My First Build. Budget ~$750. Gaming PC.

[ForceAmp]

Hello. First, I want to say that I would really appreciate if anyone with experience could help me with my first build.



Lets start off with:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ~ 1 month

BUDGET RANGE: $600 - $850

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Graphics Applications, Movies.

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

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States of America

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel, nVidia, EVGA, NZXT.

OVERCLOCKING: Some

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280 x 1024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I just need a game that can play games on High settings on my 19" monitor. A decent looking case would be nice. Not looking to do anything too fancy with it. And I would prefer if the build was upgradeable.





The build I came up with:


■CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

■MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

■RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail

■HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail

■HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

■PSU: Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible ... - Retail

■GPU: HIS H577F1GDG Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

■DVD: SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM

■Case: NZXT Beta Series CS-NT-BETA-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

■Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM


I took most of this from: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/269162-31-recommended-builds-usage



The one thing I realized was wrong with this build was the price. It comes out to about $850.

Could you come up with a cheaper version of this without switching to AMD, but that doesn't slack on quality too much and kinda keeps the same features. Remember, I want to keep this build for a while so it has to be upgradeable.


Thank you.

 

[sonic-boom]

I would recommend a 5770 over a 260, its tied for cheaper, it uses less power and is cooler/quieter. The SLI/Crossfire was a yes no. If you want it in the future you need a 650w PSU or better, if you don't then drop down to a 450w Corsair, or keep the 500w antec.

 

[Newf]

If you wait on OC you can save by not buying the cooler and paste.
If you wait for Black Friday you may save even more.
The 5770 will run 1280x1024 very fast. No Xfire/SLI needs to be in the plan.

 

[ForceAmp]

Ok, I did some research on the 5770 compared to the 260. Although they are the exact same price, the 260 has ~7 more fps in every game than the 260. But the 5770 seems like a better choice because its quieter, uses less power, and supports directx 11 (and it comes with Dirt 2). The question I have is if I buy the 5770, will I be able to buy a better geforce (could I say 300 series) later on to replace it on that mobo?

Newf pointed out that I can hold out on buying the Heatsink till later, which will bring the price down $30. I assume I wont be able to overclock without it.

Any other suggestions that could bring the price down even just a little?

 

[obsidian86]

maybe this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275