Is this a good time to buy? (proposed build inside)

[Chone]

hey, first post here, hope this is the right place for it...

i'm wondering if right now is a good time to buy a gaming pc. i know there is always something better on the horizon so you gotta just jump in and make a decision, but i'm not super tech savy. not sure if i should wait for windows 7 and direct x 11 cards and when am3/i7(ddr3 setups) are more affordable.

first i'll explain what i want to do, then i'll post the specs of what i'm planning to buy and hopefully somebody has some advice. i'm a college student who isn't in debt and have some money saved up, so it's not like it's of dire importance that i buy at the best possible time, but i'm reasonable enough to wait if it's worth it.

most importantly i want to be able to play starcraft 2 and diablo 3 on high to very high with 30 fps on at least 1440 res. i know they're not out and there are no benchmarks, but pure speculation on your part is fine by me.

secondly i'd like to play dawn of war II 30 fps at 1690 res (if that's too high 1440 is fine)

thirdly i'd like to get the enthusiast crysis experience. i know i'm probably not going to get 1690 and 45 fps, but 30 fps on 1440 sounds great to me personally.

also, plan on getting prototype for the pc

i plan on overclocking too.

the other stuff i need to do, i'm sure this will be fully capable of delivering.
here are the specs (suggest away, i'm not locked into anything 100%):

$190 - AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX
$30 - Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2
$110 - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
$58 - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
$190 - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
$70 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
$75 - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$100 - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Short on time here, may edit back later.
Now is a decent time to build, AMD, Nvidia, and Intel have thrown in their latest and greatest(?) into the market for a little while, enough time for prices to drop and newer midrange winners to come out.
Decent build, I would up the motherboard to maybe a 790GX or something if you are an over****er, and I would get a 945, and go with an AM3 motherboard since prices of AM3 and DDR3 are FAR lower, nearly DDR2 and AM2+ prices.
I do not think the CPU cooler is outstandingly good, i'm sure Rage_3K_Moiz or someone knowledgeable can recommend a sturdy cooler and thermal compound if you need it. You can certainly go down to a corsair 550, and should if you do not plan on adding in another graphics card.
Quad cores are, again I mention, not the best for gaming, though AM3 leaves many more upgrade paths than an intel dual core, the E8xxx series dual cores still dominate the gaming market, though a phenom IIx4 or x3 are good deals.
I personally may wait a little and see if AMD can throw out some speedy new 40nm 4870’s, but go ahead and order when we fix up your build if you want, 55nm -> 40nm is not going to bring a world of wonder, I don’t think.

i'm wondering if right now is a good time to buy a gaming pc. i know there is always something better on the horizon so you gotta just jump in and make a decision, but i'm not super tech savy. not sure if i should wait for windows 7 and direct x 11 cards and when am3/i7(ddr3 setups) are more affordable.

I think AM3 may leave you some more room to upgrade later, and i7 is expensive, i5 will leave you more crippled. about directx11, I have absolutely no idea, but by the time DX11 comes out, DX12 may draw you in for another wait . AM3 and DDR3 is already so much cheaper than before.

starcraft 2

Do you know when sc2 comes out? I don't think all the best starcraft players won't adapt to sc2 very quickly, the micro just seems far too warcraft3 style, I hated that game.

 

[Chone]

i loved warcraft 3 to death

so which of these do you think i should go with?

the incredibly price effective triple core:
(fix the X in the .com in the link, won't let me post links yet)newegg.cXm/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

this might be good if it rivals the intel duo cores because it's cheaper, but it's also the next gen AM3 setup so when i do upgrade i can keep the mobo. if my setup can run crysis on 1440 and enthusiasts with a somewhat steady fps, that type of computer would probably be ok. if it's a little wishy wash, then here are the quad cores i think are the ones i should consider:

the AM3 quad cores:
newegg.cXm/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103675
newegg.cXm/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

the second is the black edition. it's .2 ghz faster. is it just overclocked or is it actually faster? seems like the first one (3.0 ghz) is newer and more cost effective.

as for the mobo and ram, i can find ddr3 ram and 790gx mobos, but i can't decide which ones are the best for the price.

im thinking this mobo
newegg.cXm/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

i don't know if 4gb of ram is enough, but there is a combo deal where if i buy that motherboard i get this ram for $35 off.
newegg.cXm/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145200

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

IMO, get the X3 720, get the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 instead of the Sunbeam cooler, and get this motherboard. Add this RAM to it and get an XFX HD 4890, and you have a fantastic system on your hands.

All your other part choices are great.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

IMO, get the X3 720, get the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 instead of the Sunbeam cooler, and get this motherboard. Add this RAM to it and get an XFX HD 4890, and you have a fantastic system on your hands.

All your other part choices are great.

 

[PaulWuzHere]

Also with a 790GX mobo with ACC, adding in an X3 720 you might get lucky and get a free core. If not the 720 is still a great chip for gaming. I agree with Rage_3K_Moiz on the changes - The 4890 is just a better buy than the 4870, just a few extra dollars and you'll see a good size difference.

Happy building!

 

[Chone]

IMO, get the X3 720, get the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 instead of the Sunbeam cooler, and get this motherboard. Add this RAM to it and get an XFX HD 4890, and you have a fantastic system on your hands.

All your other part choices are great.

one question about the mobo/ram combo. the ram says its ddr3 1600 speed. the mobo supports 1600 (o.c.)/1333. does the oc mean overclock? im not really sure what it means or how this effect compatibility.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. In that case, this RAM would be a great choice, owing to the low latency and decent price.

 

[Chone]

that looks good, i'll toss that in my cart.

as for the mobo i'm considering that mobo you posted, it's one of the 4 im considering.
newegg.cXm/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000200022%204804%201070946178%204802&name=Top%20Sellers (again you'll have to fix the "X" in the .com)

what is the different between the fx and gx boards. like why the gx ones cost more and if theyre worth the premium on the price. im assuming the asus 790 gx>gigabyte 790x, but i dont know if i should get the asus gx or the gigabyte/asus fx. and if i should get the fx, why and which brand?

i think that's about my last issue. im not 100% on the gpu but im leaning towards the 4890 now.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

As for the motherboards, the FX > GX > X, different market performance and quality, the FX boards are only marginally better, not much. It is probably better and more price effective to buy a decent Gigabyte or Asus GX board than an FX.