$2500 budget (in need of expert assistance)

[tengri]

I am crazy about pc speed and graphics.

I have looked at www.cyberpowerpc.com and i can build a pretty decent system there for around 2500.

my question is;

Would I be saving more if i were to buy the parts from various sources and build my own pc from scratch?

Or would i be wasting my time?

What would you recommend as far as graphics goes? a single powerful card, or a couple of decent ones for a dual layout?

Whats the minumum power suplly do you recommend?

Should i wait for any upcoming products?

Any help would be highly appreciated..

 

[Multiplicity]

I would build my own rig. It can be cheaper because you have a lot more components to choose from that will make up your system. So it depends on the parts you choose. Versatility is what you get from putting together your own rig too.. From my own experience, you only get to choose so much through places like Dell and iBUYPOWER.com.

As far as graphics? From what I've read, you'd get better performance with dual cards if you use very high resolutions. With the lower resolutions, it does not matter so much. And if you do go dual, I'd recommend doing it with the best of cards out there than to go with two lesser quality ones. As for power, that depends. If you go dual cards, the PSU will need to carry a lot of power. If not, not so much. I'd wait on that question until you decide what card(s) you want for your system, then forum goers can recommend what you need.

There are a few things coming out. The new nVidia GTX 295 is around the corner and the new AMD Phenon II is around the corner too. There's a lot of debate on the new AMD, so you might want to hold off until it comes out.

 

[dieseldre2k]

Would I be saving more if i were to buy the parts from various sources and build my own pc from scratch?

of course...companies will always charge u extra for labor

Or would i be wasting my time?

wasting ur time building it? nope, u'd be actually saving yourself some money

What would you recommend as far as graphics goes? a single powerful card, or a couple of decent ones for a dual layout?

single card would be better so that u have the option to add a second card down the road. y limit ur upgrade options now? but the real question is, what resolution is ur monitor and what games (if any) do u play or plan on playing? in low resolutions, CF/SLI might be a waste.

Whats the minumum power suplly do you recommend?

depends on the computer that u will be building, but try to get a PC Power & Cooling or Corsair PSU (top-of-the-line and with that budget u can afford it without a problem)

Should i wait for any upcoming products?

although i usually dont advise anyone to wait, i do this time around because alot of new technology is coming out during january (AMD phenom II, Nvidia GTX 295, Intel Core i7 platform stuff such as faster RAM, and maybe something from ATI with the competition from nividia). but even if ur not going to get any of it, it'll drive current prices down alot.

i gotta go so maybe someone else can help u pick out specific parts. good luck with ur build and happy new year!

 

[cal8949]

building it yourself will be cheaper and it is a great experience to know. if anything wrong ever happen you know the hardware and your more likely to figure out the problem.

for a $2500 i would get a 4870x2 or 2 gtx260's

core i7 920
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
(2x 1tb) Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
(2x 64gb)G.SKILL FM-25S2S-64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II Internal Solid state disk
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231220
ZALMAN ZM1000-HP 1000W powersupply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817379009




core17 920
evga lga1366 x58
ocz, 6 gb, ddr3, 1600 (3x2gb) memory
2x1 tb, western digital cavier hard drives (for media and storage backups)
2x64 gb, g-skill solid state disk (for os and games ran in raid)
zalmen 1000 watt power supply

total $1,492
with 4870x2 = $2,002.92
with 2 gtx260's =$2,002.92


you still have $500 for a
case
cpu cooler
sound card (optional)
keyboard/mouse
monitor
cd drives
shipping

 

[tengri]

what resolution is ur monitor and what games (if any) do u play or plan on playing? in low resolutions, CF/SLI might be a waste.

I have a 22 inch samsung lcd.. model number is 226bw. I believe max resolution is 1200 X 1650

this is it..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001096

I play a lot of the recent games...

Such as nfs underground, grand theft auto IV, call of duty world at war and etc..

 

[tengri]

There are a few things coming out. The new nVidia GTX 295 is around the corner and the new AMD Phenon II is around the corner too. There's a lot of debate on the new AMD, so you might want to hold off until it comes out.

Aha!

I did not know this. I might just get this one card instead of the 2 then.. ANy ideas on what the price tag would look like?

 

[tengri]

This comes out to be $2,260.05 with FREE shipping from cyberpower.

What do you guys think?

* CASE: ($25 off Mail-in Rebate) New! Apevia X-Jupiter Full Tower Gaming Server w/ Temp Display and Fan Control 420 Watt Power (G Type Metallic Gray Color with Side-Window)
* Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
* POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 1, 000 Watts Power Supplies (($50 off Mail-in Rebate) Thermaltake ToughPower 1, 000 Watts Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready)
* CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
* COOLING FAN : Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
* MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) EVGA X58 3X SLI Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, Dual GbLAN, USB2.0, Dual IEEE1394& 7.1Audio
* MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
* VIDEO CARD: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB DDR5 PCI-Express Dual DVI-I & TVO (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
* VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
* LCD Monitor: NONE
* 2nd Monitor: NONE
* HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: 64 GB Ritek RiDATA 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk (Nearly Instant Data Access Technology)
* USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
* Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
* Optical Drive 2: NONE
* SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 24-BIT PCI Sound Card
* SPEAKERS: NONE
* NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
* MODEM: NONE
* Extra Thermal Display : NONE
* Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
* Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
* Cable Wiring: None
* Rounded Cable: None
* VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER CABLE: None
* IEEE CARD: NONE
* USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: NONE - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
* FREEBIES: None
* Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

 

[computersss]

first of all building your own would be much better i built you a system better than what you mentioned above for 2101 with shipping

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043


LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A3T - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135176

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Western Digital My Passport Essential WDME3200TN 320GB Black External Hard Drive - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136227


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202


ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131346

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1333C9 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145220

CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

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

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006

Thermaltake V1 Max-Performance CPU Cooler with Massive 110mm Blue LED Full-Range Variable Speed Fan CL-P0401 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106102


after purchasing these you can give them to a profession or a shop or even a friend and they will take only about 100 dollars so total cost will be around 2200

the parts i gave to you will be a better deal 100% and some of the parts is better than cyberpower like the case,cooler and etc.

Anyway you may downgrade to one 4870 as a 4870X2 is an overkill on a 22 monitor

 

[jthorn]

Your own build will be much more satisfying. But you don't have to build it yourself. Check out this website and two TH articles (Cleeve) which reviewed it. If you are a U.S. customer then this custom builder will look over any list of parts you are interested in and assemble it using most any combination you decide on. It is done in a forums type environment so you can look at what others are ordering. After you order, you will have your system in 3 weeks and for a good price. Purchased my last desktop from them and I am 100 percent satisfied.

http://maxforcepc.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,26/