This is my first build. My first computer was a compaq presario in 2000. I bought a top-of-the-line HP laptop in 2004. Now I'm looking to build a machine for gaming that I can use for the long term and upgrade as needed.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This Week
BUDGET RANGE: $900 After Rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, connecting to 50” HDTV for gaming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: CD/DVD Drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD
OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1600x1200 Monitor, or 50” HDTV
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My old (2000) desktop with a 40 gig hard drive – It ran Windows ME, I upgraded to XP – Can I use the old hard drive on it as a springboard in a new system so I can get a Windows 7 Upgrade instead of having to buy the full package, and if so, will copying the old HD to the new also copy the OS without problem so I can get rid of my old 40 gig HD after I have installed the Windows 7 upgrade?
The game I will be playing is "Gears of War," which I have had for a year but not had a good system to play it on. Given this, my build may well exceed the gaming requirements, but I want to be able to have good resolution on my 50" HDTV for this and other games.
QUESTION: I noticed in some builds they suggest using 2 less expensive cards instead of one better card. Would I be better served using the 2x Gigabyte GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB (the same card that was used 4x in the $1250 build article)
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Case
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
-$15.00 Instant
$84.99
$69.99
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136218
$69.99
GPU
HIS H489FP1G Radeon HD 4890 Turbo+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Item #: N82E16814161298
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$199.99
$189.99
Power Supply
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817341001
-$50.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$129.99
$79.99
Memory
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
Item #: N82E16820231193
$89.99
Combo
Combo
• AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGIBOX - Retail
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
• ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131402
-$35.00 Combo
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$315.98
$280.98
Subtotal: $780.93 Tax: $64.43
Shipping: $33.86
Grand Total: $879.22
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This Week
BUDGET RANGE: $900 After Rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, connecting to 50” HDTV for gaming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: CD/DVD Drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD
OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1600x1200 Monitor, or 50” HDTV
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My old (2000) desktop with a 40 gig hard drive – It ran Windows ME, I upgraded to XP – Can I use the old hard drive on it as a springboard in a new system so I can get a Windows 7 Upgrade instead of having to buy the full package, and if so, will copying the old HD to the new also copy the OS without problem so I can get rid of my old 40 gig HD after I have installed the Windows 7 upgrade?
The game I will be playing is "Gears of War," which I have had for a year but not had a good system to play it on. Given this, my build may well exceed the gaming requirements, but I want to be able to have good resolution on my 50" HDTV for this and other games.
QUESTION: I noticed in some builds they suggest using 2 less expensive cards instead of one better card. Would I be better served using the 2x Gigabyte GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB (the same card that was used 4x in the $1250 build article)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
-$15.00 Instant
$84.99
$69.99
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136218
$69.99
GPU
HIS H489FP1G Radeon HD 4890 Turbo+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Item #: N82E16814161298
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$199.99
$189.99
Power Supply
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817341001
-$50.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$129.99
$79.99
Memory
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
Item #: N82E16820231193
$89.99
Combo
Combo
• AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGIBOX - Retail
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
• ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131402
-$35.00 Combo
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$315.98
$280.98
Subtotal: $780.93 Tax: $64.43
Shipping: $33.86
Grand Total: $879.22