$800 US Dollar Gaming PC

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Late Nov. 2009 or Early Dec.

BUDGET RANGE: Keep it between $800 - $900

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
0.Multi-tasking between Gaming/surfing web/downloading
1.Gaming
2.surfing web
3.downloading music
4.watching movies
5.homework and/or etc.


PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
*Keyboard
*Mouse
*Monitor
*Speakers
*OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES:
*150GB - 500GB Hard drive (Don't need a lot memory)
*A power processor like a Quad, Triple, or Duo processor


OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768 but I might get a monitor with 1920x1200 (So don't let the 1024x768 monitor resolution limit your builds)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
*I would like a quiet PC.
*Please do NOT post parts that are deactivated or links that don't work.
*Add price tags to parts and totals with shipping/rebates would be nice but not necessary.

QUESTION:
1.What OS do you recommend for gaming?
2.Recommend a good time to buy between Nov. 2009 - Dec. 2009? (e.g Thanksgiving, Christmas, Black Friday, New Years Holidays)

Thermal Compound - $7
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

Win 7 for the OS, it will be out by the time you buy. PS has a good general build there for you. With the holidays and combos, prices will come under your budget. This will be better to post right before you buy. The 500gb Spinpoint F3 is a great performer and only $55, so there's some to save already.

I really wouldnt recommend anything else besides win 7...especially since its going to be out so soon...no point in spending money on a vista or xp license...

The parts picked out now won't be the same that will be cheapest when you go to buy. Use Psycho's build as a guide so you know what ballpark you're playing in, but that's the best you can expect right now. When you have the money in hand and are buying within the week, that's the best time to ask for exact pricing options. Black friday is a great time to take advantage of some deals.

As for the OS, you'll want Win 7 because it will support DX11. Win XP only supports DX9 and Vista may or maynot support DX11. Never looked into it. But if the choice is Vista or Win7, 7 all the way.

Linux is really your only other option, and gaming in linux takes some tweaking and you don't get near the performance from the linux drivers that you do the windows drivers.

Cooler Master RC-690 case + 640gb HDD combo 100$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273732

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail 70$ -10% so like 63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341022

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail 86$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231193

Core i5 + Asus P7P55D 1156 mobo combo 330$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273250

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM 31$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151187

SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail 160$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102858

The samsung f3 spinpoint 500gb hdd they reccomended above is better but that combo deal i listed is insanely cheap

Total: $770 + shipping

Win 7 fer sure unless you wanna mess around with a hackintosh

It will be in stock with enough quantities by the time you buy because it's a brand new card from the latest generation so don't expect it to be out of stock for a long time..
NewEgg always list items out of stock as "deactivated"
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1TB is usually hany but the 500GB version of the same HDD is more affordable and still give you the same great performance if not better!..
The Antec 900 is a very good case and priced is right! But I'll look for other options as you asked...
Stay away from Linux if you're not a computer savvy and don't know enough resources for soft/hardware support.. If you still want Linux then i advice you with either Ubuntu or Kubuntu... (Both free)..
I preferred the HIS card over XFX's (even when both are 100% reference) because it offers life-time (over Sapphire's 2Y) and priced $20 less than XFX's... When customized cards come out then the Sapphire is better because they're a PCB partner with ATI...

I'll try and post another build...

Medo

This article has a lot more to do with high quality displays, but it does address the mainstream market too. Basically, unless you need super high quality, most of the others available will impress you and just see it before you buy it. Performance wise, they'll be similar.
http://www.anandtech.com/displays/ [...] i=3584&p=7

You missed the point of the article.

Gaming doesn't need the type of display a graphics designer needs. That's why there's NO buying guides. They all tend to be good enough for gaming. Any current production monitor will do. So don't waste too much energy or thought into which to get. If you really want to do homework, grab a pen and paper, head down to your local brick and mortar computer store, and write down the model numbers of the ones you like. Check prices online, press add to cart if its cheaper.

Don't look at monitor size either. Its resolution thats the main factor unless you have physical limitations where its being used. When I'm spec'ing out a system for someone, the first thing I start with is the monitor or use their monitor size to pick the GPU. Since you're after a 1920x1080+ size, you'll want a GPU that can run games at that resolution at the quality you want. The 5770 can run games at that resolution, but not all of them at max settings. The 5770 is a great match for 1680x1050 and should let you run most all games at max. I use an 4 year old 1280x1024 monitor from acer and it works fine for gaming. Yep, just a plain ole budget monitor does the trick.