Building a gaming/media system ~$1000

[trainwreck14]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Will periodically buy parts until I see a good price drop in the 4890

BUDGET RANGE: $1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, movies, internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, amazon

PARTS PREFERENCES: Convince me for quality parts

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, but not for a while

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, in the future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1080 to 1200p. I am looking at either a 24-27 inch monitor or just fork a little more out on a 32" LCD/ LED tv. The price difference is from about $300 to $750, leaning towards a smaller-cheaper route

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: edit- Well I bought the Corsair RAM after I looked around and found it was AMD compatible. So maybe I just accidentally made my CPU choice in an i7. Well can someone give me a good MB for an i7 with an HDMI port?

my list so far


Windows Vista Home Basic with SP1 64-bit for System Builders - 1 pack - Microsoft Software; CD-ROM

$93.79

XFX HD489AZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1.0 GB DDR5 PCI-E 2.0 Graphics Card - XFX

$194.99


Asus M4A78T-E Socket AM3/ AMD 790GX/ Hybrid CrossFireX/ HDMI/ A&V&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

$129.99


Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 XMS3 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit

$124.99

Western Digital 750 GB Caviar Black SATA 7200 RPM 32 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD7501AALS - Western Digital

$74.99

Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5

$96.99

AMD Phenom II X4 955 HDZ955FBGIBOX 3.2 GHz/6 MB L3/125W Processor - AMD

$189.00

Cooler Master Centurion 690 ATX Mid Tower Case Black - (RC-690-KKN1-GP) - Coolermaster

$69.99

The total is $974.73 Includes tax+shipping

Will be lower after corsair MIR too

I just have a few questions before I order. i know the ATI 5xxx series is coming out so would waiting a couple weeks be the best idea? How much of a price drop will the 4890 have? How much will a newly released card be?

Is there anything I can downgrade on to save a few bucks? Is it all compatible? Am I missing anything for a complete build?

thanks

 

[trainwreck14]

Can anyone help me out?

 

[psycho sykes]

Why not the i5 ?!!
Also you will never need a sound card!!
I'll update.

Medo

 

[trainwreck14]

Why not the i5 ?!!
Also you will never need a sound card!!
I'll update.

Medo

I updated my OP. The bold has been purchased because the sales on those are ending soon.

Anyway, the i5? Convince me to pick this over the AMD x4 955 which is 3.2ghz and $15 cheaper. Also I like the setup I have because the motherboard has native hdmi

 

[psycho sykes]

I'm going offline now, BBS

Medo

 

[psycho sykes]

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634&p=18
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266368-28-phenom-core-6gghz
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/1275554.html

 

[Why_Me]

That RAM you chose is a 6 gig kit of triple channel RAM meant for an i7 build.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice <--- if you could take a look at that please and fill us in on information like budget, screen resolution, etc... then it helps us help you.

 

[trainwreck14]

Ok I updated my OP again. Thanks

 

[Why_Me]

If you plan on Xfiring two of those 4890's I wouldn't chance it with a 650w psu. I put the 640 Black HD in this build for the fact it's faster than that 750 due to platter density in the dual 320's it runs. It's only a hair slower than that Raptors. This build comes with an after market h/s, great psu, ram, etc... your good to go with this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259675 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $89.98
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006382 $104.99 Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 750W QUAD S75CF Power Supply Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.246587 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $334.98 Free Shipping*
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.256454 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $254.98
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE 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=N82E16827118030 $29.99 Free Shipping*
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-136-319 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $174.98 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

Total: $989.81

 

[trainwreck14]

Hey guys I have been searching the past few days for a setup with HDMI. I have found nothing compatible with either the i5 or i7 CPU unless I buy a video card with native HDMI. Does this work correctly? Can someone give me a setup using the i5 or i7 with HDMI that is within my limit? thanks

 

[psycho sykes]

You mean integrated HDMI ports??

 

[trainwreck14]

yea

and I could really use some HDMI enlightenment

 

[psycho sykes]

I don't think there's for the fact that the 1366 and 1156 platforms don't come with IGPs and most of the GPUs now come with it native.
If you're sure you're going with the HD4890 I can find one with HDMI, a good brand for the same price or just tell me which card are you going to use.
"enlightenment"??

 

[jonsy2k]

There are no 1366 boards with onboard graphics, so yes you would need some sort of discrete card with hdmi.

 

[trainwreck14]

Enlightenment meaning I don't know much about computers and hdmi.

Do graphic card hdmi slots work the same? As in I will get audio/video out of it? I've just got it in my head that graphics card=video, with no audio output whatsoever

 

[psycho sykes]

High-end Radeon GPUs can transfer audio through HDMI ports.
So which model are you going to get?

 

[trainwreck14]

I'm waiting for the new 5xxxx series. When they are released I will make my decision based on the prices but I will probably spend about $200

As for CPU, I am leaning towards the i7 920/860 or the i5. really depends on finding the best deal though

 

[psycho sykes]

Multi-GPU = i7/1366
Single-GPU = i7-i5/1156
The HD5000 will have HDMI native in the reference models! Along with the support for up to 3 displays for models lower that HD5870 and other things. Cool!
Also for $200 the HD5770 is supposed to be released (Sep.~Oct.) and will be like 2x HD4770 but with guaranteed performance (Non-CF) and upgraded API/Sahder Model.

Medo

 

[trainwreck14]

So I've bought so far....

TX750 $120 - $20 MIR
Gigabyte UD4 $160
i5 HSF $15
Panasonic Blu-Ray $80
Corsair 1600hz 4gb DDR3 $120 - $30 MIR
Cooler Master 690 $75


I will be buying the OS, HDD, and GPU either tomorrow or early next week so I can time all of my packages for arrival the week of Oct. 5. I am buying the CPU at microcenter(have to drive an hour but it will still be cheaper than anywhere else..besides the bay area is nice to visit.) So I will be buying the CPU next weekend.

Ok.. now for the tough decision.. GPU.

I'm new to computers and I was anticipating the new ATI gpu release and I am disappointed. First off the availability sucks- zzf and newegg only carry it(which means I have to pay ass-rape 10% CA tax). Second is I thought they were releasing one closer to $200. Now my problem is whether I should just buy a 4870 for ~$150, or buy a 4890 for ~$180, or wait for better availability on the 5xxx series. I just dont want to wait any longer than when I expect the last of my shipments.,


So what should I do?

 

[Why_Me]

Unless the timings on that Corsair are 6xxx or 7xxx you got totally hosed on that memory.

 

[trainwreck14]

Unless the timings on that Corsair are 6xxx or 7xxx you got totally hosed on that memory.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3984931&CatId=3361

should I send this back??

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3984931&CatId=3361

should I send this back??

That RAM is actually a really decent deal. Great timings and it's not expensive. Nice find.

 

[psycho sykes]

HD 5770 should be released by Oct 10th or so for $200 and below..

 

[overshocks]

If you plan on Xfiring two of those 4890's I wouldn't chance it with a 650w psu. I put the 640 Black HD in this build for the fact it's faster than that 750 due to platter density in the dual 320's it runs. It's only a hair slower than that Raptors. This build comes with an after market h/s, great psu, ram, etc... your good to go with this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259675 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $89.98
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006382 $104.99 Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 750W QUAD S75CF Power Supply Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.246587 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $334.98 Free Shipping*
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.256454 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $254.98
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE 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=N82E16827118030 $29.99 Free Shipping*
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-136-319 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $174.98 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

Total: $989.81

Recheck your prices and total value. They are incorrect with the prices on the websites.

 

[Why_Me]

Recheck your prices and total value. They are incorrect with the prices on the websites.

Did you see the date on that post ? It's from September 13th. Today it is September 24th. The prices have changed. Now take a hike. I'v'e had it with your crap, now take a hike and find another board to troll.