7 yrs ago, u guys helped me build a $2.5K dream machine. Round 2

metabeta

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Dec 11, 2008
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About 7 years ago you guys helped me build a $2500 dream machine. That system served me well. And I owe the community here an endless amount of gratitude.

Well I'm here for my next machine, but don't have access to the same amount of disposable funds. I have about $1,000 MAX to spend.

I'm going to use the machine as an ultimate media machine. For gaming, watching movies, and general web surfing.

My two biggest priorities are:

1. Super hi-res graphics (want to allocate as much budget to this area as needed to get a top of the line display)

2. Crystal clear sound (does anybody have any recommendations for a nice pair of surround sound hd audio headphones? and a good sound card that would work well with it?)

3. speed (enough cpu and ram to play latest games on higher settings).

Obviously with only 1K i'm going to be limited. But I'd like to poor as much resources as my budget will allow (based on the priority given above)

Thanks for any help in advance!


 
Newegg would have the following in stock. I'll list estimated prices.

An ASUS or Gigabyte P45 MB = $140

2 x Radeon 4850 = $300

Penryn C2D E8500 = $190

2 x 2G PC26400 = $50

22" LCD = $250

Vista 64 HP OEM = $100

600w PSU = $50

500GB SATA HD = 60

Total $1150 before rebates
 

slomo4sho

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Well first off, what size is your monitor and what resolution do you plan on playing? Or do you actually need to include a monitor with this build? If its been 7 years since your previous build, your probably still using a CRT screeen!
 

brendano257

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Good estimates, however the Acer 22" is $20-40 below $200 and any money saved on that could be put into a higher quality PSU, like a Corsair 650TX.
 

metabeta

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Yes, I'm on a viewsonic optiquest that you guys recommended (CRT) "21. It looks like it's straight out of a movie from the 80s at this point.
 

metabeta

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Looks good. Right now I'm on 1200/1000 resolution. What type of resolution would I get out of a machine like this? Any recommendations on brands for the 22" LCD?

500GB HD = $60 only :eek: wow, technology has changed.

Anybody have any objections to this build? If not, I'm going to start purchasing. Thanks guys.
 

antiacid

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Don't bother with 2x4850, go for a gtx260+ (cheaper, more performance).

I'd say get a 640gig wd hdd for 20$ more (faster, more space).

For ultimate headset, try pc350 from sennheiser (alternatively, hd595 is the version without the microphone). It is expensive but worth it if you really want "high-end" audio.

btw, a 22inch is 1680x1050. 24 is the step up at 1920x1200. You can find weird 22's at 1920x1080 (which is technically FullHD 1080p).
 

BrianX91

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Here are some recommendations!

ASUS M3A78-T --Motherboard (Or look at the M3A79 Deluxe)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131331

AMD Phenom X4 9950 --Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103291

(Last time I checked, There was a great Combo Deal with this mobo and processor!)

X2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 --Hard drives
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe --DVD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

(If it's within your budget, I'd also recommend a Blue-Ray Drive!)
 

Lurker87

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I'm interested to know too. I wonder if it beats my 6 year old Pentium III 800Mhz baby :D
 

metabeta

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I've since upgraded the motherboard, the processor, and the ram.

But here is what I can remember of the very original machine:

AMD Athlon 1400+
Seagate Barracuda 60gb harddrive
2 x 256MB Crucial DDR ram (this was when ddr was new)
Viewsonic Optiquest 21" CRT monitor
NVidia GeForce FX (128 MB)
Plextor 24/16/48 CD Burner
Lite-on DVD drive (some cheap one)
Soundblaster Audigy 1
Klipsch 5.1 ProMedia Surround Sound
Originally had windows 2000, then upgraded to XP when it came out.

Majority of the expense was in the Klipsch speakers ($3-500 at the time), and the Viewsonic Optiquest monitor (that was $600+), and the Graphic Card was $300+

I used a site like pricewatch.com or something, to find all the cheapest prices on each part. 75% of the system was bought at newegg.

I also had an expensive case (100% aluminum, it was huge), heatsink, and power supply. something like 440W, 420 tru.

The original system was very loud, but had awesome graphics. It was nice for its time.
 

metabeta

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I'm definitely tempted to get a blu-ray drive. I have a PS3, but I'm going to sell it to help with the purchase of this new system, and I have a blu-ray collection I'd like to keep.

Any good recommendations on a nice blu-ray drive?
 

antiacid

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just remember that to get fullHD from your Blueray, you need a 24inch monitor for 1920x1200 (or a bastardized 22inch at 1920x1080).
 

metabeta

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I'm definitely going 24" , with 1920x1200 resolution, with a blu-ray drive. still undecided between Batch's graphic card suggestion, and anti's.

Do I go with the 2x4850, or go for a gtx260+ ? No offense Anti, just looking for more input (two heads are better than one =D)

I'm going to be doing some heavy gaming ... I hear intel is better than AMD for gamers. Is this just AMD-haters commentary, or is their truth to that?

I've been pretty happy with my old AMD cpu's... and I like Brian's build.

Just hoping to get some more feedback on the CPU and the Graphic Card.

Also...any suggestions on power supply and case? .. I can add another $300-$500 to the budget. (christmas bonus is better than I expected)
 
You'll need that extra cash.

Here is my take on 3 options:

2 X 4850 - Faster, when it works. Not all games will support crossfire well. Still for most titles the best FPS per dollar spent at around $280.

Single 4870 1GB - At a little under $260, this is a great card. Beats out the GTX 260+ in at least some titles. Crossfire boards are generally more stable than SLI boards right now, with the exception of x58... but that's too pricey.

GTX 260+ (core 216 version) - Great card. Many game titles are more optimized for NVidia. Only draw back is you would have to have an SLI board to run a second.

Given your budget, I think you would be happiest with some upgrade room.
Get a P45 board like the Gigabyte UD3P and a single 4870 1GB. Later on you can add a second one.
 

metabeta

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Thanks Proxi and John, your suggestions have been noted...

Alright, I need some suggestions on a sound card that will work well with the pc350 sennheiser headphones, and I need some more feedback on the CPU to go with. Intel or AMD, and what version? As always i'm looking for the best bang for the buck.
 

antiacid

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I recently purchased an xi-fi fatal1ty card (I used on-board before hand) and I plan to get the pc350 for xmas. I think that for sound cards, the top choices are either a xonar or a xi-fi. The fatal1ty shows better performance on games and I gambled that I wouldn't be able to hear the difference between that and a xonar (also, I didn't want to **** around with an extra power cable). So anyway, I recommend that ;)

For the vid cards, as you can see from my profile, I also own a 4870 1gig. Atm, between that and a gtx260+, it's a toss-up. Going for a xfire 4850 is more noisy and doesn't let you upgrade as well as a single 4870 :p
 

Tech-Boy

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I would recommend the GO q6600 quad core or E8400 core 2 Duo. Both of these are great overclockers. Also you are going to need a aftermarket heat sink, I would recommend the direct touch Xigmatek heat sink with the $8 bracket. I would also recommend this psu and motherboard in combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.146429 and buy the EVGA GTX 260 core 216 Graphics Card.
Can't help you much with the sound card, I just use the one on the Mothrboard.

Hope this helps