$600 - $800 gaming PC

[zignature]

Just looking for some input on parts and what goes well with what. As they say, two minds (or more) are greater than one.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: from now to the beginning of summer

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming (bfbc2 & new games that are released), video editing / rendering, internet, word processing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor (24 in. phillips), speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Canadian sites please - in order of most preferred to least, canadacomputers, tigerdirect, ncix, directcanada, newegg (doesn't really matter so long as it is CHEAP)

PARTS PREFERENCES: any balance between budget / quality. for processor, i'd probably want AMD because of the huge differential

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a quad-core that can handle BFBC2 while recording, preferably on high (although I know how much FRAPS eats away at FPS). Video card, CPU, RAM, mobo & cooling are essential.



Thank you everyone in advance!

 

[Jinuwine]

All parts selected from ncix.com after price matching.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor 3.2GHZ AM3 8MB Cache 125W Retail Box
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 47459 $192.29 $192.29
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $169.99, source url: http://www.memoryhouse.com/products/...HDZ955FBGMBOX/
Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$169.99 $169.99

Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 AMD870 ATX AM3 DDR3 1PCI-E 2PCI RAID HD Sound GBLAN SATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard
Back Order 52049 $109.99 $109.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $107.90, source url: http://www.directcanada.com/products...cture=GIGABYTE
Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$107.90 $107.90

XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 48038 $179.99 $179.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $159.97, source url: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...121&CatId=3669
Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$159.97 $159.97

G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Core i5 1.5V Memory Kit
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 42745 $129.99 $129.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $108.29, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/?s...2800cl9d-4gbrl
Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$108.29 $108.29

Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 49262 $99.99 $99.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $77.22, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/?s...msung%20spinpo
The Price Match you submitted has a difference of 20% or more. This may be because the price you are trying to match is in US dollars. We will review the Price Match and let you know if it's valid. Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$77.22 $77.22

LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 40435 $29.99 $29.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $19.72, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/?s...=lg%20gh22ns50
The Price Match you submitted has a difference of 20% or more. This may be because the price you are trying to match is in US dollars. We will review the Price Match and let you know if it's valid. Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$19.72 $19.72

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA775 LGA1156 120MM
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 41337 $29.36 $29.36
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $22.00, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/21.../COOLERMASTER/
The Price Match you submitted has a difference of 20% or more. This may be because the price you are trying to match is in US dollars. We will review the Price Match and let you know if it's valid. Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$22.00 $22.00

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Fan 80PLUS Power Supply
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
To keep this price, you have to check out within 6 days.
In Stock 35456 $94.99 $94.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $79.85, source url: http://www.directcanada.com/products...Z%20TECHNOLOGY
Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$79.85 $79.85 - $25.00 MIR

Coolermaster Haf 922 Mid Tower ATX Case Black 5X5.25 5X3.5INT Front Audio USB eSATA No PSU
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 38996 $129.99 $129.99
Price Match request for the above item
Competitor's price: $92.40, source url: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/21..._922M_KKN1_GP/
The Price Match you submitted has a difference of 20% or more. This may be because the price you are trying to match is in US dollars. We will review the Price Match and let you know if it's valid. Please read our Price Match terms & conditions for details.
$92.40 $92.40 - $10.00 MIR

Total BEFORE Price Match $996.58
YOUR TOTAL $837.34 - $35.00 MIR
+ 5% tax if you're outside B.C
+ (optional) $50 for PC Assembly and Testing with 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)

If you don't like OCZ PSU then you can get this Seasonic instead.

Seasonic M12II 620W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX PFC 80+ Bronze Modular Connectors 6PIN PCI-W *IR-$20*
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 52176 $89.99 $89.99

 

[zignature]

That looks pretty good, although I am sort of looking for something a little cheaper. The price matching feature is something I had not previously known about, and thank you for your help. The cooling is not as necessary as I once anticipated, however, if it is necessary to run certain parts, then I will go along with it.

Thank you!

 

[Jinuwine]

If you want to reduce the price, you can replace the HAF 922 with the Coolermaster CM 690 II Basic ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 6X3.5INT Front USB eSATA Audio *No PSU* - $$55.99 after $10.00 MIR.

If you don't plan on overclocking then you can remove the Coolermaster Hyper 212+. With the savings it should put you under $800. That mobo does not have crossfire so keep that in mind.

 

[zignature]

Is it better to have a phenom x6 instead of the quad core? Which option is more future proof? Thanks for all of your help, and does anyone else have input?

 

[Jinuwine]

It's almost always better to have higher performance parts but I don't see how you can squeeze the x6 in your budget unless you cheap out on the rest of the build which I don't recommend. See if you can increase your budget to the $1000 mark, then you can go for an i5-750 build. For video editing and such, you will sure benefit from it.

 

[zignature]

Which is better, an i5-750 or an x6 phenom? Also, how do you get price matching to work @ NCIX?

 

[Jinuwine]

I would recommend the i5-750. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/109?vs=147

As for how price matching works, you add all the parts to the cart then you press the price match button. You will need to enter the competitor's product link and price then you will need to process the order and wait for the response. They will either accept or deny the price matches.

 

[zignature]

Thank you for all of your help. I'd still prefer something a little cheaper, and truly my only priority is trying to use FRAPS while playing BFBC2. I really like your processor choice, and will likely be going with that.

Is there any other way to reduce the price to around $800? This is manageable for me as a price point. Anything around there (so long as it does not hurt quality too much) will be great. I am going for budget, but I also want balance. If an extra $50 is required on top of the $800 to get outstanding quality, I will be willing to spring for it. Thank you in advance for all of your help!

 

[Jinuwine]

Please refer to the earlier post I had on how to reduce the total price by downgrading the case and removing the CPU cooler. But I highly recommend spending the extra bucks for those equipment. In the end, you get what you pay for.

 

[zignature]

Thanks. Do you think I will be able to record gameplay with FRAPS & running BFBC2 with this equipment?
Sorry for the mass of questions... Last one, I promise: what is the difference between an i5 750 build and the one that you provided? What will make it more expensive...? I can't just replace the processor (Phenom x4) with the i5 750, can I?

 

[zignature]

Also, which is better, the Phenom II X4 965, or the Core i5 750 ? I've seen the benchmarks, but I can't decipher which would be better for gaming / recording & editing video (the first two simultaneously).

 

[Jinuwine]

I highly recommend increasing the budget by $80~ and get the i5-750 build. Just replace the CPU and Mobo with the Intel i5-750 2.66GHz Processor ($210) and Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 Motherboard ($135)

Use www.pricecanada.com to find the lowest price of the parts then PM with ncix.com.

 

[zignature]

Thank you!

 

[zignature]

Best answer selected by zignature.