Semi budget gaming PC

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: In the next month

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming primarily, general computing secondary

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, mouse, keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Primarily looking at the ATI 5870 video card ,but I could be swayed. Mainly because of the single card performance and the ability to add a 2nd card to add even more. Planning on running W7 x64. I was leaning towards the Phenom II due to the price and the performance.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: capable yes, right now... probably not unless it makes more sense then as single higher end card

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900 currently, but I may buy a bigger monitor

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I just want a very good and very reliable gaming PC that I can have some room to upgrade and expand over the next couple years. I am currently running an AMD 64 X2 and a 3870 AGP. I have had some bad experiences with ATI video cards but for the price it seems hard to beat the 5870. My main concern is to have a rock solid PC that will run anything I throw at it at the max settings and hopefully be able to add components to tackle future games. With that said, I am not going to pay a ridiculous amount for a tiny increase in performance, I like the idea of CF and SLI for expandability but I don't want to rely on that for my main build just to make sure there are no driver issues.

The build I was looking at was as follows, I would like to cut the price down but I want the best performance and expandability for the price.

Antec twelve hundred Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129043

2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

MSI 790FX-GD70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130223

KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1000MA1S

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817121037

G.SKILL 4GB F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231193

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

ASUS EAH5870/G/2DIS/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5870

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] sus%205870

I don't have a budget as much as I have a set of requirements and I would like to get the best bang for the buck. If you have to have an amount I would like to stay as close or below $1000 as I can, but I am willing to pay a bit more if it makes sense.

I would suggest this config -
CPU + Mobo -
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X + X4 955
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273337

RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231278

PSU -
ORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

or this case + PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.266003

But check out this combo too...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273732

As for the Graphics card, the HD 5850 is also a good option because it is as powerful as the GTX 285 and for your monitor resolution, it can max out any game out there... and when you change your monitor, add one more later in crossfire...Else go with HD 5870...

Thank you guys for the suggestions, the main reason I didn't go with the 5850 was because it seemed like the 5870 was a better value. But I see what your saying about the resolution. Even if I do upgrade my monitor I will probably not be going past 1920x1080 23 inch.

Ok, I guess that makes sense. Thank you guys for the suggestions I think this is the build I am going to go with, I just need to wait until they get more 5850s.



2x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152181

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4G

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231278

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.266003

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.266003

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273337

ASUS EAH5850/G/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product


I think that is going to put me at about $1150, almost $300 less then the original config I was looking at! Which includes the KB I want and Windows 7 64 OEM.
Thanks guys!!


What is your opinion on the extended warranty through Newegg, like $35 for 2 years. Is it worth it?

Also, I just noticed the motherboard you suggested does not do dual x16 PCI express, only 1 x16 or dual x8. Doesn't this affect the performance of the video card?

Is there any reason not to go with the 1TB version of the spinpoint drive? I am planning on mirroring them. It seems pretty cheap for about 25 bucks more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

Did you miss the CPU cooler ?
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 4&Tpk=cctf

And that build looks good...

It's for overclocking, if you're not going to the stock will suffice.

^ Agreed, should have explained more originally. If you can afford it, it's a good investment.

Nice review comparing HSFs
http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] 419&page=5