I7 gaming rig <$1000

[jrhilsch]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Over the next 1.5 months

BUDGET RANGE: <$1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, surfing, longevity, music, movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, keyboard, mouse, PSU, cd/dvd drive (listed below)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, ebay

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Eventually

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Samsung t220 1600x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My wife has allotted me $1000 to build a PC. My 6 year old dell has been getting slower and slower, and at this point can't handle any new games. My plan is to purchase parts over the next 1.5 months and catch as many great deals/sales as possible. I'm completely addicted to ebay, and search out every item on my list daily to try and snag something cheap. I really want this computer to last for a while, with room to make upgrades for the future. Also, being that I won't be building this unit for 1.5 months (summer time, I'm a teacher), I would like to include windows 7, although I'm not including this in my budget. (haven't told the wife yet that a new system build doesn't come with an OS... oops). And heres the list so far.

Case: LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112100
(I showed my wife the rc-690 and the antec 900, and she decided they looked like transformers, and therefore would not have either be in the house. I went with Lian Li because I prefer function over aesthetics)

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail $100 (bought already)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

CD/DVD drive:LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM $23 (bough already)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail $289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Mobo: ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

Video card: EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

RAM: OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $91
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227375

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

Total w/o shipping or rebates: $1113
Total w/ rebates: ~$1049

I already bought the PSU and CD/DVD drive for the prices above. With those purchases, I'm left with $877 in my budget.

The total for my parts w/o PSU and drive: $990 not including reabates and combos

Total with rebates and combos: ~$926


Looking to shed a few bucks and get my build a little closer to or under my budget.

 

[sassan]

Take a look at Antec 300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=antec%20300 $54.95

Get this hard drive instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $79.99
It's faster and more space.

Get this ram instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 $94.99

Fast timming and DDR3 1600 therefore faster.
Now your computer should load games faster and load your PC fast to.

Your total is now: $1081.93 before shipping and handling with psu including

if with psu it would be $981.93 still 110 dollars above budget.

If you don't want 6gb of ram for 64bit operating system then go with 3*1 gb of ram, your performance will not be hurt.

You can change your video card and get a ATI 4870 or a 4850, should be good for your resolution.

Therefore if we don't change your hard drive and then change some other stuff:

Video card:
ATI 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161268 $169.99

Ram:
OCZ GOLD 3*1 low timming and fast speed
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227368 $59.99

Case:
Antec 300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=antec%20300 $54.95

Hard Drive:
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136320

 

[jrhilsch]

sassan:
HDD: How can I tell that the 640GB is faster than the 500GB from the specs?

Case: How is the antec 300 quality? Everything I read about Lian Li is all about quality. Not to dis Antec or anything because the Antec 900 was my second choice. I just like the $40 savings on Lian Li this month.

RAM: Will I notice a differnce from 1333 to 1600? I was shopping for better times and therefore picked the CAS 7. And should I be afraid of 1.65V instead of 1.5?

Video Card: I would like to stick with nVidia because I play DoW, and it has the nVidia logo on the game. So I'm figuring it will run better with a gtx 260.


oceanian:
I appreciate the compliment on my build. It's nice to here that my research paid off (because my wife sure wouldn't compliment me on this "waste of time"). I completely agree with you about the state of the economy. So much of our problems now stem from lack of spending. Even buying the little stuff with help stimulate our close to dead economy. I hate to be "that guy" but this economy has been great for my wife and I. I'm a math teacher and therefore have more job security than the president. I don't make much money, but my income hasn't changed, but prices on EVERYTHING have gotten cheap! I've been buying more stuff than I ever have before.

I actually check the hot deals forum here all the time. Can't get enough of those great deals! i7 920 $229 at microcenter!!!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You can't tell that the 640GB drives are faster based on the specs. It all comes down to platter density. The 640GB drives have higher data density which makes them faster.

I've been very pleased with the Antec 300 case. It seems like the $40 difference would help you get to your budget without having to sacrifice the quality of any of the core components. If you're looking to shave off a few dollars, the Antec 300 is a great option IMO.

Up to 1.65v is safe for the i7 CPU's. You don't want to go over 1.65v, though.

 

[xthekidx]

Here is a great deal on a GTX 260:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409

Going with the GA-EX58-UD3R would cut the price by $40 or so:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375

+1 Antec 300

 

[sassan]

The msi gtx 260 is faster to with factory OC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127409 Get this one for sure.

The motherboard is good to for being on budget, should perform close to the P6t, only drawback is you have 4slots for ram. If you are considering going with SLI in the future you can update the bios and it will support it.

xthekidx please correct me but maybe he should go with a 650w I think it would more then enough for his setup, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 $99