Decent Game & Entertainment Build

[udaman]

First time building, need lots of advice!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next few weeks; BUDGET RANGE: ~1000 max

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: run graphic programs (Photoshop), surfing the internet, watching movies, gaming (high res)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: mouse, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: See below

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, need advice; SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440 x 900 or higher

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: After being tired of playing with cheap & old machines, Ended up looking to upgrade; looking for decent performance, entertainment by connecting my HT system (watch movies, gaming), settling down and not worry about upgrading for several years


INTEL C2Q Q9550 $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

ZALMAN CNPS 9700 LED HEATSINK AND FAN $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020&Tpk=ZALMAN%20CNPS%209700%20LED%20HEATSINK%20AND%20FAN

4GB KINGSTON HYPERX [2X2GB] PC9600 RAM $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104020

MSI NIVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 295 $510
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127438&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Video+Cards-_-MSI-_-14127438

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA X48 2 X PCI-E X16 [CrossFire READY] $255
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284

CORSAIR TX750W $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=CORSAIR%20TX750W

ANTEC SONATA $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

SAMSUNG SPIN MASTER F1 SERIES 1TB X2 $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102


Total Price: ~1500 (excluding shipping)

500 more then my budget? I can buy only 1 HDD but way over. Do I have to sacrifice the GPU? Need help!

 

[Outlander_04]

at 1440 x 900 there is no way you would need such a powerful gpu.

A 4850 is enough , and a single gpu 4890 or GTX 275 is overkill .

 

[Proximon]

Yep, see this new article on video cards:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2362.html

At $1500 you can build a far better i7 machine.

 

[kelfen]

at 1440 x 900 there is no way you would need such a powerful gpu.

A 4850 is enough , and a single gpu 4890 or GTX 275 is overkill .

I have to aggre that 100% overkill! anyways for that budget you might as well go the i7 routue for more value overall. you should read http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2362.html

 

[megamanx00]

First of all you can't use SLI on that motherboard as it only supports crossfire. In otherwords, you can't use two GTX295s in that board to run them in quad SLI. In light of that there isn't a reason to buy an X48 board when a decent P45 board would work and overclock just as well. Second, at that budget you should be looking into an i7 build. Third, a GTX295 for 1440x900 resolution is so overkill it's crazy.

 

[geofelt]

For home theater, you might well be looking at a 1080P monitor which is 1920 x1080 resolution.

A vga card like the GTX275 or 4890 will give you good gameplay at that resolution.
If you ever want more, dual cards is an option, but most likely it will be better in the future to just sell your current card and replace it with the next best thing.

As to the cpu/mobo/ram, you can get a i7-920, 6gb of ddr3-1600ram, and a X58 motherboard for $25 more.
You really need to consider a i7 build if you want any kind of longevity for your system.

Do you really like the sonata case enough to discard the included 500w psu? How about the Antec 300 instead?

Do you need two hard drives up front? They get cheaper over time. Why not wait until you need more space.

The zalman cooler is pretty, but you can find a better and cheaper unit. I would suggest the Xigmatek dark night:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=16

These changes should get you to your budget.

But... do you need a monitor also?

 

[udaman]

You are right. I need a monitor too (any recommedations on a 1080p monitor? haha!) I am glad to have these great advices.