1k USD gaming system

[Vos17]

Hey everyone, i am really close to pooling all the money together for my new computer, so i need to get everything straight soon.
I do not feel as if i really need a i7 computer, i am looking at a computer for gaming, not lets see if we can run every game until 2010 on very high.

I plan on playing These games:
Call of duty: World at war
Fall out 3
Diablo III
StarCraft II
Bioshock 2
Elder Scrolls V (in 2010)

So far i have this system configuration:

Corsair 750 watt power supply
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
COOLER MASTER Hyper Z600 RR-600-LBU1-GP CPU Cooler
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216

Resolution: 1920 x 1200

So far i believe this computer could run the games i want on very nice settings with no performance issues.
This computer is about ~900 right now.

+ games are just started to be coded to utilize 2 cores, so down the road couldn't the quad core also get a performance boost when games are more opted for 4 cores?

Thanks for taking the time to reading, i am looking for opinions on the build, and even helpful suggestions on better parts or how to save money.

 

[mexpedip]

If this is for gaming then get the E8400/8500 and save yourself another $150.
If you must get a quad core then get the Q6600 and OC it to 3.5-3.6. The q9550 is a great CPU but 1) the Q6600 will OC to the same level as the q9550 and 2) there is no noticeable difference in performance.

You could use the money to upgrade the gpu to the gtx280 or better yet, the 4850x2. If you do the 4850x2 you have to use the saphire drivers, not ATI's. (about $20 more then the gtx260(216)).
4850x2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809

I would change the cpu cooler to this...(my personal preference, your choice is still good)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020

 

[Akebono 98]

Great games and configuration so far. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Stay with the 750W PSU size to allow for a future potential upgrade of your video card and other stuff--you would even have room for a GTX 295 there.

2. The PC Power & Cooling 750W in red is on sale at Newegg for $80 after MIR--it is the best deal in town if you don't mind the color.

3. For G.Skill RAM, get the Pi Black DDR2-900--it's the same price as the 800 version at $50.

4. For LGA 775 heatsinks, I like the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 (with corresponding backplate). Don't forget MX-2 thermal paste. Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer is also very comparable.

5. For the Core 216, make sure you get the newer 55nm version, as that will have better OC potential and thus serve you better in the long run. E.g. eVGA's part number 1255-AR. Just get the base version and OC it yourself; don't bother with the SSC version, etc.

6. If you can find a great deal on a GTX 280 being cleared out, then by all means go for it.

7. If you want a quad processor, go with Q6600 over Q9550. Q6600 has 0.5 higher multiplier and also higher G0 stepping for overclocking.

8. If you want dual core, then look at the E7400: 10.5 multiplier at R0 stepping. E8500 and E8400 are also good, and if you're tight on budget, then E5200 at 12.5 multiplier at M0 stepping.

9. For gaming, I would take a dual core and OC higher than a quad, then in 2 years time if you feel you need a quad, then you would surely be able to get one for less than today's price. Higher overall speed is traded off against more cores.

10. You haven't mentioned HDD. The only HDD to get right now is the WD Caviar Black 640GB. The 640GB has the highest platter density short of the 1TB version, and choose the Caviar Black over the AAKS version (SE16) because of speed. Don't get Seagate 7200.11 drives because they have serious problems.

11. Also get a case with good cooling so you can OC: Coolermaster CM-690 or Antec 900.

Hope this helps!

 

[Vos17]

I already have a case (Cooler master haf) hard drive (320gb sata that was laying around), Dvd burner and dvd drive. figured i could save money on stuff i already had =p

I am running over all the suggestions and putting together a new concept.

 

[Matthew]

i would definetly stay with quad core espically with the games you stated. dx10 games will use quad cores

stay with q9550 imo and overclock to 3.8-4.0.

q9550 is about 10% faster than q6600.

definetly get gtx 280 if you want to play 1900x1200. they are super cheap now and will keep you at very high-high settings at you rez for a while

if you can wait have a look at the reviews and prices on 55nm GTX 260 otherwise gogo gtx 280

tbh, if you look around you can get alot cheaper, and if your not in a rush wait a bit and prices might come down a bit?

 

[Vos17]

well i won't be building this for a month or two. Just very close to getting all the money i need. lol

I am thinking about the q6600 tho.. read that u can overclock it to really nice speeds. and also im thinkin about gettin a hd4870 over the gtx cuz
in the games im gonna play, the performance on both were equal.

 

[megamanx00]

For the GPU go with either a 4870 1GB or a 260 core 216. The 4870 does better in some games while the 260 core 216 does better in others. Of course, if that nVidia card is overclocked it can offer performance pretty close to the GTX280. You may also want to consider spending a little more on the motherboard to get one with dual PCI-E 8x (16x length) slots so that you can add in another 4870 for more performance. If you're going to wait a while though you may want to look for the refresh of the 4870.

Anyway your build looks pretty good.

 

[Matthew]

well i won't be building this for a month or two. Just very close to getting all the money i need. lol

I am thinking about the q6600 tho.. read that u can overclock it to really nice speeds. and also im thinkin about gettin a hd4870 over the gtx cuz
in the games im gonna play, the performance on both were equal.

id stick with the q6600 as it performs just as well. if your lucky and get a good q6600, you can overclock to like 3.6-3.8 on air.

4870 (1gb) and gtx 280 and 260 are all very good cards and will serve you well throughout 2009. id suggest going for the cheapest one at the time of buying to keep the system nice n cheap

with these changes you can keep this system at around 500-600 then and use the money you saved later on to upgrade. maybe even cheaper if your not lazy and search hard.

also i wouldnt personally go with a crosfire gpus or dual pci mobos. just get a single card that kicks ass for what you want it to do. By 2010 the 295 or something even better will be like what you paid for your current gpu so no point paying loads for cards that date fast.

 

[Vos17]

Here is what i have.

- Corsair 750watt
- DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS motherboard
- Intel Q6600 processor
- Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120mm "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler
- G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
- SAPPHIRE 1GB Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

Price: 765$

I like everything except for the motherboard, i been looking at others but i need one that's at least 1066fsb even though i will overclock my processor to 1333fsb, i believe i would need one that supports the lower end going into the upper end.

Believe what i have will run games well into 2010? Not saying ultra high, but still playing games at a reasonable graphic quality and without lag for awhile =]

 

[Matthew]

Ya you should definetly be able to play most of the games at least at highish settings at 1900x1200, although you may have to lower AA and AF ofc

 

[mexpedip]

Upgrade the mobo to an X38/48 so you have the option of full x16 crossfire in the future.
GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS5 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128332

or

DFI LP DK X48-T2RSB PLUS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136054

or

ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219

Like any system, if you upgrade your GPU in the future it should extend the life of the system by at least a year.

Think of it this way. The benchmark for graphics is Crysis. Even crytek further optimized crysis warhead because of the overwhelming requirements of crysis. No game manufacturer is going to push out a game that is that big of a jump in hardware requirements because that is what kept the first crysis from becoming anything other then a benchmarking tool. Hell, most games do not even utilize quad cores yet. So yes, that system will work fine into 2010.

 

[Akebono 98]

Whatever you do, don't get that *P35* DFI Lanparty mobo.

And you won't be saturating the Crossfire x8 link with a 4870, so just go with P45 boards--you don't really need to pay extra for an X48 board here, unless you wanted to run two 4870x2 video cards and I don't think that's your style.

What I'd suggest is the Asus P5Q-E, a high quality board that leaves you room to add a second 4870 later in Crossfire, if you so wish. It has more than enough OC potential for your Q6600 and RAM.

And since you are not going to build for a month or two, then if you're looking at 4870s what I'd suggest is to wait for the Sapphire 4870 1GB Toxic Edition, which has a better cooler.

This will meet your criteria stated up front very well, and provide you with good economy.


P.S. You sure I can't convince you to save a few extra dollars with that red PCP&C 750 watter? It would go really well with that RED led fan on the 932 HAF... :lol:

 

[Vos17]

Thanks alot for your post, extremely helpful and not any nvidia fan boys flaming me, woohoo! lol.
thanks for tellin me it will be good into 2010, that was a goal of mine.
Elder scrolls V FTW!!! >.<

and to your p.s., im not sure, i know the corsair PSU is very good quality and even is backed up by a 5 year warranty =]

 

[Vos17]

On the Asus P5Q-E, its 1333/1600FSB, wouldn't my 1033 processor not work? or will it just downgrade the FSB until i overclock it to at least 1333?

^---pretty sure i just answered my own question, but still, wanted to know

 

[Akebono 98]

PCP&C is every bit as good as Corsair and I use PCP&C myself. It also has a 5 year warranty. Normally I wouldn't have said anything given that you chose Corsair TX750, but right now the PCP&C 750 is exceptional value at $80, and would save you $30. OK, that and the fact that the discount for the red color is now a running joke on these forums. But you do have a HAF...

The Asus board's BIOS will automatically recognize the Q6600's 266 MHz FSB when booting initially. After that, it's up to you to overclock--it allows FSB settings from 200-800MHz.

FTW!

 

[Vos17]

Soo, i can use it, just have to overclock it before i can actually use my computer?

 

[Akebono 98]

Sorry about the confusing semantics on my last post.

What I mean is that the Asus board's BIOS will auto-detect the Q6600, boot and run it forever at stock 266 FSB, no overclocking required.

After you've made sure everything works properly (and burn it in for a couple of days first), then you can go into BIOS and OC by changing the settings, including the FSB setting, which can be set from 200-800 FSB.

 

[Vos17]

thanks alot for the information. one thing i would love to know, is how would u rate this build in terms of gaming. How long do u think it would last before it can't even handle games and would have to play at low?

Corsair 750watt
Asus p5q-e motherboard
Intel q6600 (overclocked to at least 3.0ghz)
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120mm "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
Acer X243Wbd Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor (1920 x 1200)

 

[Akebono 98]

I think that's a great gaming rig and if I were to make an educated guess, you could probably get through 4 full years with it, as you gradually turn the settings down.

I say that because with a quad, you actually have a lot of "headroom" as games become more optimized for multi-core--more so than if we were to just say that games need more linear speed in general. The i7 would blow you away on an 8 core game, but that's going to take a while. Therefore, I don't actually think that the CPU constraint is that bad going forward.

On the GPU side, you've got room to run 4870 crossfire, which on a 24" monitor would carry you pretty far, IMO. That plus improved drivers & optimization for Crossfire over time will definitely help. A single 4870 would be good for at least 2 years and then you could consider adding a second 4870 in year 3, by which time that card would probably cost $80. Graphics isn't really limiting, IMO, because a 24" is pretty big on a desk already--monitors have to be somewhat proportional to physical space and the eye's field of view.

The only philosophical improvements I'd make for pure gaming would be to go for higher overall CPU speed: E8600, 16 phase power on the Maximus II Formula and liquid cooling. But then again, that puts you into i7 territory--that's why it's philosophical.

It would be interesting to see what others have to say on this.

 

[Vos17]

i posted a i7 build on the new systems build section, as your the person who has been giving the greatest responses so far, please feel free to go look at it yourself. =]

I got a i7 build just a few hundred more and the price for me is, well greatly affordable. just lookin at opinions on performance, and life time

 

[Akebono 98]

OK, I've posted an answer on your other thread. Now, are you ready for this analysis??

Just looking at the difference in platform costs (mobo, RAM, CPU, heatsink):

A. The i7 as you've spec'd it and with my change to the UD4P mobo costs $760.

B. The LGA 775 as you've spec'd it here costs $415.

C. The price difference is $345.

Let's say that this "old" system lasts 3 years before you wished you had an i7. So what is the future value of $345 in 3 years time? Probably somewhere between $400 and $450 (I'm simplifying). I assume that by that time, those i7 components would be old hat and would cost about the same as the LGA 775 components do today ($415).

I.e. if you banked your $345 in savings today, then in 3 years time when you want to upgrade to i7 (assuming all of your other parts can be switched over), then those savings would cover the purchase cost of those new platform parts. Funny how this little issue of the time value of money makes you indifferent between the two platforms, especially when there isn't much benefit to having an i7 today.

Conclusion: save your money and just get the LGA 775 today and don't spend unnecessary money.

Hey, I should be working for Intel's marketing department!!!

FTW!!!

 

[Vos17]

hey thanks for the post. Most people have been tryin to tell me how bad it is not to get the next big thing because of having to "future-proof" my system.
Nice to see someone who actually made me feel better about going the cheaper route. lol

 

[skander]

Hey, I should be working for Intel's marketing department!!!

@Akebono 98:

No you shouldn't. You're talking people into giving them less money and maximizing their value rather than pushing the latest and greatest bleeding edge at the high premium such technology deserves. I'd wager if you'd be Public Enemy #1. :lol:

Keep up the good work, though. God knows us system builders appreciate the candor. Just don't do too good of a job talking me out of my Core i7 build in the thread I'm about to make.

 

[Akebono 98]

Many thanks, Skander. I'll definitely help you build a sweet i7!!!

 

[Vos17]

soo.. are u tellin me to stick wit the quad or i7? lol

Didn't know if there was anything about that in there XD