Budget Gaming Build -- A Challenge

[jptech]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Unsure (within next month or two?) BUDGET RANGE: $500 - 700 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Cryisis, General Gaming Performance, Adobe CS4 Performance, programming, productivity apps, internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com, anywhere respectable COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: I generally prefer AMD/Ati due to good performance and value

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, but not much SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, if best value

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200, 1080p

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It needs to be pretty good all around, but still fairly cheap. I would prefer something to come out around $625 after shipping. Also,Newegg charges tax in my state, but ZipZoomFly does not. I appreciate any help and model recommendations. I really would like this to be high quality parts including case, PSU, and motherboard. This system will complement my laptop (dual core AMD 2Ghz, 4GB Ram, Vista 64bit) which has good performance but slower integrated graphics (Radeon 3100).This will be my first completely from scratch build, but I am pretty knowledgeable, and I have dream for a couple years now about various systems that I could build. I have done a lot of research, but I just need a little advice before I purchase anything.

Some things that I have considered: AMD Phenom II X3 Black Edition, DDR3-1333 RAM, and Radeon Dual 4850s

Thanks,
JP Tech

 

[MothMusic]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Unsure (within next month or two?) BUDGET RANGE: $500 - 700 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Cryisis, General Gaming Performance, Adobe CS4 Performance, programming, productivity apps, internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com, anywhere respectable COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: I generally prefer AMD/Ati due to good performance and value

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, but not much SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, if best value

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200, 1080p

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It needs to be pretty good all around, but still fairly cheap. I would prefer something to come out around $625 after shipping. Also,Newegg charges tax in my state, but ZipZoomFly does not. I appreciate any help and model recommendations. I really would like this to be high quality parts including case, PSU, and motherboard. This system will complement my laptop (dual core AMD 2Ghz, 4GB Ram, Vista 64bit) which has good performance but slower integrated graphics (Radeon 3100).This will be my first completely from scratch build, but I am pretty knowledgeable, and I have dream for a couple years now about various systems that I could build. I have done a lot of research, but I just need a little advice before I purchase anything.

Some things that I have considered: AMD Phenom II X3 Black Edition, DDR3-1333 RAM, and Radeon Dual 4850s

Thanks,
JP Tech

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
$119-Freeshipping

SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-864-_-Product
$165-Freeshipping

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
$100-Freeshipping

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275
$92-Freeshipping

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
$60-Freeshipping

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
$80-Freeshipping

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283
$65-Freeshipping

Total=$681 and Freeshipping on everything!

And for the OS Ubuntu

 

[jbakerlent]

Welcome to the forum. Here's a nice build, it does not support crossfire though, and you would need to up your budget a bit to support it while still keeping the same parts.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227478

XFX HD-577A-ZHFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150457

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Edit: MothMusic posted many of the same parts a few seconds before me

 

[MothMusic]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Unsure (within next month or two?) BUDGET RANGE: $500 - 700 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Cryisis, General Gaming Performance, Adobe CS4 Performance, programming, productivity apps, internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com, anywhere respectable COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: I generally prefer AMD/Ati due to good performance and value

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, but not much SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, if best value

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200, 1080p

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It needs to be pretty good all around, but still fairly cheap. I would prefer something to come out around $625 after shipping. Also,Newegg charges tax in my state, but ZipZoomFly does not. I appreciate any help and model recommendations. I really would like this to be high quality parts including case, PSU, and motherboard. This system will complement my laptop (dual core AMD 2Ghz, 4GB Ram, Vista 64bit) which has good performance but slower integrated graphics (Radeon 3100).This will be my first completely from scratch build, but I am pretty knowledgeable, and I have dream for a couple years now about various systems that I could build. I have done a lot of research, but I just need a little advice before I purchase anything.

Some things that I have considered: AMD Phenom II X3 Black Edition, DDR3-1333 RAM, and Radeon Dual 4850s

Thanks,
JP Tech

You like AMD/ATI too? *high fives*

 

[MothMusic]

Welcome to the forum. Here's a nice build, it does not support crossfire though, and you would need to up your budget a bit to support it while still keeping the same parts.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227478

XFX HD-577A-ZHFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150457

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Yuck, that ram has terrible reviews and is more expensive! Just switch it with the Gskill ripjaws wich has good reviews, is cheaper, and is a better ram brand, and that case is not for sale anymore... But that system is weaker and more expensive, why did downgrade it? But don't get me wrong its a good build though.

 

[MothMusic]

Welcome to the forum. Here's a nice build, it does not support crossfire though, and you would need to up your budget a bit to support it while still keeping the same parts.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227478

XFX HD-577A-ZHFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150457

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Edit: MothMusic posted many of the same parts a few seconds before me

Hehe! Lol

 

[jbakerlent]

+1 for the G.Skill, but to clarify it's not a better company, newegg reviews aren't worth anything whatsoever, and the price just went up. I linked the case because he's not purchasing very soon and it'll will be back in stock by the time he does, in which case it's one of the best budget cases. There's also no need to get a 650W PSU with a non-crossfire motherboard, but there's nothing wrong with it. Also, you can just get the 770 chipset for cheaper. And lastly, don't get the 750GB HDD because it's slower.

 

[MothMusic]

+1 for the G.Skill, but to clarify it's not a better company, newegg reviews aren't worth anything whatsoever, and the price just went up. I linked the case because he's not purchasing very soon and it'll will be back in stock by the time he does, in which case it's one of the best budget cases. There's also no need to get a 650W PSU with a non-crossfire motherboard, but there's nothing wrong with it. Also, you can just get the 770 chipset for cheaper. And lastly, don't get the 750GB HDD because it's slower.

That all sounds good, but couldn't you bring the price down a bit? I mean look at the cpu and mobo! A system that uses those parts shouldn't cost that much.

And the case is good, but if no crossfire=no need for excessive cooling. Or you know, switch your case with mine, that would be more appropiate for crossfire and it would be within budget!

Yea, if no crossfire, no need for 650 psu.

Its caviar black though and on sale!

 

[MothMusic]

If you switch your motherboard with this:

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

Get rid of the 5770 + the extra 20 bucks left over from my configuration, and the $20 saved with the new mobo, that leaves you with: $204

Spend this on for Crysis for max settings on 1900 res monitor:

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102848&cm_re=4890-_-14-102-848-_-Product
$195

If you use my configuration and this new gpu: Total = $691. Enjoy

 

[jbl91]

Why that RAM? It has higher latencies and IT is actually more expensive after rebate and there's no reason not to factor in the rebate. Also, I don't know about the 4890, it's fine for Crysis, but for future games it's kind of crippled. It seems like both of your parts are more or less the same - jbakerlent's HDD is better, and I don't see any reason to get the 785 mobo or 650W PSU. Also, the Illusion has better cooling than the other one.

 

[MothMusic]

Why that RAM? It has higher latencies and IT is actually more expensive after rebate and there's no reason not to factor in the rebate. Also, I don't know about the 4890, it's fine for Crysis, but for future games it's kind of crippled. It seems like both of your parts are more or less the same - jbakerlent's HDD is better, and I don't see any reason to get the 785 mobo or 650W PSU. Also, the Illusion has better cooling than the other one.

This ram is cheaper, and wont die on you like the ocz. Plus there is no rebate, thats its full price with freeshipping. And ram only makes a 1-5% difference in performance when running games.

I just suggested that gpu as an option. I thought it would be exciting to get such a powerful gpu for his rig under his budget. He can spend that $204 on whatever he wants.

My build was within the budget, jbakerlent's was not.

The different in hdd speeds is insignificant. Its not like switching from a hdd to ssd. The purpose of a hdd is for storage, and the one I choose offers more of it than the other hdd.

The mobo and 650w psu were chosen for the future. This way he can use crossfire, or load it up with more energy consuming parts.

If he wants the illusion then go with it. Its only $10 more.

 

[jbakerlent]

My build was within the budget, jbakerlent's was not.

I disagree

The different in hdd speeds is insignificant. Its not like switching from a hdd to ssd. The purpose of a hdd is for storage, and the one I choose offers more of it than the other hdd.

Partially true, it will affect startup times for the OS and for programs.

The mobo and 650w psu were chosen for the future. This way he can use crossfire, or load it up with more energy consuming parts.

Agree about the PSU, nice to have the option to keep it for the next build.

 

[MothMusic]

I disagree


Partially true, it will affect startup times for the OS and for programs.


Agree about the PSU, nice to have the option to keep it for the next build.

But, the client said 700 bucks! Wasn't yours like 20 bucks over?

But the storage man! Caviar=Storage Spinpoint=(slightly increased) Speed

 

[MothMusic]

I disagree


Partially true, it will affect startup times for the OS and for programs.


Agree about the PSU, nice to have the option to keep it for the next build.

Well we could find a compromise. Maybe get a ssd and a hdd? I'm using one now (OCz Vertex) and omfg its fast. You just click, and your programs/files just pop up instantly. Some people see it as a waste, and in a way it is a luxury (at the moment). But once you go ssd, you don't go back.

 

[jptech]

My build was within the budget, jbakerlent's was not.

The mobo and 650w psu were chosen for the future. This way he can use crossfire, or load it up with more energy consuming parts.

If he wants the illusion then go with it. Its only $10 more.

Thanks for all of the replies, I really appreciate it. I would like to have expandability for the future, and a 650 watt PSU would come in handy. I could reuse it in another later build possibly. As for the budget, I like some of the recommendations, but newegg charges tax in my state, so $680 becomes just under $750. I realize that this will cripple the build to have such a budget, but ZipZoomFly has some good deals and doesn't charge tax or shipping (usually).

Well we could find a compromise. Maybe get a ssd and a hdd? I'm using one now (OCz Vertex) and omfg its fast. You just click, and your programs/files just pop up instantly. Some people see it as a waste, and in a way it is a luxury (at the moment). But once you go ssd, you don't go back.

Incorporating a solid state drive is a good idea, but you have to realize that this is a sub $1000 computer. I like good boot performance, but it isn't worth it in this scenario. Don't get me wrong... If it can be done, I would be extremely happy, but it would require sacrifices that I don't want to make. However, I might do that in the future.

 

[jptech]

What do you think of this? It is $710.54 - $35 rebates = $675.54 with free 5-7 day shipping and no tax

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition 2.8Ghz 95W 2.8GHz Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010064
$99.00

ASUS M4A78T-E AMD 790GX Socket AM3 5200 MT/s PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010097
$114.99 - $15 rebate = $99.99

ANTEC THREE HUNDRED Mid Chassis Black Mid Tower Case Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007764
$59.99

OCZ OCZ3P1333LV4GK 4GB PC3-10666 (DDR3-1333) Dual Channel Memory Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011079
$107.99 - $20 rebate = $87.99

ANTEC EA650 EarthWatts Series 650W SLI Active Power Supply Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010587
$79.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007193
$69.59

XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011371
$178.99

I chose a 790GX for future expandability... It has 2 PCI-Express 16x /w Crossfire and an integrated GPU if one of my dedicated fails.

Tell me what you think..

-JP Tech

 

[jbakerlent]

Get the Spinpoint F3. Also, the non-Illusion version of the 300 doesn't come with all the fans, so you might be better off buying that one off newegg, since I couldn't find the Illusion on ZZF. Very nice build.

 

[MothMusic]

What do you think of this? It is $710.54 - $35 rebates = $675.54 with free 5-7 day shipping and no tax

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition 2.8Ghz 95W 2.8GHz Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010064
$99.00

ASUS M4A78T-E AMD 790GX Socket AM3 5200 MT/s PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010097
$114.99 - $15 rebate = $99.99

ANTEC THREE HUNDRED Mid Chassis Black Mid Tower Case Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007764
$59.99

OCZ OCZ3P1333LV4GK 4GB PC3-10666 (DDR3-1333) Dual Channel Memory Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011079
$107.99 - $20 rebate = $87.99

ANTEC EA650 EarthWatts Series 650W SLI Active Power Supply Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010587
$79.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007193
$69.59

XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011371
$178.99

I chose a 790GX for future expandability... It has 2 PCI-Express 16x /w Crossfire and an integrated GPU if one of my dedicated fails.

Tell me what you think..

-JP Tech

Yea thats a solid machine, good luck with your build!

 

[MothMusic]

Get the Spinpoint F3. Also, the non-Illusion version of the 300 doesn't come with all the fans, so you might be better off buying that one off newegg, since I couldn't find the Illusion on ZZF. Very nice build.

*sigh* You win, SpinPoint f3 is faster than a Caviar Black and is currently cheaper. BUT it doesn't have the Caviar Blacks safety features!