$1500 Gaming PC Suggestions/Thoughts

destruktive

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Ive decided that my current PC isnt exactly up to my standards anymore as far as gaming is concerned. So ive talked it over with the wife and ive been givin "permission" (lol) to spend about $1500 on a gaming pc. I want you to keep in mind that this pc will be used for general internet use and major gaming. I wont be doing anything that would require alot (outside of gaming) of bang. Ive been reading a few guides and forums about better/more for the dollar parts and ive come up with what i figure to be a pretty decent build. Thats where you guys (the experts) come in to judge the selections ive made. lol Please keep in mine that $1500 isnt my max, But it shouldnt be very much more than that at best.

Ok, Im gonna post all my newegg links, (sorry if we arent allowed to include names of other sites, Im kinda new to forums) One last note; I wont be ordering this PC until around Jan. 10th(ish) So if something is coming out in between now and then that i should replace one of these parts with, By all means inform me. lol Now to the parts already.

Im getting a EVGA car so i figure i might as well match it with an EVGA board. More compatibility i supose.
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

(I want to note that im buying the mobo and CPU as a package deal. So long as the deal is still ongoing in Jan. Hence the reason the cpu might not be as good as another one or whatever.)

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145261

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130478

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156063

CPU Cooling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005125

With all that and with some extra thermal compund, Another fan, Mouse, Keyboard, and DVD burner my total comes up to be $1,802.71 Not exactly $1500 but the wife isnt to upset over it. lol I would like to order everything from newegg so that it all comes at about the same time and im not collecting piece by piece. As far as my gaming goes, Im not a crysis player so im not so concerned with that much power. One day i might like to try it out and id like to feel comfortable knowing i could play it well if needed. Mostly ive been playing WoW and Microsoft FSX. Im thinking of buying Modern Warfare 2 and i would like to be able to play it maxed out with good framerate. Once again, I still have plenty of time to do more research on this before the actual build so this isnt necessarily a final copy. More so a rough draft. So any suggestions or changes or comments would be great!

(im not exactly new to computers but i dont know deep technical specs. Please keep rude comments off this thread as im just trying to learn everything and find out where i might be wrong about certain things. IMHO this is a pretty decent build, But once again im no expert. I appreciate all the reponses in advance! :)
 

destruktive

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Nov 22, 2009
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Now I come with questions. muaha.. lol Anyway yeah, After the first comment i basically went back to the drawing board as far as CPU and Mobo goes and i happened across this CPU: (I also seen it on the first posts link as one of the better CPU's)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214&cm_re=i7_860-_-19-115-214-_-Product

Would that CPU be better than the one i choose? If so could you explain in what way it would be better. The only thing i really know acout processors is that the faster the GHz, the better. My original only went for 2.66GHz where as this one goes for 2.8Ghz Im not sure if that will matter a great deal as i plan to ATTEMPT overclocking to some degree but like i said, I know barely anything about CPU's

celt- The link to your monitor doesnt work for me. If its the same as the one i originally posted then i will definatly swap it out to save a few bucks.
 

celt-

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Nov 22, 2009
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On second though, If you aren't buying until January, You may want to wait and see what is on sale. Another good thought on monitors is Black Friday coming up. If you can navigate the crowds, I know there are some good buys on monitors at staples. Plus, you can always use your new monitor before you build your new rig :p
 

dpaul8

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The i5-750 and i7-860 processors use P55 motherboards, which tend to be less costly than X58 motherboards using i7-920 processors. As you can see from the link I gave above, the i750 and i860 processors actually perform better than the i920 when using a single graphics card with no overclocking. If you add more than one graphics card and overclocking, the i920 may perform slightly better than the i750 and i860 systems, but for all intents and purposes these systems are nearly identical in performance.

If you live near a Microcenter, you can pick up a i750 for $150, or a i860 for $230.

 

destruktive

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Nov 22, 2009
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Well im not 100% on what a microcenter is but im assuming its a distributor of intel products? To my knowledge the closest place is 3+ hours (Assuming theres one in 9 out of 10 big cities) and that wouldnt really save me much considering gas. lol I might want to run in SLI at a later date but as of now i will only be running this one card. Overclocking is sorta in the air but not necessarily something that will happen for sure. Im interested in it as i will learn alot more about the inner workings of a PC. The graphics card i chose is factory overclocked if that makes any difference. Im kinda leaning towards the EVGA board as it allows for future hardware updates but again, I didnt do alot of research on alot of boards. Im just a Nvidia fanboy and im guessing EVGA=Nvidia pretty much the same. lol I dunno, Its getting late and i have to work in the morning so this will be my last post for the night. Anymore suggestions are welcome! :)

(BTW i switched out for that Asus monitor as i liked it more and the newegg reviews were pretty decent. So thanks for the link! :))
 

dpaul8

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If you do decide to go the P55 motheboard route, these motherboards use either 2 or 4 sticks of 2GB RAM. For the uses you describe above, I would recommend you start with 2 sticks of 2GB RAM. You can always add more RAM later. This will also save you a few dollars.
 

LTH80

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Nov 22, 2009
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I'm building a system right now with a similar budget and from what ive come across the i5 750 would be a better choice, cheaper and you can overclock it really well.
too bad u have to buy a monitor =S Also it looks like you're trying to cheap out on the HDD. I heard ....er read that the caviar black is good. I got the 500GB for like 65 or something, and when i fill that up i'll look into a 1 TB + for storage...by then it'll be cheaper.

Edit - ya your original choice for i7 was 558 for cpu and mobo combo, for the i5 it'll be 229 +200 for MB so $430. There's 100 extra to spend on vid card =D
 

destruktive

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Nov 22, 2009
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Well the reason i have to build an entire system, (mose keyboard, monitor) is because my wife also plays WoW and shes been using an old dell that ive had since maybe 2001? lol and she told me that if i get a new one then she is taking this pc. Thats fine by me seeing as i get to spend a lil extra for everything. xD Thats the reason its a lil over $1500. Without the monitor keyboard and mouse its right around $1500 tho. Im not so sure about the i5 as i want to get an EVGA board and im not 100% on the overclocking so ill need the extra "umph" from the factory settings. Ill definatly look into it tho but like i said im wanting to future proof this thing for at least 5+ years and by then the i5 might be like a pentium 4 by the time i9 comes out.

I seen this board on a site claiming the best parts for a $1500 build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482

If i decided to go with that board.. which would be the better cpu?

i5-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

i7-860
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214

I know the 860 beat the i7 920 in those tests from the previous posts link, but what i dont like is that the pciE lanes only run at 8x if using more than one card. Whereas the EVGA board i chose runs both at 16x from what i understand. (BTW the site for the $1500 build that i sorta kinda used as a base is here: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/1500-gaming-computer-tons-of-raw-power-ready-for-overclocking-and-future-games/ )
 

LTH80

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Nov 22, 2009
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if your're going with i7 wouldn't the 1366 socket be the way to go??? You may be right about being more future proof, although the i5 is great now, what about in 2-3 years? is an upgrade in cpu gonna mean a entirely new build?

I've been toiling over this decision myself lol I already ordered all my parts but i'm contemplating sending them back and waiting 2 months. Someone said a new batch of i7's will be coming out and prices will drop. I dunno where to find this information though.
 

dpaul8

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All this talk about future proofing is somewhat foolish. Most people will add memory, or a new component to their system, but most will never upgrade their processor. In less than two years, a new set of motherboards for Intel processors will hit the streets, and your old motherboard and Intel processor will be old technology not worth upgrading.

The P55 motherboards with the 1156 socket are the newest technology to hit the streets. The X58 motherboards with the 1366 socket have been out for well over a year and are due for an upgrade. Yes, Intel will likely be coming out with i9 processors for the 1366 socket in 2010, but there is no guarantee your motherboard manufacturer will provide a BIOS upgrade for their old motherboards or even be able to support these new processors on the old motherboards. Besides the target market for i9 processors will be commercial users, not home PC users, and the introductory price will be over $500. A few people may upgrade at that price if the old technology allows them, but most will live with what they have, especially if they are not having problems.

Right now the i860 processor/P55 motherboard outperforms the i920 processor/X58 motherboard as can be seen in the following tests:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=7

There are some ligitimate reasons why some people should purchase a i920/X58 system, but unless you can articulate the reasons why that platform is right for you, then you are not one of those people.
 
G

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I'll get a list real quick here...



Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128402

CPU + CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145267

GFX Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121349

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156063

Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005125

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

All of this through Newegg:

Subtotal: $1,597.77
Shipping:$36.46

Total: $1,634.23

I know It's not a GREAT build or under $1500, but it's definitely better performance for the price compared to the build you originally posted.

Note: I kept some of the things on this list close to what preference I inferred, also to what I knew was already good and/or more your choice than my own.
 

destruktive

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Nov 22, 2009
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The only problems i have with that build are the mobo, CPU and the graphics card. Like i said in my other post, Im pretty much a Nvidia fanboy. I wouldnt go as far to say as i "trash" ATI or any other companys but when it comes to purchases i like to spend my cash with Vvidia products. After a little bit of research (I havent saved myself very much but thats ok really) ive come up with this mobo and CPU combo.

The mobo is based on this review:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3671

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188056&Tpk=P55%20FTW%20SLI%20E657

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214

Plus the CPU did better than the original i7 720 i choose. Like i said tho, This isnt a final build, More so just a rough draft. Im still gonna look into other things but with the revised list, Mobo, CPU, and Monitor, I feel this is a pretty good build for the money. Definatly alot more than i would get out of the $1400 alienware aurora i was originally looking at. I appreciate all the suggestions and advice! Definatly have made me take a second look at my build and im quite happy i made some (for the better) changes.
 

dpaul8

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I am really pleased that you have taken everyone's opinions into account, and have begun to do some research on your own. When you do finally pull the trigger on your order for your new build, you should be confident that the system that you put together fits your wants and needs. Enjoy the journey, as well as your final destination.
 

UnknownSoldier

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Sep 22, 2009
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I'm kind of in the same situation as you're describing here. I want to buy an i7 860, but I think I will most likely be buying an additional 5850 (already have one) after the prices come back to something sensible. I however clearly do not plan on ever getting an i9. My planned 920 build was $1245 (incl. a ASUS Rampage II), and my planned 860 build is $1166.

Do you think the benefit of crossfire with a 920 makes it worth buying that CPU over the 860?
 

LTH80

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Nov 22, 2009
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How do you find the 5850??? i was on the wait list for 2 of these, then i thought i don't need 2 and maybe i should stick with one, or should i try and get the 5870....
*sigh*
 

UnknownSoldier

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Sep 22, 2009
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It's the oddest thing ever. I simply ordered one from a local computer shop and they claimed they could order it in (I don't know from where)... and less than a week later it shows up at the door. No one could believe it actually happened considering the shortages, including myself.
 

LTH80

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Nov 22, 2009
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ya i believe it, i think i would have them already if i woulda stayed in the queue with the first store i bought from.
But i noticed websites will get in a few and they'll sell out really quick, so u really gotta be on the ball and keep check sites sever times a day.

I'm pretty sure i picked one up tonight, 5870. =) All my parts should arrive monday and i'm ready to build!

Right now ncix.com (canadian) has saphire 5850's listed as in stock.