Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

[WTF]

Hey fellas, for all of my OS Computer guru's out there, I am getting ready to build a decent gaming PC on a budget. I'm trading out my current Dell XPS 15 L501x laptop for a lighter laptop and cash, so I'm taking the cash and putting it towards a custom Desktop build.

I'm leaning towards AMD for some reason, could be the price point vs the price of Intel Processors respectively.

So far, I've read great things still about Asus Motherboards, which is to be expected I guess, since they've been in the game for a LONG time. Some others that have came up are ASRock, who I have never dealt with, and MSI who I've had very little dealings with.

What/Who are the best PC Parts Manufacturer's in the game right now? Any great place other than pricewatch.com to make sure I'm getting top bang for the buck?

Thanks Computer Gurus.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

I built my computer on an Asus board, and it's been pretty good. I like Newegg for parts.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.661404

That's the initial build I was going for, and everything looks to be in pretty good shape. Just need to add a videocard, and play on. But I'm not sure I need an x6 core processor, I'm sure that x4 would be just fine for the gaming I'll be doing. But then again, I don't want to build something and it be outdated as soon as I'm done.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

That actually looks like the same Asus board I got.

[p2xgamers]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

I looked at a few ASRock and MSI's and was leery. Pretty mixed reviews of the ones I saw and didn't spend much more and got a gigabyte. Gigabyte and ASUS are the two I would recommend.

As for PSU I was about to say that 6-core would be unnecessary. I mean you would be future-proofed in that regard and if you are okay with spending the extra money, go ahead. But if you would rather save the money or spend more on a graphics card then a x4 would be just fine, I can run any game I want pretty much on highest settings and I got a $600 build like 1 1/2ish years ago.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Yo p2x, haven't seen you around much. Thanks for chiming in.

Gigabyte are pretty strong as well in your opinion? I'm really wanting to get something that won't break the bank, but will play everything I throw at it for the next little bit.

I haven't built a desktop since early 2003-2004, so it's been quite a while to say the least.

I'm assuming that a better GPU will be where I get the most for my money, whereas a better processor will help w/ multitasking, video editing, etc, correct?

What would you all say is the best GPU for the buck right now? Something that will be able to play Skyrim & the new Batman at full 1080p, etc. ? Is DirectX11 the top of the line at the moment, or is there something else in the pipeline that I'll need to worry about?

[p2xgamers]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Yo p2x, haven't seen you around much. Thanks for chiming in.

Gigabyte are pretty strong as well in your opinion? I'm really wanting to get something that won't break the bank, but will play everything I throw at it for the next little bit.

I haven't built a desktop since early 2003-2004, so it's been quite a while to say the least.

I'm assuming that a better GPU will be where I get the most for my money, whereas a better processor will help w/ multitasking, video editing, etc, correct?

What would you all say is the best GPU for the buck right now? Something that will be able to play Skyrim & the new Batman at full 1080p, etc. ? Is DirectX11 the top of the line at the moment, or is there something else in the pipeline that I'll need to worry about?

heh yeah I don't post too often, just read a ton more now. Gigabyte at least in my experience is one of the (if not the) best brand and my current pc is running on one and a few others ran on them without problems at all.

It's up to you of course, but personally I would go for a x4 and then spend a little more on a graphics card or maybe even dual cards. I could be wrong but I just don't think even a few years from now myself with my x4 CPU will I be upset that I don't have 2 extra cores.

I'll look up on newegg for some ideas cause I haven't really kept up to date on hardware terribly much, just the basics but offhand I can't really tell you price wise and that which is the best to get. For the most part my motto has pretty much been a balance of quality brands and deals. When I built my PC I skipped out on a few deals cause I knew such and such brand was top of the line, but 10 bucks more, but definitely worth it.

Anyways I'll edit this post or make a new post here after I look that stuff up.

EDIT: Not thinking straight, I have a x3 CPU not 4 cores. Though my point strengthens. :P I can do whatever I want now on it with just 3 cores.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Yeah, so I'm thinking x4 will do for what I want just fine. I'm just not sure if I want to future proof the processor or videocard atm. If you're running everything on high on x3 cores, then surely x4 will do for the next 3-4 years, right?

Right now, I'm sure my laptops main bugaboo is the videocard GT420M 1GB Card. I want to be able to run anything at the highest setting, at least for the next 2-3 years. But definitely wanting to stay under $500 if at all possible.

[p2xgamers]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Okay well let me base it off your combo and go from there.

First off, although it seems like a solid case for the build your going for (a mid-level gaming pc) it's the wrong fit. 500W is okay and maybe would be fine enough if you got a card similar to mine (radeon 4870), but you'll likely be getting one significantly better and my power supply is at 650. I would get a case separate and then a PSU I would say 650, but if you went for 700-750 that would be good incase you end up adding on a second graphics card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066 - $70
That's my case, has lots of fans and keeps cool and I love the dust filter in the front. (traps a ton of dust, detach and just wipe away all that dust)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021 - $100
Almost went with that one myself, $30 more though so was a bit too much for me. But excellent reviews and Antec is a great brand.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006 - $115
Corsair another big brand I went with with a PSU and I spent a good $40-$50 more than I intended to but glad I did. While mine was $100 (now 10 bucks cheaper), Corsair is a fantastic brand and it's a PSU that 5 years from now I'm about 90% confident will be working in perfect condition. Whereas my last 2 computers and another one a friend has, all problems with a PSU going out with a mediocre brand. That one there is 750 watt, but depending on graphics card you could probably go down to 650 maybe 600 and be okay and save $20-30.

Can't believe how much cheaper RAM is. That kingston in your combo is just $48 (excellent brand, I went with G.SKILL because of price) whereas my identical ram over a year ago was $80. Anyways that RAM will be just fine.

DVD thingy is fine too. Hard drive is good, if I'm being picky I could say that reliability wise I like WD better than Seagate and that 64MB cache would be nice, but that would be picky. That HD will do just fine, but if a deal pops up in the meantime for a WD around the same specs and/or one with 64 cache instead of 32 MB I'd go for it.

As for a motherboard not really any point in a micro ATX for your situation, I would go with a traditional ATX as any gaming case will handle the size just fine. But no problem I don't think, running that but anything from a brand like ASUS or Gigabyte with good reviews should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103808 - $115
x4 processor 3.2 GHZ if you were looking at 4 cores instead of 6 to give you an idea, sales on AMD's too now but ending tomorrow.

Graphics card is the tricky one because at this point we're around $520 and it's around the time where it's important to know how much you are willing to spend. You could go cheaper on the motherboard (though now much), get a cheaper case (as long as it has decent airflow and good reviews it should be fine) and maybe get a lower wattage PSU. (though out of anything, I would not skimp on that) If you shoot for say a $150ish graphics card and wish shipping you get around $700 here's a few possible ones:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-505-_-Product
$166
XFX a top notch brand, Radeon 6850 in it's price area ($150-$200) was rated the best on Toms Hardware last month and will easily play anything now and for a while along with being Directx 11 ready.

For around $100-$120 you could get a Radeon 5770 and should still be able to play anything right now, though the requirements (predicted) for skyrim is a 512MB 5670 so it's not a ton of room but should be fine.

Hope that helps some. I've gotten little sleep lately but I think this should mostly make sense. :P

Yeah, so I'm thinking x4 will do for what I want just fine. I'm just not sure if I want to future proof the processor or videocard atm. If you're running everything on high on x3 cores, then surely x4 will do for the next 3-4 years, right?

Right now, I'm sure my laptops main bugaboo is the videocard GT420M 1GB Card. I want to be able to run anything at the highest setting, at least for the next 2-3 years. But definitely wanting to stay under $500 if at all possible.

I can't say with absolute certainty, do you mean graphic settings? I mean if you have a x4 CPU and 2 years from now you're playing a brand new game I wouldn't worry about if the CPU can handle it, cause it will and you could have IM's in the background, firefox open, winamp and such - that's what I do now.

Didn't see this post before I posted my info, $500 under for all parts? Because for what you want to be able to do (run everything at the highest settings for 2-3 years) there's just no way you can do that. Even if you cut down to a cheap $20 case, a moderate motherboard ($100), decent PSU ($80), HD ($60), x4 CPU ($115), DVD Drive ($20), Memory ($50) you're at about $450 without shipping and without a graphics card.

If you could possibly get your pricepoint to $700 then that's feasible, but for $500 for all parts just not possible.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-661-_-Product

What about that card? Would I be pretty future proof for the next 2-3 yrs on something like that? Looks to be a nice card from what I can tell. I don't recall if EVGA is worth anything or not now, could spend a little more on it, but don't want to go over $220 for a videocard really.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

I'm still tossing some ideas around in my head, but what time frame do GFX cards normally get their "upgrade"? I know DX11 is just now coming out, or not out yet, etc, how long will a good graphics card last? I know that's where the brunt of my punch will come from with a good gaming setup.

I've been looking local on craigslist and have found some people who have built decent system it looks like and that MAY be the cheaper route to go. Buy a $350-400 prebuilt system and throw in a $200 card, and go off. I found an x6 core Asus Build with 700W Power Supply and 8GB of Memory, as well as a 640GB 7200RPM Drive and XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX Edition Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5 for $450. Looking at it, other than upgrading the videocard, it looks like that would be a beast of a computer at a good price.

[p2xgamers]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

I'm still tossing some ideas around in my head, but what time frame do GFX cards normally get their "upgrade"? I know DX11 is just now coming out, or not out yet, etc, how long will a good graphics card last? I know that's where the brunt of my punch will come from with a good gaming setup.

I've been looking local on craigslist and have found some people who have built decent system it looks like and that MAY be the cheaper route to go. Buy a $350-400 prebuilt system and throw in a $200 card, and go off. I found an x6 core Asus Build with 700W Power Supply and 8GB of Memory, as well as a 640GB 7200RPM Drive and XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX Edition Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5 for $450. Looking at it, other than upgrading the videocard, it looks like that would be a beast of a computer at a good price.

I'd be curious how they can make money off of that. But if there reliable I would go with it. EVGA are top of the line graphics cards from my understanding, I've never had a geforce though so I can't speak from experience.

A few other things I would look at is when you want to get it. If you can wait a bit I would wait for some sales, I saved a hundred or so dollars cause most of my stuff was on sale. It's hard to say how long one will last, but it can last a long time just like anything in the computers. (perhaps not as long) If I didn't want to upgrade I'd expect my current graphics card to still be working 5 years after I first built my PC.

As for that computer build, it would be pretty great and to support my 4870 it's no slouch. As it is now I expect to at least run skyrim on medium but I think probably high, but that's also 2 years after first buying it. (and even at that time it was not top of the line, was $150) So that will give you an idea on the quality your getting, I expected to upgrade my graphics card after 2 years and by that time I may not be able to play new games at high settings which happened, but I'll probably wait another year cause I can handle watching games at near high settings.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Yeah, this guy is just trying to sell his custom pc. So he's not necessarily making any money really, but it seems like a nice pc:

1. Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
2. COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
3. ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
4. AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz Six-Core Desktop Processor
5. 8GB Patriot Viper II PGV34G1600ELK 4096MB PC12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory
6. Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner - DVD±R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD±R (DL) 12X, DVD-RAM 12X, CD-R 48X, CD-RW 32X, SATA, 2MB, Black
7. OCZ GameXStream 700-Watt Power Supply SLI-Ready
8. XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX Edition Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI

Looks to be pretty stout for the money at least. Like I said, grab that, and then in a few months a new GPU, and call it a day.

Thoughts on that build?

[p2xgamers]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Yeah, this guy is just trying to sell his custom pc. So he's not necessarily making any money really, but it seems like a nice pc:

1. Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
2. COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
3. ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
4. AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz Six-Core Desktop Processor
5. 8GB Patriot Viper II PGV34G1600ELK 4096MB PC12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory
6. Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner - DVD±R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD±R (DL) 12X, DVD-RAM 12X, CD-R 48X, CD-RW 32X, SATA, 2MB, Black
7. OCZ GameXStream 700-Watt Power Supply SLI-Ready
8. XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX Edition Video Card - 1024MB GDDR5, PCI Express 2.0 x16, CrossFireX Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI

Looks to be pretty stout for the money at least. Like I said, grab that, and then in a few months a new GPU, and call it a day.

Thoughts on that build?

Oh I see, I thought it was built and sold business wise. (im thinking of ebay) Yeah for that price it's great, I figured it out to be at the lowest $650 but up to maybe $730 but even if you figure in that it's used I still think pretty good. I would check to see the warranty situation but otherwise I'd go for it.

But personally I would disagree about getting a GPU that quickly. I think you'll see how capable the 4870 is, though don't forget to you can do crossfire so you could say get a 4870 or a cheaper graphics card and throw that in addition to it and rather than spending a few hundred bucks or so on a card you will have beastly capabilities with 2 cards.

[WTF]

Re: Computer motherboard Manufacturers and quality

Real quick, what about GPU's, re: PhysX or whatever nVidia has over ATI? Is there something that one type of card can do that the other can't? I've watched some videos on youtube showing some scenes with Batman AA, one with PhysX and one without, and seems ATI is always the one without that feature. Is that a big deal? Will ATI be able to use PhysX or whatever in the future?