new rig, need opinions

NAZGUL

NAZGUL

Registered User
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
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183
posting specs for two rigs, Rig 1 I upgraded memory and video card, rig2 is prebuilt and has two video cards.
which would you guys recommend? rig 2 will also be around $130 bucks cheaper, not too concered with the $$ difference having twins got me a nice big tax refund lol.

Rig 1
  • CASE:Thermaltake Urban S21 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0
  • Internal USB Extension Module:None
  • Neon Light Upgrade:None
  • Extra Case Fan Upgrade:Default case fans
  • CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-4820K Quad-Core 3.70 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
  • COOLING FAN:Intel Certified CPU Fan & Heatsink
  • MOTHERBOARD:(4-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support) GIGABYTE X79-UP4 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable 5, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 4 Gen3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1 & 1 PCI
  • MEMORY:16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
  • VIDEO CARD:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
  • VIDEO CARD 2:None
  • VIDEO CARD 3:None
  • Power Supply Upgrade:800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
  • HARD DRIVE:1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD(Single Drive)
  • Data Hard Drive:None

Rig 2
Core Components
  • CASE:Raidmax Viper Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ 1x USB 3.0 Port & Side Window Panel
  • Internal USB Extension Module:None
  • Neon Light Upgrade:None
  • Extra Case Fan Upgrade:Default case fans
  • CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-4770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1150 (All Venom OC Certified)
  • COOLING FAN:Intel Certified CPU Fan & Heatsink
  • MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS Z87-K Intel Z87 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2x PCIe x16 (1 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2 PCIe x1 & 3 PCI (Pro OC Certified)
  • Intel Smart Response Technology:None
  • MEMORY:8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
  • VIDEO CARD:AMD Radeon R9 270X 2GB GDDR5 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card
  • VIDEO CARD 2:AMD Radeon HD 7790 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card
  • VIDEO CARD 3:None
  • Power Supply Upgrade:800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
  • HARD DRIVE:1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
pros and cons please, looking to place my order asap
 
The second video card in Rig 2 isn't going to benefit you at all, unless I am missing something.
I'd go with the first build myself probably. Whats the price on these?
If you are open to help, I'm sure many of us here would help you build your own.
 
$1248 for Rig 1
$1165 for Rig 2
im leaning towards Rig 1 just curious if the 2nd video card in Rig 2 would be worth while.
 
im open to suggestions, my computer knowledge is pretty basic in other words not really sure what to get, basically looking for something that'll run the newer games and exsisting games on higher graphic settings other than minmal and has enough lee way to upgrade over the next few years as needed without spending an arm and a leg
 
NAZGUL said:
im open to suggestions, my computer knowledge is pretty basic in other words not really sure what to get, basically looking for something that'll run the newer games and exsisting games on higher graphic settings other than minmal and has enough lee way to upgrade over the next few years as needed without spending an arm and a leg
Click to expand...

I tell everyone this but few people listen. If you want to play with good frame rates on better than minimal graphics settings then get a good graphics card. They're not cheap but you can sell them for a good return when you buy the next one and it makes getting a new one much easier and for less.

In the interim you have a great deal of pleasure playing and don't have to worry if your gpu is up to snuff. That way you also don't have to worry about PSU requirements or extra heat or shitting coding from trying to run SLI or Crossfire.

Oh, and do yourself a favor and build that PC yourself. You'll get better components for less money.
 
Yeah, no benefit to the second AMD card in Rig 2.
If you are set on Intel, which I am a big fan of, then the 4770k is great. Also very overclocking friendly.

If you are set on not building it yourself (meaning ordering the parts and putting it together), thats fine - you'll just pay a bit more for what you get. I'd recommend a build that includes roughly the following:

Intel i7 4770k - $250
Corsair closed loop water cooler - $70-100
Good ASUS or Gigabyte Motherboard $150-250
700watt or more quality brand Powersupply $70+
SSD 250GB (Optional) - $150
1TB Hard Drive - $70
GTX 760 or 770 Video card - $260-350+
8GB of 1600mz Ram - $70
Decent case and fans. $50-100

This puts you in the $1200-1300 range with top quality parts.

Of course, windows 8 is going to cost money as well.
 
I personally would stay away from multiple cards; there are heat, driver, and power issues with little real in game benefit over a top end single card solution. If you are not comfortable building it play with the options for CPU/Graphics to find the sweet spot. Such as: get a 4770k with an upgraded video card and that rig would be set (other than adding an ssd!). The 4820 draws a lot more power than the 4770 for VERY minimal performance gains. Use the 40 dollar difference to put towards more graphics power.
 
this is the site I used http://www.buyxg.com/ you can pretty much build the computer yourself, or they have basic rigs that are fully customizable. they just assemble it and send it to you, both rigs have software included, I was leaning towards rig 1, I just saw that rig 2 had duel video cards and was a bit cheaper. was just wondering if the two video cards were better than the one. only thing I really upgraded on rig 1 was 8mb more memory,
upgraded the video card from a GeForce gtx 650 to the 760. other than adding software I didn't touch any thing else, you can build with amd parts as well but not familiar enough with amd products to know what I was messing with.
 
thanks guys, feel free to make changes to it if you see something more optimal. im trying to keep it around 1200-1300. Intel or AMD like I said Im just not familiar enough with amd to pick and choose components. if you click on that site and do the drop down for the configurator, the first one on the list is what I used for Rig1, XG- X79.
 
Last edited:
Here is what I would do IF A. I was going to have someone build a computer for me and B. if my budget was yours.
I created this here: http://www.buyxg.com/system/AMD_Eight_Core_Custom_Builder/
and I deleted the lines that were left at default or didn't change the options.
Price: $1,284.00
  • CAS: Thermaltake Urban S21 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0
  • CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.00 GHz Eight-Core AM3+ CPU 8MB L2 Cache & Turbo Core Technology [+36]
  • FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo Gaming Cooling Fan [+31]
  • MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AMD 970 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3+ ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+10]
  • MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
  • VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB GDDR5 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+358] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
  • POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts - Corsair CSM Series CS750M 80 Plus Gold Certified Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply [+56]
  • HDD: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 520MB/s Write [+147] (Single Drive)
  • HDD2: Maybe add one for extra storage later?
  • USBHD: None
  • USBFLASH: None
  • CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
  • SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
  • NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
  • KEYBOARD: AZZA Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
  • MOUSE: None [-4]
  • FLASHMEDIA: None [-3]
  • OS: Microsoft® Windows 8.1 (64-bit Edition) + Office 365 FREE 30 Days Trial [+104]
  • SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
 
Naz, the biggest question here is whether you would feel comfortable building your own. There are a lot of tutorials available out there plus a lot of resources here, but if you are not then look at these systems. The biggest issue I have with them is the exorbitant amount they charge for the parts. The hardest part of the system in my opinion is getting the operating system right -- the parts are nothing more than plugging things in. If I were going with that company, however, I would be tempted to go without a storage drive (keep the Samsung ssd), go with 8 gb of memory, and go without a video card. Once you got the computer you could then add an extra 8 of memory, a storage drive, and your pick of video card (a GTX 770 from Gigabyte w/ their custom cooling is 338). I know the difference is not great, but it does give you a measure of control w/o worrying about everything working right out of the box. I also recommend Intel, and I am not a fanboy. I have built many AMD systems, but right now the performance/power draw combination of Intel cannot be matched by AMD. When I build a system I want it to be silent, and the more power it draws the more heat it generates and then you need beefier cooling, all of which means the price difference is made up.
 
Intel 4670K + Asus Z87 Pro $315.00: http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx
8gb DDR3 2400Mhz Mushkin Blackline $80.00: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226373
EVGA GTX 780 ACX cooler $509 with $20.00 rebate=$489: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130918
NZXT Source 210 midtower case $39.00: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075
EVGA 750W modular PSU $80.00: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438007
LG DVD R+RW drive $20.00:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136270
Cooler Master Seidon all in one liquid cpu cooler $48.00: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103195
WD 1 TB SATA III HDD $60.00: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
Windows 8.1 64 bit OEM $99.00
Total Price=$1230

For that price you get a much better gaming system with a great case and PSU and pretty damn decent cpu cooler. That video card will do you well for a while and give you better results gaming than a 760 or 770 will. You can always add more memory or a SSD later but that's a hell of a system for the price, and a much better one than what you're looking at paying them to do for you.
 
thx guys! and Chuck to answer your question no I don't really feel comfortable building my self, I don't mind paying a little extra to have it done right. my experience is pretty much putting in a video card and upgrading drivers that's about it, never actually hooked up or configured anything else before.
 
NAZGUL said:
thx guys! and Chuck to answer your question no I don't really feel comfortable building my self, I don't mind paying a little extra to have it done right. my experience is pretty much putting in a video card and upgrading drivers that's about it, never actually hooked up or configured anything else before.
Click to expand...

It really is easy to do; if you've installed a new video card you can build your own. Remember these parts only go in the slots one way. All the slots are clearly labeled on the motherboard so you hook up, for example, the USB cable where it says "USB" on the motherboard and make sure you have power connected to each part that needs it, like the video card and MB and CPU and that's it.

The reason I mention this again is because I'd much rather see you have a very nice gaming system than pay the same amount and get an okay gaming system that someone else built with lesser components. It's your money, but it's really not difficult at all.
 
yea I've been looking over the parts you posted sixer thinking I may give it a shot
 
The trickiest and most nerve racking part is installing the CPU all those little pins. My blood pressure goes up just thinking about it.
 
MahJa said:
The trickiest and most nerve racking part is installing the CPU all those little pins. My blood pressure goes up just thinking about it.
Click to expand...

Just remember to let it down gently with the notches lined up and you're good. I'm always amazed at the pressure used from the cpu retention bar they have you slide over and lock in place...that's when I cringe lol. That being said, I've built at least 10 new systems now and I've never bent any pins so if a bulldozer like me can get through that I'm pretty sure anyone can.

Just ask Chuck how good I am at breaking stuff ;)
 
I bent a one pin one time had to use a mechanical pencil to straighten it out. The cpu is the only part of the build I hate. I don't like dealing with all the PSU wires either but that is just a pain in the ass not very stressful.
 
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