$800-1000 system with some gaming

[chug]

APPiROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a week BUDGET RANGE: ($800-1000) Before Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (gaming, surfing the net, Office)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (Keyboard, mouse and OS)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (newegg.com or Fry's) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (U.S.)

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type (ASUS/Gigabyte mobos, open for suggestions on ram, want to try out an nvidia card, I like Corsair PSU, prefer WD hdds.)

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (around 1680x1050)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (Mainly will use this pc for school, nothing fancy, just Office. I would like to game on it when I have downtime, I plan on upgrading the video card later. Would like to try out ME2, torchlight along with SW:TOR, play a few fps games, none that are that taxing. I jacked the mobo and ram models from the last SBM)

Parts I came up with so far:

CPU: Intel Core i5 750 (2.66GHz) QUAD 95W: $199
Mobo: Gigabyte P55-UD4P LGA 1156 $170
RAM: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240 pin DDR3 1333
Video: nVidia GTS 250 1GB 256 bit DDR3 $149
HDD: 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black: $90
Case: Antec 902 $115
PSU: Corsair TX 650W: $99

I need some suggestions on the motherboard and case, from reading previous threads, HAF 922 looks like a good alternative. What about the same for ram, any other good alternatives? One of my main concerns is that the video card will be too long and it won't fit in the case (10" ?). I don't mind moving a hdd up a slot if that's all it needs to fit. I chose the video card as I am not a heavy gamer but I figure I would just get something decent now and upgrade down the road.

Thanks for any help

 

[MadAdmiral]

Well, your preferences pretty much assure you to be getting a lesser performing PC right now. Take what you want out this though...

CPU: i5-750 $200
Mobo: Asus P7P55D-E Pro $190
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $90. Faster, bigger and the same price.
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebates
PSU: Silverstone 750W 80+ Bronze $110 after rebate
GPU: HD 5770 $150 or HD 5850 $300

Total: $995 (w/ 5850). The 5850 is more powerful, and would be almost necessary if you upgrade the monitor. The 5770 would be good enough right now for your resolution.

 

[chug]

Well, your preferences pretty much assure you to be getting a lesser performing PC right now. Take what you want out this though...

CPU: i5-750 $200
Mobo: Asus P7P55D-E Pro $190
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $90. Faster, bigger and the same price.
Case: HAF 922 $90 after rebates
PSU: Silverstone 750W 80+ Bronze $110 after rebate
GPU: HD 5770 $150 or HD 5850 $300

Total: $995 (w/ 5850). The 5850 is more powerful, and would be almost necessary if you upgrade the monitor. The 5770 would be good enough right now for your resolution.

Thanks for the reply Admiral, I thought there was still a big driver issue with the 5770 that ATI has yet to fix? Do you recommend an the stock heat sync and fan or to buy one separately, I don't plan on OC'n.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I agree with MadAdmiral's suggestions. There is absolutely no reason to buy an Nvidia GPU right now IMO. The ATI cards offer better performance, use less power, run cooler, are quieter, and have DX11 support.

The stock HSF will work just fine if you're not overclocking. That's what it was made to do.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Tom's Hardware has a solution for you. here is a link to a detailed article about building a gaming pc that is within your budget. Here's the link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/system-Builder-Gaming-PC,2509.html

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You can do better for your money than that old SBM build they put together in December. Who uses LGA 775, DDR2, and 48xx series GPU's in new builds?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

ahortstuff - Absolutely but the budget will be strained. In addition, take a look at the additional comments in the OP's initial post. Plus not into overclocking. The OP does not appear to be a hardcore gamer.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

for budget go with amd/ati products you cant go wrong will be able to do all you want with a phenom and a hd5770 combo go dragon all the way!!!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Why would he go AMD when MadAdmiral put together a superior Intel build that's in his price range? I can appreciate supporting AMD, but the truth is that they have been relegated to budget builds until they come out with better performing chips.

You're not going to do better for the money than what MadAdmiral already listed above.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

perform better?? I get great fps in games like crysis, farcry, bioshock etc and i have an am3 phenom 2 quad deneb 3.0ghz processor the 95w version which i might add is also better at over clock. but he could get a black edition and go all out intel and budget should never be spoken in the same sentence!!! amd will give you power for your budget!! and not to mention if you get a 5000 series graphics card they are set up to get optimal performance from an amd quad core.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I know you've stated you're an AMD fan, but try not to let your personal preference get in the way of the facts. Yes, AMD chips offer good performance for the money but Intel chips clearly have better performance. If the budget allows for an Intel build, I see no reason not to get it.

I'm not a fanboy of either side. I just buy whatever offers the best performance for my money at the time. I've built many Intel and AMD builds.

By the way, ATI cards run just as well on Intel systems. The whole "Dragon" platform thing is purely marketing.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Except that's pretty much all wrong. The i5-750 is the best gaming CPU out right now. The OP doesn't need a massive GPU, as the monitor's resolution is only 1600x. That means that the OP should spend the little extra for the other parts to get the most useful parts for the build. The build doesn't have to sacrifice parts to beef up the GPU.

Had the OP been gaming on a 1900x monitor, I would have dropped the CPU to an X4 955 or even X3 425 to afford at least the 5850 or 5870. However, that isn't the case. I put together my builds to best fit what the OP needs. I don't give out cookie cutter advice.

 

[chug]

Thank you all for your replys, the info was a big help with choosing the right parts for my new build based on my budget.

 

[chug]

Best answer selected by chug.