Please help with 800-1000 dollar gaming computer!

[therealbub]

Hey there everyone! I have been reading up on this site for a few days now, and i was wondering if you all could help me build a new gaming PC, or whether you have any suggestions for parts. My spending limit would be somewhere around 800-1000 bucks. For Video Cards i would prefer nVidia just because i have used their hardware in the past and know they are a reliable company. I'm gonna list the parts that i was thinking would be good for my PC, so please let me know what you think and please let me know if i am making any silly mistakes by buying something that is bad for the money or whatever.

Hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148262

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145034

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116237

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153023

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814150252

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128059

Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119137

I'm thinking that I'm going to need a new/stronger power supply, and I am not really sure about the case and how the air-flow will be, but yeah. Also I have some good connections that could get me a free motherboard and possibly a free/discounted processor, if that changes anything in the matter. Remember my money pool for this is around 800-1000 dollars. The PC should be able to run all of the current games, such as Crysis and CoD4, on Ultra High Graphics with no problem. I hope lol. The only other thing i use my PC for besides gaming is myspace and aim and music, so yeah. Thanks for the help!

-Tyler

 

[lostandwandering]

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116237

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153023

Those two right there stick out.

Never under any circumstance buy a Pentium 4 or Pentium D. There are plenty of processors out there that kick the crap out of the Pentium D. If you want a Pentium get on of the Pentium E's (E2140, 2160 and 2180). Also look at the Core2's.

Now, that PSU is no where near adequate. You need a unit that has over 25 amps on the +12v rail to run the 8800GT on your system. Check out units by OCZ, FSP, Corsair, Seasonic and PCP&Cooling. Look at units with over 500watts for future upgrades.

 

[therealbub]

Thanks. The only two components of a computer that I dont know anything about are Processors and Power Supplies, so that is why I'm kind of stuck on what to get. Do you think you could link me a processor that you recommend getting? Along with a power supply also. That would be great.

Thanks~

 

[skywalker9952]

I would get this processor.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116036
It was taken to 3.2 Ghz by THG
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/12/pentium_dual_core/

You should get a better PSU, people on these forums will want you to buy a $100 or more PSU, you dont really need to until you start pushing your system.
I think Antec is a decent mid grade PSU, here is a 500 for $50 after rebates.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007
If you dont want to spend that much then get a cheaper one.

 

[therealbub]

i am most likely going to want to OC my graphics card, so do you think i should get bigger than a 500W in that case?

 

[San Pedro]

you'll like that case. OCZ GameXStream 600W is nice PSU with plenty of power for a single gpu set-up. Definitely agree you should get a better processor.

 

[Avenger_K]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116052
Why not get the E2180 for $7 more? 10x multi and higher default clock speed.

 

[skywalker9952]

Go for it man, i was going to post the E2180 but then I just grabbed the one posted in the article, I think they said in the article that the faster stock one can get to 3.2 as well so no problems if you want to OC it. I personally don't think you need a bigger PSU then the 500W, but I haven't OCed so I dont know what you need for the OC. The people on these forums go crazy over really nice expensive PSU's so maybe you'll need one of them if you want to OC.

 

[therealbub]

cool cool, so far ive changed the PSU and Processor, these are what i have down.

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116052

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341001

one question i still have, do you think that my Case will have enough airflow to sucessfully cool down my parts, especially if i overclock my video card.


Also if i have some extra cash do you think i should run SLI 8800 GT's? Or is that too much of a hastle/not worth the money.

Thanks!

 

[JuiceJones]

Also if i have some extra cash do you think i should run SLI 8800 GT's? Or is that too much of a hastle/not worth the money.

Thanks!

It depends on what resolution your monitor runs at. If it's 1600x1200 or 1680x1050 or below, the single card will be fine. If you're running a 24" at 1900x1200 or higher, SLI is a good option, but requires you get a 680i or 650i chipset mobo and that will eliminate the upgrade path to 45nm quads. I'm going to say single card is best for your budget though.

 

[therealbub]

Currently I'm running at 1024x768, but I am on my semi-outdated PC, so I don't know what my resolution will be with my new computer. I'm thinking that the single card would be better for my budget, and I can always purchase an identical 8800gt if I feel its necessary.

Do you think I should get a little more than 2G of ram, because I'm going to be running Vista Ultimate, and possibly OCing my graphics card. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of 4G(?) or is that a little overkill?

 

[shoota]

you won't be purchasing another 8800gt for that motherboard. doesn't have two pci-x slots... with that budget one card will suffice.

 

[nvalhalla]

4 gb of ram is nice if you run vista in 64bit, and ram is cheap. the mb you linked to is a single 16x slot I'm sure, so 2 gpus won't be an option. (thats ok, 2 gpus is dumb anyway) 500w is plenty of power for almost any computer, even with overclocking.

for future reference, place the name of the item you are linking to next to the link so I don't have to click them all. especially right now as I'm on my phone and newegg is a real pain to load.

 

[therealbub]

Alright cool, thanks a ton! And sorry nvalhalla, I'll be sure to do that next time.

 

[singingigo]

Also...given the cost of the 8800 series, you would get more bang for your buck buying a Quad core or high end E6850 than buying another GPU...not that you wouldn't get a boost from that, it's just per$, your money is better spent on the extra cache and higher FSB...

 

[therealbub]

Ok cool cool.

For the PSU i was thinking somwhere around the lines of

Rosewill Stallion Series Dual Ball Bearing Fan RD500-2-DB ATX V2.2 500W Power Supply 115V/230V CSA, UL, TUV, FCC - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817182044

you think that would be a little too weak, or does anyone know (from experience) whether that is a crappy/low-end PSU? Im also leaning towards it because of the blue LED. My case will have a similar look.

 

[lostandwandering]

No, I would avoid Rosewill as a PSU maker. They tend to skimp on the quality of the components used in the units and they are more likely to fail. The OCZ you had linked before also had blue LEDs and is a better choice.

 

[therealbub]

I have made a ton of changes in my build. Ive decided to like, wait and save up more money and just go all out, so this is my build as of right now.

EVGA 8800GTS 640MB 328-bit
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130305

I have decided that since I am going to wait, and save more money for an all around better performance PC, i might as well go for the best(that isnt 500+ dollars haha).

OCZ GameXStream 600W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341001

I am not entirely sure whether the 600W will do well enough for my PC considering I am going to for sure OC my graphics card and possibly Processor. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or problems with the power supply compared to the rest of the PC

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 2x4MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017

Same with the Video Card, I decided to go for the near top of the line material. I would love to get the quad core also because I am constantly multi-tasking on my PC. Whether its Playing WoW, talking on AIM, downloading music, myspace, forums, listening to music, being in ventrillo all at the same time; I need a processor that can handle it and make things go a lot easier.

Corsair 4GB(2x2GB sticks DDR2)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145184

With the RAM, I figured that since I will be running Windows Vista Ultimate Edition, I should pack a little extra RAM in there just in-case. Between Vista, all of my applications, my OCing of my parts, I figured I would need a little extra RAM to help with the processes. Please tell me if I am wrong on this. Also the cost of the RAM itself isn't really too much of an issue here, which is why I opted to go with 4G. Also I wanted the 2g sticks because it would leave room to add more RAM if I ever did need it, in the future or something like that.

2x WD Caviar 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache 3.0GB/s
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136073

I am not really sure how HDDs work, but I put down 2 x 500G HDDs because I tend to fill up my hard-drives fast, and I would really like to be able to get new music, or install new games for years to come, without having to worry about space issues. One question I do have, is whether its possible to designate certain drives for certain things. For example, would it be possible to put all of my music/videos/pictures on one hard-drive where all of my games and documents are on the other? I would love a little insight on this, or a link to where I could learn further about this subject.

M-Audio Revolution 5.1 24-bit High Definition Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829121122

The reason I have a sound-card down is because one, its cheap; and two, I have a 5.1 surround sound headset, which will close to fully utilize all of the features the card offers. Plus some HD sound wouldn't hurt

Encore 300MB/s Wireless Networking Card
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16833180052

This wireless card is pretty much a necessity because at my mom's house, our route is across the house, so I am forced to use wireless. Now I am not sure on the quality of this card, or the distributor of the card, so a little insight on that would be great as well.

Summary

Over all, I would like this PC to be as future-proof as possible, without having to spend 4000 dollars of something crazy like that. I would like for there to be room to upgrade without having to upgrade huge chunks of my PC at a time, and not have to spend huge amounts of money each time either. A few things I have no clue about at this time is the right Motherboard for the PC, or what Optical Drive to get. I would love an Optical drive that can perform all of the following functions (and if I have to get two or more to do that, I would be satisfied):

-Burn CDs
-Burn DVDs
-Be able to watch DVD's
-Be able to watch HDD/Blue Ray(?)

I would really appreciate more feedback and help with my questions. Also if you see anything that isn't compatible with one another, i would love it if you could point it out and give me some tips on what to replace the incompatible pieces with. Thanks!

 

[colinger]

Don't waste your money on that video card; get the 8800gt or one of the new gts's: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048+1069633099&Description=8800gts&name=PCI+Express+2.0

Only get 4gb of RAM if you are using Vista 64-bit.

What about a case?

 

[therealbub]

Thanks for the news about the new GTS's.

Also, I am pretty sure that id be running Vista 64-bit

And im not really sure on what case to get. Im going to need one that has very good airflow. Any suggestions?


EDIT:

Ive replaced the old 8800GTS for the new one. Here is the link:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130312

I have read in a few reviews and tests, that the 8800GT only puts out less performance than an 8800GTX by 3%. If that is true, then how does the 8800GT relate to the new 8800GTS. I am going to over-clock whatever card i get, so keep that in mind when thinking about that.

 

[wolfseeker2828]

Yep - they just came out like today or yesterday, and they perform very close to the 500-600 dollar GTX. go for it.

 

[therealbub]

are they 8800GT G92s? or the original ones?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133205&Tpk=8800GT%2bg92

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121099

and if its neither, would you please link?

 

[skywalker9952]

Its better, but your budget build was fine, you don't need anything better then an 8800GT unless you want max eye candy at hi resolutions, at 1024 x768 you'll be covered. Here is my recommendation, buy what you have in your first post replacing the processor with the E2180 and the power supply with the OCZ. You will then have an excellent base for upgrading, your mobo will support the new 45nm intels and you can just throw a couple more sticks of ram in there if needed. Your video card should allow you to play most games at max settings (at your res) for a while (6 months?). You can add the HDD, NIC, and sound card when needed or when you have the money. If you keep waiting to get future proof components you will never buy your computer, because you cant future proof your system.

A word on SLI. SLI is stupid unless you are running a top of the line machine. Making SLI your upgrade route is also stupid because by the time your single card needs to be upgraded, its hardware doesn't support the latest and greatest graphics features (in the GT(S) case DX 11) so you will end up buying a new card for your upgrade anyway. My thoughts on SLI.

Your Blu-ray HD-DVD combo drive is about $300 at newegg right now. I would recommend you buy that as an upgrade part later. I would hold off on commiting to a dedicated Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, as neither has won the war yet (I think Blu-ray is in the lead ATT). A quick and dirty DVD-RW should hold you until then and you can get a nice one for $40 from newegg. (or a cheap one for $30)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156

Your upgrade path is quite simple, either OC the E2180 and get a new 45nm intel when it dies, or run it at stock speeds and get a new processor when it starts to seem slow. New Penryn's (the 45nm intels) are outrageously expensive right now, but in 6-9 months when your E2180 goes up in smoke or just seems slow you can easily afford to get a new Penryn. If you spring for the big part now or in a few weeks or months you will get an older processor and have to wait for your computer.

Just my thoughts, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[therealbub]

Thanks a ton skywalker. I am most likely going to follow your advice, because it will save me a ton of money, and i wont have to wait as long for it lol. ;P you rock

 

[skywalker9952]

Your welcome