Under $900 gaming build

[cnote2781]

I am replacing a dead iMac and want to finally build my own machine; and one that is actually good at gaming. Here's what I've found from my own research so far:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ~5/24/2010

BUDGET RANGE: Under $900 preferably

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (WoW, SC2, DIII when it comes out mainly. Don't play many FPSs)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com or microcenter (I live near a MC)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.

PARTS PREFERENCES: prefer a 20-24" LCD, other than that don't have strong preferences other than price and quality

OVERCLOCKING: Not immediately, but would like to eventually

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Widescreen, 1680x1050 should be fine

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Based on reading this forum, I picked out the following parts:

AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor
$75

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
$105

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$110

ASUS CuCore Series EAH5770 CuCore/2DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 5770 1GB
$168

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM
$55

SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3
$80

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$60

Acer X223W Dbd 22" Widescreen LCD
$150 (don't know if this monitor is any good; it was just cheaper than the $170 Samsung LS22M I was looking at)
LG W2243T-PF 21.5" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor
$130

Other minor parts:
Asus 24X DVD+R ($25)
Windows 7 ($100)
Logitech S-220, 17W, 2.1 Speakers ($30)

Total: $958


As you can see this is a little bit over my budget. First of all, does this look like a good build for my purposes? If so, how can I best drop the price below $900 (or better yet closer to $800)?

Thanks in advance

 

[MadAdmiral]

Here's better board in a combo with the HD 5770: Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 and HD 5770. That should save you about $25 after rebate.

A case/PSU combo: Antec 300 Illusion and Earthwatts 650W $120. That'll save you another $20.

Get the cheapest DVD burner you can find. I think this one is close at $20 with free shipping.

That should put you down to about $908. That's really about as cheap as you can get without cutting something major. $800 isn't possible if you need both a monitor and the OS. At least not without some really drastic cuts...

 

[cnote2781]

Thanks for the reply. Those combos look good.

The biggest area I can save on is the monitor. I don't really want to skimp too much though, as I currently have a 24" iMac. I'd be willing to look at some good 20" LCDs if anyone knows any that are high quality and more affordable.

 

[dndhatcher]

If you are going for 1920x1080 resolution (and you should) then you dont want to go smaller than 22 inches.

 

[cnote2781]

Okay here's the updated list. Hopefully this can help others in my price range.

CPU:
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor
$75

Mobo/GPU:
Radeon 5770 + GA-790XTA-UD4 mobo
$250

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$110

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM
$55

Case/PSU:
Antec 300 Illusion case + Antec Earthwatts EA650 650W PSU
$120

Monitor:
LG W2243T-PF 21.5" 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor
$130 (21.5" but max resolution is 1920x1080)

Other minor parts:
Asus 24X DVD+R ($25)
Windows 7 ($100)
Logitech S-220, 17W, 2.1 Speakers ($30)

Total: $895

 

[cnote2781]

Also, do I need to buy a HSF if I'm not planning on overclocking right away?

 

[MadAdmiral]

You don't need the HSF until you start overclocking.