New first build, gaming rig, on a tight budget

[chailvr]

I'm building a new computer for less than 1500, what kind of mobo should I get and from there what kind of processor or video card?
Thanks!

 

[chailvr]

Better yet does anyone have a good gaming build for about 1000 not including monitor, keyboard etc?

 

[chailvr]

Better yet does anyone have a good gaming build for about 1000 not including monitor, keyboard etc?

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM

APEVIA X-Infinity ATXB6KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 420W power supply for AMD/Intel Power Supply - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820A 250GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

XFX PVT71JYHE9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP ExTreme Edition Video Card - Retail

ASUS Dual Panel Black and Beige ATAPI/E-IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X1024-6400C4 - Retail

Intel BLKD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

does that build work out okay?

 

[Gundam1s]

wow a 220 dollar motherboard on a budget system.....

I think that you'd be better off with a

Gigabyte DS3
E4300
Case isnt bad but worried about the PSU
Buffalo Firestix I think that they'll serve you well
or get some of these Crucial
For graphics card, maybe you'll be able to squeeze in a 8800GTS somehow... but if you cant, the 7950GT is also a great card.

I haven't added up the total, but hopefully this would help you out.

 

[chailvr]

thanks..so i'm guessing I dont need a hardcore mobo for this setup. the budget is sorta like 1400? thanks for recommending buffalo firestix, they seem nice. why downgrade the processor though, isnt that pretty vital for a gaming rig?

 

[Parge]

its not nearly as important as your graphics card, I second the move to a e6400, and a 8800GTS instead

 

[woodchuk]

If you can afford an 8800 they suck power and you might think of a better P/S than the one that comes with your case, bad place to skimp.

 

[chailvr]

yeah definitely getting another PSU. i might consider getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817185002
and putting that in instead of the stock PSU. i read a review and it said that it goes well with the dual core processor I would be getting.

 

[Gundam1s]

I assume you meant to say the E4300 Parge.
The E4300 would be more "bang for the buck" than the E6400 since you can easily OC it past the E6400 speeds.
For the PSU, If you're able to afford that PSU then I'd suggest this Antec
and HIGHLY recommend this Mushkin psu.
Well thats if it fits in your budget.
Of course there are some PSU that would be worth more for the money but I'm not sure about their quality.

 

[chailvr]

Is overclocking that hard though? I;m not exactly familiar with it and I've heard horror stories of first time overclockers messing up their newly bought stuff.
Ive toyed around a bit and I found a 650 Watt power supply, downgraded the processor, and got the 8800 GTX

Heres the new set:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148141
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820150054
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131045
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817159056
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=7289855&srccode=cii_14110944&cpncode=12-19736125-2

 

[PCAnalyst]

Is overclocking that hard though? I;m not exactly familiar with it and I've heard horror stories of first time overclockers messing up their newly bought stuff.
Ive toyed around a bit and I found a 650 Watt power supply, downgraded the processor, and got the 8800 GTX

Heres the new set:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148141
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820150054
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131045
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817159056
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=7289855&srccode=cii_141100944&cpncode=12-19736125-2

First of all that was an 8800 GTS not GTX for $399

The PSU you chose is not good... Rated a Teir 5 PSU. The Mushkin HP would have been a better choice at Teir 4. Link ! Better - Teir 3 $99 & enough power for the whole system

The case you chose is Not practical for a budget build... you would do much better with COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 $50

Buffalo Ram is just fine, But you could get These for less and with a combo LCD monitor G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 DDR2 800 $184

The P5B is a good board but the P5B - E is cheaper and you don't need SLI
ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 $150

CPU you chose has a locked multiplier... this one does not. You can easily adjust the multiplier for a quick overclock and a little voltage increase if needed. If you think you want to give it a shot you can really get a lot of performance out of this computer. If not - then just spend the extra money and get a rated CPU and stay there. Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M Cache $178

Thats about $200 dollars cheaper and NO performance decrease and the potential for Better performance.

 

[NamelessMC]

I agree with the poster above. You don't need the P5 with SLI and you will do fine with an E4300.

Also, if you're not getting an 8800GTS, you don't need to stick with Nvidia.

You should go with ATI for anything OTHER than 8000 series cards.

 

[chailvr]

Is overclocking that hard though? I;m not exactly familiar with it and I've heard horror stories of first time overclockers messing up their newly bought stuff.
Ive toyed around a bit and I found a 650 Watt power supply, downgraded the processor, and got the 8800 GTX

Heres the new set:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148141
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820150054
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131045
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817159056
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=7289855&srccode=cii_141100944&cpncode=12-19736125-2

First of all that was an 8800 GTS not GTX for $399

The PSU you chose is not good... Rated a Teir 5 PSU. The Mushkin HP would have been a better choice at Teir 4. Link ! Better - Teir 3 $99 & enough power for the whole system

The case you chose is Not practical for a budget build... you would do much better with COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 $50

Buffalo Ram is just fine, But you could get These for less and with a combo LCD monitor G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 DDR2 800 $184

The P5B is a good board but the P5B - E is cheaper and you don't need SLI
ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 $150

CPU you chose has a locked multiplier... this one does not. You can easily adjust the multiplier for a quick overclock and a little voltage increase if needed. If you think you want to give it a shot you can really get a lot of performance out of this computer. If not - then just spend the extra money and get a rated CPU and stay there. Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M Cache $178

Thats about $200 dollars cheaper and NO performance decrease and the potential for Better performance.

Thanks for all the help and saving alot of money. Would the case still work though? I like it for the looks and it seems to have ample workspace inside. I know its a "budget" build but I can fit it in still.

I thought I might as well get the GTX so this is the new build thanks to PCAnalyst =)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133187
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817371002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131070
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115013

overall cost of 1500 dollars, just within budget. seems pretty okay for a new gaming build.

 

[Gundam1s]

The Muskin was specifically chosen by me because of the 4 12V rails with 20Amps each, and it was for $120 with $20 off on newegg.
I highly doubt it's a bad PSU.

anyways.... the G.Skill ram he suggested should serve you well with the E4300.

 

[chailvr]

k cool. I know most parts are idealistically compatible but realistically dont work out well. whats the ETA on building a computer? 10 hrs?

 

[tajoh111]

There is no point in using such a powerful videocard on such a bad monitor. Get something with higher resolution or you are going to run into wall in regards to image quality. Also I would trust a noname brand for long term quality.

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Silverstone Element ST50EF-PLUS 500W ATX12V 20/24PIN Power Supply W/120MM Fan Active PFC 80PLUS RoHS

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OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-5-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

In Stock 18494 $248.56 $248.56
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive

In Stock 18409 $92.67 $92.67
Acer AL2216WBD 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Black 1680X1050 700:1 5MS VGA DVI-D Monitor
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Thermaltake Matrix ATX Silver Black MID-TOWER Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5INT Front No PS

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Samsung SH-S182 DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL-8X DVD Writer IDE Black OEM W/ Software

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Scythe Ninja Plus REV.B Heatpipe Fanless Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S478 S754 S939 W/ 120MM Fan Adjuster

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Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.13GHZ 1066FSB 2MB Retail

In Stock 19143 $218.23 $218.23

the price is 1607.

But if you get the gskill ram from the other place, and there is also a 50 dollar rebate on the videocard. Then you will be slightly under 1500 dollars. If you are overclocking, I recommend you get a better heatsink. Although you might get good results right away with a stock, you don't want your temp at like 80 degrees plus when you are gaming.

Crap I forgot the Mb but I recommend the DS3 gigabyte.

Unfortunately this pushes this computer 120 dollar over budget.

I did this on canadian based NCIX which just happen to sell to the usa too, I am thinking that since us prices are lower, I am still thinking you could still get the above under budget.

 

[chailvr]

There is no point in using such a powerful videocard on such a bad monitor. Get something with higher resolution or you are going to run into wall in regards to image quality. Also I would trust a noname brand for long term quality.

ill take that in mind..ill prob look for a lower screen inchange but higher quality

 

[chiefgabbai]

Why are you getting the Seagate IDE drive instead of the SATA? Also for $5 more you can get a 16MB rather than 8MB cache.

The SATA 16MB cache was not available yesterday, but it's back in stock today. Just a thought!

 

[PCAnalyst]

The Muskin was specifically chosen by me because of the 4 12V rails with 20Amps each, and it was for $120 with $20 off on newegg.
I highly doubt it's a bad PSU.

anyways.... the G.Skill ram he suggested should serve you well with the E4300.

To be honest Gundam... when I looked at the specs of the PSU you posted I was suprized that it had high amperage across the 12v rail. I once read that having that many rails was detrimental to the performance of the PSU.

It has a good amount of voltage protection both under & over... along with some other nice ammenities... I was expecting it to be at least a Teir 2 PSU after reviewing its specs.

My only suggestion at this point would be to PM mpilchfamily who is the resident power supply expert for the forums and ask him if it is of quality design... he is very helpful and I am sure will help you decide.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Why are you getting the Seagate IDE drive instead of the SATA? Also for $5 more you can get a 16MB rather than 8MB cache.

The SATA 16MB cache was not available yesterday, but it's back in stock today. Just a thought!

I concurr... I didn't notice that you had the IDE model.

The larger cache and SATA interface will give you greater benefit by far.

 

[alcattle]

You did not say if you were going to o/c. The current thinking is the E4300 can o/c to 3.0 mhz easily and with less costy RAM amd MB.

Big Al in Seattle

 

[PCAnalyst]

You did not say if you were going to o/c. The current thinking is the E4300 can o/c to 3.0 mhz easily and with less costy RAM amd MB.
Big Al in Seattle

But he did inquire about overclocking... Something that will force him to learn about the inner workings of the mysterious box-o-light.

And what better way to start than with a low cost potential powerhouse of a CPU like the E4300.

The CPU is relatively easy to OC... its the RAM you may get in a twist about.

Goto Forumz > Hardware > Overclocking > CPU... and at the top of the forums is a guide written by "wusy" who gives a step by step lesson on getting the most out of your Intel Core 2 Duo CPU. LINK

 

[tajoh111]

I built a e6400 based computer using a scythe cooler that cost only 30 dollars, and I was at 3.5 ghz using only 1.36 volts. This was on a 120 dollar mb and my high temps were only 48C running dual prime 95 and orthos. This was stable for 12 hours. I think the price difference is worth it between the e6400 and the e4300. The recent e6400 are crazy for overclocking.

 

[chailvr]

Why are you getting the Seagate IDE drive instead of the SATA? Also for $5 more you can get a 16MB rather than 8MB cache.

The SATA 16MB cache was not available yesterday, but it's back in stock today. Just a thought!

thanks for the tip..just switched those out and saved some money. \

last thing to decide is the monitor..http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=168764&WT.mc_n=66&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=DEALTIME&cm_pla=DATAFEED-%3EPRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=66
I think that'll do until I can save up for a newer monitor. Has 5ms response time and 1680x1050 with an 800:1 contrast.

as for OC'ing, for the current budget, I'll use the E4300 for some light OC'ing with the guide until I have better knowledge of it. THis is still my first build. I can update it later and overclock higher once I have the money and the knowledge. As for all the main stuff, I think I have it down for the parts.

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131070
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827135097
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817371002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814133187
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822136062

Thanks for all the help!..comes out to a grand total of around 1800 with monitor.

 

[alcattle]

Another thing to think about is the E6400 has been out longer, it is on Tom's charts and you might find one cheaper than the "new" E4300.

Big Al in Seattle