- Jun 23, 2009
- 11
- 0
- 18,510
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: <1-2 months, uncertain at this point
BUDGET RANGE: ~$1200 including two monitors
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (specifically GTA IV, Orange Box, Far Cry 2, Live for Speed, and WoW), Internet browsing/multitasking, some movie watching, and the occasional Photoshop CS3 use.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: The few things I wont use from scratch are an old keyboard, mouse, and some speakers. I'm curious to see if my ancient 8 year old $2000 AMD build
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com. I havent bothered with anything else; have no reason. Tiger Direct doesnt have nearly as large of a selection, and the few parts they do have always have cost more
PARTS PREFERENCES: Dual monitors (looking towards 19"s) and full tower case are the only things specifically in stone. As nice as one big one is, multitasking is so much more efficient in parallel. Also want a quad core, as from what I've read and researched, GTA IV is most pleased with it.
OVERCLOCKING: Unlikely. Minor tweaks/boosts yes, but nothing dramatic any time soon.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: At first, no. The plan is to get one card as a solid performer, then in the future, get an identical card when upgrading is necessary.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680 x 1050, as I plan on twin 19"s
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Function over form, being realistic, etc. It doesnt have to look particularly pretty, I dont care about an array of LEDs, etc. etc. I'm expecting some mass air flow and redundant/overkill fans, just because I have them and the chance to use them. A cool computer is a happy computer..right?
The two things I plan to splooge on are the GPU and the processor.
Here's what I have so far:
XClio Windtunnel case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
I rather like this case...its like an over-sized PS2 with big fans on the side. I plan on disabling the LEDs though.
AMD Phenom II x4 920 2.8 gHz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103472
Originally was looking at the 940 (3.0 black edition yadda yadda), but this chip appears to be identical, just cheaper and clocked lower. The plan was to reclock it at 3.0 for now and save a few bucks. I really dont think an i7 build is worth it at my bracket, as they seem to be so much more expensive and too far out of a range I'm willing to pay.
Asus M4N72 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131367
Friend of mine who knows more than I about builds has had good experience with this mobo and will be considering the same one for his own build. I took his word for it, though originally was leaning towards this Gigabyte ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387 ). I decided to go with Asus because of video card concerns with a plan to eventually run in SLI (AMD chipset vs. nForce)
GTX 260-216: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330
Over roughly the past month, I've been replacing parts almost daily, especially processors and vid cards. I eventually chose this one because of the package deal with Far Cry 2 (I have no interest in the Call of Duty series), so even though an HD 4890 is close in price (especially because of the cheaper mobo), I'd still have to purchase the game separately. It's really such a small price difference at this point that could change quickly.
4 GB DDR2-1066: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289
I think this is an excellent deal for RAM. Great price ($45, hoping the MIR goes through), especially for the speed. Since, once again, I see AM3/X58/i7/DDR3 a little out of my reach, it really doesnt seem worth it to pay so much more right now for the gains.
500 GB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320
I'm told this is a good HDD for a gamer's build. Originally I was considering the 750 GB version, but its only because I'm just frustrated with having to reorganize my laptop so often since I only have 100 GB to work with...a great portion of which is Vista, WoW, and a separate 10 GB dedicated by Dell for backup and such.
Corsair 850W PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
A bit of overkill for the system, but the idea is to eventually run another 4 gigs and another GTX 260-216 at upgrade time. Parts will be incredibly cheap by then and I want, if nothing else, the PSU and case to last. Also, the case has a combo deal for $25 off in conjunction with the case. As such, I think its a good deal, though if you have a better one, by all means post it!
Acer 19" 1680x1050 x2 monitors: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127
I've decided on dual 19"s and have been eyeing these since last Black Friday. The only things to survive a theoretical build since. Since I want two monitors, I cant justify even a single 22"+ monitor that costs as much as two of these; even though a nicely sized main screen and a 17-19" would be cool, I doubt I could do it on the cheap.
Samsung DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
Of course, all of them are out of stock for now, but hopefully that wont be the case when I build my setup. I only picked it as an optical drive with the highest ratings anyways. I doubt I'll be doing much burning at all, but even my newest optical is 4-5 years old..it seems most logical to just get a new one instead of tearing into a working computer.
802.11g wireless adapter card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041
I love having internet anywhere in my (small) house. As long as the connection is good, speeds are excellent. Anyways, I dont have an Ethernet port in my room and running one all the way out to the router is out of the question.
64 bit Vista with an "Upgrade-to-7" coupon: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677
$110 for Vista, then 7 when they're ready to release it. An equivalent standalone 7 costs $200, plus I'd have to wait for it anyways. I dont think there's a less expensive DX10 compatible option here.
It all comes out to $1209.89 as of July 1 before combos and MIR discounts. After all of that, $1124, mind you that includes 2 monitors and a WiFi card.
At this point, Im strongly considering a 21.5/17 combo monitor setup instead of twin 19s. I will enjoy more gaming and such and dont need a large second monitor as much as a main one. I'm also considering going for 64 bit 7 RC until March 2010..essentially a free OS, to save $100 for now.
BUDGET RANGE: ~$1200 including two monitors
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (specifically GTA IV, Orange Box, Far Cry 2, Live for Speed, and WoW), Internet browsing/multitasking, some movie watching, and the occasional Photoshop CS3 use.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: The few things I wont use from scratch are an old keyboard, mouse, and some speakers. I'm curious to see if my ancient 8 year old $2000 AMD build
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com. I havent bothered with anything else; have no reason. Tiger Direct doesnt have nearly as large of a selection, and the few parts they do have always have cost more
PARTS PREFERENCES: Dual monitors (looking towards 19"s) and full tower case are the only things specifically in stone. As nice as one big one is, multitasking is so much more efficient in parallel. Also want a quad core, as from what I've read and researched, GTA IV is most pleased with it.
OVERCLOCKING: Unlikely. Minor tweaks/boosts yes, but nothing dramatic any time soon.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: At first, no. The plan is to get one card as a solid performer, then in the future, get an identical card when upgrading is necessary.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680 x 1050, as I plan on twin 19"s
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Function over form, being realistic, etc. It doesnt have to look particularly pretty, I dont care about an array of LEDs, etc. etc. I'm expecting some mass air flow and redundant/overkill fans, just because I have them and the chance to use them. A cool computer is a happy computer..right?
The two things I plan to splooge on are the GPU and the processor.
Here's what I have so far:
XClio Windtunnel case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
I rather like this case...its like an over-sized PS2 with big fans on the side. I plan on disabling the LEDs though.
AMD Phenom II x4 920 2.8 gHz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103472
Originally was looking at the 940 (3.0 black edition yadda yadda), but this chip appears to be identical, just cheaper and clocked lower. The plan was to reclock it at 3.0 for now and save a few bucks. I really dont think an i7 build is worth it at my bracket, as they seem to be so much more expensive and too far out of a range I'm willing to pay.
Asus M4N72 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131367
Friend of mine who knows more than I about builds has had good experience with this mobo and will be considering the same one for his own build. I took his word for it, though originally was leaning towards this Gigabyte ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387 ). I decided to go with Asus because of video card concerns with a plan to eventually run in SLI (AMD chipset vs. nForce)
GTX 260-216: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330
Over roughly the past month, I've been replacing parts almost daily, especially processors and vid cards. I eventually chose this one because of the package deal with Far Cry 2 (I have no interest in the Call of Duty series), so even though an HD 4890 is close in price (especially because of the cheaper mobo), I'd still have to purchase the game separately. It's really such a small price difference at this point that could change quickly.
4 GB DDR2-1066: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289
I think this is an excellent deal for RAM. Great price ($45, hoping the MIR goes through), especially for the speed. Since, once again, I see AM3/X58/i7/DDR3 a little out of my reach, it really doesnt seem worth it to pay so much more right now for the gains.
500 GB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320
I'm told this is a good HDD for a gamer's build. Originally I was considering the 750 GB version, but its only because I'm just frustrated with having to reorganize my laptop so often since I only have 100 GB to work with...a great portion of which is Vista, WoW, and a separate 10 GB dedicated by Dell for backup and such.
Corsair 850W PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
A bit of overkill for the system, but the idea is to eventually run another 4 gigs and another GTX 260-216 at upgrade time. Parts will be incredibly cheap by then and I want, if nothing else, the PSU and case to last. Also, the case has a combo deal for $25 off in conjunction with the case. As such, I think its a good deal, though if you have a better one, by all means post it!
Acer 19" 1680x1050 x2 monitors: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127
I've decided on dual 19"s and have been eyeing these since last Black Friday. The only things to survive a theoretical build since. Since I want two monitors, I cant justify even a single 22"+ monitor that costs as much as two of these; even though a nicely sized main screen and a 17-19" would be cool, I doubt I could do it on the cheap.
Samsung DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
Of course, all of them are out of stock for now, but hopefully that wont be the case when I build my setup. I only picked it as an optical drive with the highest ratings anyways. I doubt I'll be doing much burning at all, but even my newest optical is 4-5 years old..it seems most logical to just get a new one instead of tearing into a working computer.
802.11g wireless adapter card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041
I love having internet anywhere in my (small) house. As long as the connection is good, speeds are excellent. Anyways, I dont have an Ethernet port in my room and running one all the way out to the router is out of the question.
64 bit Vista with an "Upgrade-to-7" coupon: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677
$110 for Vista, then 7 when they're ready to release it. An equivalent standalone 7 costs $200, plus I'd have to wait for it anyways. I dont think there's a less expensive DX10 compatible option here.
It all comes out to $1209.89 as of July 1 before combos and MIR discounts. After all of that, $1124, mind you that includes 2 monitors and a WiFi card.
At this point, Im strongly considering a 21.5/17 combo monitor setup instead of twin 19s. I will enjoy more gaming and such and dont need a large second monitor as much as a main one. I'm also considering going for 64 bit 7 RC until March 2010..essentially a free OS, to save $100 for now.
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