First time builder - $800 budget

[Rob_3]

Hey everyone. First time builder so I have no idea whats compatible with what, and which parts are considered better than others. I'm not a complete noob but I have never attempted to build a tower so I need some help.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: By the end of 2009.

BUDGET RANGE: Up to $800 (its ok if it goes a little over or under).

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, video editing (nothing to major).

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS, monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel (most likely Quad instead of i5/i7)

OVERCLOCKING: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080 (23'')

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm main looking for a good tower to play Fallout 3 (and other high end games) on high quality. I have a 23'' monitor so I want to take full advantage of it. I plan to buy Win7 Home Premium (64Bit). Also, I'd like to burn some CDs and DVDs with a decent drive

If you have any other questions, just ask. THANKS for all your help!

 

[jbakerlent]

Welcome to the forum, see what you think of this build:

Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227478

GIGABYTE GV-R577D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125301

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=f3%20500gb

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=550%20vx

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

That's just under $800.

 

[overshocks]

To OP: Where's the crossfire/sli part? you want the ability or no?

Also, no point getting the c2q because they are discontinued and i5 750 build is much better

I recommend jbakerlent's build. But keep in mind there's no windows 7 64bit in that build.

The video card he suggested will not run the high end games at max settings/high settings that well at 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[Scooter12345]

Good recommendations however we are starting to see discounts on 4890 as opposed to 5770. Does not have DX11 but much faster card for equivalent price after rebates.

 

[Scooter12345]

Good recommendations however we are starting to see discounts on 4890 as opposed to 5770. Does not have DX11 but much faster card for equivalent price after rebates. On i750 likely sticking with 1 card, so 4890 or 5850 would offer longer-term satisfaction.

 

[Rob_3]

thanks for the reply guys.

jbakerlent - thanks for the build. Looks good.

overshocks - Honostly, I dont know what crossfire/sli does and, I'm fine with the i5 build. What do I need to use Windows 7 64bit? And also, would this graphics card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162038 be able to run game on High at 1920x1080 res?

 

[EXT64]

To use Win7 64 Bit, all you need is a 64 bit processor, and all modern processors are 64-bit. And yes, that is a pretty good card (though it is out of stock).

 

[Rob_3]

EXT -- So can jbakerlent's build use Win7 64bit? because overshock said it cant...

And whats the best single graphics card I can use to play the games in High (not max) quality with a resonable framerate (60ish)

Can anyone help me with a full build? By that I mean a graphics card that runs games on high with 1920x1080 resolution and a processor that can run win7 64 bit (home premium)

thanks

 

[jbakerlent]

1. Overshocks meant that I didn't include the OS in the budget, it will install fine.
2. XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442
3. See above?

 

[Rob_3]

thanks jbakerlent. One more question. I read somewhere that if you have Intel, its better to use nVidia because Intel owns it or something. Is that true?

 

[jbakerlent]

No, Intel has no affiliation with Nvidia...