new gaming rig for $3000-$5000

[p43hd]

oh BTW the reason why the budget is up to $5000 is because i need speakers, a keyboard, mouse, router, and a wireless adapter.

BUILD:

Case: Thermaltake ArmorPlus(Armor+) VH6000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133056

Fan controller: NZXT SEN-001LX Aluminum dual bay fan controller - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811992004

extra fans: 5 Thermaltake A2018 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999122

Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284

GPU/Graphics card:2 ASUS EAH4870X2/HTDI/2G Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail (i dont know how much of a performance boost 2 of these allows any input would be appreciated.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121269

PSU: ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ1300 1300W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Patent Piperock Modular Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817814011

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115130

RAM: 2 sets for 8GB total: mushkin XP 4GB ASCENT w/ eVCI technology (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996619 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146789

HDD: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136260

Keyboard: Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126034

Monitor: SAMSUNG ToC T260 Rose-Black 25.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001276

Mouse: Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076

Disk drive: LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20L - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133

Sound Card: HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271002

OS: 64 bit Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 English NA DVD - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116473

Router: D-Link DGL-4500 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11a/b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft Xtreme N Gaming Router - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127243

USB wireless adapter: D-Link DWA160 USB 2.0 Xtreme N Dual Band USB Adapter - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127247

Thermal Paste: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Heatsink: Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106102

Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120

Tool Kit: Rosewill RTK-090 90 Piece Professional Computer Tool Kit - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261004

i think thats it atm... the newegg total says $5,152.73 without shipping.

also if anyone has any information on the new intel architecture like if there will be a performance increase etc. let me know. also what would i have to do to upgrade to the new architecture from this system?

thank you.

 

[z999]

in this budget - if you ain't tight on time I think you should wait for the new platform, Nehalem. to upgrade this system to the new architecture you'll need a new MB and of course the CPU. you might also need DDR3 memory but I'm not sure wether you have to.

 

[p43hd]

Will it be worth the wait? because the release is like 5 months away isnt it?

also can anyone tell me what this song is ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPHQoo9tg1g

 

[Evil Genius]

Will it be worth the wait? because the release is like 5 months away isnt it?

It most definitely will be worth the wait. Its definitely not 5 months away, in fact maybe announced this month or next month (November at the latest). There is no upgrade path from what you listed to Core i7: you would need a new motherboard, CPU, RAM.

Instead of going silly and buying two 4870X2 (why would you do that? up to a few frames more, sometimes a few frames less), I would go for:

Intel Core i7 EE 3.2
X58 motherboard, e.g: Asus P6T
6GB high speed low voltage DDR3
ATI 4870X2 (just one)
Intel X25-M SSD
Dell 30inch monitor
Keyboard, mouse, OS, optical drive, wireless, speakers, case etc of your choice.

 

[p43hd]

Will it be worth the wait? because the release is like 5 months away isnt it?

It most definitely will be worth the wait. Its definitely not 5 months away, in fact maybe announced this month or next month (November at the latest). There is no upgrade path from what you listed to Core i7: you would need a new motherboard, CPU, RAM.

Instead of going silly and buying two 4870X2 (why would you do that? up to a few frames more, sometimes a few frames less), I would go for:

Intel Core i7 EE 3.2
X58 motherboard, e.g: Asus P6T
6GB high speed low voltage DDR3
ATI 4870X2 (just one)
Intel X25-M SSD
Dell 30inch monitor
Keyboard, mouse, OS, optical drive, wireless, speakers, case etc of your choice.

yeah i was trying to find out what sort of performance boost 2 of those GPU's offered but apparantely not much... (is that just because of drivers or what?)

alright so basically i will order everything except the mobo, ram, and cpu? are solid state speeds really that much better than 10,000 rpm?

 

[rabidbunny]

What I would suggest:
-first, go for a better cpu cooler. Thermaltake doesn't have as good of heatsinks as xigmatek or other brands. Personally, i'd recommend the xigmatek s128 cooler. It is cheaper than the thermaltake you listed. I have it and it keeps my dual core under 60C when at 3ghz+.
-second, you don't really need a computer tool kit. the only tool i used was a phillips screwdriver. That's it.
-third, with your velociraptor, it is a great drive to have for your rig. But unless you have some external storage, you might consider getting a second drive for backups. they are important if your rig ever goes down I have found
-fourth, i checked out that soundcard you listed. It sounds decent, however I would be careful with a card brand that I'm not familiar with. Plus that card is expensive! I think creative's cards are cheaper atm. But it's up to you.
-fifth, looks like a very good build for the money! Good luck and have fun building that beast!

Question: Why is it that you are getting a usb wireless network adapter?

Just my 2 cents worth

 

[realyeti]

With a 3k-5k budget for a gaming rig, its a must to wait for the next generation of cpu. It will give you the oprtunity to try next gen motherboards, and DDR3 ram which would give you the performance that a 3k-5k build diserves!

If you canot wait, you can build a pwnage 1300$ rig now and save tyhe money till a month or 2 max and then build your beloved gaming machine.

What games are you going to play in that future gaming rig ??
What are you planing to do in it to use up to 8gb of RAM ??
You plan to overclock?? I think not, so you're wasting 70$ on those extra 5 120mm led fans. That case comes with an incredible airflow already so theres no need for more fans, and saving 70$ more because you wont need that fan controller.

Run away of that PSU brand, get familiar with antec, thermaltake, corsair, pc power $ cooling ones. they are the best ones.

Which ever the build you're going to get, dont get that cou fan. Get an s-1283 9with bracket), OCZ vendetta, etc etc.

I would never spend 3-5k$ now, not with a new generation of hardware jsut around the corner; besides, a build of that price wont cost more than 1000$ in a year, specially if its from this generation!. So do what everyone recommends: buy your self a mid range gaming monsta and upgrade it from time to time (that would be my tip of the 1200$ rig), ONLY if you cant wait till oct, nov!?

 

[rabidbunny]

yeah i was trying to find out what sort of performance boost 2 of those GPU's offered but apparantely not much... (is that just because of drivers or what?)

alright so basically i will order everything except the mobo, ram, and cpu? are solid state speeds really that much better than 10,000 rpm?

? well, if you want all the other stuff, it is going to be sitting for a few months before you get the mobo, cpu, and ram. I'd just wait at least a few weeks before purchasing to see if prices are going to drop then buy if you want. Unless you have a computer that you can use the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers etc in, I would wait to buy it all at once.

Solid state drives are just kicking it off in the desktop world. It is a promising technologies, however hard drives still are the best out there as far as speed and performance across the board. Plus hard drives are cheaper. That velociraptor should do the job just fine.

 

[rabidbunny]

With a 3k-5k budget for a gaming rig, its a must to wait for the next generation of cpu. It will give you the oprtunity to try next gen motherboards, and DDR3 ram which would give you the performance that a 3k-5k build diserves!

If you canot wait, you can build a pwnage 1300$ rig now and save tyhe money till a month or 2 max and then build your beloved gaming machine.

What games are you going to play in that future gaming rig ??
What are you planing to do in it to use up to 8gb of RAM ??
You plan to overclock?? I think not, so you're wasting 70$ on those extra 5 120mm led fans. That case comes with an incredible airflow already so theres no need for more fans, and saving 70$ more because you wont need that fan controller.

Run away of that PSU brand, get familiar with antec, thermaltake, corsair, pc power $ cooling ones. they are the best ones.

Which ever the build you're going to get, dont get that cou fan. Get an s-1283 9with bracket), OCZ vendetta, etc etc.

I would never spend 3-5k$ now, not with a new generation of hardware jsut around the corner; besides, a build of that price wont cost more than 1000$ in a year, specially if its from this generation!. So do what everyone recommends: buy your self a mid range gaming monsta and upgrade it from time to time (that would be my tip of the 1200$ rig), ONLY if you cant wait till oct, nov!?

+1 for everything. If you lighten your pricetag down to about 1.4k or so for the rig alone and the rest for the peripherals, you could save the rest of the $$ and spend it later on upgrades.
2 years ago I spent about 1.7k on a whole rig. It is still serving me well after all this time and I have made some upgrades. However, I didn't have to upgrade anything more than the graphics card and add a few other things on the side. overall, i was pleased with it.

 

[p43hd]

thank you for a ton of info. (i thought the next gen stuff wasnt coming out for much longer than just a few months; i will wait)

yes i do have a computer that can use the peripherals; except it is a janky dell laptop lol.

im probably not going to oc so i will get just 1 extra fan incase.

usb adapter is for internet. my modem is in my basement and there is no way to get internet to where i need it without wifi.

games: GOW2, crysis, COD4, anything purty that comes out soon/ has come out and looks interesting. i have been unable to play games on this janky laptop besides packman.

8gb of ram is because i multitask a ridiculous amount. 18 pages of firefox open, itunes, CS3, and thats what i do with 1gb of ram with it continuously locking up. this is without the ability to play games or do any video editing (still deciding about that).

i have been thinking of going with smaller 10,000 rpm HDD except configuring for RAID 5 but i dont know enough about setting up RAID 5 or what is required to do so (drive number etc.) so any info on that would be appreciated

currently looking into a different sound card but im wary about which to choose because many people have had major problems with drivers etc.

thats all atm

 

[rabidbunny]

As far as the usb adapter goes, I was wondering why you chose usb instead of a pci or pci express card...
I figured you went with that soundcard for compatibility with vista x64. However, i do believe that creative finally supports vista with the xfi cards. Check it out otherwise you can stick with onboard until you can find some card that is sound.

with the hard drive question, stick with either the velociraptor and a smaller 7200 rpm drive, or just get a 1 TB drive since the performance is still quite fast. It won't be as fast as the velociraptor, but it comes close. I can check on some decent hard drives for you if you'd like to change the velociraptor for a larger drive...
Basically, i'd go without raid for now. I never tried it, but it is a hassle to setup and the performance difference is marginal.

 

[hopkiller]

ohh and don't get that mouse there are way better ones, like the one i have. I have the Razer Death Adder, it is so amazing it has to be the best gamin mouse ever

 

[streamline]

the song is Pendulum - Granite

 

[p43hd]

going with:
Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102005

sorry not a big fan of Razer... may look cool but logitech functionality FTW

i wont bother with raid then. also btw i have a 120gb external drive but i think i might get a second giant clunker 5,400 or 7,200 for backup and music storage etc.


im curious as to how expensive the next gen mobo will be, how much the processors will be, how many cores in the processors, how much ram will it support and how much for 8gb fast ddr3, and will their be new Graphics cards with the new integrated chips?

im wondering what should order... im thinking i will just get the peripherals: keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. and prep my system swap (get my programs setup with installers, etc.).

usb wifi is my choice because i cant find a decent wireless n adapter that wasnt usb.

 

[hopkiller]

razer has better response times and everything so functionality goes to razor unless you mean other than that

 

[zenmaster]

Nehalem will be "released" this month with availability of chips and mobos in October.

No way I would spend that much on a system that will be outlassed in 2-3 weeks.

 

[p43hd]

Run away of that PSU brand, get familiar with antec, thermaltake, corsair, pc power $ cooling ones. they are the best ones.

ROFL

thats a little extreme for something that has good reviews...

what would you recommend for my setup then (specific one please)?

 

[p43hd]

Nehalem will be "released" this month with availability of chips and mobos in October.

No way I would spend that much on a system that will be outlassed in 2-3 weeks.

THANK YOU GOD! that makes me really happy to know everything will be available in 1 month.

 

[geofelt]

I agree with the other posters about waiting fir I7.
I think you can do better on the monitor. Samsung is a good quality manufacturer, and I think they make panels for many other monitors.
The T260HD has a tuner, if that is what you want. However, that monitor has a somewhat limited viewing angle (170x150)
If you do not need the tuner, the 275T is also a 1920x1200 monitor, but it has a 178/178 viewing angle. What this means is that your head does not need to be kept positioned as directly in front of the display to avoid a washed out look.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001272

An even better unit is the 305T 2560x1600 30" monitor. Games are absolutely stunning on it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001098

 

[hopkiller]

PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

you don't need 1300W especially with only on 4870X2

 

[p43hd]

thanks for the excellent choice.

would i need 1300w if i went dual 4870X2 with 1 10000rpm hd and one 7200 rpm hd?

 

[geofelt]

For 4870X2, an ATI certified psu is the PC P&C silencer750. http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_components.aspx?p=3

The other parts(couple of HDD, dvd, etc ) do not amount to much.


At $125 on newegg, it is a roaring bargain. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

For a second 4870X2, you might have to look at something closer to 1000w.

 

[crysis900]

Will it be worth the wait? because the release is like 5 months away isnt it?

It most definitely will be worth the wait. Its definitely not 5 months away, in fact maybe announced this month or next month (November at the latest). There is no upgrade path from what you listed to Core i7: you would need a new motherboard, CPU, RAM.

Instead of going silly and buying two 4870X2 (why would you do that? up to a few frames more, sometimes a few frames less), I would go for:

Intel Core i7 EE 3.2
X58 motherboard, e.g: Asus P6T
6GB high speed low voltage DDR3
ATI 4870X2 (just one)
Intel X25-M SSD
Dell 30inch monitor
Keyboard, mouse, OS, optical drive, wireless, speakers, case etc of your choice.

BY FAR the smartest use of your money and best performing.