1000 to 1300 gaming system

d2000

June 30, 2009 1:36:27 AM

Hi guys, I'm building a computer for a friend. I have selected a few parts and I wondering if I can get any recommendations on better components or things I should cut out. Dead line is next weekend, so in one week. Budget can be stretched a little(maybe an extra 100 to 200 dollars), He hasn't given me a set number just around 1000 to 1300.

Core i7 build
Cpu : Core i7 920

Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-EX58 UD3R

Video card : Sapphire 4870 1GB Crossfire

Memory : G.Skill 6GB(3x2gb) 1600 (PC3 12800) DDR3]

Power Supply : CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W

Case : Antec Nine Hundred mid tower

Hard drive : Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB
Optical : LG Blueray 6X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model GGC-H20L

Cpu cooler :

All came out to be about $1,300
My friend asked me to build the best computer for about 1000. He only wanted specially Dual video cards with 1gb and a Quad core cpu.

System use:
General use, Gaming, Something that can take a beating and not slow down
My friend likes to play Age of Connan, World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead, other Valve Source games, and eventually will be playing Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and maybe some other new mmo like Aion. I know he doesn't play crysis or anything that is on the bleeding edge.
He also wants to play on his 40" samsung LCD HDTV so no monitor is needed. I don't know how demanding this will be on the video card. I know 1080p HDTVs have a lower resolution so I'm not sure if the screen size being much bigger than a 22-30" lcd monitor will have an effect.
He also has a ps3 for blueray but I included a drive so he can have the functionality.
Other notes:
I planned out a system with the Intel Q6600 and with 4gb of ram. I can definitely reach the budget goal but I also want his system to have some future upgrade paths. I know from reading other threads about socket lga775 platform losing future support but if anyone wants to throw in their opinion, I might reconsider.
I selected two amd 4870's but I read there are alot of complaints with the cards overheating which makes me afraid. I read alot of people had to run the fans at much higher than stock speeds. Also if the cards are running in crossfire, there won't be alot of airflow space between the cards.
I thought about two geforce gtx 216 core in sli but the price is slightly higher about 169.99 vs 159.99 Geforce GTX 260 216core
I don't know how well they perform compared to each other but I think I read from a previous article they are about on par.

I plan to overclock the cpu but I might leave the graphics alone.(afraid of the heat)
Operating system will be Windows 7 home premium 64-bit.

Please excuse my formatting, I read through the sticky about posting. Been trying frantically to edit the url tags but I just can't seem to get them right. I want to appologize if I'm forgetting something but I tried my best to include everything.

More about : 1000 1300 gaming system

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r_manic

June 30, 2009 11:39:58 AM

Personally, you may not have to OC the graphics at all, as that 4790 should pack enough power to run your friend's HDTV at max settings. You should also check the refresh rate of the TV to see if it can keep up with the card. Any particular reason why you decided to go with ATI?

Aside from that, your choice of components seems fine.

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rescawen

June 30, 2009 12:59:33 PM

buy comp when D3 SC2 and Aion comes out

Though if u wanna rush it then go for the haf922 instead of antec900.

Your system build for your friend is a total overkill. A PII940 with ddr2 4gb 800mhz and a 4890 vapro-x would do the job.

Remember human eye cant detect any diffrences after 35 fps, so my suggestions saves some money and will be better for ur heat phobia. Vapor-x 4890 is the coolest card with good capabilities and nvidia cards are really hot other wise id go for nvidia.

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d2000

June 30, 2009 5:35:17 PM

Thank you for your replies.
I guess the build is overkill but I think my friend wants the most he can get so he won't have to buy anything else for a while. Well, something new always comes out every 6 months are so.

I really wanted him to get a core i7 because it might last him for a while longer then the PII x4. I know PII is no slouch but I guess maybe I've been reading too many articles/benchmarks. I think the PII is still a perfect match for price/performance for what it'll be used for.

I decided to go for the ATI because I know/read more about the 4000hd generation of cards compared to the GTX series. Also price was factored in with my decision.

Are there any GTX cards that are comparable to the 4890 that you can recommend? price/performance wise.

I also mentioned in my first post about my friend wanting to have dual cards; Should I even deal with crossfire/sli? I realize there might be some driver issues with games. The price for the 4890 vapor x was 229 on newegg, Will it be better if i get him one of those and crossfire down the line or opt for a crossfire setup with some other cards?

Again thanks for the posts, I appreciate it.

\
The Tv's refresh rate is 120hz.

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Why_Me

July 1, 2009 12:44:21 AM

rescawen said:

buy comp when D3 SC2 and Aion comes out

Though if u wanna rush it then go for the haf922 instead of antec900.

Your system build for your friend is a total overkill. A PII940 with ddr2 4gb 800mhz and a 4890 vapro-x would do the job.

Remember human eye cant detect any diffrences after 35 fps, so my suggestions saves some money and will be better for ur heat phobia. Vapor-x 4890 is the coolest card with good capabilities and nvidia cards are really hot other wise id go for nvidia.

Iv'e been playing FPS for years now. And I would much rather have a nice clean 60fps with no lag, then 35fps any day. In fact if I'm getting under 40 - 50 fps in any game I'm working on improving my fps. I would never be happy with 35fps in a fps game.

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