New Gaming Build $900-$1000 - Help Me Plan a Rig!

[Manutd871]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next two weeks.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Speakers, Mouse, Keyboard, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg (or other trusted/cheap sites)

PARTS PREFERENCES: Single Video Card for simplicity? Quad core cpu? Not sure if I should get an i7 or core 2 quad or amd quadcore?

Just want to have parts/combinations that can be upgraded or maybe in the future be able to drop in a new cpu or another video card.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe a little bit

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: In the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not sure... Maybe 1920x1080? I'm looking at prob a 21" monitor?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm looking to build a new and reliable gaming rig for approx $1000. I will need almost everything!

Case: Looking for a small mid tower, Cooler Master or Antec is preferred. Maybe Cooler Master Centurion or Antex 900? Not sure which is bigger/lighter and provides quiet and great cooling.

Monitor: 21"

Hard Drive: 500GB-1TB, 7200rpm, high quality.. Is a 10000 rpm HD worth the money? how big is the performance difference?

PSU: Must be able to handle a second video card being added in the future.

RAM: DDR3?

Graphics: Something around a 4890? Nvidia or ati??

Mobo/CPU Combo: Don't know to much about what goes with what.. I'll be doing mostly gaming on this comp and running Windows 7 RC.

CPU Cooler: Dark Knight.. Have seen good things about it on here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029&Tpk=dark%20knight

Sorry I have such vague specifications but lately computer technology has gotten hard to keep up with.. Pretty much just looking for a good and reliable/stable gaming rig that can handle decent games at max graphics (don't need to run crysis at max lol)..

Thanks Again and anything is appreciated!!

 

[Why_Me]

This build gives you a few extra dollars left over for keyboard, speakers, mouse, etc...not to mention shipping and taxes.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $54.95
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009795 $74.99 ($49.99 after MIR) Free Shipping
OCZ OCZ550FTY 550W Active Power Supply Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211639 Combo Discount: -$30.00 Combo Price: $244.98
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-UD2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207006 $29.99 ($14.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102830 $199.99 ($189.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card) Free Shipping*
SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166 $49.99 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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $74.99 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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145 $159.99
Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - Retail

Total: $915.86 | $868.86 w/mail in rebates

* If you want to cut the cost, go with this card down below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394 $144.99 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

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows RC 7

 

[Outlander_04]

Phenom is the best value for money right now and why_me's build makes a lot of sense .

The one change I would make is to use this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.209473
cpu and mb combo instead
The mb is full ATX , and has better chipsets that allow more stable over clocking . The 750 south bridge chip is particularly important for OC'ing Phenom
As a bonus its also $35 cheaper .

 

[meatwad53186]

Try this this build. I know it's a little more expensive, but you should see a little bit more power, it should OC further, and you'll have a board that will last you longer because it is an AM3 board. It is more expensive, but I feel it would be worth it to take this path and then hold off on the monitor for a paycheck or two depending on your situation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $79.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail $99.99 (79.99 after $20 MIR)


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211660 Combo Discount: -$70.00 Combo Price: $374.99
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207006 $29.99 ($14.99 after $15.00 MIR)
Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359 $199.99
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231200 $64.99
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBPI - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $74.99
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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $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: $950.92 / $915.92

And as everyone always says, save money on an OS until March 2010 and dl Win7 64 bit