Building gaming machine AMD/INTEL

ssharp59

ssharp59

ssharp59

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ok, my plan is to build a gaming machine, originally i was always under the impression that intel was 100% the way to go.

I plan to use the sapphire 5850 card thats just come into stock.

I want to play all the latest fps games and i want to play these are top settings with no sacrifices to fps as id also like to play these to a competitive level.

Im happy to spend what it costs for a good system, however as im aware with all electronics, there is always a very large premium when you buy the cream of the crop.

Id like to learn to overclock so this is also an option.

i already have a screen, but will be buying a new keyboard and mouse.

My budget for the rest of the system is £500 to 1k, however if its going to cost more than so be it.
 
This is what I would get:

AMD Phenom II X4 955BE ~ £122

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=cp-244-am

asus m4a79xtd evo ~ £86

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=mb-366-as&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1481

this motherboard is crossfire capable

geil value 4gb (2x2gb) ddr3 pc3-12800c9 1600mhz ~ £85

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=my-087-gl&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

2xclub 3d ati radeon hd5770 1024mb ~ £234

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=gx-014-c3&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1515

antec truepower new modular 550w ~ £75

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=ca-118-an&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

samsung spinpoint f3 500gb ~£40

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=hd-081-sa

sony optiarc ad-7241s 24x dvd±rw sata lightscribe optical drive (black) ~ £20

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=cd-039-ot&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=

antec 300 three hundred ~ £43

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=ca-101-an

microsoft windows 7 home premium - retail ~ £100

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=sw-124-ms

unlike the oem version can be re-installed if you change the hardware signifcantly

titan ttc-nk85tz fenrir cpu cooler ~ £33

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=hs-008-ti

the whole build costs under £850 excluding postage and a retail copy of windows 7.

a pair of hd5770 1gb cards in crossfire can be as fast as an hd5870 1gb:

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=862

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2983/his_radeon_hd_5770_1gb_video_card_in_crossfire/index.html

Also if you want to save money I would get the newly released X2 555BE dual core which should under £80 when retailers start stocking it.

It is based on the Phenom II X4 quad core and can be unlocked to a quad core if you are lucky. Also it seems to have good overclocking potential and many have reached 4GHZ!

However even at stock an X2 555BE can run games at decent quality.

Here is a review comparing the X2 555BE to a Core i5 750:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/phenom-ii-x2-555,review-31794-8.html

All the processors at stock with an HD5850 at 1920X1200 were producing framerates above 40FPS. This includes CPU heavy games like Far Cry 2 and World in Conflict. The Core i5 750 costs around £150 and the socket 1156 motherboards which do symmetrical Crossfire at PCI-E 2.0 8X are well over £100 too.
 
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Have a look at the suggested spec thread at the top of the hardware page. It has multiple variations of rigs with different price tags for intel and amd. To be fair for gaming there is not much of a difference between the top AMD and to Intell. Id personally recommend you spend about 700 and get an intel i5 system.
 
Or something like this.And if you overclock the HD5870 you'll have the most powerful graphics card in the world after HD5970:P
pc13.png
 
I wont need an os that thats a bonus. Intersting facts there on the Amd. I plan to buy this comp next friday so i dont really plan to wait around to much.
 
you could squeeze in an i7 and just run 2x2gb in dual channel and still be in budget

triple channel isnt much faster than dual anyway.

worth thinking about if your spending almost 150 on a motherboard anyway
 
If its mainly for gaming, Id go AMD.
Ast3r's post is a good spec, but if you want save some money, go for a Phenom II X2 / X3 as if you're lucky they can be unlocked xd
 
65p over your max budget! ;)
if you dont upgrade for many years it would last you a bloody long time though

62183262.jpg


CAT-THE-FIFTH build would be a perfectly fine gaming pc though and no doubt a lot cheaper but if you were to spend £886 for the i5 build someone else posted then you may aswell spend the extra £114 and get an i7 with 6gb of memory
 
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