Building a Gaming PC $1000 - Upgrade Help

[soul555top]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Can begin purchasing parts asap. Would like to have completed no later than Nov 09.

BUDGET RANGE: $600-1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Video Editing/Recording, Internet/Work

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers (Interested in 64-Bit OS, maybe wait for Windows 7, or get Vista now and upgrade…?) (Possibly more, listed below)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com (Used in the past, don’t see a reason to look elsewhere)

PARTS PREFERENCES: I have generally preferred Intel/Nvidia (EVGA), and although I consider myself tech savvy, I think those choices may be due to great marketing. For this build, I am willing to look into AMD and ATI options for CPU/GPU, although I am quite unfamiliar with their specs and comparisons to what I am used to.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes and No. I have a mild overclock on my current CPU, but only because my motherboard gave me a simple option to upgrade my CPU speed, and it has been stable since. I would prefer a Mobo with this kind of option.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe. I am not against this, but currently I have one 9800GTX+ and I don’t see a need for 2 cards. Mainly because if I get a newer/better card, wouldn’t one suffice? Open to ideas here.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200. With my system right now, I have to run things at medium-high settings for it to run smoothly.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I have no preference when it comes to lights and noise. I have bad hearing, so the fan buzz doesn’t affect me at all. I always have headphones or speakers on high anyways (hence the bad hearing). My main reason for posting here, is because I am interested in upgrading and building a new pc, but I want to make sure that I am significantly upgrading for the money I am spending. I have been out of the game for a while, and what I remember was the e8400/q6600 being king CPU and the new GTX2XX GPU’s just came out. I don’t know whether I should get an e8500, q9xxx, or jump up to an i5/i7? Should I get one GTX280, or 2xATI or…. I guess you get the idea. I am looking for not only build listings w/ part info, but insight into what may be the best upgrade compared to what I have already, and also the new tech and how it compares to the semi-old top of the line stuff. (As a side note, I am beginning to research the countless articles around this site and the net, but I find that a personal discussion always wins over generalized articles.)



My Current Setup:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115030
FAN: Thermaltake CL-P0257 Blue orb II CPU Cooler for LGA775 & K8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106069
Mobo: ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131227
GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N873-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130376
RAM: 4GB Patriot
Sound: X-Fi Sound Blaster
PSU: 650 Watts
HDD: 750GB Seagate
Case: Antec 300
OS: XP 32bit (Waste of RAM, yes I know)


Thanks in advance, and I hope to keep this updated as I go along.

*Edit: Just read a great post stickied at the top of this forum, will continue to gather info myself!

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.245596 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $134.90
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259651.20-231-277 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $294.98 Free Shipping*
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro 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.259651.20-231-277 Combo Discount: -$5.00 Combo Price: $184.98
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187 $30.99
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125290 $219.99
GIGABYTE GV-N275UD-896I GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total: $915.83

 

[dndhatcher]

The first commercial DX11 GPUs are being shipped next week. (The ATI 5800 series). They are going to have a major impact on the GPU situation through the end of the year. Probably a good idea to hold off on the graphics card decision for a couple weeks.

This thread (second post) has a couple bargain and gaming builds, you are somewhere in between them. Would be a good reference for you to look at.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=269162&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=3&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

You are at the price point you can probably barely afford a new intel i5 system.

 

[soul555top]

After doing some research, I have decided to go with an i5 CPU. I was checking around newegg and noticed there is some EVGA mobos with the Intel chipset, and of course Im a sucker for pretty EVGA stuff, but I am wondering aside from being slightly more $$$, is there anything I should know about mobo purchases in the Intel p55 realm?

I would also then be getting a EVGA GTX2xx card. Without breaking the bank, what would be a significant upgrade over my 9800GTX+? Anyone with actual experience upgrading from this same card?


Side note, Wow @ the combo deals in newegg. They seemed to have a combo deal for almost all the parts that interested me. Although the savings weren't huge, every penny helps.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Transmaniacon]

Why_me suggested a very nice build, the GTX275 is a fantastic GPU choice and will last you some time. If you are set on nVidia, then go with the GTX275, otherwise you can wait a week or two and see the how the new ATI58XX series performs. Most of the P55 mobos are very similar, differing mainly in heatsink quantity/quality, and number of PCIE lanes. If doing SLI/Crossfire, check to make sure you have adequate PCIE lanes available, and generally more money > better quality, as with most products.