Computer Upgrade for Gaming Purpose

I want to upgrade my PC to a better one, that can run some of the most advanced games and softwares. Please suggest me the best configuration in my budget(given below).
Here's what I have and I wont be changing:
Hard Disk: 80GB

1. What is the purpose of the computer?
A: I want to use it for some latest-great games.

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: Since I have very poor knowledge of computer components, YES!

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: I dont know that will it be sufficient for my needs or not, but it is arround 20-30K.

4. Planning to overclock?
A: Dont know what that means :-?

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: WinXP or 7(IF it can run games smoothly...)

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: ~I already have one of 80GB and would like to attach external hard disk to it~

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A: The size of monitor is 15 Inch. Don't know how to get its resolution!

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 2

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: I will get it done by an assembler

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: This month(March)

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Ofcourse, I cant upgrade my PC all the time...

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Hard Disk-Since I have one.

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Delhi, and will be only buying from here.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: I have thought of having the i5 processor with ANY 3GB RAM that will be compatible. So suggest me everything I will need for a gaming rig. If you wish to edit my above config to something better, I will be thankful. Also suggest me an external hard disk of atleast 250 GB.

I also forgot to mention that I have a DVD writer, UPS, speaker, keyboard& mouse.

Mod edit: next time don't forget to mention the things which you already have. :/

for external HDD
seagate FreeAgent Go 320 GB @Rs. 2600
seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB @Rs. 3100

^ Are you sure 80 GB of hard drive space is sufficient for you to play latest games? I would recommend that you add another hard drive of Segate 500 GB @ 1800.

masterkd said:
Component | Make | Price Processor |AMD Athlon II x3 440|3200
Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H|4500
RAM |G.Skill F3-10666CL9S-2GBNQ|1100
Graphic Card |Sapphire HD5670|5200
DVD Writer |LG 22X SATA DVD|900
PSU |FSP Saga II 400W|1700
Case |CM Elite 310|1500
Monitor |DELL IN2020M|6500
Mouse and Keyboard |Logitech combo|700
UPS |APC 600VA|1800
Speakers |Logitech Z313|1000
|Total| 28100

for external HDD
seagate FreeAgent Go 320 GB @Rs. 2600
seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB @Rs. 3100

I suppose this forum(section) is for components of computer that come INSIDE the case, and monitor and speakers dont come in it :))

I also forgot to mention that I have a DVD writer, UPS, speaker, keyboard& mouse.

I am not familiar with AMD processors. Do they also work as nice as the Intel's? Also, is the graphic card "Sapphire HD5670" only compatible with AMD processors?
If we remove the cost of DVD writer, UPS and other things I already have, we can have extra 10,000. So can it be MORE improved now?

EDIT:

^ Are you sure 80 GB of hard drive space is sufficient for you to play latest games? I would recommend that you add another hard drive of Segate 500 GB @ 1800.

As I have mentioned above, I will prefer an external hard disk.

Yes @OP you should get atleast a 500 GB, and that 80 GB of your, would be running at 5400 rpm most probably but current hard drives run at 7200 rpm. This makes game load times much less.

Also if you can squeeze a HD5770(7k) in that budget, it will ensure you can run most high end games at high settings in that resolution and futureproof.

Get a Phenom II X4 955(6.5k) for the proccy since you have 10k in hand now. Games are becoming dependent on more cores so again futureproof

Yes @OP you should get atleast a 500 GB, and that 80 GB of your, would be running at 5400 rpm most probably but current hard drives run at 7200 rpm. This makes game load times much less.

Also if you can squeeze a HD5770 in that budget, it will ensure you can run most high end games at high settings in that resolution and futureproof.

DO AMD WORK NICE AS INTEL'S? If we forget the budget, what would you recomend: i5 or Phenom II x4 955?

OFF-TOPIC: Why did you mention me as OP?

EDIT: Also, will I also require a sound card? Which one is perfect?

@OP: OP means Original Poster, refers to the person who started the thread.

You prefer an external drive? LOL!! You want to install your games on an external drive and carry it around to your friends place??!!! :rofl:

On a serious note: 500 GB internal is highly recommended to make sure you dont have bottlenecks once you start using your comp. But its your call in the end.

---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------

EDIT: Graphic cards are not processor dependent. So dont worry if it is AMD/Nvidia graphics.

---------- Post added at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------

Onboard audio solutions are quite good, unless you are an audiophile who needs to listen to even the 20 Hz produced by sound tracks. Since you are going for a gaming system, I think sound card does not matter much.

lordirecto said:
@OP: OP means Original Poster, refers to the person who started the thread.

You prefer an external drive? LOL!! You want to install your games on an external drive and carry it around to your friends place??!!!

On a serious note: 500 GB internal is highly recommended to make sure you dont have bottlenecks once you start using your comp. But its your call in the end.

---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------

EDIT: Graphic cards are not processor dependent. So dont worry if it is AMD/Nvidia graphics.

---------- Post added at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------

Onboard audio solutions are quite good, unless you are an audiophile who needs to listen to even the 20 Hz produced by sound tracks. Since you are going for a gaming system, I think sound card does not matter much.

OK, thanks! But one of my questions is still unanswered:
DO AMD PROCESSORS WORK AS NICE AS INTEL'S? If we forget the budget, what would you recomend: i5 or Phenom II x4 955?

And I wanted hard disk to be external since I have much data(about 60-70GB) in my previous hard disk. So I thought not to replace it. Another question striked my mind, which might be kinda stupid, that is there any way that to have 2 hard disks in 1 computer?

Go for a 1x4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM. If u want in future u can add 3 more 4GB RAMs & make total RAM 16 GB if u buy GIGABYTE GA-880GM UD2H

But AFAIK i single stick 4GB RAM will be costlier than 2X2GB. Correct me if a am wrong

sparx said:
But AFAIK i single stick 4GB RAM will be costlier than 2X2GB. Correct me if a am wrong

not really.

2x2 GB would be 2200 and 4GB will be around 3-4GB(according to some sources on net...)

But still my question:
Do AMD processors work as good as INTEL? Do all things work well?

Nipun said:
DO AMD PROCESSORS WORK AS NICE AS INTEL'S? If we forget the budget, what would you recomend: i5 or Phenom II x4 955?

Another question striked my mind, which might be kinda stupid, that is there any way that to have 2 hard disks in 1 computer?

I would recommend you to go for Sandy Bridge proccy, as this is the latest from Intel, and also outperforms any AMD proccy currently available.

Yes, you can have as many hard drives as the number of SATA connectors on your motherboard.

EDIT: masterkd has suggested a config based on your budget. So he has suggested a AMD proccy. Since you have a few components that you have already, you can go in for a Intel proccy & mobo.

R

Nipun said:
OK, thanks! But one of my questions is still unanswered:
DO AMD PROCESSORS WORK AS NICE AS INTEL'S? If we forget the budget, what would you recomend: i5 or Phenom II x4 955?

And I wanted hard disk to be external since I have much data(about 60-70GB) in my previous hard disk. So I thought not to replace it. Another question striked my mind, which might be kinda stupid, that is there any way that to have 2 hard disks in 1 computer?

Intel CPU is better, but your budget is not saying for Intel. So all matured advice comes to you for AMD . Your destination for GAMING, for gaming CPU is not importent than GPU . So go for ATI 5xxx series graphics as above suggetion which is Direct X 11, low power consumtion, and it runs cool so no need extre exhoust 140mm fan, and its save money by low watt SMPS .

rupankur said:
Intel CPU is better, but your budget is not saying for Intel. So all matured advice comes to you for AMD . Your destination for GAMING, for gaming CPU is not importent than GPU . So go for ATI 5xxx series graphics as above suggetion which is Direct X 11, low power consumtion, and it runs cool so no need extre exhoust 140mm fan, and its save money by low watt SMPS .

spelling mistakes there. :grin:

but the summary is correct. :wink:

Yes intel proccy is better than AMD in performance but the premium for the xtra performance is high so AMD is the best option with high VFM

sparx said:
Yes intel proccy is better than AMD in performance but the premium for the xtra performance is high so AMD is the best option with high VFM

yeah.
basically, low budget = AMD
not-so-low = Intel

rupankur said:
Intel CPU is better, but your budget is not saying for Intel. So all matured advice comes to you for AMD . Your destination for GAMING, for gaming CPU is not importent than GPU . So go for ATI 5xxx series graphics as above suggetion which is Direct X 11, low power consumtion, and it runs cool so no need extre exhoust 140mm fan, and its save money by low watt SMPS .

Sorry to all, getting some problems to understand... :cry:

Do you mean that I should go with the AMD processor with any GPU of ATI 5xxx series if I want gaming? Correct me if I am missunderstanding something...

@OP: go with hd 5670 or 5770 or 6850 according to your budget

Thanks to everyone for help!

To keep it simple get

Just for gaming:

1)Get any quad core processor, games are now optimised for muticore.

2)But they are not heavily dependent on a processor so processor power doesnt matter much. Just extra cores matter(Evident from Crysis2 leaked benchmarks) [you will get 10-15% increase in performance if you have a quad core than a Dual core but only 2-5% if you opt for a i5 quad core instead of a low end AMD Athlon X4, this also depends on the game you play]

3)Gaming depends mainly on power of GPU, so get as better GPU as possible in your budget, but since you are not going for HD monitor, an HD5770 should be more than enough

Actuall Dell IN2020 costs 6k not 6.5k.
Also Benq 22'' HD costs 6.8k not 7.3k.

Check here:
Welcome to bwindia.net Bangalore * Anything to Everything In and Out of Computers Laptops and All that's Information Technology @ Find iT Fast Welcome @ India in Bangalore

i'm including internal hdd instead of external one because it is much better build
if you need get external hdd later

^ can Sapphire HD5770 give a full HD picture?

yes, why not??

At HD Resolution 5770 will give moderate performance in high end games i.e settings have to be medium quality to ensure good frame rates. But its more than enough for 20" non HD Screens, can max out settings in m most games.

I was not sure about the performance of HD 5770. So asked.

check this
i think this will help you to know 5770 performance!!

J

Nipun said:
DO AMD PROCESSORS WORK AS NICE AS INTEL'S? If we forget the budget, what would you recomend: i5 or Phenom II x4 955?

first and the foremost. BE SPECIFICIC and mention EXACT budget. u said 20-30k. (so broad) and then u again said 10k more. now u mean 40k or what? can u be exact about ur budget.

performance of a PC is determined by various factors which is determined by ur budget.

Nipun said:
I am not familiar with AMD processors. Do they also work as nice as the Intel's?

depends on how much u want to shell out on processors. for less than 7k, AMD is better. above that, Intel is better.

Nipun said:
Also, is the graphic card "Sapphire HD5670" only compatible with AMD processors?

IF ur motherboard has a PCI-EXPRESS slot (which every motherboard has these days), every graphic card works regardless of the processor.

masterkd said:
Component | Make | Price Processor |AMD Athlon II x4 640|4600
Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H|4500
RAM |2GB G.Skill/corsair/kingston DDR3 RAM|1100
HDD |seagate 7200.12 500GB|1700
Graphic Card |Sapphire HD5770|7500
PSU |FSP Saga II 500W|2100
Case |CM Elite 310|1500
Monitor |Benq G2220HD|7300
|Total| 29800

i'm including internal hdd instead of external one because it is much better build
if you need get external hdd later

this is the best u can get if ur budget is only 30k and nothing more than that.

and dont go for cheap 700w PSU (power supply) brands like Zberonics, Intex, Quantum, Cooler Master etc. These brands are crap and u are risking the life of ur machine.

the following PSUs are good for ur config.

fsp saga II 500w @ 2200
corsair cX400 @ 2500
corsair vX450 @ 3400
seasonic s12ii @ 3200

Nipun said:
Sorry to all, getting some problems to understand...

Do you mean that I should go with the AMD processor with any GPU of ATI 5xxx series if I want gaming? Correct me if I am missunderstanding something...

I'll explain you the things in simple words. Gaming performance determined by two things CPU and the GPU.

Now you have a 32k budget and you want to play games.

Consider case 1:
Intel Core i5-2400 - 9.5k
Compatible H67 motherboard - 6.5k
2*2GB DDR3 RAM - 2.4k
500GB Hard disk - 1.8k
Full HD monitor - 7.3k
Cabinet - 1.8k
A good branded power supply - 3k

Total 32.5k.

Consider case 2:
AMD Athlon II X4 640 @ 4.6k
Compatible motherboard - 4.5k
2*2GB DDR3 RAM - 2.4k
500GB Hard disk - 1.8k
Full HD monitor - 7.3k
Cabinet 1.8k
A good branded power supply - 3k
ATi Radeon HD 6850 graphic card - 10k or nVidia GTX 460 - 9.5k

Total - 34k

Now, Intel Core i5-2400 is a MUCH MUCH stronger processor than AMD Athlon II X4 640 and costs MORE than twice. But still config 1 will not be able to play games. why? because it lacks a good graphic card and if you want to buy one, you need to spend more. Whereas, config 2 will play every game you throw at it. why? it has a very strong graphic card. Although as far as pure processing power (things like video encoding etc.) is concerned, config 1 is miles better but to play games you also need graphics performance.

so, what have you learned?
Performance is determined by budget and the right combination of the components for what you want to do.

Nipun said:
Do you mean that I should go with the AMD processor with any GPU of ATI 5xxx series if I want gaming?

As far as this question is concerned, do you think a low-end ATi HD 5570 which costs 4k can match ATi HD 5770 which costs 8k?

Also, it is always better to do some research on your own before starting a thread/topic. It helps us and it will help you.

first and the foremost. BE SPECIFICIC and mention EXACT budget. u said 20-30k. (so broad) and then u again said 10k more. now u mean 40k or what? can u be exact about ur budget.

Actually it was 20-30k, but the first config that was suggested by masterkd also included the stuff I already had, I asked him to remove those items and from the money saved from those items(10k) should be added to budget. So actually budget remained the same(almost)...

Also, it is always better to do some research on your own before starting a thread/topic. It helps us and it will help you.

I dont know any trusting site to refer to for reviews. You see, many sites give their products good ratings just to sell them out! So I didn't wanted to trust them and risk my PC.

But thanks for suggesting me these configs. I will now find the best assembler and will get it done!

Nipun said:
I dont know any trusting site to refer to for reviews. You see, many sites give their products good ratings just to sell them out! So I didn't wanted to trust them and risk my PC.

Are you kidding us? Why dont you use google to see some preconfigured PCs atleast? Forget about individual components? Or why not just read some threads that are already here? Even that will help you!! Cmon dude, do some homework before you get forum members to answer you!!!

lordirecto said:
Are you kidding us? Why dont you use google to see some preconfigured PCs atleast? Forget about individual components? Or why not just read some threads that are already here? Even that will help you!! Cmon dude, do some homework before you get forum members to answer you!!!

Not his mistake actually.

The forum actually needs a newbie's guide to assembled computers which explains everything from socket, expansion slots to power supply. I'm thinking of writing one. We still keep on getting questions like "is this graphic card compatible with my processor?" and "i bought intex 700w PSU." But I'll agree, most basic queries can be easily Googled.

R

Nipun said:
Sorry to all, getting some problems to understand...

Do you mean that I should go with the AMD processor with any GPU of ATI 5xxx series if I want gaming? Correct me if I am missunderstanding something...

Yes true. now go for motherboard AMD 880 or 7XX series with crossfire technology even there is a single slot of PCIE x16 2.0 . eg. ASUS M4A88 TD-M EVO

rupankur said:
Yes true. now go for motherboard AMD 880 or 7XX series with crossfire technology even there is a single slot of PCIE x16 2.0 . eg. ASUS M4A88 TD-M EVO

The motherboards you are talking about supports hybrid crossfire and its of no use if you go for mid-end or high-end gpu.And a single pciex slot cannot support a crossfire setup as two ati gpu are needed for a true crossfire.Hybrid crossfire mobo- gigabyte 880gm and crossfire mobo- gigabyte 880ga.
BTW I am also from moranhat, assam

@ico, that'll be a hell lot of work..moreover we all were newbie once but none did spoonfeed us..we digged for information and we learned and the same thing we are still doing..that digging part is the fun..isn't it??

@ico: Just like masterkd says, spoonfeeding really takes the fun out of learning about technology.
So create a thread that will prompt people to use google and find stuff on their own, and not something that will just give info away.

1

Gaurav Bhattacharjee said:
not really.

no its diff 4GB IS COSTLIER THAN 2GB