Summer PC Build -- $900-$1000

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.99


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$54.99


HIS H585F1GDG Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity
$319.99



COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power
$109.99


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
$109.99


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGMBOX
GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$299.98


Subtotal: $934.93


Here is a great gaming rig. Nvidia hardware is a bad value for the same performance compared to ATI right now. ATI actually has better performing, lower power units. I think however the newest high end Fermi is more powerful that the best ATI card, but ATI still blows Nvidia out of the water for the money. Some equally performing Nvidia cards sell for 50 bucks more than ATI. Also, if you go with Intel for your budget range expect to pay more money for a motherboard and cpu that performs 5-10 percent better at most.

If you must go Intel go with the Core i5 750 and select a motherboard of your choice, but stick with ATI for sure.

ntel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
199.99

GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
119.99

Total ~320

I guess if you look at it, you may as well go this route over AMD since you prefer Intel. The Core i5 does perform better than the Phenom II x4s and its only 20 bucks more in this combination. Just make sure you stick with ATI.

The only reason I wouldnt bother with the i5 is that it is not the i7 if you know what I mean.

Thanks! If AMD and ATI really perform that much better for the money, I'm totally open to utilizing them both, I was just more familiar with Intel/Nvidia. Thanks a ton for the input!

The Core i5 is 20 bucks more in the combo I listed and it performs better that the Phenom II x4 955.

ATI is better than Nvidia right now. It will probably change again as it seems that it flip flops every few years.

Alright, I'll try that instead. $20 is nothing much at all. I've never used an ATI card before, I hope it works out fine! By the time I actually get around to buying all this I'm sure it'll be even cheaper.

there is more to consider here, especially with the difference between amd/intel. undeniably, the i5 will give you better performance overall, but for gaming the performance difference will be minimal. the amd build has a much better upgrade path and is also cheaper in the short term, and as far as gaming is concerned your gpu is more important.

i would aim for a cheaper (yet better-for-the-future) build built around an amd cpu and a 5870. a 5850 will also suffice, but i think with your budget you should be able to get the 5870.

a couple of thoughts on antisyzygy's build:
you'll want faster RAM. this cas 7 g.skill kit is out of stock, but newegg should have more soon.

that power supply really isn't a good choice. it isn't enough power to run two video cards (which you may choose to do in the future):
get this one.

while the difference is only slight, if you plan on overclocking you should go with the 965 processor. they have been shown to overclock much better than the 955.

as far as intel/nvidia, right now those are poor choices considering your budget. the best bang/buck is with amd and ati.

good luck with your build!

I am very hesitant to recommend Intel products mostly because I hate them as a company, but I try to be fair when it comes to other peoples builds since some people just go for performance no matter the cost to their soul.