Budget gaming pc-give me your thoughts

[hoog78]

This is my first attempt at building a PC. I don't really know for sure what I am doing. Here is what I am thinking for a budget gaming pc:

case: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128401

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

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180

GPU: EVGA GTX 260 896MB PCI-Express 2.0 Video Card
http://www.frys.com/product/5636781

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

Optical Drive: Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Heatsink + Fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

total price: ~$826

I was just wondering if there are any better products for cheaper?
I had thought about the nvidia 9800 gtx instead of the 260 gtx because it is 60-70 bucks cheaper. Is there a huge difference in performance between the two?

please provide any thoughts you care to share about it

 

[gkay09]

^ That is a good build you have come up with...
But here are few suggestions...
If you have not planned for a high overclock, you can check out this mobo too... - UD2...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.287671

And as for the graphics card, what resolution do you play at and what kind of games? It would decide whether there would be a significant difference between the GTX 260 and 9800GTX...
Did you check out the cards from ATI ?

And dont get that 500GB HDD, instead get the Samsung F3 500/ Seagate 7200.12 500GB...they are better...

 

[hoog78]

That processor/ram combo looks like a solid deal. i am pretty new to overclocking and SLI so i dont know if i would be planning for a high overclock or not. are there any major differences between the p55 and the p55 micro?

some of the games that i would be playing include: CoD, Dragon Age, and other random shooters and rpgs. i am not sure what the monitor's resolution supports.

why would the samsung and seagate be better than the WD caviar? i have read that the WD caviar black are supposed to be the cream of the crop.

 

[sebastian7]

If I'm not mistaken, the Caviar Black 640 performs a little better than the 500. You may want to look into that.

 

[rakoth]

+1 sebastian7. If you want to stick with a 500 GB drive, get the SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB drive. $55 with free shipping from newegg.

 

[hoog78]

its not that i want to stick with 500 GB. i would just prefer to cut costs at any place possible and i dont realistically see myself using all of 500 or 640 GBs. thanks for the input about the hdd. anyone else have thoughts/recommendations about the build?

 

[hoog78]

i was actually thinking of switching from the gtx 260 to the ati radeon 4870 hd 1gb due to price difference. i have read/heard that it is very comparable to the gtx 260. any major differences between the two?

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

The 4870 is a solid card. I have the 1 Gb version, playing at 1400X900 resolution, and swear by it. It all depends on your resolution. Go to your display properties, or at least give the size of the monitor, so they have an idea what your needs really are. For instance, the 4870 is good for 1400X900-I can play l4d2 with max settings including AA-but I'm sure that at a really high resolution, like those found on 30' LCD's for instance, my performance would suffer a lot. Unless we know your specific needs, it's tough to judge what card you should get.

I would get the Radeon 5770 over the 4870, it's slightly better, nearly the same price, and has Radeon's new eyefinity tech and DX11 support.

 

[hoog78]

i believe my monitor is 19 inch LG with 1400x900 display. not 100% sure but i wouldnt use over 22 inches or 1920x1080 if i upgraded my monitor

 

[gkay09]

^ Though the HD 4870 would be a very good choice...but I would suggest you check out the HD 5770...Though the performance lacks a bit compared to the HD 4870, but for your resolution, it wouldn't matter much...and the main reason for suggesting the 5770 is that its a next gen DirectX 11 card and you wouldn't have to upgrade to a DirectX 11 card, when it becomes mainstream...Or else you would feel the need to upgrade later on...
But if you dont care about DirectX 11, then go ahead and get the HD 4870...its a solid card and comes attractively priced...

Or get this card - Just unbeatable for this price after rebates...It would outperform GTX 260, and has comparable performance of GTX 275...
HIS H489FN1GH Radeon HD 4890 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161299

And as for the HDD, get the Samsung F3 500GB as they would offer very good performance and come at a good price...