AMD Build around $800

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next 7 days

BUDGET RANGE: $800-$1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, occasional work from home

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: dual setup, primary currently 1680x1050 on Dell E228WFP, secondary 1280x1024 on Dell 1905FP. May upgrade later.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Attemping to get huge bang for buck. Some future-proofing would be nice, but not required. My goal is to play some of the more recent games (ie. COD4-MW2) at reasonable frame rates.

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Here's what I've spec'd out so far:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx...

After rebates and such, it comes in a bit over $800.

I'm coming from a Dell Dimension 4600 with a P4 2.6Ghz, 1GB memory, and a Radeon 9800 Pro. I haven't upgraded in several years, and I've decided it's time to make the move.

I've used several builds from this forum to influence my decision, and made a few choices on my own, which hopefully doesn't get things blown up. Here's my decision-making explained:

Processor/MB:
I chose AMD for the price break. The motherboard was also selected from another forum post. I don't intend to SLI/Crossfire, so having a second PCIe x16 slot wasn't important to me. I figure, I'm moving up from a 9800 pro - will I really care about the performance increase from adding a second card, and will it be worth the cost?

Graphics Card:
Using the chart at http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html, I selected the 4890 for two reasons: price and performance. Ranked #4 on the chart, and coming in at $175 after rebate, I hope I picked well. Some of the alternatives I researched (and rejected) are:
GTX285 - Ranked #3 on the chart, but also $400, so I decided not worth the extra money.
GTX275 - Ranked #7 on the chart, but $250-$300, so the same decision was made
GTX260 - Finally, a comparable price, but only ranked #10 on the chart.
Radeon 5770 - Comparably priced, but ranked #15 on the chart. DX11 would be nice, but the 128-bit interface scares me a bit.

Case:
I could really care less about the case, as long as it keeps things cool enough and it fits in my desk. I have one of those "digital dock" things (depicted here: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/furniture-sale_2081_1012849037) that keeps the PC at desk-level. So it would be helpful, but not required to have the front-panel USB and audio connectors near the top instead of the bottom. Having them on top of the case would make them inaccessible due to the monitor platform. I've heard that the Antec 900 and Coolermaster's HAF932 are the best for cooling, but I would prefer not to spend $100 on a case unless necessary, especially if a $55 Antec 300 (or even a $40 Antec 200) will do the job.

Power:
No preference. Only 1 video card, so power requirements are low. Someone told me to get lots of amps on the 12V for better power to the video card. Corsair does that well. I also looked at OCZ, but the amperage was much lower on all of their offerings. Don't know if what I heard was true though.

HDD:
No preference. I heard Seagate (.12), WD Caviar Black, and Samsung Spinpoint F3 were the way to go, though.

Memory:
No preference, but the Ripjaws were being recommended left and right, so I jumped on board.

OS:
Yeah, I have to get an OS, so might as well get the latest...


Please let me know if this build works. I am open to changes, especially if I can improve the "bank for the buck" factor. If there's something better for a minimal price increase, or something slightly less for a significant savings, I'd love to hear about it. My goal is to have the parts in-hand for Christmas break, when I have time to assemble and play. That means ordering no later than Friday, December 18th if using Newegg's UPS 3-day guaranteed Service. I'd really prefer to order by Wednesday the 16th though!

Thanks for looking!