Help building 1700-1900 (Can$) Gaming Rig - Quebec

Arnaud

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Nov 12, 2009
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NOTE: Apologies, but i posted this in the other forum by mistake. I dont mean to spam the forum!

Hi guys, i live in Montreal and my brother and i are looking to build a pair of gaming rigs (the budget is 1700-1900 per computer, of course). Any help you guys could provide would be great! I've read alot of posts on these boards and you guys seem to be a very helpful bunch so I figured I'd try my luck.

I'm also totally clueless about the best place to get parts in Canada, or specifically, Quebec.

BUDGET: 1700-1900 Canadian Bucks

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Fairly soon, next month or so

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard and mouse. im i've got a nice G-15 gaing keyboard. i need pretty much everything else. I have an old 23 in Flatscreen, but id like to run a two monitor setup.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:no idea, but i live in Montreal, Quebec.

PARTS PREFERENCES: I've gone AMD w my current rig, and i think i'd like to try the new intel processors. With cid cards I've always had better results with ATI, but i don't mind NVIDIA.

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe, depending on the extra cost vs benefit. let me know if you think i have room in my budget for it.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: not to sure what to list here, but my current monitor is a 2 year old 23 IN flatscreen. I wouldn't mind hitting a higher resolution with the new one.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd like a case with some snazzy LEDs, and something well cooled. Case size and noise is not really an issue as long as its not uber loud.
I'm looking for a solid rig, but with some pretty high performance.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE TO THE COMMUNITY!
 

Arnaud

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Nov 12, 2009
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Thanks for the websites. I've browsed around Newegg.ca a bit to get an idea of pricing, but I'm still at a loss for parts!
I'll check out the links Jack posted to get a better idea.
Thanks
 

sonic-boom

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Oct 9, 2009
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Solution
Your requirements are a bit vague and you're not yet ready to buy (things change quickly, so the best today won't necessarily be the best in a few weeks). You should read about the new P55 motherboards before you decide that's what you really want instead of an AMD based system. While you don't plan on overclocking (I don't either, but I'm not a gamer and the new platforms are relatively easy to overclock), motherboards that overclock well usually are very stable when not overclocked. Therefore you can buy a cheap motherboard (not recommended with you budget) or one that offers more features and is stable even when overclocked. You'll have similar decisions with memory modules where the fastest or the most expensive aren't always the best. You basically have a month to read reviews, benchmarks, suggestions, etc. In the end you might be as confused, but you'll know a lot more.

Other than Tom's, you could read reviews like http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3671&p=1 and http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3589. Since the system will be used for gaming, you should buy components that will allow you to overclok when there's a need for additional performance.

Sonic-Boom provided you with an excellent list of components.

 

Arnaud

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Thanks Sonic! Thats the kind of listing i was looking for! I'll check the parts you posted later and give you some feedback.
Ghislain: I think im ready to buy, but i'm worried about not doing enough research first, so i'm giving myself a few weeks window (especially since i'm leaving on a business trip for a week tomorrow). Thanks for your reading sugesstions, i'll definately check out the P55s.

Once again, thanks guys. I'll have a look at the components and let you know how it sits with me