$1000 Dollar Gaming System

[vitalious]

Hey guys and gals,

I've decided to make myself a birthday gift in the sum of $1000, cashable in the form of a gaming PC.

I was wondering if I can get some opinions on the crucial components.

MOBO?
CPU?
Mem?
V-Card?
How many W of Power do I need?

I appreciate any help!

Thanks,

Vitaly

 

[jared51182]

Fill out this form: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

Also, what kinds of games are you looking to play, as that will make a big difference. There are also the two major manufacturers - intel and AMD. Do you have a preference? Also for vid cards, you have a preference between nvidia and ati?

 

[kelfen]

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188055
EVGA P55 SLI 132-LF-E655-KR LGA1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$189.99
($179.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate )
Free Shipping*

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
$199.99
Free Shipping*

MeM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226072
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996679 - Retail
$109.99

V-Card well I all the 5870 are out of stock on new egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443&cm_re=5870-_-14-150-443-_-Product
$379.99



PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
$119.99
($99.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card )
Free Shipping*

=with everything total is 999

after rebates = 969

 

[deadcell]

You can run something decent with that price range. This is what I would put in;
MOBO: MSI Micro ATX X58 Intel (LGA 1366) priced @ 150-170 USD
CPU: Intel i7-920 2.66 to bond nicely with your LGA 1366 MOBO priced @ 295 USD
Ram: Corsair 3G DDR3 (Tri-channel) @ 1600 MHz priced @ 75 USD
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Spin-Q universal priced @ 70 USD
GPU: BFG GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55 896MB priced @ 150 USD
PSU: Thermaltake TR2 RX 850W (for future SLi capacity) priced @ 160 USD
HDD: 500GB Western Digital 7200RPM 3Gb/s priced @ 50 USD
Case: Thermaltake V9 priced @ 100 USD
Optical Drive: LG GH22LS40 22x internal double layer DVD-R/RW+- priced @ 50 USD
Total: $1,100.00
Out of this built, you get the best processor value in the market, which is fast and can be overclocked easily to 3.2 with no voltage modifications. The Spin-Q will keep CPU cool even at this speed. The 3G at 1600 is a good affortable start with plenty of room for growth. The MOBO is SLi capable (2x PCI-E x16), for your future gaming needs. I do recommand this GTX 260, excellent value based on how much money you are wanting to put in. There are much better cards but for a lot more...
The Thermaltake 850W provides plenty of power now, and will do SLi in your future upgrades. Overall decent valued HDD and optical drive. Everything will fit easily in the V9 with much breathing room and growth. Well ventilated case. I went over your budget, but only about 100 USD. This will be money well spent and a great value built. Let me know what you think...
deadcell
ps. You can't never go wrong with BFG or Thermaltake

 

[dndhatcher]

Read the sample builds by usage to get familiar with what builds you can afford.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=269162

After that go back and look at the link in Jareds post and edit your OP in that format. More info about what you want to do lets everyone pick more tailored options for you.


For a gaming PC at $1000 I would go with a weaker CPU like the i5 and a stronger GPU like the 5870 (shipping now) or 5850 (ships next week).

 

[photonboy]

I'm pretty much in agreement with Kelfen's basic design:

HD5870
1156 MOBO
4GB DDR3
i5-750

NVidia should have their DX11 cards out before Christmas so you may wish to hold off.

HD5870:
This card is exactly 2x the performance of the HD4870. However, the HD5870 can idle at only 27W!

I'm torn between really low idle power and NVidia's PhysX. If NVidia can get close to the same performance/price level with similar idle power I'll go with NVidia for the PhysX.

 

[deadcell]

That's a good advice also. GPU plays a more significant roll in graphics than the CPU ever will. I just sure hope the i5-750 can handle the 5870 in crossfire if he decides to go with that someday. Still, the i7-920 with its overclocking capability for 100 USD more is a great value. He just needs to elevate his price point by a hair and keep future upgrades in mind.

 

[vitalious]

Yikes!

I thought I'd get email notification on replies...
Pleasant to come back here and and see people contributed.

Let me fill in some gaps that I stupidly omitted.
My budget is around $1200 CDN after taxes (12% in Canada).

I am a gamer, but am limited to games on my Radeon X1400 laptop right now.
I'd be playing WoW, Company of Heroes, Crysis, Far Cry 2, GTA IV.
I'm also planning to HDMI out to my projector so I can use the PC as a home entertainment system.

I'm planning of purchasing the system within the next 2 weeks.
The thing is, I can only buy from http://www.jumbocomputers.ca/
They have quite the selection really.

I specced out 2 systems and would really appreciate feedback.

System 1: Name Price
Video Card Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 4870 $185.99
CPU Intel Core i5 750 Quad-Core Socket LGA1156 $239.99
Motherboard Asus ASUS P7P55D PRO $194.99
Memory OCZExtreme XMP DDR3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 $139.99
HD Western Digital Caviar Green (WD10EAVS) 1000GB (1TB) SATA 3 Gb/s 8MB (OEM) $83.99
Case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Ultimate Gamer Tower Computer Case $119.99
PSU Cooler Master Extreme Power 650W ATX $79.99
CD LG GSA-H55L IDE 20x DVD-Writer(10x Dual Layer) w/SecurDisc LightScibe $34.99

Total $1,079.92



System 2:
Video Card Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 4870 $185.99
CPU I7 920 LGA1366 $325.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 Socket 1366 $271.99
Memory OCZExtreme XMP DDR3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 $139.99
HD Western Digital Caviar Green (WD10EAVS) 1000GB (1TB) SATA 3 Gb/s 8MB (OEM) $83.99
Case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Ultimate Gamer Tower Computer Case $119.99
PSU Cooler Master Extreme Power 650W ATX $79.99
CD LG GSA-H55L IDE 20x DVD-Writer(10x Dual Layer) w/SecurDisc LightScibe $34.99

Total $1,242.92

I omitted cooling from the list.
Can you get feedback on my choice of V-card, PSU?

I'm really torn up between LGA1156 and 1366. There's a hefty price difference in the CPU and MoBo for the same clock speed.

Sorry for abandoning the forum. Didn't know people replied.

Thanks again!

Vitaly

 

[jay2tall]

Yikes!
I'm planning of purchasing the system within the next 2 weeks.
The thing is, I can only buy from http://www.jumbocomputers.ca/
They have quite the selection really.

Why that site? How about http://www.newegg.ca/ ?

I'd shoot for a 5850 card, not sure what they are in CA, but in the US they are about $260. However, everyone is sold out. I'm sure they will be in stock within the week. I wouldn't buy into the 48xx to much especially with a $1000 budget.

 

[vitalious]

I have store credit there for $1200.

 

[jay2tall]

^Good reason. haha.

 

[dndhatcher]

You want a SATA DVD, not IDE. You dont want lightscribe unless you know why you want lightscribe. Its expensive and noisy.

Caviar green is a power saving low performance drive. You want a Samsung spinwriter F3 500GB or 1TB, A WD Caviar black 640GB, or a seagate 7200.12 500MB or 1TB.

If money is an issue, the i5 with a 5870 or 5850 will outperform the i7 with a 4870 in gaming.

 

[vitalious]

Thanks for pointing out the IDE and HDD issue!
That store doesn't have any of the 5000 series cards in stock

 

[obsidian86]

the green series drives are low power low speed drives get the samsung f3/western digtal black series

 

[deadcell]

vitalious, its deadcel again. The 4870 isn't going to get you too far in graphics. Even two of these in crossfire is not going to impress you in performance. I understand you are in a certain budget range, but you don't have to settle for garbage. I second the 5850 recommended before. Excellent performance for value. This dx11, 260.00 USD card will sweep the floor with the 4870. Consider fitting one of these in your budget, you won't be disspointed. Also, the price for the i7-920 should be around 295.00 USD, why your estimate is higher? This CPU levels the competition in value and performance as well, and a great value is what you need in your limited budget built. Finally, as for your HDD, go with 2x500G Samsung F3 series. The 500G F3 uses a single 500G plate rather than 2x250G used in most other HDD. This results in higher data density which makes these HDDs render information faster. The performance meets, if not excceds even the Raptor 150 or 300. You can pick 2x500G F3 for 50.00USD each, (100.00USD for a total of 1TB). Thats the best investment I made for my rig. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

 

[jared51182]

vitalious, its deadcel again. The 4870 isn't going to get you too far in graphics. Even two of these in crossfire is not going to impress you in performance. I understand you are in a certain budget range, but you don't have to settle for garbage. I second the 5850 recommended before. Excellent performance for value. This dx11, 260.00 USD card will sweep the floor with the 4870. Consider fitting one of these in your budget, you won't be disspointed. Also, the price for the i7-920 should be around 295.00 USD, why your estimate is higher? This CPU levels the competition in value and performance as well, and a great value is what you need in your limited budget built. Finally, as for your HDD, go with 2x500G Samsung F3 series. The 500G F3 uses a single 500G plate rather than 2x250G used in most other HDD. This results in higher data density which makes these HDDs render information faster. The performance meets, if not excceds even the Raptor 150 or 300. You can pick 2x500G F3 for 50.00USD each, (100.00USD for a total of 1TB). Thats the best investment I made for my rig. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

His estimate on the i7 is higher for two reasons: 1. He is limited to the seller, so if they want to charge a little more, he is kinda stuck with that. 2. (which is more important) He is working with CAD (Canadian Dollars) today: 326CAD = 330USD - so he isn't far off the mark at all.

Additionally, as he is stuck with a dealer - if they are out of 5xxx, then they are out of 5xxxx. SOL.

However, to the OP, I would suggest seeing if you can contact the company, and find out how much they are charging for the 5850. See how that fits in your budget, and if it can work, see if you can backorder one, or if not, just get the rest, and wait it out, if you are set on the 5850. I read some rumor that stock should rebound next week. So just keep your eye on it.

Everyone is saying don't go with 4xxxx, but apparently they aren't reading your situation, or they just don't care. However, with the consensus, you may want to hold out until there is availability.

Do you have a deadline to spend the store credit?

 

[vitalious]

Hey dead,

My quoted prices are in CDN dollars.
I'm not quite sure how you call a $190 (CDN) video card "garbage". Regardless, the store I'm buying from doesn't have the 5850. So I'm "stuck" with a DX10 card.

Also, I'm not sure if I7-920's 33% higher cost than the I5's is worth it.

Lastly, I'm afraid that Mr. Jumbo doesn't have the F3 series.

Here's my updated dillema:

System 1:
Video Card Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 4870 $185.99
CPU Intel Core i5 750 Quad-Core Socket LGA1156 $239.99
Motherboard Asus ASUS P7P55D PRO $194.99
Memory OCZExtreme XMP DDR3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 $139.99
HD Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATAII NCQ 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache (OEM) - ST31000528AS $90.99
Case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Ultimate Gamer Tower Computer Case $119.99
PSU ANTEC CP-850 850W CP PS ATX 12V $165.98
CD LG GH22NS50 (Black) 22x SATA DVD Writer OEM $30.99

Total $1,168.91



System 2:
Video Card Asus EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 4870 $185.99
CPU I7 920 LGA1366 $325.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 Socket 1366 $271.99
Memory OCZExtreme XMP DDR3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 $139.99
HD Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATAII NCQ 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache (OEM) - ST31000528AS $90.99
Case Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case ATX $74.99
PSU ANTEC CP-850 850W CP PS ATX 12V $165.98
CD LG GH22NS50 (Black) 22x SATA DVD Writer OEM $30.99

Total $1,286.91

 

[vitalious]

No deadline really Jared, just my impatience.

 

[dndhatcher]

See your other thread - they have sapphire HD 4890s there which will fit in your budget on the i5 system for a bit better gaming longevity.

 

[deadcell]

I see your situation completly now. I think you'r very limited in retail sources my friend, but I understand. I am just spoiled rotten here in the US. I looked at both systems specs and they are both good builts. The 4870 is realy not a garbage, its just that 2 of these didn't get me far. If the dx11 is out of your reach, so be it. As for the 920, I keep forgetting that you'r building 2 systems, and cost is a big factor here. The 920 adavanced in so many ways than my old i5-750, that I just kept recommending it to others. Again, you'r not getting it for a reasonable price, based on what you stated earlier, so I understand that too. Hope that you get these systems up and running with ease. Keep us updated...
deadcell

 

[jared51182]

I see your situation completly now. I think you'r very limited in retail sources my friend, but I understand. I am just spoiled rotten here in the US. I looked at both systems specs and they are both good builts. The 4870 is realy not a garbage, its just that 2 of these didn't get me far. If the dx11 is out of your reach, so be it. As for the 920, I keep forgetting that you'r building 2 systems, and cost is a big factor here. The 920 adavanced in so many ways than my old i5-750, that I just kept recommending it to others. Again, you'r not getting it for a reasonable price, based on what you stated earlier, so I understand that too. Hope that you get these systems up and running with ease. Keep us updated...
deadcell

I'm sorry deadcell, but I'm not entirely sure I follow you.
1. He is not limited to retail sources because he lives in Canada, as they have Newegg.ca, he is limited because he has a store credit.
2. He is only building one computer, just deciding between 2, so I'm not sure what you are really talking about with regard to that.
3. Also, didn't the i5s come out after the i7s?
4. What do you mean that two 4870s "didn't get you far"? You don't really go into depth about that, and Tom's rated the 4870 as a good buy at its price range: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2404-3.html

So, as we don't know the absolute specifics about what the OP wants, saying "didn't get you far" doesn't really help unless you qualify it with the system you had and the games you were running. I just don't really see how your post will help the OP.

To the OP - Look at DND suggesting the 4890 with the i5. i5 is a great buy, and as overclocked shouldn't bottleneck most vid cards that you will be looking at, and probably into the future a bit as well. In terms of upgradability, either option should be fine, as has been discussed, and with Intel looking to (i think) i3s next year, the standards should hold up for a bit, and then prices of GPUs will come down as well.

With the two options, I think I would go with Option 1. Also, did you ever mention what resolution/monitor you will be using?

 

[vitalious]

Wow guys, I really appreciate all this feedback.
Jared, I'll be using the desktop for mostly gaming and home entertainment (projector).

In terms of gaming, will run WoW, Company of Heroes: ToV, Crysis, Far Cry 2, and whatever else (maybe GTA4).

I'm thinking of picking up a monitor that will give 1920 x 1080 resolution, so pulling beyond that on a v-card is not necessary.

It's really tough to price this thing out.

Can I get a pointer on wattage? I really don't want to undershoot it but at the same time don't want to spend money to idle 200W capacity from the PSU.

Thanks again for all the great feedback.

 

[vitalious]

I'm starting to lean towards the 1156 system really.
Can someone clarify something for me please.

On the Asus P55 mobo, there's 4 DIMM slots.
Can I pop 3x2GB sticks in there?

 

[vitalious]

Just read the manual, and there appears to be no mention of 3 DIMM configurations.

 

[vitalious]

After much thought, and throwing in a monitor, I decided to go with the 1156 system.
I squeezed some parts down a bit (cheaper PSU, cheaper RAM).

Here's the final rundown:

It's a bit over my budget but it looks like a solid system.
I'm gonna get it sometime next week.

Any final thoughts?