First Time Builder with approx $750

[gratefulgolfer]

I finally have some budget for a new system which is a good thing as i've been limping through games on a 4 year old E-machines with 1gb RAM and a hand me down 8600gt. I would like something that can run at max settings or close to on WoW and a few other games.




APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as I find the right build, hopefully tomorrow

BUDGET RANGE: $750ish including Windows 7

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, surfing the internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: TigerDirect, Newegg, whoever has the best deal

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: I'm in the United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: I have no preferences as I'm very new to this

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, i've never done it but am interested in it SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900 is what i'm currently running

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Any help you guys can give would be greatly appreciated

 

[batuchka]

Stuff from Egg $696

Stuff from Tiger Direct $25
Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5310940&CatId=32
Video Review of case
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiXDgIMZ1sk
$721 // 691 AR Total

Suggest stick to single GPU options although that combo just happens to be crossfire capable hehe A single 1GB HD 4870 is way overkill for 1440x900 as it is

 

[aford10]

This build is more than your '$750ish' budget by ~ $100.

CM HAF 922/OCZ 550w PSU combo - $85 after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.291812
i5 750/ ASUS P7P55D/4GB OCZ DDR3 1600 combo - $413 after rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.294754
500GB samsung spinpoint f3 - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product
Sapphire 5770 - $165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-864-_-Product
Lite-On DVD drive - $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
windows 7 OEM - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754&cm_re=windows_7-_-32-116-754-_-Product

If that build is more than you want to spend, you can substitute the CPU/motherboard/RAM combo for this:
Gigabyte 790gx/AMD x4 965 combo - $271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.291511
Mushkin 4GB DDR3 1600 - $95 after rebate

 

[gratefulgolfer]

I appreciate the help. I know that the 4870 is overkill for the 1440x900...but will it still be overkill when I upgrade the monitor in the future? What resolution is it still solid for or should i look at the 5770, I do use my computer through my bigscreen rarely. I've seen people talk about the the 550, 720, and 940's is there any merit to these or is the 925 sufficient, is it overclockable? The reviews I read on the ECS motherboard were kind of spotty, have you had good results with it? I really appreciate all the feedback from both of you. Is the i5 worth the extra money or will I really notice the difference now or in the future?

 

[batuchka]

Toms actually had a in depth review/analysis and for my clients who game i would look at the $76 Athlon2 X3 425 as a great entry level gaming chip. CM Hyper 212 later and clock down the road Then get as good a GPU they could land hehe A higher end tri/quad is a bonus For 1280 x 1024 or 1440 x 900 a HD 4670/9600GT is fine actually That ECS is good to go ^^

The Newegg users who said its not OCable are either newbies on AMD platforms/chips or OC in general lol
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/a790gmsad3/7.htm

 

[aford10]

The benefit between the CPUs can vary depending on what you will use it for. The AMD 965 is probably the best gaming CPU you can fit into your budget range.

ECS is a bottom of the barrel budget board, I wouldn't recommend them.

 

[gratefulgolfer]

If I can squeeze a little extra money would you still go with the 4870, a 4890, or would you bite the bullet and go with the 5770, and if you went with the 5770 what does juniper xt mean? If so, could you recommend one? Or would 2x4670 be a better option. Is it fairly easy to overclock the processor? Sorry for all the questions, I'm gonna get one shot at this with the wife and I wanna hit a homerun on the first pitch.

 

[batuchka]

Nah no go for the HD4670CF lol For DX11 HD 5770 is fine but any/all of those cards should do for 1440 x 900 really - your call depending on how much u willing to fork out ^^

 

[1898]

Similarly to what has been suggested already but with an awesome combo deal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.295032
■AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3
■GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H (CF @x8)
$119.00
+
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9976694
$588.92
=
$707.92

 

[aford10]

The 4890 is a more powerful video card than the 5770, but the 5770 has the dx11 support for windows 7. It's kind of a trade-off that you have to decide what's important.

It's pretty easy to OC a CPU. The problem is that some boards have more OC options than others. Asus and Gigabyte are known as the top motherboard manufacturers. Their BIOS options are usually a little more OC friendly. I think intel CPUs are easier to OC than AMD, but that's my opinion.

Juniper is just the name given to the ATI 5770 dx11 video cards.

 

[batuchka]

Nice combo 1898 ^^

 

[1898]

Though, I totally took the wrong price, thought it was kinda cheapish.
The combo is actually $178.99 resp. $767.91 all together. :lol:

 

[gratefulgolfer]

Batuchka, I'm not very informed on resolutions on monitors, but what if I was to purchase a 23" monitor in the near future? Will I need to purchase some case fans for the case you recommended? What can I expect the 2.8Ghz Overclocked to?

 

[batuchka]

With el cheapo value RAMs 3.3-3.4 is doable for 925 even on god forsaken $5x mobos Also u do know that millions of peeps do gaming with their chips at stock speeds i hope hehe I have benches of 720BE , i7 and 955BE all at stock (imagine 925 as a 720BE with a locked multi and extra core hehe) paired with a GTX 280/285 so if u want to learn more PM me ^^ For a 23" they mostly come in Full HD 1920 x 1080 so the idea to spend just enuff for your current resolution and get something like a HD 5850 when u hit Full HD later is sound IMO Well depending on how many fans are bundled and if u want more silent ones ya after market fans are an option ^^

 

[gratefulgolfer]

So what would be the preferred cpu/mobo combo....the 925/ECS or the 720/Gigabyte as they are roughly the same cost. I have read some reviews where people were able to unlock the 4th core on the 720...just not sure if anyone on here has had the same result. Will the power supplies recommended handle both combos?

 

[aford10]

I really don't know why you would consider either. The phenom II 965/955 and Gigabyte 790 are in your range.

I would only consider an ECS motherboard on a strict budget PC.

 

[gratefulgolfer]

With the 955 it will be roughly $60 more, not sure if I can squeeze that or not, especially depending on what video card I go with

 

[batuchka]

I would say ECS/925 or 720BE/Giga is fine and ya the Corsair VX550 for non CF/SLI set ups is good to go I would go quad really if i were regularly encode/render so no need to blow your budget outside either combo for me ^^

 

[gratefulgolfer]

The case you linked is no longer available....what would be your next recommendation

 

[batuchka]

Good ole CM 690 : Excellent airflow case for the $$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3198497&CatId=1509

 

[batuchka]

Aha bingo! - same case with these hardware @ $693 Egg

$723 AR and GTS 250 is still overkill for 1440 x 900 hehe

GA-770T-UD3P OC/unlock thread:
http://forums.vr-zone.com/overclocking-bazaar/466518-amd-x2-550-phenom2-black-edition-unlocking-thread.html

 

[aford10]

From batuchka's build:
case/PSU/DVD drive = $157

The ones I linked = $112
and the case I linked has better airflow.

I'd use the $$ saved to get a better motherboard or video card.

 

[gratefulgolfer]

Are the case/PSU/DVD equal between aford and batuchka? If I was to go with aford's, what motherboard or video card should I go with?

 

[gratefulgolfer]

After looking at the benchmarks, the 5770 gets consistently beat by the 4870 and 4890. Would this be a better way to go? I know that at my current 1440x900 I won't notice the difference, but, for a lack of a better term, i'd like to future proof it as much as I can to delay having to upgrade it again in the near future.

 

[aford10]

The OCZ PSU has 2 12v rails with 25amps on each. The corsair has a single 12v rail with 41amps on it. I would take the OCZ.

I would definitely take the HAF I linked over the cm 690. Only 2 fans come with the CM 690. There's really not much difference in the DVD drives. Either are good.