astrosausage

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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
 
The build looks pretty good. I wouldn't mess with your old hard drive. You can just get the OEM version of Windows 7 which costs less than the upgrade and will allow you to do a fresh install. Here's a couple combo deals that might interest you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.282078 $286.98 (64-bit Windows 7 + Sapphire 4890)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.282024 $261.98 (64-bit Windows 7 + Sapphire 5770)

This drive is faster and cheaper than the blue 640GB drive.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $54.99

Here's a combo deal for the case and PSU you picked:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.291794
 

astrosausage

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Thanks shortstuff_mt! I have made all the changes you suggested. Regarding the Windows OEM, I didn't know what requirements I had to meet to buy the OEM version. The combo deals and Samsung drive are very helpful.
 

overshocks

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+1
there's no need to be cheap with a $900 build. definitely get sata.
 

astrosausage

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Nov 5, 2009
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They are way before SATA - Thanks for the suggestion - I added the Lite-On iHAS424-98
 

astrosausage

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Nov 5, 2009
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Thanks overshocks for your help. I am very happy with my build now.