Looking to buy a ~4k gaming computer

[pandamonium]

I was about to just purchase one from alienware, but I would rather learn how to build my own computer and see if I can do it cheaper, and better. If building it myself is wise, i would like some ideas on what I should spent on.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Anytime from tomorrow to Nov. 1st. Have money now, but I am flexible

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: High end gaming. Movies, surfing the web, anything a PC can do.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard and mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No preference

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: No preference

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like this computer to last for a while. Price can go up to 4.5k for a really good reason

EDIT: I bought these Parts:

1
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119160
Standard Return Policy
$159.99
$139.99
1
ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131358
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$349.99
$339.99
2
HIS H587F1GDG Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814161301
VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
$769.98
($384.99 ea)
2
HIS Gamer's Tool Kit Model HGTK01-SB - Retail
Item #: N82E16814999013
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$17.98
($8.99 ea)
1
Verbatim 25GB 4X BD-R Single Disc - Retail
Item #: N82E16817130042
Consumable Item Standard Return Policy
$5.99
1
CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139007
Standard Return Policy
$279.99
$239.99
1
Memorex 25GB 4X BD-R 15 Packs Disc - Retail
Item #: N82E16817501029
Consumable Item Standard Return Policy
$43.99
1
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$288.99
$279.99
2
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8 G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145236
Memory Standard Return Policy
$299.98
$279.98
($139.99 ea)
1
Corsair Extreme Series CMFSSD-128D1 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
Item #: N82E16820233091
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$384.00
1
ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824236047
Monitor Replacement Only Return Policy
$309.99
$299.99
1
Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MKII
Item #: N82E16826158081
Standard Return Policy
$99.99
$69.99
1
LG Blu-ray Burner Model BH08LS20 - Retail
Item #: N82E16827136164
Standard Return Policy
$179.99
1
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series 70SB088600007 7.1 Channels PCI Express Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102021
Standard Return Policy
$199.99
$169.99
1
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116493
Software Return Policy
$179.99
$169.99
1
Scythe SY124010L Fans - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185039
Standard Return Policy
$6.99
1
Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185093
Standard Return Policy
$36.99
1
Logitech G51 155 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers - Retail
Item #: N82E16836121012
Standard Return Policy
$169.99
$144.99
1
DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #235107
-$10.00
1
DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #263179
-$30.00
1
DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #4652
-$5.99
1
DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #4674
-$6.99
2
DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #4978
-$17.98
(-$8.99 ea)
Subtotal $3,509.84
Tax $0.00
UPS 3 Days $23.86
Rush Processing $3.99
Order Total $3,537.69

Thanks, and I hope to have fun with this. No previous experience, but Tech savvy and I can get friends to help if need be.

 

[mindless728]

$4k USD?

if so you could just spend 2k (and this is overkill) now and spend 2k later on a new computer

 

[pandamonium]

Yes USD. I guess I need help more than I thought. Than how much should each component cost? I almost spend 5.2k, but (rightly) thought that was WAY too much.

 

[mindless728]

give me a sec, ill put up a prospective build

 

[mindless728]

CPU: Core i7 920
CPU Cooler: Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 + Sunbeam CR-LGA1366 LGA 1366 Core I7 Socket Retention Bracket
MOBO: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366
*GPU: 2 x XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870
MEM: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 CL7
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX
HDD: 2 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
CASE: COOLER MASTER HAF 922
ODD: LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

comes to about $2k, you can probably get it lower looking for combo

*note: 1 per order, have to buy them in two different orders (1 ea)

 

[pandamonium]

That looks like a great build, just looking at the parts. Is there something else I will need to get?

 

[psycho sykes]

1 HD5870 can compete and sometimes (happens a lot ) beat the GTX295 for like $100 less (approx.)
Here's another build i posted in another thread..
---------------------------
CPU: Intel i7 920 -- $270
GPU: XFX HD5870 1GB -- $380
Main-Board: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 -- $290
Ram: Corsair XMS3 6GB PC3 12800 C7 -- $155
PSU: Corsair HX850 -- $180
HDD: 2x SAMSUNG SpinPoint F3 1TB -- $80 x2 = $160
SSD: Corsair X128D 128GB G2 MLC SSD -- $385
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 -- $140
Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50 -- $80
DVD Drive: Regular Lite-On DVD +/-RW -- $34

Total (approx.) $2074 w/o Tax, MIRs or shipping fees..

This sytem will do anything you want and include the most powerful single GPU, i7 9xx CPU, a very good mobo with good OC'ing, 2TB storage, 128 GB SSD and 6GB 1600MHz C7 Ram. I dare to say no game will stand against it (or any other thing :lol: )
---------------------------
I think it's pretty good. And would be enough for most games with great upgrade-ability if you ever need to :lol:
Sorry for "mindless" if there's anything cloned..

Edit| Maybe this will interest you.

Medo

 

[mindless728]

its fine, though the 2xHD5870 is way more than needed now (no such thing as overkill), this build would last quite a few years with 2 of them instead of the SSD (which only really helps load times, not fps gain)

 

[mindless728]

That looks like a great build, just looking at the parts. Is there something else I will need to get?

well if you need a monitor, i would suggest going over to dell.com and getting a refurb 30" 3008 (not the 3007 as it may not be an S-IPS monitor)

yeah its $1200, but the monitor would last a long time

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 $139.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Get free shipping with promo code SPETFS, ends 9/30

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 $139.99 ($119.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163 $169.99
ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.250777 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $399.98 $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $389.98 Free Shipping*
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8 G - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.248853 Combo Discount: -$4.00 Combo Price: $39.98
Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443 $379.99
XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129037 $199.99
Pioneer Black 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software Model BDR-203BKS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-185 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $179.98 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047 $299.99 ($269.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate Card)
ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers w/ component connector - Retail
SPDIF out connector

Total: $1,939.98 *not including mail in rebates, shipping, and tax

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422.html <--- benchmarks and review of that 5870 gpu

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2810 <--- more pics, professional reviews, and specs of that case here

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=scythe+mugen+2+review&aq=0p&oq=sc&aqi=g-p3g7 <--- Scythe MUGEN 2 cpu cooler reviews

ASRock X58 Extreme Reviews

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1923_1.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cheap-x58-motherboard,2368-3.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asrock-x58-extreme.html

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3593

 

[mindless728]

Dell refurb 24"-30" Monitors

though you have to wait until they get one in, also it still gets their 3 year warranty

 

[mindless728]

well, im out, up at 8am (and its 11:45 here in Rochester NY)

good luck with the build (especially getting 1 let alone 2 5870's)

 

[pandamonium]

Thank you very much

 

[psycho sykes]

The SSD will speed everything including games by increasing the load speeds of (not-loaded-yet) files.
The HD5870 is more than enough for 1920x1200 8xAA Crysis at Enthusiast (all settings) so 2560x1600 ~4xAA won't be a problem for it. Still he can upgrade in a year when prices are down a bit. Even then DX11 games would be out and the GPU performance would be much better with it as the only reason to add another card is for new intensive games which should be using the API this card is professional with..

Sorry for English..

Oops this post is for http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/271747-31-looking-gaming-computer#t1994447 and i was late

Medo

 

[pandamonium]

Another question: is it safe/sane to cherry pick parts from one build or another, or should i, as a newbie stick with a single build?

 

[Why_Me]

Another question: is it safe/sane to cherry pick parts from one build or another, or should i, as a newbie stick with a single build?

People do it all the time. What I'm about to say is going to get some negative and hopefully positive feedback. That $300 Asus mobo...for what you intend to use this rig for...that mobo is a total waste of money. That $80 heat sink that was posted...unless you plan on going for a clock of +4.0...it's another total waste of money imo. The SSD was and is a good call. But when you put out a budget like you did, your going to get expensive but not really needed components posted on your thread.

So yes, cherry picking from one build to another is a very good idea imo.

 

[pandamonium]

And are there any compatability issues to look out for? and I am not worried at all about price, since this is still 3k cheaper than alienware.

 

[psycho sykes]

Damn! My browser crashed and Why_Me took the chance! Hehe :lol:
Just post the final one here for verification

 

[Why_Me]

And are there any compatability issues to look out for? and I am not worried at all about price, since this is still 3k cheaper than alienware.

It's all compatible on here. I would take my build, add that SSD Sykes posted, use the RAM he posted instead of the slower RAM I posted, and call it good.

 

[pandamonium]

Tenative build idea:

Tower:
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

MoBo: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 -- $290

SSD: Corsair X128D 128GB G2 MLC SSD -- $385

Hard Drive SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

GPU: 2 x XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870

Ram: Corsair XMS3 6GB PC3 12800 C7

CPU: Intel i7 920 -- $270

Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50 -- $80

Blue Ray: Pioneer Black 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software Model BDR-203BKS

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX

Anything I missed?

 

[Why_Me]

Tenative build idea:

Tower:
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

MoBo: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 -- $290

SSD: Corsair X128D 128GB G2 MLC SSD -- $385

Hard Drive SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

GPU: 2 x XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870

Ram: Corsair XMS3 6GB PC3 12800 C7

CPU: Intel i7 920 -- $270

Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50 -- $80

Blue Ray: Pioneer Black 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software Model BDR-203BKS

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX

Anything I missed?

LOL...maybe the kitchen sink? No...I would say that build of yours covers just about everything...and I mean that literally. If there's a game that's going to stress that build of yours...it's most likely going to come out five years from now at the earliest. Ya, that's definitely a Ferrari you have there.

 

[psycho sykes]

From my point of view.. nothing! But unfortunately you can't order 2 HD5870 from yhe same company with one order..

 

[psycho sykes]

^^ Argghhghh! Do you have a time machine Why_Me or what?? :lol:

 

[pandamonium]

pandamonium wrote :

Tenative build idea:

Tower:
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

MoBo: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 -- $290

SSD: Corsair X128D 128GB G2 MLC SSD -- $385

Hard Drive SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

GPU: 2 x XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870

Ram: Corsair XMS3 12GB PC3 12800 C7

CPU: Intel i7 920 -- $270

HDD: 2 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB

Cooler: Corsair Hydro H50 -- $80

Blue Ray: Pioneer Black 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software Model BDR-203BKS

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX

Anything I missed?``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

 

[psycho sykes]

Um.. Nothing but again i think it's better to wait for the CF setup and just get one now (if managed to grab it!) and CF later if you need to (prices might get low by the day you want to get higher than the HD5870 )
And you listed 3 1TB HDDs
I didn't know you needed an OS nor a Blue-Ray drive but you have good options there. Can you get links?
Ah, And you can't order 2 HD5870s from the same comoany at the same time and i wouldn't get anything but XFX and HIS which both are out of stock!
Sorry for English..

Also you might want to take a look at the TX850 considering you might not need a modular PSU but i just picked it (HX850) up because it's 80+ Silver certified.

Medo