antec True power 850w PSU W/ Cable manager
Coolermaster 590 case
24” Samsung 2443BW+ LCD w/ Height adjustment
MS WIN7 Ultimate OEM

I'm not going for top of the line - just a good gaming machine that should last me another four or so years.

I'm not a hardware guru, so any thoughts on config welcome.

[Reece]

Sounds good to me , the LCD monitor is the same one I have, very pleased!!
If your interested my case is a Zalman GS1000:
http://www.zalman.com/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=310
That's very nice, my video card is a HIS HD 4850, runs too hot for my liking (55C) even with IceQ setup, still pleased overall with it, am saving for the one you have listed, if you get it I would like to know how it goes! can't comment on the CPU, my last 3 have been AMD.:yep:

[Arclight]

Maybe get a triple-channel memory kit. :hmmm:

Doesn't offer that much improvement, but i7 gives the option so it's something to consider.

Apart from that, picture perfect. :)

[AVGWarhawk]

Not going for the top of the line....:shifty: Getting darn near it! :O: Should be a splendid machine and you the envy of the neighborhood! :up: Enjoy!

[Reece]

Not going for the top of the line....:shifty: Getting darn near it! :O: Should be a splendid machine and you the envy of the neighborhood! :up: Enjoy!Yeh I thought he was being a bit smarty pantsy!!:O::haha:

[Submarine]

If you don't mind having quite a bit less space, you could get a solid slate hard drive. They are mega fast and can help boost your performance quite a bit. Very good for gaming :yep:

[JScones]

Thanks guys. :up:

I've decided to change the case to an Antec Ninehundred - has more cooling fans.

Yeh I thought he was being a bit smarty pantsy!!:O::haha:
Not at all. After some research the bits I quoted just seemed to be the best within my price point, which is far from "mega serious".

[Reece]

Thanks guys. :up:

I've decided to change the case to an Antec Ninehundred - has more cooling fans.


Not at all. After some research the bits I quoted just seemed to be the best within my price point, which is far from "mega serious".Just pulling your leg Jaesen!!:up: The Nine Hundred is good, did you check the one I pointed out, you have to wait awhile for the page to fully load! :yep:

[CaptainHaplo]

I ask this only because it relates to the bottom line - and most of us can stand to save some cash.

Is this a game machine only, or will it be doing other tasks, such as media editting, compiling code, etc?

if its JUST a game machine, you can get more bang for the buck going with a Phenom II quad core. The performance in gaming is nearly eaqual to the I7's at a significantly lower cost.

However, the I7 blows the AMD chips away for pretty much all video and other use work. *Check tomshardware.com for some good testing data*

So if this is gaming only, save the cash and swap to a AMD supporting MB with Phenom 2 - but if its going to be doing all the other stuff - you nailed the machined to have!

[AVGWarhawk]

I would same the same as well for the processor. The AMD are super processors and are less costly. I run the Phenom 9850 x4. Great processor and can overclock all day long if you want. I find I do not have to at all. But, whatever you decide the rig will be excellent and if you are replacing a 4-6 year old rig the difference between the two will be night and day. I truly love my rig:

AMD Phemon 9850 X4
8 gig DDR2 RAM
EVGA 9800GT vid card
Forget the hard drive. Just a regular drive.
Usual CD ROM and DVD ROM players.
Vista 64 as the OS

I do recommend 64 bit for you Window 7 OS. At any rate, your machine will be considerably faster than mine and I consider mine lighting fast. Internet browsing is amazing. The page loads so fast sometimes I sit there for a second wondering what happened only realizing the machine has completed the task quickly. Plus, multiply cores are just a great idea. I play games while multiple other applications are open doing their thing. The machine does not even burp. As for the additional RAM, the old days my hard drive would act like virtual memory when playing games. This slowed things and was a pain. Not anymore with 8 gigs. My drive loads the game and sits silent as I play. Furthermore, the days of looking at a game to see if your rig can play it are over. You simply pay, load, push all the buttons to full in the option screen and play. :rock:

[JScones]

Is this a game machine only, or will it be doing other tasks, such as media editting, compiling code, etc?
Thanks. Games will be part. I do a lot of hi-res music recording and mastering (1GB+ files), so it's really a multipurpose computer.

I do recommend 64 bit for you Window 7 OS. At any rate, your machine will be considerably faster than mine and I consider mine lighting fast. Internet browsing is amazing. The page loads so fast sometimes I sit there for a second wondering what happened only realizing the machine has completed the task quickly. Plus, multiply cores are just a great idea. I play games while multiple other applications are open doing their thing. The machine does not even burp. As for the additional RAM, the old days my hard drive would act like virtual memory when playing games. This slowed things and was a pain. Not anymore with 8 gigs. My drive loads the game and sits silent as I play. Furthermore, the days of looking at a game to see if your rig can play it are over. You simply pay, load, push all the buttons to full in the option screen and play. :rock:
Because 1GB+ file manipulation is my main use (well, apart from creating Word documents, email and cutting code), I've gone with the 32-bit version...at least for now.

I've also gone with Win7 Pro (upon recommendation). The Ultimate seems to be overkill for my needs, but the Pro includes the XP emulator, which I think I may need at some point.

And the guy building it for me will be modestly overclocking it. :)

Might have it ready by Friday night...hope so... :D

[JScones]

The Nine Hundred is good, did you check the one I pointed out, you have to wait awhile for the page to fully load! :yep:
Got too impatient waiting for it to load, lol!

[AVGWarhawk]

You might ask the fella building it for you if he would recommend 64 bit for the OS. Personally, I would never go back to 32 bit. Also, the 64 bit OS recognizes those applications that need 32 bit to run and those that can utilize the power of 64 bit. Best of both worlds. I have no problems getting drivers for the 64 bit system either. Just something to ponder. :up:

[Onkel Neal]

I definitely want an update on this when you get it. I haven't had my "new" computer a year and people are already saying it's obsolete :( I managed to squeeze 6+ years out of my last one.

[martes86]

Unless you use a 64 bit OS, you will only have 3GB of usable RAM, everything else, will be inaccessible by the OS.

Cheers :rock:

[AVGWarhawk]

I definitely want an update on this when you get it. I haven't had my "new" computer a year and people are already saying it's obsolete :( I managed to squeeze 6+ years out of my last one.


Everyone suffers the obsolete when it comes to computers. It is like signing for that new $30k car that once you do sign the car is worth $15k. :doh: I got 6 years out of my old rig and currently my daughters use it to good effect. With an upgrade here or there the longevity of your rig is assured. What I chose to do was get the OS with 64 bit. I had just noticed that 64 bit support is excellent and a lot of software companies are recognizing the additional power that is available. More applications are utilizing 64 bit. And again, the 64 bit OS supports 32 bit applications. So you get the best for both your application requiring 32 or 64 bit plus you can get 8 gig of RAM. I did. RAM was and is so cheap these days why not get it while it is hot?

[JScones]

I spoke again to the guy who suggested I go 32bit and after some software testing/research and stuff we both agreed that going to 64bit shouldn't be too much of a problem in the short term. Some of my 32bit apps will run slower, but hopefully over the life of the computer they will be updated/replaced by others.

[CaptainHaplo]

JScones - the 32bit dropoff is very minor - to the point of say the app does a processing job that takes 60 seconds in a 32 bit os - the 64 bit os running 32 bit native is going to be slower by a second or so at most. You will be much happier with the 64 bit in the long run (caveat - you cannot run anything that uses 16 bit extensions as x64 offers no 16 bit support at all). Also - with the 64 bit - you at least get to use the full 4 Gigs of memory which will make up the difference for you in performance.

[JScones]

FYI posting from my new computer.:yeah:

So far so good...although it'll take me a while to get used to Windows 7...

[elanaiba]

Just one small bit, I built a similar system roughly 2 weeks ago, but went for the i5/750.

While I first looked at the same mainboard, in the end I got the -UD3, after reading that the USB3 & SATA3 will drop the PCI Express to 8x, if activated.

[AVGWarhawk]

Nothing like the smell of new hardware warming up! Enjoy!

[AVGWarhawk]

I spoke again to the guy who suggested I go 32bit and after some software testing/research and stuff we both agreed that going to 64bit shouldn't be too much of a problem in the short term. Some of my 32bit apps will run slower, but hopefully over the life of the computer they will be updated/replaced by others.


I think in the long run you will have been glad to go 64bit. I know I am. To be honest, I never really now what is running 32 or 64 bit. I just know the computer is fast and games run great. My goal was achieved. :up: 64 bit has not been a problem in the driver/program department. Hell, I run Vista of all things! I like Vista also but that is another thead!

[Konovalov]

Nothing like the smell of new hardware warming up! Enjoy!
Oh yeah love that 'burn in' smell that comes with a new build. :yeah:

[JScones]

I definitely want an update on this when you get it. I haven't had my "new" computer a year and people are already saying it's obsolete :( I managed to squeeze 6+ years out of my last one.
Going great so far. :yeah:

Doesn't even break a sweat running Settlers 2, lol.

Haven't tested it with SH3/GWX3 yet...maybe this weekend.

[PortoFerro]

Bumping this, because I could use some help regarding a new rig.
I'm using Mac's for 13 years now, and my gaming is usually PS3.

While my MacBookPro runs SH5 very good, I'm considering a game rig for special titles (eg MassEffect2, SH5). Besides MS has finally coughed up an OS that makes me not feel like 1999...

I just want a box with Mainboard, 4GB+ RAM, MulticoreCPU and decent GFX.
Just for Games, everything else will be Mac.
Problem is I have NO clue what to buy, there are more GFX cards to choose from than Apple's whole lineup of computers...

I've set a limit of about 700 Euros for this, would you be so kind and help me buying parts that give the most bang for this budget?
Thanks in advance!

[Dimitrius07]

And the guy building it for me will be modestly overclocking it

Its a good machine, works fine with every game without overclocking. I got almost the same pc with nvidia video card at my work. All this overclocking stuff only reduce the hardware lifespan but its your call ;)