I7 Gaming Rig for around $1000 w/monitor

[jimconrad]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP unless there are problems with the choices

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: sim racing, crysis, top new games

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Need everything

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or reputable sites with good deals

PARTS PREFERENCES: intel

OVERCLOCKING: Yes / SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes for later on but not now.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 22 inch monitor with res for gaming

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: like it to be quiet/graphics at max



BenQ E2200HD 22" Full HD LCD Monitor - 2ms, 10000:1, DVI, HDMI, VGA, Audio in, Headphone Jack
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4199416&Sku=B145-E2200HD%20CA
200 plus shipping

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P Combo Price: $462.99 Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&Tpk=cooler%20master%20rc%20690 69.99

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=N82E16827151176 $25.99

XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029&Tpk=XIGMATEK%20Dark%20Knight-S1283V%20120mm%20Long%20Life%20Bearin $37.98

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS750QBL 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703019 129.99

$4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003&Tpk=Tuniq%20TX-2%20Cooling%20Thermal%20Compound

Western Digital Caviar GP WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136337 129.99

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 89.99

Let me know what I am missing, any mis-matched parts, possible substitutions that have better combo rebates and how this will fair in the future by adding video cards and overclocking.

 

[Outlander_04]

it will struggle to display anything on a monitor without a graphics card of some sort

 

[skora]

i7 at that budget is tough if you need everything! OS is another hit of $110, GPU will be $110-$200. Needing as much as you do and only gaming, AMD is probably your best bet.

Check this post I'm trying to make a regular thing. It will show what is realistic and possible right now at a $1000 budget.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=269190&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
Might have to settle for a $4870 1gb and the x3 to get the budget for keyboard/speakers/mouse. Also shopping more than one sight can save some money, but the i7 is a stretch.

 

[jimconrad]

oops.

EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475

I think I need to redo the final price. Just over 1400. Ok, it is way over 1400 but not quite out of the question as long as it is a solid system. And yes it is basically for gaming.

 

[jimconrad]

I like that AMD build. The difference in price being 4-500 dollars. can the difference be made up in how long the i7 build will last?

 

[skora]

AM3 systems will have a solid upgrade path also. With the philosophies of AMD, probably better than Intel. The i7 will last a little longer than the AMD, but for the price premium, you'll be able to get a newer AMD processer when the next gen comes out and still be ahead. For gaming, quad cores are still far from being stressed and the tri cores do very well. Your money is better spent in GPU upgrades.

 

[jimconrad]

Please explain what future upgrades will or are available for the AMD build.
I am looking at reviews on the AMD build components.

 

[skora]

There's nothing on the books that I'm aware of, but the same holds for intel. Both will be working on die shrinks of their current processors. But AMD showed again that it really factors in upgradability when launching new technology. Look at the AM3 processor launch. They made sure the AM3s could be used in AM2/AM2+ boards so to get a CPU upgrade that really did outperform the last line, all you did was buy the new CPU. When AM3 has come and gone and the next CPU line hits, hopefully it will be backward compatible and you'd just need a CPU upgrade, and not go to a whole new platform. With intel, if you want an i7 or i5, you have to start all over with the guts of your system.

 

[jimconrad]

Can you add another video card? Just asking, it looks like you can. What kind of difference would that add?

 

[Outlander_04]

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P $125 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231200

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black $70
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD $26
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V $38
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA $130
PC Power
& Cooling Silencer PPCS750QBL 750W $130

Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD $180 [ free shipping ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009179

MSI R4890-T2D1G OC Radeon HD 4890 1GB $180 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127427
same performance as a gtx 275 but can be crossfired


$1164

and you still need windows

If you swap out the hard drive for a WD black 1 gig you save $35
if you swap the Phenom 955 for a 945 [ which you can just OC ] you save $30

Which makes it pretty much $1100 with a 23 inch monitor

 

[hunter315]

You can add another card in the future, it will generally increase your frame rates by up to 80% if the game is capable of handling two cards and the CPU isnt the limiting factor. You also always have the option of adding more ram which will become more important when more programs become 64 bit.

 

[jimconrad]

I am leaning towards Skora's AMD build http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=269190&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
Is the 650 PSU adequate for a 2nd vid card?

 

[jimconrad]

Outlander has a good AMD build also. Thanks.

 

[jimconrad]

Do some games prefer SLI vs. crossfire? Does it matter?

 

[hunter315]

Some games prefer nVidia's architecture, some prefer ATI, others dont care, look at the benchmarks for the games you want to play.

 

[jimconrad]

But you can still play them on both, correct?

 

[hunter315]

Yup, there is just a bigger difference in frame rates than most games would seems to suggest if the game has a preference, but you will still get good performance with either.

 

[jimconrad]

MONITOR $175-$20mir=$155
I always start gaming builds with the monitor. It drives the GPU and somewhat the CPU and mobo.
ASUS VH236H 23in 1920x1080 Widescreen LCD Monitor 2ms 300 cd/m2 Glossy Black Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] e=10010300


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P $125 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378

Ram $80 This was the only selection really but still is cas 7
OCZ OCZ3P16004GK 4GB PC3-12800+ (DDR3-1600+) DDR3 Memory Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] e=10008207

MSI R4890-T2D1G OC Radeon HD 4890 1GB $180 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127427

and windows and keyboard/mouse

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black $70
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD $26
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V $38
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA $130
PC Power
& Cooling Silencer PPCS750QBL 750W $130

 

[jimconrad]

MONITOR $175-$20mir=$155
I always start gaming builds with the monitor. It drives the GPU and somewhat the CPU and mobo.
ASUS VH236H 23in 1920x1080 Widescreen LCD Monitor 2ms 300 cd/m2 Glossy Black Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] e=10010300


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P $125 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128378

Ram $80 This was the only selection really but still is cas 7
OCZ OCZ3P16004GK 4GB PC3-12800+ (DDR3-1600+) DDR3 Memory Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] e=10008207

MSI R4890-T2D1G OC Radeon HD 4890 1GB $180 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127427

and windows and keyboard/mouse

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black $70
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD $26
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V $38
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA $130
PC Power
& Cooling Silencer PPCS750QBL 750W $130

 

[skora]

You'll need to factor in $110 for Windows. (should be able to find a combo and save $5)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677

A few tweaks since you're going both sites (smart)
The 955 is $10 cheaper at ZZF
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010385&prodlist=celebros

The same exact 4890 is $5 cheaper at ZZF
https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010282&ps=weekly_10010282

Same exact mobo is $4 cheaper at ZZF with free shipping
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010088

I prefer this ram over OCZs, it performs the same, but only needs 1.5-1.6v to do it. It also looks like ZZF ram inventory is biting the dust.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231200

I'd also opt for this Silverstone 750w PSU for $90 amir w/free shipping from ZZF
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010761

Those savings cover half the cost of Windows.

 

[jimconrad]

Thanks SKORA. I do need to make a decision. This cought my attention but is consideralby more in $$$$.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/269123-31-core-gaming-1000-less

The final build is at the bottom.

 

[skora]

If you're changing the budget, yes, you can always get more computer with more money. That $1100 build doesn't include the monitor, HSF, optical, or OS. So if you're spending $1400+, yes, you too can have your own i7 system. But if you need everything for $1k, its not going to happen.

 

[jimconrad]

The fact that I need everything is weighing hard on the AMD side. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[jimconrad]

AMD sold. I am bringing up each component now in a browser and see if there are any more deals. This will be the system. There seems to be a combo with that board and CPU for 300 saving 30.

 

[jimconrad]

Can I use that cooler? Newegg says up to a AMD 940.