Under Budget Gamin PC

[ppriyank]

hi guys, first thing first...GLAD TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY!!!
ok, so this is the very first time i'm doing anything like this...was originally gonna customize a computer from cyberpowerpc.com, but after readin all the negative reviews about their tech. support, and what not...i opted out to putting together my own rig.

so this is what i'm plannin on putting together...THE ONLY PROBLEM is that its a bit over my budget ($1500) so if anyone can help me cut something down...and also, i need to know if the case will fit the motherboard, and i also wanted a good AIR COOLING (either cooler master, or thermaltake), but don't know which one would fit the case...neways here's the list of what i wanna put in it...

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R -
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB -
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound -
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) -
Intel Core i7 920 -
Cooler Master HAP 932 -
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 MOBO -
EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX + - 512MB DDR3 -
Ultra X3 1000W PSU -
Logitech Wave Keyboard -
Logitech MX518 Gaming Grade Optical Mouse -

TOTAL (WITH SHIPPING) - $1576

so this is where is stand, and i still need to add air cooling...ANY SUGGESTIONS?

thanks,
Dr. P!

 

[aevm]

You could try something based on Q9550 ($320 at newegg), GA-EP45-UD3R ($105), HD 4870 X2 ($400), PC Power & Cooling 750W ($80), G.Skill DDR2-800 2x2GB ($50). It would cost less and it would be twice as good in games.

 

[aevm]

Cooling: if you follow my advice and get the Q9550 (or E8500, btw, just as good for gaming and cheaper), then Xigmatek HDT-S1283 would do the job nicely. For the i7, I like the Noctua NH-U12P ($70 at www.frozencpu.com).

Edit your original post and take your real name out. It's really a bad idea to write it on a forum.

 

[ppriyank]

thank you, but i really wanted to keep the i7 CPU...so anything with that in mind?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

I actually agree with aevm on the i7 comment. I mean it's nice and all, but I'm betting if you go with the older socket, you could get older higher end stuff and overclock, then have as good if not better performance than the i7 chip.

However, drop the ultra power supply I think. Don't get me wrong, I like Ultra products myself. But 200 bucks for that system I think you are overkilling on the power supply.

Maybe drop to something in this neighborhood.

 

[aevm]

Well, you could replace the case with a RC-690 and save about $80.

The 1000W PSU is only necessary if you intend to have three 9800GTX+ cards. For one or two the PC Power & Cooling 750W is enough. No idea how much the Ultra X3 1000W would cost you but I'm guessing more than $80.


You can always get a cheaper mouse and a cheaper keyboard, and upgrade later when you can and if you need to.

You don't need to buy an after market cooler for the i7 920. YOu can do it later when/if you decide to overclock.

I'd upgrade the HDD to a 640GB version. Those are among the fastest 7200 rpm disks available these days. The WD6401AALS in particular is very good.

 

[wip99gt]

With switching the psu to the pc power and cooling and case to the RC-690 you could upgrade your gpu to a GTX 260 or 4870 and still be under budget.

 

[ppriyank]

thank you for all the replies...the reason y i picked the 1000W PSU was because, maybe a month or two down the road, i'm def. gonna get another video card if not two...so might as well spend the money now on the 1000W so i dont have reconnect all the wires, and buy a bigger PSU later on.

as far as getting a quad core CPU, and overclocking it is concerned...well i'm not really good with computers, and like i mention this is the first time that im doin anything like this...so i have no experience with overclocking anything, plus i've heard that overclockin is bad, and it'll shorten the life of my computer.

 

[pcgamer12]

You should probably SLI GTX 280. Buy one now, then buy another later. Tri-way SLI scaling is not pretty nor worth the money. Of course, NVIDIA will prove me wrong when newer drivers are released. So Tri-way SLI scaling will improve greatly over time. But, keep in mind that your performance will depend a lot on how well-written the drivers are.

 

[ppriyank]

so i went ahead, and made changes according to you guys...this is wat the updated version looks like...

EVGA GeForce GTX 280 - $324.99 @ Tigerdirect
Intel DP45SG MOBO - $149.99 + $25 for 1 year warrenty @ Tigerdirect
Intel Q9550 w/ FREE FarCry 2 - $309.99 @ Tigerdirect
Ultra X3 ULT40064 1000-Watt PSU - $199.98 + $30 1 year warrenty @ Tigerdirect
Logitech Wave Keyboard - $49.99 @ Tigerdirect
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R - $22.99 @ Newegg
COOLER MASTER HAF - $159.99 @ Newegg
WD6401AALS 640GB - $79.99 @ Newegg
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - $5.99 @ Newegg
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 - $109.00 @ Newegg

TOTAL w/ Shipping $1505 (minus the rebates which are around $50-$75)

is that good now?

 

[aevm]

Still wrong, sorry. That case and PSU will allow you to add a second GTX 280, but the motherboard won't. If you want GTX 280 SLI you need a SLI motherboard. I don't usually recommend that because those MBs tend to be flaky and expensive.

There are some options that can give you lots of graphics power while still using a MB with an Intel chipset:
P45 (any) + GTX 295 or HD 4870 X2
P45 MB with Crossfire + two HD 4870 1GB cards
X48 MB + two HD 4870 1GB cards (better, but more expensive)
X58 MB + DDR3+ i7 920 + two GTX 280 (best, but way too expensive for my taste)

For example the motherboard you have picked would make sense with a HD 4870 1GB card, because then you'd be able to add a second card in Crossfire. It's a Crossfire board, not SLI, i.e. only ATI cards work on it in multi-GPU setups.

 

[ppriyank]

ok so i guess i'll keep the MOBO cuz its fairly cheap and i'll go with the 4870 1gb card.
other then that, everything was ok right? and keep the 1000W PSU for future 48701gb card so i can run crossfire?

thanks for ur help!

 

[ppriyank]

ok so this is what i bought...

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 w/ 1 year extended warrenty for $35. and the card itself was $240.

ANOTHER thing i wanted to know is, the ddr2 memory that i have costs me $109 for 4gb. i saw on newegg...G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 which is also dual channel for just $55. Should i get 8gb of this memory, or stick with what i have???

plz help, so i can order the parts before the prices go up.
thanks to everyone who is trying to help!

oh and i forgot to ask...the PSU says its SLI ready, so does that mean, it'll also work in crossfire when i do it later on (ATI?)

 

[aevm]

This G.Skill DDR2-800 is only $50 and has great timings.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

If you're only playing games, 4 GB is probably enough. You decide. Read this first.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/07/08/is-more-memory-better/1
If you're also using the PC for work, 8 GB may be very useful. It depends on what kind of work.

You should use Vista 64-bit to get Direct X 10 and full access to the 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM. If you have a 32-bit system, there's absolutely no point in getting 8 GB.


"SLI ready" means it has lots of PCI-E connectors. "Crossfire ready" means the same thing. No worries there. BTW, that PC Power & Cooling 750W I mentioned can also handle two HD 4870 cards all right.

 

[ppriyank]

that's perfect, it'll save me good $80. thanks for the tip. and yea i do have windows vista ultimate 64-bit so i should be okay there.

i guess i'll get all these parts...and with the saved money i'll get the coolermaster cooler its $60 might as well. the cooler that u suggested is a bit cheaper but i read the reviews and it said it was a bit harder to install, so i'll spend some extra cash and get the coolermaster w/ 8gb of memory.

NEXT STEP would be the installation...but i'll bug all of you once i get my stuff in

thanks sooo much!

 

[ppriyank]

ARGH great, i just realized...the MOBO supports DDR3 memory not DDR2...in search for a new MOBO (w/ e-sata port)

THIS is more time consuming then i thought it'd be...but i don't mind it, i'm kinda enjoying it

 

[ppriyank]

ok found this MOBO Asus P5Q-E for $155...but it says it has only 1 PCI x16 so how can it do crossfire?

 

[ppriyank]

ok so found this MOBO "MSI P45" - for $150 says has 2 PCI x16 slots, so this would be okay for crossfire right?

sorry i'm being a lil annoying, but just trying to figure it out!

 

[Outlander_04]

definitely dont get a seagate 7200.11

they last 7 minutes or less IF they arent DOA

 

[ppriyank]

yea i already changed that to WD6401AALS which is a western digital 640gb @ 7200RPM. thank though

 

[aevm]

ok found this MOBO Asus P5Q-E for $155...but it says it has only 1 PCI x16 so how can it do crossfire?

P5Q-E has 3 PCI-E slots for video cards. It does Crossfire all right. It's only $145 here.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131296&Tpk=P5Q-E

The GA-EP45-UD3P is also very good, and only $117 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&Tpk=GA-Ep45-UD3P

I'd stick with Asus or Gigabyte. Don't trust MSI that much for a MB.

 

[aevm]

ARGH great, i just realized...the MOBO supports DDR3 memory not DDR2...in search for a new MOBO (w/ e-sata port)

THIS is more time consuming then i thought it'd be...but i don't mind it, i'm kinda enjoying it

Yeah, it's fun.

The P5Q-E and GA-EP45-UD3P both have e-SATA. It's not very obvious from newegg, but if you look at the enlarged pictures you can see the e-SATA bracket. That's a device you connect to a SATA port and attach to the back of the case, and then you connect your e-SATA external HDD to it.

Also, they both use DDR2.

 

[aevm]

i guess i'll get all these parts...and with the saved money i'll get the coolermaster cooler its $60 might as well. the cooler that u suggested is a bit cheaper but i read the reviews and it said it was a bit harder to install, so i'll spend some extra cash and get the coolermaster w/ 8gb of memory.

OK, I'm lost here. Which CPU are you getting and which cooler? TBH you don't sound like an overclocker to me, and if you aren't you might as well save your $60 and not get an after market cooler. For example the Q9550 comes with a cooler already, and that cooler is good enough if you don't overclock.

 

[ppriyank]

ok, so i guess NO cpu cooler, and with the saved money, i'll get the network adaptor for wireless internet and maybe a tv tuner thanks for all the input...and i think imma go with GA-EP45-UD3P MOBO...its cheaper, and has everything i need!

as far as overclocking is concerned...i'll read it here, and deal with that issue later, and buy a cooler in future...JUST another quick question though...like Nividia...we can do 3-way SLI, can we do 3-way crossfire with ati mobo???

 

[aevm]

Not with the GA-EP45-UD3P, it only has two slots for video cards.

It's possible with a P5Q-E or a P5E3 Deluxe
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4850-and--4870-crossfirex-performance/2 or with an X58/i7 build. Some games (CoD) scale incredibly well when you add the third card, and some don't scale almost at all (Crysis). Mind you, adding a third nVidia card to a SLI setup will also work well in some games and badly in others. It's not nVidia's or ATI's fault, it's the games themselves.