Help choosing graphics card, computer case ..
#1

I'm getting a new computer soon so I wanted to ask what is well worth buying.

I'm building it myself and buying the parts from different places, at the best price I can get them.

The graphics card is particularly important since I never had a really good Video Card so far. It has to be 1GB at least, and nvidia GTX460 chip. +SLI).

I'm planning to get either the
(1) MSI N460GTX Hawk ($219.99) CDN

[Image: MSI_N460GTX_Hawk_box_video_card.jpg]
or

(2) PNY GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) OC 1GB
($204.49) CDN
both have OpenGL 4.0!

[Image: VCGGTX460XPB0C.jpg]

I was planning to get the MSI GTX460 Cyclone, but its the most expensive of the 3 ($249.99 CDN), and does not have OpenGL 4.0.

[Image: msi-gtx460-cyclone-1gb-box-large.jpg]
my first choice is still the 'Hawk'.

what should I get?
==============================================

Now as far as the computer case, I found 2 really good deals..
great discouts for 3 very good cases:

one is the
Thermaltake V3 Black edition - at an amazing dicount price of $34.99 CDN

[Image: 41M3WIIgUvL.jpg]

the other is the Antec Three Hundred gaming case ATX for $49.99

[Image: antec300ub.gif]

and finally a good one - but more expensive - the
Thermaltake Armor A90 mid tower gaming case for $74.99 CDN after mail in rebate.

[Image: 411ujjVv5UL._SL500_.jpg]

These are all good cases - I looked at the reviews - question is
is the price difference worth it for what you get?

Which one one these would you personally buy - given these prices?

thanks alot
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#2

My personal choice would be the Palit SONIC PLATINUM nVIDIA GTX 460 Geforce 1GB Graphics Card It has DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palit-PLATINUM- ... 823&sr=8-4

And as for the PC Your choice :wink:

Planemad
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#3

You might also want to look here on the GTX 460 graphic cards - viewtopic.php?f=30&t=30542

Planemad
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#4

Never buy hardware before check www.tomshardware.com, there you will find comparison charts, www.xbitlabs.com is good too.
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#5

Planemad Wrote:My personal choice would be the Palit SONIC PLATINUM nVIDIA GTX 460 Geforce 1GB Graphics Card It has DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palit-PLATINUM- ... 823&sr=8-4

And as for the PC Your choice :wink:

Planemad

That's a nice card too planemad, but the MSI N460GTX Hawk Talon Attack GeForce GTX 460 has higher core clock, higher shader clock and is way cheaper in price.

$254.99 for the palit vs $219.99 for the N460GTS Hawk cdn$.
Why is the more expensive card worth it?
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#6

As someone who works in the business, I can tell you that MSI cards we've stocked before have had a bad track record as far as reliability. Last year we had 4 come back that had to be replaced (Cooling/Stability Issues).

We've had much better luck with ASUS, PNY and Palit.

Hope that helps you some.

S!
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#7

Im probably going to get the PNY card, almost certainly. It meets all my requirements. Tongue
as for the motherboard, im not quite sure between the two or what the difference is .. I could use some help here-
other than that this is what my new PC is going to look like.
can I make all this fit inside the small $34 (1st) computer case ? Confusedhock:

any comments appreciated.
[Image: mycomputer.jpg]
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#8

HusarDerLuft,

Here is the case that I use for gaming.

http://hardwarelogic.com/articles.php?id=5245

[Image: Cooler_Master_CM_690_Case_Quarter_Right_Side.jpg]

Remember, with gaming systems, Power and Cooling are the two biggest problems.
The cases you've listed are nice, but are limited for cooling options.

The Cool Master CM-690 that I use has 8x120mm fans, 1x130mm fan and 1x80mm fan.

2x120 on Left Side
2x120 on top
2x120 on bottom
1x120 on rear
1x120 on front
1x80 on right side

With the AMD Cool and Quiet it sounds like a low breeze and runs a constant 46 deg Celsius with out water cooling.

The case should run you about $69 - $79 USD and is far superior to the ones you've listed in cooling and construction.

Another factor to consider is H/D mounting. Because the CM-690 mounts the H/D straight in vs. more traditional, you have plenty of room for SLI.

I'll do some checking on the Main Board for you, but from what I remember the M4A87TD EVO would be an excellent choice for you. It's a gaming board that allows you to run either SLI or Cross-Fire. (Hybrid Board). The others do not.

S!
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#9

Hi, HuserDerLuft


Gigabyte motherboard, GTX 460 or higher (460 is affordable) =0r= an HD RADEON 5000 series, liquid cooling, and an Intel 7i (if you can afford it).


People seem to like the reliability and customer service of Gigabyte stuff, plus they seem to allow better rendering of high demand games like Crysis generally better than other boards. Frankly, the best visuals that I have seen on YouTube were from systems that run Gigabyte motherboards.

Both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards which are DirectX11 compliant are great hardware, but build based on motherboard issues, in my opinion.

Get at least 6GB of RAM and at least a Quad Core to keep you going strong for years with new games and simulation releases.


If you follow these simple guidelines, then you will have a great system.



... just my little viewpoint. :mrgreen:



Fireskull
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#10

Fireskull Wrote:Hi, HuserDerLuft


Gigabyte motherboard, GTX 460 or higher (460 is affordable) =0r= an HD RADEON 5000 series, liquid cooling, and an Intel 7i (if you can afford it).
People seem to like the reliability and customer service of Gigabyte stuff, plus they seem to allow better rendering of high demand games like Crysis generally better than other boards. Frankly, the best visuals that I have seen on YouTube were from systems that run Gigabyte motherboards.
Both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards which are DirectX11 compliant are great hardware, but build based on motherboard issues, in my opinion.
Get at least 6GB of RAM and at least a Quad Core to keep you going strong for years with new games and simulation releases.
If you follow these simple guidelines, then you will have a great system.
... just my little viewpoint. :mrgreen:
Fireskull

After you told me about Gigabyte I did some research on it, and people seem to give it high ratings.
As for processor, I'm sticking to AMD Quad Core (965 - 3.4ghz), 460GTX VIDEO Card, & air cooling (for now) liquid cooling, i7 etc.. is something for the Extreme gamer.
I'm a medium gamer. Hopefully this will run FSX (and Il-2) fairly decent.

All I need is some help with the motherboard.

I've narrowed it down to two choices:

ASUS M4A87TD EVO

[Image: 52676_l.jpg]

or

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3

[Image: gigabyte-ga-870a-ud3-review.jpg]

So, based on my processor and GPU, performance wise (and features)
which of the two is more suited considering they are both the same price?

I trust the opinion of fellow gamers more than review sites - who get paid money to advertise the product.

any comments welcome
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#11

HusarDerLuft Wrote:
Fireskull Wrote:Hi, HuserDerLuft


Gigabyte motherboard, GTX 460 or higher (460 is affordable) =0r= an HD RADEON 5000 series, liquid cooling, and an Intel 7i (if you can afford it).
People seem to like the reliability and customer service of Gigabyte stuff, plus they seem to allow better rendering of high demand games like Crysis generally better than other boards. Frankly, the best visuals that I have seen on YouTube were from systems that run Gigabyte motherboards.
Both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards which are DirectX11 compliant are great hardware, but build based on motherboard issues, in my opinion.
Get at least 6GB of RAM and at least a Quad Core to keep you going strong for years with new games and simulation releases.
If you follow these simple guidelines, then you will have a great system.
... just my little viewpoint. :mrgreen:
Fireskull

After you told me about Gigabyte I did some research on it, and people seem to give it high ratings.
As for processor, I'm sticking to AMD Quad Core (965 - 3.4ghz), 460GTX VIDEO Card, & air cooling (for now) liquid cooling, i7 etc.. is something for the Extreme gamer.
I'm a medium gamer. Hopefully this will run FSX (and Il-2) fairly decent.

All I need is some help with the motherboard.

I've narrowed it down to two choices:

ASUS M4A87TD EVO

[Image: 52676_l.jpg]

or

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3

[Image: gigabyte-ga-870a-ud3-review.jpg]

So, based on my processor and GPU, performance wise (and features)
which of the two is more suited considering they are both the same price?

I trust the opinion of fellow gamers more than review sites - who get paid money to advertise the product.

any comments welcome


Well, of course, they are both good.

I talked with someone a while ago who uses the 333 and he was amazed at the image quality and performance with his system. On the other hand, EVO is a proven board.


With what you have, you will get nice image and performance. I am sure that you will be happy with it.



Fireskull
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#12

I ended up getting the EVGA GTX460 1GB with (720mhz core / 1440mhz shader) - for $179.99
(the cheapest computer store in town had it on sale ($40) off.

(NewEgg has this product right now for $230.00 plus another $12 shipping

I think it was a good deal- what do you think?
Smile


[Image: 768-p3-1362-ar_lg_7.jpg]

==============================================================

I also got this:

Corsair XMS3 Classic 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 DIMM, Optimized for Core i5, i7 and Core 2 (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) for $54.99!!!

[Image: corsair-xms3-cmx4gx3m2a2000c9-p_618483vb.png]

so far so good. :wink:
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#13

Good stuff so far and a good price also. Smile
My card is just the next one up from that its the 470.


Deutschmark
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#14

Deutschmark Wrote:Good stuff so far and a good price also. Smile
My card is just the next one up from that its the 470.


Deutschmark

Both your card and mine have OpenGL 4.0.
Does this make a big difference in Il-2 game?

just wondering. Im not installing anything for another week or two. It will just stay there and get dusty Sad
I havent purchased all my parts for the new PC
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#15

My IL2 game runs fine on it. Smile


Deutschmark
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