1. #1

    Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Im have my first attempt at building a PC. Im not the one physically putting the pieces together, but that doesnt really change whats in it. Just lookin for some help on my specs.

    Here is what I have atm,



    * Case: NZXT M59 Gaming Mid-Tower Case with See-Thru Window [-19]
    * Neon Light Upgrade: 12in (Blue Color) Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10]
    * Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Blue Color)
    * Power Supply Upgrade: 700 Watts Power Supplies (XtremeGear SLI/CrossFireX Ready Power Supply)
    * CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 945 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+26]
    * Cooling Fan: Asetek LCLC 120 Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
    * Motherboard: *GigaByte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AMD 785G Chipset Support DDR3 Ultra Durable™3 mATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, HDMI, SATA-II, RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+8]

    * Memory: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory [-12] (Corsair or Major Brand)
    * Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB DDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [DirectX 11 Support] [+35] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
    * Multiple Video Card Settings: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
    * Hard Drive: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD )
    * Data Hard Drive: None
    * Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
    * USB Portable Drive: None
    * Optical Drive: LG 22X DVD±/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive
    * Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
    * Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
    * Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
    * External Wireless Network Card: None
    * Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
    * Bluetooth: None
    * Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer
    * IEEE1394 Card: None
    * USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
    * Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
    * Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

    NOTE:Looking to buy a 2nd video card for Crossfirex on the ATI 5770 a short way down the road. Dont know the exact power wattage Ill need fore this. Pretty confident my Motherboard is compatible, though.

    There are a few things im debating on changing/upgrading. Try and help me with this part also.
    1. Picking up a soundblaster sound card over on-board audio.
    2. Changing motherboard from the AMD 785g to the AMD 790x. Only question I have is that the 790x does not have an HDMI port, will there be one with my Video Card?
    3. Upping the Power wattage from 700 to whatever may be needed for good performance with Crossfirex and possibly a RAM upgrade to 4GB x 2 from 2GB x 2
    4. Going from the AMD Phenom II 945 Quad Core to the 955 Black Edition, 10 dollar difference, may as well.
    5. Possibly switching to the ATI 5850 from the 5770, but not sure on the Card's size and if it will fit in case. Or will the 5770 x2 with crossfire bring better performance?



    Please give me any advice you can give on a better gaming pc while stayin in the 850 to at most 1000 price range. Any advice given is greatly appreciated. And I know I some lights and things that are necessarily needed, but I decided to spend 16 more bucks and give it some nice lights.



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  2. #2

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    5770 in CF will come out around the 5870 level of performance, only in games that support it though, which does not include WoW. I would just go with a single 5850.

    Drop the light, get a brand name PSU, drop the liquid cooling unless you really want it for some reason, onboard audio is fine, get the 955, and see if there is a mobo with usb3 support.

  3. #3

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by chaud
    5770 in CF will come out around the 5870 level of performance, only in games that support it though, which does not include WoW. I would just go with a single 5850.

    Drop the light, get a brand name PSU, drop the liquid cooling unless you really want it for some reason, onboard audio is fine, get the 955, and see if there is a mobo with usb3 support.
    What brand of power supply would you recommend, and what wattage ? Not a huge price spike if possible ?

    Also, the liquid cooler is a free upgrade with the PC, got lucky and caught a sale, unless it consumes a lot of power ? Also why drop the light, only a 9 dollar purchase ?

    And also, will the 5870 fit in this case ? Ill do the research, but If someone would know, it would save me some time. The 5850 is about what, 10 inches ?

    Also, how do you feel about the 2 motherboards Im debating btwn? Is lack of a HDMI port on the motherboard going to hold me back ? I play on a 32'' LCD HDTV which can support HDMI.



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  4. #4

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Corsair 750TX or 750HX. Liquid cooling requires occasional maintenance and is a hassle, make sure you want it. I doubt they would offer the 5870 if it did not fit all of those cases. You can get an HDMI adapter, or just buy the better mobo, it isn't really a big deal.

  5. #5

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by Shullski
    What brand of power supply would you recommend, and what wattage ? Not a huge price spike if possible ?

    Also, the liquid cooler is a free upgrade with the PC, got lucky and caught a sale, unless it consumes a lot of power ? Also why drop the light, only a 9 dollar purchase ?

    And also, will the 5870 fit in this case ? Ill do the research, but If someone would know, it would save me some time. The 5850 is about what, 10 inches ?

    Also, how do you feel about the 2 motherboards Im debating btwn? Is lack of a HDMI port on the motherboard going to hold me back ? I play on a 32'' LCD HDTV which can support HDMI.

    its my understanding that if you dont use coolants in your liquid cooling your good. just use distilled water.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/25...rcooling-guide
    and under liquids in this one it talks about it:
    http://www.overclockerstech.com/wate...for-beginners/

    also, the HDMI port is in the videocard, and the 5870 has the HDMI port in it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Zoma View Post
    Congratulations for finding a use for expendable casuals.

  6. #6

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Thanks for the answers. How would you expect my WoW to run with the 5870 swapped in ? And then how much of an incrase would there be if I were to upgrade from 4GB RAM to 8 gigs down the road?


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  7. #7

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by Shullski
    Thanks for the answers. How would you expect my WoW to run with the 5870 swapped in ? And then how much of an incrase would there be if I were to upgrade from 4GB RAM to 8 gigs down the road?
    Should run as smooth as possible for a computer built today, RAM upgrade won't make a difference really until WoW has a 64bit client.

  8. #8

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by chaud
    Corsair 750TX or 750HX. Liquid cooling requires occasional maintenance and is a hassle, make sure you want it. I doubt they would offer the 5870 if it did not fit all of those cases. You can get an HDMI adapter, or just buy the better mobo, it isn't really a big deal.
    So should I got with the free liquid cooling upgrade or no ? Says in the info and Ive heard there is no maintenance.

    And also, in short, how much of a power supply should I go with for the 1 5870 and everything else Ive listed above ?


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  9. #9

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by Shullski
    So should I got with the free liquid cooling upgrade or no ? Says in the info and Ive heard there is no maintenance.

    And also, in short, how much of a power supply should I go with for the 1 5870 and everything else Ive listed above ?
    if you want it to run good there IS maintanance. however, i believe that if you follow some rules, maintance is less of a hassle and less often. I dont think chaud likes Liquid cooling though. could be wrong. personally i like it, its quieter, cools better and ive also heard its good for i7 as it runs hot alot. (excuse the rhyme.)
    Quote Originally Posted by Zoma View Post
    Congratulations for finding a use for expendable casuals.

  10. #10

    Re: Building My 1st Computer - Looking for Advice

    Quote Originally Posted by Shullski
    And also, in short, how much of a power supply should I go with for the 1 5870 and everything else Ive listed above ?
    Quote Originally Posted by chaud
    Corsair 750TX or 750HX.

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