Anyone know of some build recommendation part list?

[ltk]

I'm working on about a $1200 budget for a gaming machine. Basically trying to build something around a 3700+ AMD, 7800GT, etc. Besides arstechnica, and THG I'm trying to find some recommended builds w/in my budget. If anyone knows of some websites and builders that have done their homework already I'd appreciate it. thanks!

P.S. I'm putting something together on buyxg.com's site now and from what I can tell it's not much more than doing it yourself.

 

[7_vii_7]

Value Gaming PC - SharkyExtreme

That should help.... some of the items you might not need like the case and PS.. but I like this website.

 

[ltk]

Is there that much of a difference in running lets say one stick of PC3700 1Gig of ram, verses dual channeling 2x512's? I think I'm going to put together one of the newer shuttle PC's, specifically the SN25P. It only has two RAM slots so I was thinking of just sticking with a single gig chip for now... and possibly dual channeling 2Gigs down the road.

For now I think I've narrowed it down to that shuttle case
WD drive 250G 7200 SATA II
either the XFX or eVGA 7800 GT video card
3700+ AMD64
Corsair PC3700 1gig RAM

And hopefully a XP17 Shuttle monitor even though they're a bit pricey.

Any recommendations or changes??? -Thanks

 

[hella-d]

From An Experianced Builder (12 Years Of Building PCs): If Ya Dont Nedd SLI (And Trust Me Its Not Relly Nessesary, But Its Fun!!) Id Reccomend.....

Motherboard: Chaintech Zenith VE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813152053

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+, X2 3800+, Or A Socket 939 Opteron (Possibly The 165?)

RAM: 2GB (If You Have The $$)

Video-Card: Nvidia 6800GS Or 7800GT

Monitor: A 17" Or Bigger LCD Monitor With A Responce Time Of 20ms Or Less (Look Around)

Case: Id Reccomend An Acrylic Case From Here: http://www.xoxide.com/ Or If Ya Dont Care About Looks Just Make Sure It Has Good Cooling Or Choose Your Own, If Ya Look Around There Are Some Badd-Ass Looking Cases Out There For Less Than $100.00 (Quite A Bit Less In Fact)

CONTRAVERSIAL (Its Not Woth $80.00 - $200.00) P2P A Copy Of Windows XP x64 (Or 32-Bit If Ya Wana Stay In The Past)

And Some Logitech X-530 5.1s Or The Equvalent In Price/Performance (But I Doubt Youll Find Better For The $$)

Sources: www.newegg.com, www.pricegrabber.com, www.xoxide.com, www.monarchcomputers.com, www.frozencpu.com, www.crazypc.com, www.tigerdirect.com etc. etc.

CHOOSE WISELY!!!

 

[daweinah]

I just built a computer and spent exactly $1200. I did a lot of research on every part, so if you have any questions, I can try an answer. The parts should arrive tomorrow!

I already have a LCD monitor, keyboard, and mouse, which saved me a bit. However, I have to buy Windows XP and some speakers still, which isn't included in the $1200.

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/spend-1100-hehe-ftopict171893.html

 

[hella-d]

So What Will Your Spcs Be? (Did You Take Any Of My Advice?)

 

[ltk]

Thanks for the info... So far the only thing I've ordered is the Shuttle barebone system. Before I invested too much in all the parts for it, I thought I'd just get my hands on it and see how portable it really is. My main concern is finding a PCI-E 7800GT video card that doesn't run into heat or power problems. Most dudes are running the XFX but say they get hot. I need to find out if the eVGA fits since they tend to run cooler from what I've heard.