Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Building first performance PC, 800$ budget, need advice on parts

Building first performance PC, 800$ budget, need advice on parts

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Building first performance PC, 800$ budget, need advice on parts

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I'm looking to build my first gaming PC. I will have some help for constructing it, just need some suggestions for parts. I have had dell's all my life, done with giving them my money. Really appreciate any help you can give me.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: very soon, about a week or 2
BUDGET RANGE: I'm looking to pay about 800 USD

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: I'm looking for the best performance gaming pc I can get at this price

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I would like to be able to buy all the hardware together from newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Best bang for the buck really, no particular brand preferance

OVERCLOCKING: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Acer 22" 1680 x 1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Doesn't need to be pretty, I'm not even really looking to play games on highest resolution with best visuals, simply the best performace that will last me the longest.

Thanks, truly appreciated.

Add a reply

Also, I forgot to mention hard drive size is not important.

Thanks again

Reply to pprjosple

Had a couple of threads about my build options about the same price point. Mine is a no SLi option setup. If the games you wish to play can make use of SLi (Most mmo's, RPG's Strategy games don't, FPS do), Then you will want to build an SLi setup.

One additional point would be to make sure you have a Vista or XP OS for games. I will be creating a dual boot system with Win7 to be able to play games as Win7's XP mode is only "virtual" and will not play most games well. Make sure to read the forums of your favorite games to get the OS best suitted for your specific needs.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] w=0&nojs=0

Reply to halt

This build is set up so that you can add another vid card later on for Crossfire.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042 $59.95 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.201928 Combo Discount: -$5.00 Combo Price: $224.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103471 $189.99 Free Shipping*
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231166 $54.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161276 $189.99 ($169.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319 $69.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151171 $25.99
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM

Total: $815.88 | $775.88 w/mail in rebates

* same build but with 4870

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150394 $149.99 Free Shipping*
XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Double Lifetime Manufacture Warranty

Total: $775.88.88 | $755.88 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us [...] ID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows RC 7

Message edited by Why_Me on 06-27-2009 at 10:47:48 AM

------------------------------ "God invented Google so you would stop asking stupid questions."
Reply to Why_Me

+1, no need for any other replies. That is perfect. Why me you should write articles about diffrerent building ranges. WOW that build is perfect except a after market cooler would give the 940 a push to 3.6 or 3.8

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to rescawen

rescawen wrote :

I would have put one in that build but the OP stated he had no intention of over clocking.

------------------------------ "God invented Google so you would stop asking stupid questions."
Reply to Why_Me

well its still a really solid build even if the OP doesnt want to OC

Reply to Ahslan

Thank you so much!

I really don't plan to overclock, but I will however do some research on it because I may choose to in the future.

Wow thanks again

Reply to pprjosple

Will the GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard be a good choice for the sake of longevity? or is it a good idea to go with a board that is capable of DDR3?

Basically I just want to know if this board and ddr2 ram will last me a long time, or if i should upgrade to ddr3.

I'm looking to make a purchase in the next day or so.
Also, I just came into an extra couple of hundred bucks so an upgrade won't be a problem.

Thanks

Reply to pprjosple

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Building first performance PC, 800$ budget, need advice on parts

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Building first performance PC, 800$ budget, need advice on parts