Almost Final $1000 Build - Please Help

AnimusImmodicus

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Aug 6, 2008
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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.
 

effel

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May 19, 2008
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Have you looked at the Antec Three Hundred? It's half the price of that case you have, and honestly, will probably leave you more satisfied. I don't know what type of person you are, but blue-glowing lights need to die-they are soooo annoying to me. I'd rather own an Antec case over XCLIO any day too, on the basis of quality. I mean, you could go Lian-Li, but meh.

If you were to say, go with the Antec 300, and a Corsair 750TX, or maybe a PCP&C 750w Quad, you'd save a nice bit of money from the selections you have currently. With that in mind, you drop the 4870, get an X48 Motherboard (Like the Abit QuadGT X48, Gigabyte X48-DS4, DFI LP DKX48, etc.) , and two 4850s.

You'd get more performance than the build you have currently, with the same pricetag (maybe less!)

**

After making this post, I headed over to newegg, and priced out a system. I think it's a tad more than what you were going to spend, but tell me (the op and the rest of the forum) if this is an improvement over the original build suggestions. I guess this would be less, if you factor in the loads of rebates included in the build
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9023646

**
 

AnimusImmodicus

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Aug 6, 2008
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Thanks for the suggestions. The main reason I chose the case I did over the Antec is because it's a full tower case. I just prefer them for various personal reasons. And I love black with blue lights, it matches my keyboard, mouse, headphones, cell phone etc.

Also I chose to get the 4870 because I plan to buy a 2nd card later (3-6 months) for performance. So I selected the best card I could afford right now.

Btw here is the wishlist again. I think you will be able to access this one.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10333748&WishListTitle=AniBuild

Remember it's missing the video card on this list b/c it had a combo deal. It's $280 - $20MIR though.
 

AnimusImmodicus

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Aug 6, 2008
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Thanks for the response. I'm looking for about 4GHZ on air. Shouldn't be too terribly hard with this cpu. I'll be getting a new cpu when I feel this one isn't good enough anymore. (12-18months I'm sure). Then this will reside in an old case I have as a backup computer. I'll probably give it away to family or friends as well.

Btw my best friend IRL seems to think that the e8500 is definitely worth the extra $20. Is this true? THe e8400 seems to oc far enough for me. And someone mentioned the e8400 would be better with 1066 ram than the higher multiplier on the e8500 (they suggested 800 ram for the e8500). Is this true?

The Build Again:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10333748&WishListTitle=AniBuild
 

effel

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May 19, 2008
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Get the Sunbeam one I had in my wishlist. It's far cheaper than the Zalman, and actually will cool your processor better. And in the event the fan fails on it, you can always just use any 120mm case fan, unlike the Zalman.

Alright well, the rest of your stuff looks good. Don't pay the $20 for a .5 CPU Multiplier, and you won't need 1066 Ram, unless you're hitting 500FSB+ w/o wanting to OC your Ram.