Budget: $750 Gaming/Work PC

[Lumpyyyyy]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I've been looking into putting together a nice little rig. I don't need to do hardcore gaming or anything of the sorts, just some games here and there and a lot of engineering work applications (3D modeling, analysis software) and possibly some light photoshop. I have put together a small list of my ideas and would possibly like some help in optimizing price vs. performance, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My budget is from $650-$800.

Not needed in build: OS, Monitor (I have 32" Sharp 720p I would like to display on), Mouse, Keyboard

Case:

NZXT Tempest ($99 - $10MIR)

CPU/Processor:

Q9400 ($189.99)

MOBO:

EVGA nForce 750i ($159.99 - $30MIR)

Video Card:

EVGA GTX 260 Core 192 ($174.99 - $20MIR)

Hard Drive:

Unsure of make, would like a 1TB drive for under $100

RAM:

4GB

PSU:

Corsair HX620 ($139.99 - $30MIR)

That's all I've got so far, please let me know your suggestions and such.

 

[Why_Me]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I've been looking into putting together a nice little rig. I don't need to do hardcore gaming or anything of the sorts, just some games here and there and a lot of engineering work applications (3D modeling, analysis software) and possibly some light photoshop. I have put together a small list of my ideas and would possibly like some help in optimizing price vs. performance, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My budget is from $650-$800.

Not needed in build: OS, Monitor (I have 32" Sharp 720p I would like to display on), Mouse, Keyboard

Case:

NZXT Tempest ($99 - $10MIR)

CPU/Processor:

Q9400 ($189.99)

MOBO:

EVGA nForce 750i ($159.99 - $30MIR)

Video Card:

EVGA GTX 260 Core 192 ($174.99 - $20MIR)

Hard Drive:

Unsure of make, would like a 1TB drive for under $100

RAM:

4GB

PSU:

Corsair HX620 ($139.99 - $30MIR)

That's all I've got so far, please let me know your suggestions and such.

Those Nvidea chipset boards are a mess. You would be better off with a P45 board.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359 $114.99 ($99.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
2 oz copper PCB + Easy Tune 6 for OC

You can save yourself some money also when it comes to that psu. A decent 550w will push that card and leave you plenty left over.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022 $79.99 Free Shipping*
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

This ram is low latency and has good timings not to mention it's on the cheap right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219 $39.99
G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

don't forget your thermal paste.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

 

[gkay09]

Well are you very specific about intel for CPU and Nvidia for the Graphics ???
Because AMD and ATI have very gud options at that price segment...

 

[Lumpyyyyy]

From what I saw performance wise from charts, it appeared that for the price, a q9400 at 180 is one of the better deals I can get. And it appeared that the GTX 260 was a good mid-end card for the price. I could be wrong let me know what you have in mind!

 

[xthekidx]

Here is a PII 940 and motherboard for $260 after a rebate, which will perform very similarly to the Q9400, better in some things, a little worse in others. AMD is producing new chips that will fit the AM2+ socket though, but Intel is pretty much done coming out with faster chips for LGA 775, so you have a bit more of an upgrade path with the AMD route.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165048

 

[Lumpyyyyy]

Here is a PII 940 and motherboard for $260 after a rebate, which will perform very similarly to the Q9400, better in some things, a little worse in others. AMD is producing new chips that will fit the AM2+ socket though, but Intel is pretty much done coming out with faster chips for LGA 775, so you have a bit more of an upgrade path with the AMD route.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165048

Motherboard and processor for 260 isn't all that bad. Although from what I've seen, a q9400 for only $179 is a heck of a deal.

Here is my current list of what I want, upped my budget slightly.

Case:

NZXT Tempest ($99 - $20MIR)

CPU/Processor:

Q9400 ($189.99)

MOBO:

EVGA nForce 750i SLI ($159.99 - $30MIR)

Video Card:

XFX GTX 260 Core 216 ($199.99 - $30MIR)

Hard Drive:

Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB ($69.99)

RAM:

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB 1066 DDR2 ($52.99 - $25MIR)

PSU:

Corsair HX620 ($139.99 - $30MIR)

Optical Drive:

Samsung SH-S223Q ($24.99)

Comes to $927.92 before MIR, and 792.92 after.

Couple questions:

1) Someone above had mentioned thermal paste... is this necessary for all builds or mostly those who OC? And does it make the build run a lot quieter/cooler? I probably will by it, just was wondering a little about it.

2) For the PSU, the HX620 has a modular design; I could save money and get a higher watt power supply for less money, but, this being my first build, would the modular design save me a ton of headaches?

3) And then, any general remarks of the compatability of the system if you have any... thanks!

 

[xthekidx]

1) if you are just running at stock speeds just use the stock cooler, it will come with thermal paste pre-applied

2) modular isn't worth paying for IMO, I would get the 650tx and use zip ties to make it pretty.

3) It'll all work well together. I would get a 640GB drive instead, it will be faster and not much more expensive. The motherboard you chose is a bit of a crapshoot, those 7 series boards have a lot of problems. I would get a P45 board instead, and the PSU you are looking at isn't strong enough for SLI or xfire anyway, so a GA-EP45-UD3L would fit the bill well. If you want to be able to play on two GPU's, then you need to get the 750tx, which I would then use with 2 4870's instead of the GTX 260's.

 

[Lumpyyyyy]

Alright, thanks for the info. Gonna go non-modular and get the 650GB as well. Couple more questions though.

1) I don't plan on doing SLI right now as it is, but down the road I may possibly want to upgrade. If I were to upgrade to a 750TX (which is 30 dollars less anyways), what motherboard would you recommend?

 

[xthekidx]

I would get a GA-EP45-UD3P and change the GPU to a 4870 1GB which is roughly equivalent to the GTX 260, better in some games, not as good in others. You cannot use Nvidia GPU's for SLI on the P45 chipset, it has to be ATI for crossfire.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358