So here it is. My old PC is approaching 3 years in age and it's a Dell so it can't really be upgraded not to mention it probably wouldn't make sense to at this point. I've come into $1000 from my Cousin as a graduation gift. This puts me in the market for a new gaming pc. First off, I take gaming very seriously and have been on a sponsored COD4 team this past season. Therefore, I need to be able to play games at solid and constant FPS (~125+), even if it's not on the highest settings. I also plan and need to be able to upgrade parts of this build. Below is a summary of what I want and my plans for the build.
-This is a PC for competitive gaming currently at 1280 x 1024 native resolution on my LCD.
-I will overclock parts
-Must be upgradeable
Here's a list of upgrades I plan to do in the next few months.
-Aftermarket CPU and Case fans
-10k RPM HD
-2nd Video Card for Crossfire
-Watercooling (possibly)
EDIT: Public Wish List
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10333748&WishListTitle=AniBuild
Missing the gfx card. So add $280 - $20 MIR.
Here are my current parts choices with pros and cons. Credits to aevm for influencing some of the choices.
CASE:
XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case =$120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
PROS:
-Large, easy to expand easy to work with.
-Pleasing design
-Appears to have good airflow capabilities
-Bundled with the PSU
CONS:
-None to my eyes
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz = $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
PROS:
-Easy to overclock
-Saves $20 compared to the E8500
-Dual-core's higher raw clock speed helps with the games I play.
CONS:
-Not quad core for multitasking
-No E0 Stepping (I don't really understand this anyway)
PSU:
Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009
PROS:
-Big savings
-Modular
-850Watts
-2x pci-e support
CONS:
-Don't like the design but w/e it's worth the savings
MOBO:
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel = $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=709&l4=0&model=2269&modelmenu=1
http://www.asus.com/999/download/products/2269/2269_10.pdf
PROS:
-Has all the features I want
-1600FSB for expandability
CONS:
-Not 2 PCI-e x16 for crossfire (I can live with x8 though)
GPU:
VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 = $285 - $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113
PROS:
-Good performance to price ratio
-Good scalability when I add a second card
-Dual-slot card moves hot air out of the case
CONS:
-Driver issues on some games
HD:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - OEM = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
PROS / CONS: Nothing special it servers its purpose of saving money for now.
RAM:
I'm having a really hard time choosing RAM. A lot of things aren't on the QVL. Or it's too expensive.
Here are a few choices.
First choice:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) = $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231144
PROS:
-On the QVL
-1066
CONS:
-Not enough to take advantage of x64
Other choices:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) = ($150 - $40 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197&Tpk=TWIN2X4096-%2b8500C5DF
PROS:
-On the QVL
-Good timings
-Good reviews
-1066
CONS:
-Expensive for my budget
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148
Pros:
-Price
-On the QVL
CONS:
-800
Please help confirm the compatibility and overclockability of the parts chosen. This comes to about $1115 with shipping. And I can subtract the case from that because it's a gift to me. So About $995. That's right within the budget. Let me know if this is a solid choice of parts.
Thank you for your help.
-This is a PC for competitive gaming currently at 1280 x 1024 native resolution on my LCD.
-I will overclock parts
-Must be upgradeable
Here's a list of upgrades I plan to do in the next few months.
-Aftermarket CPU and Case fans
-10k RPM HD
-2nd Video Card for Crossfire
-Watercooling (possibly)
EDIT: Public Wish List
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10333748&WishListTitle=AniBuild
Missing the gfx card. So add $280 - $20 MIR.
Here are my current parts choices with pros and cons. Credits to aevm for influencing some of the choices.
CASE:
XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case =$120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
PROS:
-Large, easy to expand easy to work with.
-Pleasing design
-Appears to have good airflow capabilities
-Bundled with the PSU
CONS:
-None to my eyes
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz = $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
PROS:
-Easy to overclock
-Saves $20 compared to the E8500
-Dual-core's higher raw clock speed helps with the games I play.
CONS:
-Not quad core for multitasking
-No E0 Stepping (I don't really understand this anyway)
PSU:
Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009
PROS:
-Big savings
-Modular
-850Watts
-2x pci-e support
CONS:
-Don't like the design but w/e it's worth the savings
MOBO:
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel = $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=709&l4=0&model=2269&modelmenu=1
http://www.asus.com/999/download/products/2269/2269_10.pdf
PROS:
-Has all the features I want
-1600FSB for expandability
CONS:
-Not 2 PCI-e x16 for crossfire (I can live with x8 though)
GPU:
VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 = $285 - $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113
PROS:
-Good performance to price ratio
-Good scalability when I add a second card
-Dual-slot card moves hot air out of the case
CONS:
-Driver issues on some games
HD:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - OEM = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
PROS / CONS: Nothing special it servers its purpose of saving money for now.
RAM:
I'm having a really hard time choosing RAM. A lot of things aren't on the QVL. Or it's too expensive.
Here are a few choices.
First choice:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) = $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231144
PROS:
-On the QVL
-1066
CONS:
-Not enough to take advantage of x64
Other choices:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) = ($150 - $40 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197&Tpk=TWIN2X4096-%2b8500C5DF
PROS:
-On the QVL
-Good timings
-Good reviews
-1066
CONS:
-Expensive for my budget
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148
Pros:
-Price
-On the QVL
CONS:
-800
Please help confirm the compatibility and overclockability of the parts chosen. This comes to about $1115 with shipping. And I can subtract the case from that because it's a gift to me. So About $995. That's right within the budget. Let me know if this is a solid choice of parts.
Thank you for your help.