Vista Gamin Rig for $1000? Please Help Build.

[Guest]

I'm looking to upgrade to Vista, and enter the computer gaming world.

I want to have a computer that can basically do a little of everything and handle it all efficiently. This was basically built off what I thought seemed sufficient.

I could buy all the parts cheaply and put it together, but I'd rather not risk it. I've been to CyberPowerPC but users in other forums have told me that my build isn't good, and that other sites are better (than CBPC).

Can someone with enough knowledge here please build a good computer for just $1,200, but trying to make it as affordable as possible?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[g-paw]

First, the kind of money you're talking about, you're much better building.You can find could guides to building, it's really nothing more than plugging in parts and most only go one way. One you know what you want, go to the a couple of mobo mfg sites and check out the installation manuals. Your reluctance to build if you never did it is understandable, It's like having sex the first time.
2nd, what build were you thinking of?
3rd, do you have any parts you can use in a new machine?
4th I'd think twice about getting Vista right now, a lot of bugs will be fixed in future Service Packs. Also from what I read, Vista is particularly good for games right now but you can check out some of the articles. There are also driver problems that will take some time to work out. It does make sense to build a computer that has the parts to run Vista if you get it later. This would be a dual core CPU, Intel or AMD, 2GB of memory, a good video card. Given you're budget they'll be a trade off between the CPU and video card. One thing to decide is whether you'll be overclocking.

For $1000 to $1200 you can definitely put together a machine that will meet you're needs last you for a number of years

 

[will14]

Ok I'm doing the same thing. Except originally I wanted about $850.
If you look at my post I'm doing the same thing.
It's the one help me tweak my build.
I'm at $1060 right now with 55$ in rebated.
also try posting yours and I've been using vista since september if you have any question about it.
If to get vista is your only reason then I'd wait until DX10 is out and then upgrade.
cheers, will

 

[akhilles]

From your little info, I take it that you're somewhere between casual & heavy gamers (no WoW allnighters), not a risker (non-overclocker), and a 1st-time pc builder. Correct me if I'm wrong.

For a basic pc building tutorial:

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

My recommended setup:

Shopping Cart
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1
SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model SH-S182D - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151133
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$29.99
1
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119106
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $10.00 Mail-in Rebate

$49.99
1
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148142
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$74.99
1
HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814161060
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate

$184.99
$174.99
1
HIPER HPU-4M480-PS ATX12V v2.2 480W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817128005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$6.00 Instant

$55.99
$49.99
1
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231098
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$30.00 Instant

$209.99
$179.99
1
BIOSTAR TForce965PT LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138037
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$104.99
1
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115004
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
UBISOFT Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter - OEM
Item #: N82E16800992001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$49.99 Combo

$271.99
$222.00
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You can buy a 19" lcd with the rest of the money if you're getting one. If not, what's the target resolution you'll be using?

If you want overclocking: downgrade the cpu to e4300/e6300; upgrade the ram to one with the same speed, but lower timings like this:

GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX22GB6400UDCK - Retail
Cas Latency: 4
Features: Blue Special Edition Aluminum Heat Spreader
Heat Spreader: Yes
Timing: 4-4-4-12
Voltage: 1.8V - 2.3V
Model #: GX22GB6400UDCK
Item #: N82E16820144061
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
In Stock
$199.99

get a good cpu cooler such as:

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT
Scythe SCNJ-1100P

and finally a 2nd fan for the case:

COOLER MASTER SAF-S12-E1 120mm Case Fan

If you don't overclock, stick with the shopping cart above.

What kinds of games do you want to play?

If budget allows, I strongly suggest a small hard disk as the os/software drive:

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150

Or any other brand like Seagate 80-160gb. So while you're scanning for malware/running software on C, you can listen to music/ watch movies, etc. on D.