Help with build...

[jessew6889]

So... I have been 'out of the game' for quite some time... (think pc 2700) and I need some new 'stuff'... I would like to build it myself but am pretty overwhelmed with all the options of motherboards and cpu's... Intel... AMD... I dunno, I just need help with the mobo/cpu setup (i think) but any RECENT builds would be great to look at... (maybe around $800 max price?) Honestly, ive been looking around at ebay and craigslist, and i don't even know what $800 would buy me anymore vs what it would build me... so, any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[smithereen]

$800?
Phenom II 720 $140
MSI 790FX $170
1TB HDD $80
El-Cheapo Case $60+
750W Corsair PSU $110-$20 MIR
MSI HD4850 $170 + bad game
DVD Drive $20

Total $750 - $20 MIR, plus shipping/tax/etc. Good solid all-around system, you could shave some costs some places, upgrade/downgrade in some places, whatever you want. I set this one up with gaming in mind, but let us know and we can give you better recommendations if your focus is elseware. There's not much it would be bad at, per say, except maybe for an audiophile.

 

[jessew6889]

Awesome Awesome Awesome... thats EXACTLY what I am looking for... I love the processor (although I don't understand why/how/when AMD > Intel!) Wasn't Core 2 Duo/Quad the good one? Also, I got a hold of a evga gtx 260 in a trade... hows that stack up against the hd4850? (be gentle) Can I use it instead? (would I want to?) Also... the mobo seems a bit pricy and dosn't seem overly 'special'? Sorry, I know it sounds terrible, me criticizing your recommendations based on 'special-ness'! Everything else, looks good...

 

[smithereen]

It's late... I forgot to recommend RAM. OCZ's good quality and value, if you look around. Here's some on the cheap.

A GTX 260 would be moderately faster than an HD4850.

The I got a 'featureful' motherboard because you didn't specify what you wanted your PC for. That said, overspending on motherboards is usually good, as they're inconvenient to upgrade.

However, since you have an nVidia card now, you probably want an nVidia motherboard, for possible SLi in the future.

This would be a good choice.
This is a bit cheeper.