Another Advise thread! new system, GPU help (Budget Gamer)

mass zero

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Jul 16, 2009
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Hi guys, im building a new system and am starting from ground up. i havnt built a system since the days of Sempron...(what good days those were) and i finally have the extra cash to do it. so let me get to the point, i would like to keep it under $600 after rebates and such.

i have not chosen a GPU, but im leaning towards a 4870 because of price point. here is a list of all, through newegg.com (preferred) as i live in USA.

AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

$40.00 Mail-in Rebate
$119.99


HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 HDP725050GLA360 (0A35415) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145215]

$54.99 and i have ecode for $10 off


GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
$84.99


ENERMAX PRO82+ EPR525AWT 525W ATX12V Ver.2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194034
$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
$109.99

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5C G - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145247
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$64.99 another -$10 ecode

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
$102.99
total= $425.74 (after rebates and Ecode's)

after rebates i have about $150 for GPU so any ideas

Now even though it i might not get all four cores in the 550, im ok with that but i still got a board that supports it just in case... i like Gigabyte anyways (but any other board and cpu in my price point would be appreciated. >$200) . also would include some $25 DVD case, and in the future Windows 7 and a good 24/26'' monitor. but i can worry about those later. im allowing myself $100 for peripherals also, so any ideas would be appreciated.
 

mass zero

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Jul 16, 2009
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is the extra 30 dollars worth it as it would cut into my GPU budget... stupid me i forgot about ddr3 ram, any objections to those 1333mhz Gskill stuff?
 
Nope, i have some 1333MHz gskill stuff myself, been working quite well.

Since you only have a 770 board and you cant crossfire get a 650TX since it costs the same as the one you were looking at and the 550VX costs the same.

If you get a combo deal with the 4890 it will help off set some of the cost
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.236371
But if you are willing to lower the settings a bit you can get a 4870, no good combos with them right now but they fit the $150 part of the request
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394

edit: ah i thought the 109 was after the MIR thats what threw me off.
 

mass zero

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Jul 16, 2009
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Hmm do you guys think i should just save some more cash, maybe get to $900 and buy a i5 and 5XXX card or 4890. and hopefully the ddr3 ram will go down, and ill have intel which even though i like intel, id rather have better performance for price, since thats what i5 is supposed to do i guess.

any ideas?

also do you guys thing that for the time being a 525W is enough for me. i wont be going crossfire/sli unless some miracle happens that makes it amazing more so then now. because i find that one higher performance card works better and is usually cheaper/ same price. the PSU i picked has 3 rails +12v, ive heard these work better than the 1 vrail configure, might just be marketing but i just want to be sure, i have no problem forking over another 30-40 bucks for 100/200 wattage if i need it
 

red97vette

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Aug 13, 2009
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check out the 20% off everything + free shipping at zipzoomfly.com, i know they probably dont ship as fast or are as nice to deal with as newegg, but if budget it the main concern, the 20% off (bing.com cashback) really helps (that is if you can go the 60 days before you see the "cashback" in your account. It got my build down from $1000 to just under $800.
 

jonsy2k

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Jul 29, 2009
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I generally find myself not adopting cutting edge stuff right when it comes out, at least for a few months so that the issues can be worked out.

Though since we are definitely near the cusp of a new generation, which i would wait for.

I really think its up to you to decide if you need a computer now or in a few months.