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Gaming/Recreational Computer - $1000-$1400 Budget

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Hey there,

I am looking into building my next computer. I would like to have the freedom to purchase parts that I want along with the cost reduction :D  . I'm also interested in finding out how to build a computer as well as better knowledge as to how they operate.

I am looking at a budget of around $1200 CND ($1000-$1400 CND range) to build this new computer. I do not want it to be a small deal, I would like to get the best bang for my buck with some of the bells and whistles that would come along with it.



APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE/ COST: 7-14 Days --- $1000-$1400 CND

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Video editing and recording, Playing movies (Possibly using a projector) and the everyday stuff.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
Mouse - Logitec G500 Gaming Mouse
Keyboard - Logitec G15 Gaming Keyboard
Video Card - NVGA 9800 GT GFX Card

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg is fine, If there is a better site Quality + Price wise let me know!

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Western Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: So far I have a list of what I have gathered, these may be the one I wish to use but if anyone has suggestions otherwise I would love to hear about them

Power Supply : $ 89.99 -------------------- Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
CPU: $299.99 ----------------------------Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Mother Board : $249.99 -------------------------ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM : $234.99 ---------------------------- CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit
Hard Drive : $ (Suggestions Please!)
CD/DVD Drive : $ (Suggestions Please!)
Computer Case : $ 169.99 ---------------------------- Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Programs : $174.99 ----------------------------- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Surge Cable : $ 24.99 ----------------------------- BELKIN BE112230-08 8 Feet 12 Outlets 3780 Joules Surge Protector with Telephone and Coaxial Protection

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (Would like some more information about it along with Risks/Benefits

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (Not quite sure what this is, if someone could clarify that would be awesome)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050 I believe ( Acer 223W is the model)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am looking into storing all of my User Data on an external Hard Drive while keeping all of my programs on the Internal Hard Drive. If anyone has comments about this being efficient or the best way to set this up please let me know.

I also want it to have some flare to it, something that is a little out there, Not your average PC. Also would like something that will stay current for a while. I want something that is worth what I pay for it. I want something that has a long lifespan and wont crap out.

Here is my Preemptive "Thank You" for all the comments, I look forward to making progress on this project!

- D

More about : gaming recreational computer 1000 1400 budget

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^ Well I do accept that you do want the ordinary, want a very good PC...but frankly I dont see the need for the i7 930 for your usage...
How about these changes ??
CPU - Still an i7 860 - This actually performs as good or sometimes better than the 930...
Mobo - ASUS P7P55D-E Pro - A solid P55 board with SATA 6GB/s and USB3.0 and also the eSATA that is missing in that ASUS board...
RAM - A very good GSKillz DDR3 1600MHz CAS 7 - F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM , you wont need the Dominators IMO...these are very good alternatives...
CASE - Maybe the HAF 922 ?? It is a very good and big mid-tower, and looks pretty attractive...check it out...
HDD - Samsung F3 500GB - Arguably the fastest 7200RPM 500GB HDD...
DVD - Get any 1 with good ratings...those would do...
OS - WIN 7 Ultimate ?? I highly doubt you would need the additional features that the Ultimate offers...WIN 7 HP is a far better buy IMO...
PSU - I would prefer the Corsair 650TX better...

You must be wondering why did I drop down on those components right ?? Well here is the reason - HD 5850...
You say a gaming PC and still want to stick with 9800GT ?? Even going with the i7 and all wont improve you gaming performance much...
With the money saved on the above components(mind you that these wont affect the quality or performance of the PC at all), you will have enough money to get the HD 5850...Then it will be a proper gaming PC...

gkay09 said:
^ Well I do accept that you do want the ordinary, want a very good PC...but frankly I dont see the need for the i7 930 for your usage...
How about these changes ??
CPU - Still an i7 860 - This actually performs as good or sometimes better than the 930...
Mobo - ASUS P7P55D-E Pro - A solid P55 board with SATA 6GB/s and USB3.0 and also the eSATA that is missing in that ASUS board...
RAM - A very good GSKillz DDR3 1600MHz CAS 7 - F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM , you wont need the Dominators IMO...these are very good alternatives...
CASE - Maybe the HAF 922 ?? It is a very good and big mid-tower, and looks pretty attractive...check it out...
HDD - Samsung F3 500GB - Arguably the fastest 7200RPM 500GB HDD...
DVD - Get any 1 with good ratings...those would do...
OS - WIN 7 Ultimate ?? I highly doubt you would need the additional features that the Ultimate offers...WIN 7 HP is a far better buy IMO...
PSU - I would prefer the Corsair 650TX better...

You must be wondering why did I drop down on those components right ?? Well here is the reason - HD 5850...
You say a gaming PC and still want to stick with 9800GT ?? Even going with the i7 and all wont improve you gaming performance much...
With the money saved on the above components(mind you that these wont affect the quality or performance of the PC at all), you will have enough money to get the HD 5850...Then it will be a proper gaming PC...


He games on a 1680x1050 res. Unless he plans on upgrading his monitor, wouldn't the 5850 be a little much?

Also, I don't think he'd be able to crossfire with the 650TX as it lacks the amount of connectors needed :/ 

^ Well 1680X1050 is still not a small screen IMO...So playing the latest and even the upcoming games without the need to upgrade anything else and without the need to reduce the settings is worth it IMO...
As for the power connectors on the 650TX, you are right that it doesnt have the power connectors, but has required power though...if he will really be going with crossfire, then the power adaptors that come with most of the cards should do...But if it is for sure that he will go crossfire, then spending a little more and getting the Corsair 750TX will be a good option...
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gkay09 said:
^ Well I do accept that you do want the ordinary, want a very good PC... but frankly I dont see the need for the i7 930 for your usage...
How about these changes ??
1) CPU - Still an i7 860 - This actually performs as good or sometimes better than the 930...
2) Mobo - ASUS P7P55D-E Pro - A solid P55 board with SATA 6GB/s and USB3.0 and also the eSATA that is missing in that ASUS board...
3) RAM - A very good GSKillz DDR3 1600MHz CAS 7 - F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM , you wont need the Dominators IMO...these are very good alternatives...
4) CASE - Maybe the HAF 922 ?? It is a very good and big mid-tower, and looks pretty attractive...check it out...
HDD - Samsung F3 500GB - Arguably the fastest 7200RPM 500GB HDD...
DVD - Get any 1 with good ratings...those would do...
5) OS - WIN 7 Ultimate ?? I highly doubt you would need the additional features that the Ultimate offers...WIN 7 HP is a far better buy IMO...
6) PSU - I would prefer the Corsair 650TX better...

You must be wondering why did I drop down on those components right ?? Well here is the reason - HD 5850...
You say a gaming PC and still want to stick with 9800GT ?? Even going with the i7 and all wont improve you gaming performance much...
With the money saved on the above components(mind you that these wont affect the quality or performance of the PC at all), you will have enough money to get the HD 5850...Then it will be a proper gaming PC...


Please do not take any of what I say as blamming, I'm just trying to figure out a couple things, thanks for the patients :D 

1) I looked into the idea of buying a i7-860 but currently on Newegg the price of the i7-930 is $299.99 (Plus $4.99 S&H) while the i7-860 is at $304.99 (Plus $9.82 S&H)

This makes the i7-930 $9.83 Less expensive, so in fact I would loose money by buying the i7-860. Unless I am missing something I think that it would be more logical for me to Purchase the i7-930.

2) What does the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro have/do that the ASUS P6X58D-E doesn't (I actually don't know on this one :\ ) Only difference ( Other then a price difference of $36.81 ) that I can see really pops at me is the fact that the 58D has one more PCI-E slot for if I choose to go with Duo-GFX Cards. What am I missing?

3) If I am to go with the 58D which RAM would you recommend? I realize that this is around $100 but I am wondering if it is viable to use with the 58D

4) Same as above - If I choose to go with the 58D wouldn't it be a good idea to have a little more space and more air flow throughout the computer to keep the temperature down? Also does the other Case come with wires and everything all setup?

5) I don't believe I linked Windows Ultimate, Probably meant to link Professional instead XD . Do you think that Professional is to much? Would premium do (I really don't mind spending the extra money but if it really isn't worth it they why should I dish out that extra money)?

6) What is the difference between the Corsair 650TX and the Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W . More reliable brand? Better quality? Let me know :D 

Thanks so much for the fast comment, and for making me ask more questions :) 

- D

I would like to ask the opinion of the users here.

I have done the calculations on this project and it works out to be roughly $1500 plus the labor that I would have to do (I don't mind working but its just the time that it would take along with the risk of something going wrong that is making me think against it)

So from this point I feel I have 3 Options.


One: Buy the Model I just found that is literally the same (Very close) to the one I visualized
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229179&cm_re=Intel_Core_i7-930-_-83-229-179-_-Product

Two: Continue Building my Masterpiece

Three: Buy this computer from a Local retailer (I would pick this as my last option)
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-elite-intel-core-i5-650-3-2ghz-computer-hpe-141f-english-hpe-141f/10137261.aspx?path=21f1a572f74999ad9e71524b8a71874cen02

Any incite on what I should do?

Thanks again,
- D

1. The 860 even though is costly by a bit, it is a 95W TDP CPU compared to the 130W TDP of the 930, hence much lower heat and better power savings...And most of all, the Turbo Boost(Automatic Overclock) on the 860 is much better than the 930 - 3.46GHz compared to the 3.04GHz of the 930...And not to forget the overall platform cost(Mobo + RAM)

2) As for your question on adding multiple graphics cards, even the P7P55D-E Pro has both Crossfire and SLI support
Some info on SLI and Crossfire -
Crossfire -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATI_CrossFire
SLI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Link_Interface

3) If you go with 58D, then my choice of RAM would be -
G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682...

4) Maybe you should check out the reviews of the HAF 922...And as for the wires, which ones are you talking about ??

5) WIN 7 PRO is useful if you use apps which require you to have a the PRO version - like the Visual Studio and stuffs...So first check the OS requirements of the programs that you use and then get the OS...

6) Yes the Corsair 650TX is slightly better in terms of reliablility and brand...But as 143miah pointed out, if you will be changing the graphics card to HD 5850 and might go with another later on for Crossfire, then it would be a good idea to get a PSU with atleast 4 PCIe power connectors as these come wiht just 2...
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...

It is always better to clear your doubts before you make the purchase...

Quote:
I would like to ask the opinion of the users here.

I have done the calculations on this project and it works out to be roughly $1500 plus the labor that I would have to do (I don't mind working but its just the time that it would take along with the risk of something going wrong that is making me think against it)

So from this point I feel I have 3 Options.


One: Buy the Model I just found that is literally the same (Very close) to the one I visualized
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229179&cm_re=Intel_Core_i7-930-_-83-229-179-_-Product

Two: Continue Building my Masterpiece

Three: Buy this computer from a Local retailer (I would pick this as my last option)
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-elite-intel-core-i5-650-3-2ghz-computer-hpe-141f-english-hpe-141f/10137261.aspx?path=21f1a572f74999ad9e71524b8a71874cen02

Any incite on what I should do?

Thanks again,
- D


I believe this comment is being looked over as if it was not there, Im just quoting it to get some attension towards which decision.

- D

DsComputer said:
Quote:
I would like to ask the opinion of the users here.

I have done the calculations on this project and it works out to be roughly $1500 plus the labor that I would have to do (I don't mind working but its just the time that it would take along with the risk of something going wrong that is making me think against it)

So from this point I feel I have 3 Options.


One: Buy the Model I just found that is literally the same (Very close) to the one I visualized
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229179&cm_re=Intel_Core_i7-930-_-83-229-179-_-Product

Two: Continue Building my Masterpiece

Three: Buy this computer from a Local retailer (I would pick this as my last option)
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-elite-intel-core-i5-650-3-2ghz-computer-hpe-141f-english-hpe-141f/10137261.aspx?path=21f1a572f74999ad9e71524b8a71874cen02

Any incite on what I should do?

Thanks again,
- D


I believe this comment is being looked over as if it was not there, Im just quoting it to get some attension towards which decision.

- D


It's giving me broken URL errors.

Also, while the i7 860 CPU itself is more expensive than the i7 930, you'd be spending more on a 1366 socket motherboard and a triple channel RAM. A good set of triple channel RAM usually run for 150+ dollars while you can get a good set of dual channel RAM for around 110-120 dollars.

IMO, I'd go for an AMD build or an i5-750 and try and work a new monitor to fit the budget. Unless you're happy with the 1680x1050 res.

143miah said:
It's giving me broken URL errors.

Also, while the i7 860 CPU itself is more expensive than the i7 930, you'd be spending more on a 1366 socket motherboard and a triple channel RAM. A good set of triple channel RAM usually run for 150+ dollars while you can get a good set of dual channel RAM for around 110-120 dollars.

IMO, I'd go for an AMD build or an i5-750 and try and work a new monitor to fit the budget. Unless you're happy with the 1680x1050 res.


Ill just Post the URL then, tell me if that works.

Newegg Computer:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1688...

I really don't like the Futureshop one now so I have eliminated that.

Personally I am fine with my current Monitor, the only thing that I would run would be to do a Duo Monitor sort of deal.

The extra money spent on Triple RAM really doesn't make a difference, I would much rather buy something that has a little extra juice then something that saves me a few bucks.

Unless -- as I have said -- there is a Speed/Quality difference.

Thanks again for all of the incite :D 

- D
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