1500$ Gaming PC

[Okrap]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: I'd like to get it in november

BUDGET RANGE: ~1500$

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photoshop and usual stuff.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, HDD, CD / DVD Burners & Media.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada (Quebec, Montreal)

PARTS PREFERENCES: I'd like to get a nVidia for my video card because I had alot of problem with my AH3650. But if ATi is really better, I'll get the ATi.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd like to play the latest games at high graphic (GTA IV) and should I get Windows 7?

Thank you for your time and anwsers! (Sorry for my poor english)

 

[mavanhel]

Another place you should look for parts is pccyber.ca. They've recently opened a new store in Montreal and have prices comparable to newegg (and then slightly cheaper when shipping is applied).

As for a build:

Intel i5 $219.99

GIGABYTE UD4P motherboard $189.99

XFX HD 5850 (best card for the money right now as it includes DX11 as well as is comparable to the GTX 285) $294.77 (newegg doesn't seem to have it available...)

Case: This is mostly personal preference, but go with something that has good airflow like the Antec 900 or CoolerMaster HAF 922

G.SKILL Ripjaws RAM $93.99

Corsair 550VX $98.99 (more will be needed if you want to go XFire)

Thermaltake HSF $34.99

Windows 7 pro-64 bit $154.99

Arctic Silver thermal paste (I can't seem to find it anywhere on Newegg 'cause I'm a failure of sorts, but it's around $10)

That comes to about $1247.70 which gives you room to play around with things, like going XFire, getting extra storage space, and even getting a full tower case. Which HDD do you have? It might be worth it to get a better one if yours isn't all that fast.

 

[Okrap]

Intel i5 $219.99
Someone told me that I should go for the i7 because I'll regret it in 6 months, what do you think?

XFX HD 5850 (best card for the money right now as it includes DX11 as well as is comparable to the GTX 285) $294.77 (newegg doesn't seem to have it available...)
Should I go with the HD5870?

That comes to about $1247.70 which gives you room to play around with things, like going XFire.
Would you recommend to go XFire?
Which HDD do you have? It might be worth it to get a better one if yours isn't all that fast.
I have a Maxtor 6L300R0 and a WD2000JB

Thanks again for your time!

 

[dndhatcher]

You really should upgrade those old IDE HDDs to a new SATA 3GB like the samsung F3. Those old HDDs will cripple your new system.

At 1680x1050, I dont think there is enough benefit to the speed of the 5870 to justify the price (your monitor only redraws 60FPS, you cant see the difference between 100FPS out of a 5850 or 150FPS on a 5870). If price isnt a problem, or if you may move up to a 1920x1200 or large 2560x1600 monitor then a 5870 could be worthwhile.

GTA4 is a CPU intensive game. You might want to go for an i7-920 CPU/ x58 motherboard system. The ASROCK x58 extreme is the most cost effective motherboard for that system.

 

[mavanhel]

I don't see any reason why you'd regret getting the i5. The only benefit of the i7 is the hyperthreading. There is also an added benefit of i7 LGA 1366 because when Golftown comes out (Intel's 6 core chip) it will be on the 1366, but if this is primarily a gaming rig I don't see any current use for the HT or 6 cores.

You could go for the 5870, but if you did I would suggest not going XFire on a P55 motherboard as it will cause more serious bottlenecks (due to the x8 limitation on dual GPU). The bottleneck still exists with the 5850, but you'll only really notice it if you need the highest benchmarks.

As for the HDDs you have, you can only actually use one of them since motherboards today only have one IDE port, and...IDE sucks, don't use it. We have SATA now which is wonderful. If you want to use one of those drives for storage, I guess that could work, but look into the Samsung F3 Spinpoint for a boot drive.

 

[Okrap]

Thanks alot for your answers!

So here's the setup so far:

Intel Core i7-920

EVGA E758-A1 Motherboard

HD5870

G.Skill Ripjaws (2 x 2GB)

Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W

Samsung F3 Spinpoint

CoolMaster HAF 922

Which CPU Cooler should I get?

What do you guys think and what would you change?

 

[dndhatcher]

CPU coolers to look at
Coolermaster Hyper 212

Xigmatek S1283 Rifle Cooler series (comes in different models also called Dark Knight, Red Scorpion and Balder). May need extra mounting hardware, depends on model.

Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer

 

[Okrap]

I'll get the Coolermaster Hyper 212.

Do you have any suggestions on my setup? Just wanna be sure before I order it hehe!

Thanks again!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The build is looking pretty good. You should use a triple channel RAM kit with the LGA 1366 socket to take advantage of the triple channel RAM controller on the CPU.

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7T-6GBPK - Retail $140.49

 

[darksupreme]

with that cpu and gpu i highly recommend this motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
and for ram try this its really good and preety cheap for its performance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

 

[dndhatcher]

Your build looks fine with the RAM Shortstuff linked, though even with just 4GB it should be OK.

darksupremes suggestions are more expensive and I dont see any significant benefit to them.

 

[darksupreme]

dnt get that cooler if your going to significantly OC