1400$ Media Center Build - Help Please

[deathsdefiance]

At the time being I am very unsure how much power I am going to need to run on a 40" HDTV. I would like to be able to use the 40" TV as a computer monitor to play games at medium to high resolution, and not to sure on how much power I would need to do so or if 1400$ will be sufficient enough to run the system.

I compiled a wish list with all of the current parts I have, if anyone could comment, or make any suggestions on the build or if it would be powerful enough to do gaming on a 40" TV.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=8772032

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[huron]

If you want to play at a good resolution on TV/Monitor so large, my guess is that you'd need some pretty decent firepower.

I couldn't get into your wishlist, so it's hard to see what you are thinking. Why don't you just type it out here and we'll take a look (no one likes clicking on the links anyhow).

 

[eklipz330]

look, size doesn;t matter, resolution does.

what is the resolution of your 40 incher?

if its 720p, a 4850 should more than accommodate your needs

 

[deathsdefiance]

Alright, here is my list:

DVD Drive #1:

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM - $24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Case:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Hard Drive:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Video Card:

EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked Edition - $289.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130372

DVD Drive #2:

Sony NEC Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827101131

Power Supply:

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready - $129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

RAM:

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Motherboard:

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024

CPU:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Operating System:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

CPU Heatsink & Cooler:

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Any Comments & Suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[deathsdefiance]

@eklipz330 - 1080p 1900 x 1220 or something.

 

[jaguarskx]

To play at native resolution (1920 x 1080) I would recommend the fastest card you can get. Either the Radeon 4870 or nVidia GTX 280. Of the two, the GTX 280 offers the best overall performance.

Read:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/force3d-hd-4870.html

Of course the GTX 280 doesn't really fit into your budget. So it's between the GTX 260 and the HD 4870 due to similar prices (more or less). Which one is better for you will be determined by the benchmarks of the games you want to play.

 

[eklipz330]

1080p=1920x1080

for the most part, it looks good
i've heard bad things of the 780i chipset, but don't take my word for it,
and i'd rather stick with the 4870 because of its integrated audio [i think it has? my 2900 has it...] so you can get some hd sound from one hdmi wire to your tv

as for games, you would benefit more from a e8500 or even a e8600...up to you really...especially with that cooler, a nice overclock is in order

 

[ke7diz]

i would go with a core 2 duo 8400 fore a faster cpu in most cases (unless fore some reason you can use 4 cores)
4870 is a nice chose over the 260 (i like amd on this one)

 

[deathsdefiance]

Thanks for the replies, they are greatly appreciated, this will make things easier, and I will be able to do some work around with some different things on my budget, thanks!

 

[deathsdefiance]

I was just wondering, has anyone used this Antec Nine Hundred case before? One of my concerns is everything fitting.

 

[huron]

I have the Antec 900. I don't believe the new cards are any longer than my 8800 GTS, and it has plenty of space. If you are worried about space and like the 900, check out the Antec 1200 - it's a 900, but taller and deeper. It has more fans, fan filters, better cable management.

I love my 900, but if you're worried about space, go with a full tower instead.

The fastest card on the market is the GTX 280, but the 4870x2 is a crossfire on card GPU that is supposedly a beast.

 

[jamay]

I'd get a cheaper P43 or P45 motherboard, an HD4870 (it's supposed to have a better image quality than the nvidia ones), DDR2-800 (1066 is overkill).

I also think you can get a cheaper PSU (Corsair 620HX would be my recommendation)...even 520W would be enough for that system. As for the case, I prefer the more silent and less flashy Antec P182 but that's a matter of preference

 

[bdollar]

don't get a sony ide drive. get sata and get something other than sony. they do a lot of things well but rom drives isn't one of them. get liteon or plexor or lg. don't get another samsung. better to have 2 different brands.

you can save $$ by getting ddr2 800. will be plenty unless you are doing major overclock. mushkin has 2x2gb 1.8v (the standard) for $69 after rebate so that would save you $40.

you can save $100 by getting a p45 board which you can use nvidia or ati card on. can't use 2 nvidia and if use 2 ati in crossfire it would be at x8/x8. but at your resolution you don't need 2 cards. you need one good card. not to mention the only bench i've seen comparing x8/x8 to x16/x16 showed that at your resolution there is virtually no different. 2560x1600 is where the big difference is.

just make sure you realize that it is resolution not screen size that matters. a 24" monitor at 1920x1200 takes more gpu power than your 40".

with my setup also you could get a cheaper psu. this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001
is good and a steal after the rebate. Would save you $60.

with those changes above plus the money you were spending on your gpu you have $490 now to spend on a gpu. That is about $60 short of being able to afford a 4870x2 which at your resolution would be more than enough card for quite some time. 4870 would leave you with $ to spare. you could either just save it or get an even better cpu.