Building a new rig, $1000 budget.

Anyone suggestions as far as graphics cards, processors, basically all of the nuts and bolts I would need for a beefy gaming rig.

You plan on building this rig yourself?

Also, do you need an a monitor?

You can play around with the parts if you want. For example you can get rid of the CPU cooler and get an HD 6950.

.

HAF 912 case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Antec TP-750 PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

MSI P67A-G45 mobo:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582

i5-2500k CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

CM Hyper 212 plus:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

4GB G.skill RAM:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231179

HD 5870:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125316

or

HD 6870:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127545

Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Lite-on DVD burner:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Win 7 64-bit:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

What is the difference between Windows 7 64 bit and 32 bit?Azohar3307

Biggest thing is if you use 32bit it can only utilize a max of 4gb of ram

How about this 6950 1gbhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161361, there is a $15 promo code also so the price is $220. It also comes with a $20 mail in rebate, though I don't really put much stock in those.

I would suggest this for a 1000$ budget if your rig is for gaming:

CPU - AMD 955

MOBO - ASUS

GPU - 6970

Roughly the same price as what Tez suggested for his CPU, MOBO and GPU but with a better GPU.

As far as GPU and Processors go, I like GTX 570 or HD 5870 and the new Sandy Bridge (i5-2500k). As far as PC cases go, grab any one of the HAF cases. They're built for maximum air flow. HAF 922 (mid-tower, but large for MT's), HAF 932, and HAF-X are all great. You'll probably have to go with a 922 since you're budget is decent. They're really designed with gaming performance in mind. But PC case is something you'll have to look into yourself. You might not like how it looks. Hard drive, Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB, Asus DVD Drive or Lite-ON, G.Skill Ripjaws or Kingston RAM, Corsair 750 PSU and up. Very reliable PSU. It has been good to me for YEARS. I like Asus and MSI motherboards. And it looks like you'll be overclocking your CPU, I sure hope so at least - CM Hyper 212+ .

If you want a full build all priced out.

You might want to change things around a bit but it's a good starting point.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6950-unlock-build-a-pc-overclock,2893.html

Do you think it would be worth it to swap out an i5 for an i7 then change the card to a 6970 instead of a 6950? It's not that much more money would it give me noticeably more power?Azohar3307

You could check this out (6950 vs 6970):

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/amd_hd6970_hd6950_review/9.htm

Do you think it would be worth it to swap out an i5 for an i7 then change the card to a 6970 instead of a 6950? It's not that much more money would it give me noticeably more power?Azohar3307

Ok. I've been looking around at a few things the last couple days and I've put this together. What do you guys think of this build?

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

DVD Drive:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249066

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440

Mother Board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Heatsink: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

And then I have 3 cards I can't decide between:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593&cm_re=geforce_GTX_570-_-14-130-593-_-Product

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127554

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121430&cm_re=Radeon_HD_6970-_-14-121-430-_-Product

What do you guys think? Is this a good build? Which card would you pick?

Thanks in advance.

you should be fine with a 6950 1gb, it will be enough to do max out most games you will want to play. Plus if the 6950 has trouble with a game, then most likely all the other cards including the 570, 580 and 6970 will have trouble playing it since they are all around the same strength. So do yourself a favor and save some $$. Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

let me remind you the 6950 1gb card costs less than $250 and matches up with a freakin 580 gtx when it is overclocked to 950 mhz. Not to mention it does really well even when it is at stock. This 6950 1gbhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161361costs around $215

This version costs $250 and comes with a $20 mail in rebatehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102921

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

blaznwiipspman1

I wasn't really planning on overclocking anything. I've heard that it hurts the longevity of the card Azohar3307

[QUOTE="Azohar3307"]I wasn't really planning on overclocking anything. I've heard that it hurts the longevity of the card Elann2008

This. Plus a moderate overclock won't have any noticeable effect on the video cards lifespan. It is when you start to volt-mod that you can cause damage over time.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

xsubtownerx

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

I wasn't really planning on overclocking anything. I've heard that it hurts the longevity of the card Azohar3307

no big deal, the card does amazing at stock speeds as well. Plus you will probably have to buy a new video card anyways before overclocking does any damage at all. And not to mention alot of these graphics cards come with 3 years or more warranties so there is no real risk. It is your money so its up to you to decide, but you should spend it wisely.

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

blaznwiipspman1

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

Hahaha nice! Nevermind the OC'ed version, stock 6950 does very well for itself. For a card that costs around $250, that's too awesome. $250 versus $500.. I'll take the 6950 any day of the week.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=hd+6950&x=7&y=21

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

blaznwiipspman1

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"] What fantasy world do you live in? I want a source to those benchmarks with the system specs and the hardware needed to keep the OCed 6950 cool enough to even match the 580.mitu123

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

Not really sure why would he get suggest a midrange card(6870) when he is investing 1 freaking GRAND

Here i was going to build this myself but you can have this combo deal

http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=93097&csid=ITD&body=MAIN Hope you dont live in Fl so you dont get charged Tax or shipping WOOT.

replace PSU with this IF you go for something Watt hungrier than 6950(unlock to 6970). I heard 550w is enough in most systems for that card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036

Finally get either this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125356 You get a160 left over(Dont forget to unlock the shaders in this card so it becomes a ati 6970 and i tell you to get gigabyte because nobody has ever claimed issues with unlocking the shaders in that brand. after all 6950 and 6970 are the same only 6950 has a bios lock on the shaders hence the cheaper price.

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593 60 bucks left over bit faster than 6970. Also you could add 40 more like 1040 and get gtx 580. But that card is too power hungry i really wouldnt recommend it(700 watts handles it). If its your first time using compusa youll get a 10 dollar coupon via email youll get a pop up.

Edit:Oh btw unlocking the shaders isnt overclocking its unlocking the temps remain the same on the tests ive seen. Justremember it has to be 2gbs at least. 6950 1gbs series cant be unlocked.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

xsubtownerx

More importantl why did the 2gb perform worse than the 1gb version lol

as far as min fps.

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

Plus the 6950's can be overclocked to match up with a 580 gtx. check out this benchmark.

blaznwiipspman1

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

By the way sorry about all of the questions. I just like to be well informed before spending this amount of moneyAzohar3307

What is the difference between Windows 7 64 bit and 32 bit?Azohar3307

Is there a big difference between nvidia and amd? The gtx 570 and the hd 6950/6970 are around the same price. Some sites I've read say the nvidia is better and others say the amd is betterAzohar3307

Well its pretty much the same but the gtx 570 is a bit faster on most benchmarks ive seen. If you do the unlock you save 100 going 6950 and unlocking to 6970. If you dont feel like doing the unlocking then id suggest the gtx 570 just because of the drivers, imo they are more user friendly and also PHYSX.

Btw did you buy the bundle i suggested? because its sold out lol i tried to snatch one but oh well it really doesnt matter im sure deals like those would come along.

[QUOTE="Azohar3307"]Is there a big difference between nvidia and amd? The gtx 570 and the hd 6950/6970 are around the same price. Some sites I've read say the nvidia is better and others say the amd is betteracasero44

Well its pretty much the same but the gtx 570 is a bit faster on most benchmarks ive seen. If you do the unlock you save 100 going 6950 and unlocking to 6970. If you dont feel like doing the unlocking then id suggest the gtx 570 just because of the drivers, imo they are more user friendly and also PHYSX.

Nope as far im concerned they are making their own physx but it will be for newer games and not those that already employ it. I think there isa way to enable to PHYSX in AMD cards youll have to look for it but Physx is not that impressive is good to have but nothing game-breaking.

No the setups are the same AMD vs NVIDIA only change is the video card. Everything remains the same on those benchmarks otherwise the readings wouldnt be acccurate.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"] What fantasy world do you live in? I want a source to those benchmarks with the system specs and the hardware needed to keep the OCed 6950 cool enough to even match the 580.xsubtownerx

Here ya gohttp://techgage.com/article/amd_hd_6950_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_560_ti_overclocking/

Make sure to check out the 3d mark 11 as well as the heaven benchmarks, you can see that the scores are pretty close. For a card that costs around $220, that is fricken awesome

wow dude did you even read the review? The test system is very clearly stated as an i7 975 quad core extreme edition at 4.0 ghz with 12 gigs DDR3 ram, etc etc your typical overkill PC. The 6950 has stock core speed of 800 mhz, it was overclocked to 950 mhz which is higher than the stock core speed of even the 6970 which is something like 875 mhz. The temperature chart is also given, even with the OC, the 6950 temps are below the 580gtx at stock. This does not render the 6970 obsolete since it too can be overclocked. Question becomes how much can it be overclocked compared to the 6950? Im just going by the benches, there is no opinion in any of this. A 6950 1gb overclocked to 950 mhz core, reaches the performance levels of a 580 gtx.