I have 2250 USD limit!

cagricelik · Jul 17, 2007

Hello everyone, I will be building a new system for myself in 5 days (since I am waiting for the 22 July discount). I will be playing high-end games, editing photos professionally, listening to music and do a bit of computer programming with this machine. I have 2250 USD budget and want to make the best out of it. Could you please recommend me the best possible configuration with my money and it needs to be a complete system including the display and the keyboard&mouse. Thanks...

emp · Jul 17, 2007

ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q22wb Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 900:1 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116076

(2x ) EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188012

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

(Wh en it drops to $266 on July 22)

(2x) Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Continuous @ 40°C (825W Peak) Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, ULC, CE,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

Logitech LX3 Silver/Black 3 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical Mouse - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104019

Logitech Media Elite 967559-0403 Black 102 Normal Keys 18 Function Keys USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126178

Tot al: $2263

Onus · Jul 17, 2007

You've busted his budget even before shipping.
Drop the second GTX for now; can always add it later if needed.
This will also free up some money for speakers if needed. A sound card can be added later if wanted.

your_best_enemy · Jul 17, 2007

also get better keyboard and mouse.
i would suggest g15 kieboard and mx518 mouse

bruce555 · Jul 17, 2007

What about hard drive, DVD, or speaker/headphones?

gators1223 · Jul 17, 2007

seagate barracuda 320gb $95 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148215
lite on combo drive $37 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106073
logitec x230 2.1 $39 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121123

gators1223 · Jul 17, 2007

so drop the second gtx and get those parts, and the extra money you can spend on better parts, or a bigger hard drive, better cpu...

scryer_360 · Jul 18, 2007

One thing I would like to know is the stage of life the OP is in. If he/she is getting this, but also just moving out of the parents house and also going to get a TV and maybe speakers for THAT, then we can raise the budget (include what the budget on TV and Home Theater was in this). Also, we can then add a Blu-Ray drive or HDDVD drive to the PC and save him/her from having to buy those separately and costing way more than needed. If you can combine your Home Theater and PC setup, not only will you get a better video and audio experience from both, but you will save money too. I do this for people everyday at BestBuy.

Well enough of the shameless plugging. But another need to know: does the OP (original poster) need a wireless keyboard and mouse? If not, or maybe just the wireless mouse, we can save not only a lot of money, but improve the quality of the mouse for gaming. Also, we may want to consider that due to the expense of high-res monitors, we may not need the 8800GTXs. After all, its muscle is best shown at the high res.

I was going to say I triumped and did dual 8800GTXs for $2250 or less, but I was $43 over. Damn. Well, to the OP, I really hope $43 is not such a big deal. I spent HOURS (I started at 3, and now its like nearly 7) looking around the web and at Newegg, trying to price it all down as low as possible. Some here I know would rather see you chop one 8800GTX off and get better speakers, motherboard, maybe even a monitor. But remember, then when you need to grab that other GTX, your total just shot up to past $2750. Now you could easily take my setup and pull the $43 out of there by switch from 4 gigs of RAM to 2, but then remember you'd be using 2 1 gig chips. This means that in order to eventually get 8 gigs, you'd ahve to buy 4 all new 2 gig chips. So this setup has fewer "future upgrade-ability" clauses.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827135148
ASUS 18x DVD Burner with 14x DVD RAM and Lightscribe: $27.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811156053
RaidMa x ATX Case with 2 80mm fans: $19.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144415
Wester n Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive: $48.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817812005
mushki n 550150 ATX12V 750W Maximum Power; 650W Continuous Power Power Supply: $129.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115017
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775: $266 after price drop

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16824112007
SCEPTRE X20WG-1080P Black 20.1" 5ms(GTG) supported Windows Vista Certified DVI Widescreen LCD: $179.99 before $20 mail in rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188015
EVGA 122-CK-NF67-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard: $169.99 (w/$20 instant savings) (this board does run in 16x mode for both PCIe slots!)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231120
G.SKI LL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory: $209.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130072
2xEVG A 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card: $516.99 a piece and there is a $30 mail in rebate, so total for both after rebates comes to $973.98

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16832116141
Windo ws Vista Home Premium: $149.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16836131012
DCT Factory OG-310 1000 Watts (P.M.P.O) 2.1 Speaker: $19.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16823109149
Microsoft Comfort Curve Black USB Wired Ergonomics Keyboard 2000 (I kept it ergonomic because this is not just a gaming PC): $12.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16826116113
IOGEAR GME521 Black/Gray 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Laser Mouse: $19.99

Total w/rebates and after shipping is:
$2293.22

There is hope yet however: the price drop has not hit yet. On that day, who knows? maybe there will be a few other sales, like a GTX priced right at $500 or a little lower.

gators1223 · Jul 18, 2007

you know there is really no point in dual 8800 gtx's without at least a 26 inch moniter...

jt001 · Jul 18, 2007

gators1223 :

Not true at all and the size is irrelevant, the resolution is what matters, the video card could care less how big the screen is, however I would also recommend against the second GTX as the money could be better spend on other parts.

GenericName · Jul 18, 2007

I know some stores will refund you the difference if it drops in price within 30 Days (at least they used to) - so maybe you can get now and then get the refund.

I'll have to research that myself - I know alot of stores still honor that system, but not sure about online purchases.

turtle1 · Jul 18, 2007

I agree w/ Gators and jt001, don't get the second GTX.

grieve · Jul 18, 2007

I would get a larger PSU if you were getting 2 GTX and the q6600.. I bet that rig will need like 850+

qwertycopter · Jul 18, 2007

scryer_360, I think that build needs a lot of work:

- That case is terrible, won't cool a Q6600 or 2x 8800GTX
- I think the smarter buy for him on Jul22 is the E6850 (better gaming performance).. but he could save $80 by going with the E6750, performance gain isn't worth $80 (could be spent elsewhere).
- If you must have SLI GTX, I would say stick with 2GB for now to stay under budget, especially since you suggested a 32-bit OS.
- With 2x 8800GTX he should be gaming atleast at 1920x1200.. that Sceptre defeats the purpose of SLI
- Speakers, mouse, keyboard are crappy as hell.. this is supposed to be a gaming machine!

gators1223 · Jul 18, 2007

i wouldn't get a 32 bit os, definely 64 bit ,other wise you will have to upgrade ina alittle bit any way

Onus · Jul 18, 2007

I agree entirely with qwerty.
And whether you go 32- or 64-bit on the O/S, don't get Vista at least until it is out of the beta testing that Microsquishy has tricked businesses and consumers into doing for them at no charge.

scryer_360 · Jul 19, 2007

Ahem. I recommended the retail vista version, which comes with both 32 bit and 64 bit CDs. So he can indeed use all 4 gigs of RAM. Since the OP is on a budget, I think its wise we get him most of it now, rather than buy "hold-me-over" parts that will need replaced. I've built machines with the intent to later just buy better parts, and unless you buy REAAAALLLLYYY cheap parts, it takes a long time, a year or more, for the price to fall on the then top-line parts. And in one year better parts arrive, hence meaning that all you did was ruin one year of gaming to eventually need to upgrade again.

Buying XP is a waste for the OP. Its just $100 he will need to pitch out the window for Vista. If he had XP lying around at home, then hells yes, lets forget this "Vista" crap entirely. DX10 games that look incredibly better than DX9 won't be out for a while (check out Crysis in both DX9 and DX10 photos to see what I mean) and the OP really could just wait for Vienna in 09 then.

The problem with the E6850 or E6750 is price: they won't be $266, they'll be more. Also, he/she is doing programing and photo editing, in addition to listen to music. when gaming, he/she may also be listening to music. This means that the OP will already be using a dual-thread application in addition to another single thread. quad cores will help then. More L2 really won't have the added performance like two more cores will.

As for cooling: I've stuck double GTXs in a vanilla Dell Case before. They ran, they ran cool enough without overclocking. And since the case is so cheap, there will not be any problem cutting a hole in the side for another fan (and plexiglass, then again maybe I am the only one here to ever make their own window door for a case).

Actually, doubled checking, I see my link is taking you to the Vista Ultimate retail version. Either way, both are going to the retail variant, which comes with 64 bit DVDs and 32 bit CDs. So why the shoot down on the OS for being 32 bits? It is the 64 bit version. Did you think I was suggesting Basic? No, it says right there: home premium. Thats a 64 bit version.

scryer_360 · Jul 19, 2007

Oh and as for the PSU: there is a link I go to in one of my first posts that takes you to a PSU calculator. 850 watts is really not needed unless we go with even more hardware. And even then, its better that we have sufficient amperage, and on the OP's budget, this PSU has the amps.

Spikke · Jul 19, 2007

scryer_360 · Jul 19, 2007

Ugh, you guys keep forgetting the OP! He said he will be gaming, but thats not all. He is also doing music, and PROGRAMMING.

PROGRAMMING=NEED MORE THAN DUAL CORE. 2xcores will work, but quad core is better. Also, he said high end gaming. Hence dual 8800GTXs.

I know we all have our own preferences but we need to keep the OP in mind.

But since we are doing it anyway, my own personal build would be everything I already listed, but instead of quad core I'd go with the E4400 (woohoo cheapness) and a Zalman cooler, then scratch off the drives, case, speakers and monitor. I have a Antec 900 case, two DVD drives (one a burner), a Harmon Kardon Home Theater system w/ Klipsch speakers and a 42" Sharp LCD with 1080p, 120hz capability, and 6 ms response time. Oh add the TV tuner card the the comp as well.

gators1223 · Jul 19, 2007

what res is he gaming at if its only 1024x768 dual gtx's won't do anything at all for him other than make more heat and dual cores are fine for programming unless you are makeing REALLY big or complicated programs, the time it takes to run isn't going to affected a huge amount and ram will affect the performance too, not just the cpu...

qwertycopter · Jul 19, 2007

scryer_360:

I see now you recommended the retail version, my mistake. I assumed OEM since that is the usual recommendation on here.

Yes, maybe the E6850/6750 will be higher that advertised on Jul22, but the same for the Q6600..

OP said a bit of programming, not a lot. Since when does that require quad-core? Photo editing professionally.. I think any high end dual core will do the trick. Heck, OP could even do both on a dual core while listening to music :lol:. None of these uses demand a current quad core. Next gen quads will be improved and worth it for the mainstream, but current gen affordable hybrid quads usually only take the crown in rendering tasks...

I disagree that a cheap case will cool a quad core with 2 GTX. That case doesn't even come with a back fan. The GTX's aren't the problem since they have rear exhaust, but the do contribute to overall case temp. The quad will be hard to cool, regardless. Give em a better case.

I guess you agree about the display? Professional image editing, yeah you want 24" or higher. Well I would classify a single GTX has high end gaming, maybe not highest, but high. So depending on what the OP is playing, a single is probably enough.

Onus · Jul 19, 2007

Single GTX unless the intended resolution is extremely high. Windows XP instead of Vista.
The inexpensive CoolerMaster cases (Centurion or even Elite) are tool-free and have adequate cooling with 120mm fans front and rear and side vents also (and can put a fan there too), but that Antec 900 is a nice case.

I have 2250 USD limit!

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