Mid-level Gaming

[LxRogue]

I'm just looking for a semi-decent gaming computer. I've had a laptop for the past 3.5 years and it can just barely play Half Life 2. This would be my first time building my own PC. I'd like to buy it within the next week or two; no rush. I'm looking to keep the budget under $750 including a monitor.

I'll probably get most parts from newegg. If there's a better deal from frys or amazon I might do that.

Here are the parts i'm considering so far:

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103675
AMD Phenom II X4 945

I'm considering lower level AMD's too. Would other 3 or 4 core models be a better deal? Intel i5 comes out this week i guess? It seems like it would cost a bit more though.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130228
AM3 AMD 770-C45

Seems like a fairly basic board, but it looks good enough, and i don't want SLI or Crossfire

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187086
9800GT 1GB

Most mid-level cards are 512MB, i've heard 1GB is worth paying for though. Will that make a noticeable difference for most games? I'm aiming for 1680x1050 resolution.

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141498
3x2GB DDR3

Just the cheapest DDR3 i could find. Lots of people seem to just use 4GB, is that enough? Vista seems so resource-heavy.

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358
Western Digital 500GB SATA


Should I get any certain case or PSU? After browsing, I think shouldn't need to spend more than $80-100 on both.

Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

 

[batuchka]

AM3 runs dual channel so 2 x 2 is about right for RAMs Well i wouldn't advocate cheaping out on RAMs but a DDR3 1333 CL7 pair would be nice ^^ 1GB video RAM is nice for say 1920 x 1080 resolution but then again i'd slap that on a card like GTX 260/HD 4870 ideally hehe. A suggested config

 

[skora]

Before I spec out a system, need to know if you have anything to use for this rig. Keyboard, mouse, speakers? Or is this complete ground up build?

 

[LxRogue]

Yeah i have keyboard, mouse, and speakers already.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm perhaps an addition of a $30 SATA DVDRW then ^^

 

[LxRogue]

Yeah i guess i might as well buy one new since they're so cheap.

I didn't see that combo deal with the ATI 4870 1GB card, but even then its $175. What ATI chip is comparable to NVIDIA 9800GT? Because the one i found was 1GB for $110.

 

[Guest]

The ATI's answer to the 9800GT is the 4830.

Edit: For more information on ATI and Nvidia equivalent cards check here.

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2387-7.html
(^ Also includes the best bang for your buck on video cards for the month of August.)

Edit2: Here is a great video card for $5 cheaper.
XFX 4850 - $105 (Labor Day deal only, originally $135)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

The 4870 will thrash a 9800gt. For that resolution you will want more card. I've got a 9600gt 512 myself, about 15-20% less than say a 512 mb 9800gt, and I game at 1650x1080, I can tell a slowdown at times.