New Gaming Rig

[Xanthos00]

Hello all, I've been researching parts for many days now, and I cannot seem to reach a decision, and my friends are of little use on advice so I decided to reach out to you all for some help.

My PC has recently bit the dust and I'm looking to build a new gaming rig.

My current specs are :
Antec Basiq 500w Power Supply
Seagate 160gig Internal and 400gig External
MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256EZ HD GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 65W
ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
LG 22" Widescreen Monitor

What I'm looking to spend is around 900-1000 total for everything, including a Radeon 5850 which is 260$, 28" LCD thats 310$ and Antec Three Hundred Case which is 60$ and Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W which is 95$

The only thing really salvageable is the memory from the pc itself, the hard drive is an IDE drive, so I definitly want to upgrade that. All the research I keep doing keeps leading me back to the core i5 which is a great idea, but I can't seem to get the price to around where I need it. As for the games I plan on playing, some WoW, AION, Bioshock 2, and most mainstream games, but the main game I will be playing is Final Fantasy XIV. Please lend me your advice!

 

[skora]

Do you know what bit the dust? Spending that much on a gpu and monitor really limits you. If the mobo/ram are still good, just a socket 775 CPU upgrade and HDD which is doable.

$55 for a HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

and

Q9550 CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

The CPU is a bit overkill if its just a gaming rig. This E8500 would fit in the budget nicely too: $185 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

If you can reuse your monitor, you can do the i5/5850 route.

 

[Xanthos00]

I've read alot of mixed reviews about people getting the 9550 to work with the board I have. So you think the E8500 is enough for hardcore gaming? I want to run the games as maxed as possible.

 

[Niklas_13]

Ok this is what i would do




Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)

$31.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030



Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371022
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)

-$65.00 Instant $169.99
$104.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022



Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115215
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$199.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215




COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136319
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
-$45.00 Combo $159.98
$99.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.273732




GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128400
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231279
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Combo $264.98
$244.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.264218
Subtotal: $681.93 + 260 for your HD5850 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R5AB8W

Now sell all your old *** and buy this 24" monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

in a year or 2 buy another HD5850 for Xfire

If you like to OC your CPU look for a HSF for about 30 bucks

Sound good ?

If you live buy a micro center pick up the i5 750 for 159.99 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317379

 

[skora]

You have to make a compromise somewhere, you only leave $275 if you do get the Case/PSU/GPU/Monitor listed above for ram/cpu/mobo/HDD. That low of a budget would be completely unbalanced and you're GPU would never come off idle.

The E8500 will OC near 4ghz fairly easily on air with a good cooler, and perform well for gaming.

So pick what you want to bend on, the CPU/mobo/ram or the monitor and maybe the GPU.

 

[Xanthos00]

i like niklas's idea for the case and hard drive, so I'm going with those 2 for sure. I forgot to add I have a drive already nik sorry. I understand I need to bend, and I'd prefer to bend on the motherboard and processor. I mean, will I really be able to see a difference between the E8500 and core i5 in gaming if I have 4 gigs of memory and the 5850?

 

[Niklas_13]

I dont really see whare you need to cut back that build fit your budget. If you need to cut back i would just use your 22" monitor for now

 

[Xanthos00]

The build you did with everything said in done comes to 1200$ with the 28" monitor. I will probably reuse the monitor as a second or 3rd screen or just sell it.

 

[Niklas_13]

I see your point but on the other hand the build is 950 without a monitor, Your monitor will do for now to you can save up some for the 28" monitor or sell your old monitor and old parts and then you might only need 150 for the new monitor.

Your going to to upgrade to a dead socket, Intel wont make anymore 775 sockets

I think its a bad move, but thats just my opition

I would ask if you would be open for a single card setup i5 750 or a AMD build and then maybe we can fit in the monitor ?

Also do you live by a micro center ?

we can save 70 off the mobo going to a single card setup 40 off the PSU and 40 off the CPU if your by a micro center, thats 150 there + the 50 left from the first build

S0 200 only 110 away - 31 for the dvd driver so 79 bucks off

 

[Xanthos00]

I see your point but on the other hand the build is 950 without a monitor, Your monitor will do for now to you can save up some for the 28" monitor or sell your old monitor and old parts and then you might only need 150 for the new monitor.

Your going to to upgrade to a dead socket, Intel wont make anymore 775 sockets

I think its a bad move, but thats just my opition

I would ask if you would be open for a single card setup i5 750 or a AMD build and then maybe we can fit in the monitor ?

Also do you live by a micro center ?

we can save 70 off the mobo going to a single card setup 40 off the PSU and 40 off the CPU if your by a micro center, thats 150 there + the 50 left from the first build

S0 200 only 110 away - 31 for the dvd driver so 79 bucks off

Nah I don't live by a microcenter. What I ended up doing was just going with the 8400 and a nice heatsync to clock that badboy up, and got the rest of the stuff I needed. This way I figure by the time I actually start to see diminishing in my gaming i7s will be cheaper, and I can just get a crossfire board and rock the rest of the stuff. ty for your help!

 

[Niklas_13]

NP enjoy the build

It will still be a good build

I am on a E8500 myself OC to 3.8 with a GTX260 it works well

was just trying to get the best for your money

 

[Xanthos00]

ty yeah can't wait for the FFXIV beta. I'm hoping it will run flawlessly :lol: