$700 PC gaming 1st time build

[Claudius]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: THIS WEEK

BUDGET RANGE: $700ish

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, multitasking, media

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: MONITOR, keyboard, mouse. Need everything else.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: amazon, newegg. Prefer amazon for prime free shipping/less tax

PARTS PREFERENCES: intel, quieter the better

OVERCLOCKING/SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe later, not important right now

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: first time build, so please include EVERYTHING I need. Building for future upgrades.

 

[gkay09]

^ For your budget range, you should check out AMD CPUs -
\Reason - You get very good performance for less, so you can invest in more powerful graphics card...

 

[gkay09]

CPU + Mobo
X3 720 + ASUS 790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.273353

RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231278

CASE + HDD
CM 690 + WD Black 640GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.273732

PSU -
OCZ 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

Graphic cards -
HD 5850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121349
http://www.amazon.com/XFX-RADEON-5850-Express-HD585AZNFC/dp/B002Q4U5EY/ref=br_lf_m_1000427051_1_9_img?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=494368711&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000427051&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GRQYZJM5CK9B4F5QNTG

Total - $713 | $678 Including rebates.

 

[pepperman]

When you say you need everything, does that include the OS? If you are a student right now, you can get Windows 7 for $30. Otherwise you're going to have to shell out at least $110. You could get away with this by dumbing down your graphics to a 4870.

Win 7 for students
http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePage

Win 7 Different Versions
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&SubCategory=368&N=2060350368

HD 4870- $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113

 

[Claudius]

Yeah that includes the OS.

gkay: is that Asus faster than the I5?

I'm really looking to build an acceptable PC for future upgrades. Would I benefit on jumping on the better graphics now or wait for some price drops?

Looking to play games like Fallout 3, Dragon Age etc.

 

[dndhatcher]

The x3 720 is not as fast as an i5, but there will be a 6 core AM3 CPU coming out you could drop in as an upgrade in the future. The i5 has the i7 860 as an upgrade and will never have anything faster in the future since its using intels low end 1156 socket.

Most games are still more GPU intensive than CPU intensive so a solid 3 core CPU and a more powerful graphics card is going to get you better performance on most games.

 

[overshocks]

Yeah that includes the OS.

gkay: is that Asus faster than the I5?

I'm really looking to build an acceptable PC for future upgrades. Would I benefit on jumping on the better graphics now or wait for some price drops?

Looking to play games like Fallout 3, Dragon Age etc.

That doesn't make sense, Asus is a company, i5 is a brand name for cpus. Rephrase or lets have an English class.

 

[Claudius]

The x3 720 is not as fast as an i5, but there will be a 6 core AM3 CPU coming out you could drop in as an upgrade in the future. The i5 has the i7 860 as an upgrade and will never have anything faster in the future since its using intels low end 1156 socket.

Well how does the x3 720 stack up to the i7 then?

 

[pepperman]

Well how does the x3 720 stack up to the i7 then?

At your budget, it really doesn't matter; if you want to spend an extra ~$200 or so, you could get the i5, with a further ~$100, you could get an i7 (socket 1156 edition-socket 1366 edition will be a few dollars more).

If you want the benchmarks, you can look at (edit: look at link below) (I couldn't find any direct comparisons between the 720 and the i5-though to be honest I didn't look very hard. Treat the 920 as a slightly faster i5).

edit: link
=on&prod[2610]=on]http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-desktop-cpu-charts/compare,1401.html?prod[2617]=on&prod[2610]=on

 

[pepperman]

Sorry, you'll need to copy and paste the link into your url

 

[Claudius]

I plan to make some small upgrades here and there within 1-2 years. What processor/mobo would be my best in this regard? I want to keep the budget south of $700.

When you say you need everything, does that include the OS? If you are a student right now, you can get Windows 7 for $30. Otherwise you're going to have to shell out at least $110. You could get away with this by dumbing down your graphics to a 4870.

Win 7 for students
http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePage

Win 7 Different Versions
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&SubCategory=368&N=2060350368

HD 4870- $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113

Ok I actually bought the Win 7 for students..but I have to download it. When I'm building (my first build) from scratch, how would I install the OS? Or do I need a boxed version.

Second question: Is the HD 4870 sufficient for 1900 x 1200?

 

[pepperman]

Answering the second question first; yes, it will be fine for that resolution, but make sure you get a 1 GB version.

Do you have a computer you can download it to and burn it from (you will need a standard 4.7 GB DVD (-R or +R, doesn't matter) and compatible burner)? I believe the OS is essentially a retail or OEM copy, so you don't need to worry about a past version of windows for and upgrade.