What would you build on a $1000 budget???

[Madhatter4]

Im thinking of building my own pc but dont really know where to start. I would mainly be using this PC for internet and gaming. With a budget of around $1000 what would you build??? I would like to use a Intel C2D or better. Also when figuring out the price this is for the tower alone dont include the monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers into this equation 8)

 

[melarcky]

C2D 6600
2gb ram
asus mobo
320 hdd
( i would get the gf8600gts yes i know its not the best but its midrange and its pretty good price)
and 500w PSU
something like that would make be quite happy

 

[exarrkun]

i second that, just don't be to greedy on the PSU

 

[picho]

Here's a good starting configuration:

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 154.99
Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM 159.99
SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 VIVO HDCP Video Card - Retail 189.99
Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail 99.99
GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX22GB6400UDCA= - Retail 118.99
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 99.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6320 - Retail 168.00

Total: 991.94

Those are the current prices on newegg after instant rebates. There is also a $20 rebate on the HDD which should just about cover the shipping.

The case and hard drive (perhaps the PS) may be more than you'd want. You could spend less money there and perhaps upgrade to the 8800GTS 320.

Having said all that, I should mention that I don't really think this is the best time to buy. If you need a machine now then go for it, but I'm waiting for Intel's new CPUs and AMD's new graphics cards.

 

[scoot241]

I'd ditch the Raptor HDD and get one or two other ones. If I got one hard drive at around $80 then I'd put the other $80 into getting the eVGA 8800 GTS. I would also get the E6420 C2D instead of the E6320. Other than that, the above looks like a good list.

 

[f1nal_0men]

Link

 

[Madhatter4]

^^^^Well the computer I have right now still suits 90% of my needs so maybe I will wait. Do you guys think I should wait for the Quad core CPUs to come down in price and for 1333mhz fsb to become available??? Ive heard that the 1333mhz fsb will greatly boost the overall efficiency of the PC....

 

[Madhatter4]

F1nal_0men
I just looked over the specs on the budget rig you linked me to. Do you think this thing offers the most bang for the buck? Also if Im not mistaken they didnt include the price of the OS in the equation. Windows Vista will add an additional $100 to the cost.......

 

[f1nal_0men]

If you have a computer that meets all your needs, there is no need to upgrade. But 90% of your needs isn't 100%. If there is something your craving, such as playing a game at really high quality, or decoding movies fast, etc..., then maybe a new PC will be a good idea.

The Budget Build I linked you to totals in just under 800$ before taxes, before shipping. So with an OS, the total would be more-or-less 1000$. That Build is the absolute best bang on the dollar to the best of my knowledge.

If you are overclocking, the 1333mhz FSB CPUs will be a bad idea, because the multipliers wont have to be as high to get high clock speeds, example:

333mhz x4= 1.33ghz FSB
333mhz x2= 667mhz memory speed
333mhz x9= 3.0ghz CPU speed

266mhz x4= 1.06ghz FSB
266mhz x2= 533mhz memory speed
266mhz x11= 2.93ghz CPU speed

Higher multiplier = better overclocking. The multiplier can always be lowered on high(er)end motherboards, but it cannot be increased. If your not overclocking, ignore this entire explanation .

Quad core isn't nearly the improvement as dual core was compared to single core. Quad core isn't necessary, and it wont be for a while. Right now it's an excellent time to buy, Intel and AMD are having a massive price war. Memory prices are at an all time low. Harddrives are also amazingly cheap right now. A good motherboard can be had for 100$. The only thing thats missing it's AMD's DX10 videocards. However, the 8800GTS 320MB still has plenty of power in todays DX9 games. You are not buying the 8800GTS for it's DX10 capability, but it's speed in current DX9 titles. Keep that in mind.

 

[rabidbunny]

You can drop the raptor for a seagate 320gb perpendicular recording drive that costs only $80 on newegg right now, that'd save $70 and you'd have more storage. The performance difference is not that big, unless you are second sensitive.