$700~ Gaming Computer for Girlfriend (Suggestions)

[PureSpacy]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: January 15, 2010
BUDGET RANGE: $700-$800


SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet Browsing, Picture Editing
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Mousepad, Headset, and Monitor.


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States of America


PARTS PREFERENCES: Any suggestions


OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024


ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I want this computer to be fairly future proof for a cheap price (DX11 Video Card; DDR3 RAM; Quad Core CPU; etc)








Hey TomsHardware folks. Long time follower since 1999 ^_^ Just decided to post.





As the title says, I'm making a gaming computer for my girlfriend who got $1500~ back from Grants for College. I don't want to spend more than about $800 since it's not my money. Below is the build I have in mind for her. Tell me what you think.




Case:

Azza Orion ($15 After Mail-In Rebate)




Hard Drive:

320GB Western Digital ($48)




CD/DVD Drive:

LITE-ON 18X DVD-ROM ($20)

*I may use an old Sony X16 DVD ROM I have*




Power Supply:

Sunbeam 750W ($46 After Mail-In Rebate + Shipping)

*I may use a 650W Silverstone Power Supply I have if that can get the job done safely.*




Motherboard:

ECS 770X AM3 ATX ($55 After Mail-In Rebate + Shipping)




CPU (Processor):

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition @ 3.2 GHZ ($165)




RAM Memory:

OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 @ 1333 ($79 After Mail-In Rebate +Shipping)




Graphics/Video Card (GPU):

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5750 ($120)




Operating System (OS):

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium @ 64 Bit ($100)









Final Price (After Shipping, Tax, and Rebates):

$693.49




So, it looks like everything, when put together, will run fine and quite well. A 3.2 GHZ Quad Core, 4GB DDR3 Ram, a DirectX 11 Supported Video Card, and parts with plenty of room for upgrading; sounds good right?





Here are some questions I'd like to ask (In Terms of Price for Upgrade Performance)

1. Should I go Intel? If so, should I go Core2Quad or Core i5? Give me some suggestions.

2. Is a 650W power supply enough for this build? That will save me $50~ if so. If it's not that safe to use a 650W power supply then I'll go ahead and buy the 750W one.

3. Is it good I went with DDR3? I see there isn't a big gap in price from DDR2 -> DDR3 RAM Sticks

4. *Please suggest to me any upgrades to Mobo, PSU, GPU, etc that are within reason and not too costly.* I was thinking of upgrading the RAM, Mobo, and Power Supply to trusted common name-brands if the price difference isn't too big




TomsHardWare, I bid you a good day <3

 

[Niklas_13]

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

HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

MOBO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864

1 For cost AMD is good

2 a good 550W is all you need

3 Yes

4 See above

 

[PureSpacy]

Thanks Niklas_13. I was thinking of going for that Motherboard seeing the award and at a damn good price.



Your upgrades will be about +$90


Grand Total Now: $780







I checked out CyberPowerPC's prices and I can get the same computer for $817. (Including Shipping + Tax + Rebate)

Same Case
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition @ 3.4 GHz (+.2 GHz)
ASUS 770 4/5 Egg Motherboard
800W Power Supply (+50W)
Same RAM
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 (+from 5750)
Same Hard Drive
Same CD/DVD-ROM
Same Operating System





So for an extra $37 I can have someone build it for her and have it upgraded a bit. For $817 pre-built, shipped, after applied tax, and with a 3 Year Warranty, CyberPowerPC is looking like quite a good deal. Is this a good buy? Anyone with experience with them?




Thanks Nik and anyone else who gives their two cents.

 

[slyder2412]

Really? I'd think that getting all the components seperate would provide a better overall price. Sorry, i'm not the most well versed but I'll be watching this post and good luck on whatever you choose to do.