- Oct 9, 2009
- 10
- 0
- 18,510
Hi all, I am currently planning on building a new gaming / general purpose machine over the next month or so and am hoping I can get some solid feedback from you guys. This will be my first complete build and I am trying to shoot for a solid budget gaming machine that I can grow easily.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Over the next few of weeks, want to have it done by summer (~late June).
BUDGET RANGE: Looking at a ~$750 budget before rebates, might add more depending on what happens.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Primarily for gaming but will be steaming movies, watching DVD's, Photoshop, internet surfing and other general purpose activities.
Most demanding games I'm looking at include Dragon Age Origins, Metro 2033, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and obviously Crysis and Crysis 2 once it's released. I am also a big RTS fan and most of those seem to be more CPU dependent.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Will be reusing my current HDD, monitor and GPU for now.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or Tigerdirect if something turns out to be cheaper there. Might shop locally too if I can find it equally priced but I sadly don't live near specialty electronic retail stores.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Currently using 1280x1024, plans to purchase new monitor around Christmas @ 1680x1050 or 1920x1080.
This is what I currently have laid out so far;
PC Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ($90) – Out of all the cases I've looked at this one seems to fit me best even if it's not ideal for a budget system. Good airflow, plenty of room for cable management and installation, a lot of room to grow for a mid-tower and most importantly very aesthetically pleasing =) .
CPU: I'm currently divided on the following two but leaning towards the X4.
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz ($75) – From all I've read this seems to be one of the best budget CPUs for its $75 asking price with superb performance.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz ($100) – Just for $25 more however this quad-core feels like a steal to me.
I have also looked at the Phenom II X2 555 BE retail and OEM versions as well as the Phenom II X3 720 BE.
CPU Cooler: I live in the desert and it gets pretty hot here at times. I unfortunately cannot always have my refrigerated A/C running which in turn leaves my place above normal (85F ~ 30C) most of the time. Because of this I am looking for a good but not too pricey aftermarket cooler, one that I can also use to OC if need be. I looked around a bit but could definitely use some input here. Or will a stock cooler be enough to keep my CPU cool?
Motherboard (~$100-125): I've looked at a few and would appreciate some feedback. I definitely want a motherboard that is somewhat future-proof and depending on my GPU direction that can handle crossfire.
Gigabyte - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128416
Asus - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
Asus - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647
RAM ($110): These are the three I'm divided on, is there a major difference between them? Also will it matter that they are 1600, or will it simply be read at 1333 by my motherboard?
G.SKILL - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
G.SKILL RIPJAWS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
A-Data gaming series - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409
HDD: I have a WD Caviar Black 500gb that I've been using to store some files, figured I'd just move them elsewhere and use it for my new build.
GPU: I currently have a 4770, while not the best card especially for newer gamers it gets the job done and should serve me well on my 1280 x 1024 resolution. My plan is to either use it till I can afford a better GPU & monitor or buy another 4770 and crossfire it once I get a new monitor. From reading through benchmarks the 4770 in crossfire looks solid performing around the levels of a 4890/5830.
What would you guys recommend? Stick with a 4770 and then replace it with a single GPU down the road or go with a cheaper 4770 later on for crossfire? Nvidia is coming out with new mid-range cards that might bring some good competition vs ATI's lineup which I'm keeping an eye on. Also DX 11 at the moment isn't a huge concern for me so not having it isn't a deal breaker.
PSU: I plan on using this Antec 620W PSU that I just purchased during one of Neweggs sales. I would have personally preferred the Corsair 650W but the price for the Antec was just too good. I also wanted a more powerful PSU that can cover any future growth without me having to worry.
Optical Driver ($30):
LITE-ON - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106334
Multi-Card Reader: I'm not sure if I want to add one now or down the road, but I definitely would like one at some point as they are quite handy. The ones I've found so far however seem to have mixed reviews so if anyone knows of a pretty good one, please share.
OS: I sadly do not have an OS already lined up and will have to purchase Windows 7 likely eating some of that money set aside. My only question is which version should I with my needs get? Home seems to be the obvious choice with it having all the essentials I need. I'm just concerned that I might have something that would work better with Pro, but not sure if it's worth the extra $100. Also the best price I found for Windows 7 Home Retail version is $150. Any place cheaper you guys might know of?
Current Total ~$600
If I do end up going below my intended budget where should I spend it? Save up for a new monitor/gpu combo or maybe go for a more powerful CPU like Phenom II X4 955? Thanks for any assistance =).
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Over the next few of weeks, want to have it done by summer (~late June).
BUDGET RANGE: Looking at a ~$750 budget before rebates, might add more depending on what happens.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Primarily for gaming but will be steaming movies, watching DVD's, Photoshop, internet surfing and other general purpose activities.
Most demanding games I'm looking at include Dragon Age Origins, Metro 2033, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and obviously Crysis and Crysis 2 once it's released. I am also a big RTS fan and most of those seem to be more CPU dependent.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Will be reusing my current HDD, monitor and GPU for now.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or Tigerdirect if something turns out to be cheaper there. Might shop locally too if I can find it equally priced but I sadly don't live near specialty electronic retail stores.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Currently using 1280x1024, plans to purchase new monitor around Christmas @ 1680x1050 or 1920x1080.
This is what I currently have laid out so far;
PC Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ($90) – Out of all the cases I've looked at this one seems to fit me best even if it's not ideal for a budget system. Good airflow, plenty of room for cable management and installation, a lot of room to grow for a mid-tower and most importantly very aesthetically pleasing =) .
CPU: I'm currently divided on the following two but leaning towards the X4.
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz ($75) – From all I've read this seems to be one of the best budget CPUs for its $75 asking price with superb performance.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz ($100) – Just for $25 more however this quad-core feels like a steal to me.
I have also looked at the Phenom II X2 555 BE retail and OEM versions as well as the Phenom II X3 720 BE.
CPU Cooler: I live in the desert and it gets pretty hot here at times. I unfortunately cannot always have my refrigerated A/C running which in turn leaves my place above normal (85F ~ 30C) most of the time. Because of this I am looking for a good but not too pricey aftermarket cooler, one that I can also use to OC if need be. I looked around a bit but could definitely use some input here. Or will a stock cooler be enough to keep my CPU cool?
Motherboard (~$100-125): I've looked at a few and would appreciate some feedback. I definitely want a motherboard that is somewhat future-proof and depending on my GPU direction that can handle crossfire.
Gigabyte - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128416
Asus - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
Asus - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647
RAM ($110): These are the three I'm divided on, is there a major difference between them? Also will it matter that they are 1600, or will it simply be read at 1333 by my motherboard?
G.SKILL - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
G.SKILL RIPJAWS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
A-Data gaming series - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409
HDD: I have a WD Caviar Black 500gb that I've been using to store some files, figured I'd just move them elsewhere and use it for my new build.
GPU: I currently have a 4770, while not the best card especially for newer gamers it gets the job done and should serve me well on my 1280 x 1024 resolution. My plan is to either use it till I can afford a better GPU & monitor or buy another 4770 and crossfire it once I get a new monitor. From reading through benchmarks the 4770 in crossfire looks solid performing around the levels of a 4890/5830.
What would you guys recommend? Stick with a 4770 and then replace it with a single GPU down the road or go with a cheaper 4770 later on for crossfire? Nvidia is coming out with new mid-range cards that might bring some good competition vs ATI's lineup which I'm keeping an eye on. Also DX 11 at the moment isn't a huge concern for me so not having it isn't a deal breaker.
PSU: I plan on using this Antec 620W PSU that I just purchased during one of Neweggs sales. I would have personally preferred the Corsair 650W but the price for the Antec was just too good. I also wanted a more powerful PSU that can cover any future growth without me having to worry.
Optical Driver ($30):
LITE-ON - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106334
Multi-Card Reader: I'm not sure if I want to add one now or down the road, but I definitely would like one at some point as they are quite handy. The ones I've found so far however seem to have mixed reviews so if anyone knows of a pretty good one, please share.
OS: I sadly do not have an OS already lined up and will have to purchase Windows 7 likely eating some of that money set aside. My only question is which version should I with my needs get? Home seems to be the obvious choice with it having all the essentials I need. I'm just concerned that I might have something that would work better with Pro, but not sure if it's worth the extra $100. Also the best price I found for Windows 7 Home Retail version is $150. Any place cheaper you guys might know of?
Current Total ~$600
If I do end up going below my intended budget where should I spend it? Save up for a new monitor/gpu combo or maybe go for a more powerful CPU like Phenom II X4 955? Thanks for any assistance =).
. So I think I'll stick with that and add another 
. While I won't be gaming or stressing the system when its that hot, I still want to have adequate cooling. I looked at the CPU cooler you suggested and it ran for $45, would maybe the 
. But that probably isn't such a good idea, so hopefully later this year I can get a new Monitor/GPU as well as an SSD and Blu-ray drive. 
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram