~$700 Gaming PC

[big mike1123]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: A few weeks, maybe sooner

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard/Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, Tigerdirect, or any reputable dealer

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preference, you guys know better than me

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440 x 900

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would really prefer all parts with a 5 egg rating...it irks me to buy parts that more than a few people are having issues with. I would also like a little room for upgrades, and room for a high end sound card. I'd really prefer Windows 7.

 

[gkay09]

^ Do you even need Monitor, OS, Keyboard and mouse ?

 

[big mike1123]

EDIT: The OS is included in the budget, but not the monitor/keyboard/mouse.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

How flexible is your budget? Here's a build that comes in under $700, but doesn't have the option of adding another GPU in Crossfire.

Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129070 $49.95

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&cm_re=ocz_500w-_-17-341-016-_-Product $64.99 - $25.00 MIR

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334991 $134.98 - $10.00 MIR (CPU + motherboard combo)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&cm_re=g.skill_ddr3_1600_4gb-_-20-231-277-_-Product $84.99

HIS H577FM1GD 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=N82E16814161317&cm_re=5770-_-14-161-317-_-Product $162.99 $10.00

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 $54.99

LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177&Tpk=lg%2024x%20sata $24.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 $104.99

Total - $682.87 - $45.00 MIR's

Edit: If you'd like the option of Crossfire then you could swap out the PSU and motherboard for these:

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W $79.99 - $25 MIR w/promo code EMCYZNW76, ends 2/3

Athlon II X3 435 + Gigabyte GA-MA790GPT-UD3H combo $164.98

The above add $45 to the build so it's slightly over budget.

 

[big mike1123]

Looks good, thanks!


Do you think there would be room for a high-end sound card in there?

 

[coldsleep]

In general, on-board sound these days is very good, many motherboards do 5.1 or 7.1 sound.

I would suggest not getting a sound card now, and if you end up feeling like it's really lacking, get one later.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I wouldn't waste your money on a sound card. Both motherboards linked to above have 8-channel onboard sound. I see absolutely no reason to get a separate sound card since the integrated sound is very good on almost any motherboard you can currently buy.

 

[big mike1123]

I was asking because I may be recording/editing music on the computer in the future. However there are devices that allow you to do this regardless of your sound card, but whatever. Thanks for the help.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You could always add a sound card at any time if you need to.

 

[coldsleep]

If you're going to be recording & editing for professional purposes, then I'd suggest getting a card, but I don't have enough experience with those to give recommendations. If you're just recording/editing for home & casual use, you'll probably be fine as is.