$800-1000 Gaming Computer, Please help :)

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Mushman

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: The sooner, the better...would like to purchase within the next week or two
BUDGET RANGE: $800-1000 After rebates...possssssssibly a little bit more if there's a good upgrade available for the price

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet, Microsoft office/anything else

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Need just about everything

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg seems to be the place to go but anything reputable
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

OVERCLOCKING: See Additional Comments SLI OR CROSSFIRE: See Additional Comments

MONITOR RESOLUTION: See Additional Comments

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: So...here's where I am at: As much as I use computers (and I am quite good at using them), I've realized I know basically nothing when it comes to the different parts/specs of a computer for some reason. I'm 22, just graduated college, and have been using laptops for the past 5-6 years. Looking to buy my first desktop and use it mainly for gaming. I mainly play World of Warcraft but will more than likely also play Diablo 3 whenever it comes out (and maybe Starcraft 2 but I'm not huge on it). What I want is something that can run WoW now and in the future (upcoming expansion, etc.) on all high settings with 60 fps (pretty sure thats perfect?) and no lag issues. Right now I'm running on a laptop and getting 10-20 fps and a lot of lag/choppyness in 25 man raids and I feel a new computer would greatly improved my performance, especially seeing as we are trying to kill 25 HM LK (for those of you who play and know what I'm talking about).

I need just about everything including Monitor and keyboard/mouse as I am using a laptop currently so that does me no good.

A few questions (I realize these may be dumb, but again, I don't know much about 'technical' computer stuff:

Monitor resolution is just how clear/good of a monitor is? And this just depends on the monitor you buy which can affect fps/gaming performance?

Overclocking? I have no idea what this is
SLI or Crossfire? Again, no idea what this is...if anyone could explain either of these to me if it is relevant and affects my decisions at all, please let me know.

I know there are a bunch of other threads similar to this one, but thought making my own thread would be better so I can reply, etc.

Here is a build a friend of mine from WoW (that I don't know in real life) put together:
Tower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028
Mother Board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131393
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130535
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136113
CD-ROM (Why not): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

He told me that it's not all very current stuff but said it would still run WoW like a beast and full settings/full fps...then another friend of mine told me he doesn't think that would be the case. I feel like everyone I talk to gives different opinions on the same matter haha

So yea..Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, especially from people who really know what they're doing (please do not try to help if you're just guessing at things). You by all means do not have to go off the build I listed above.

In terms of operating system...I've heard from people and seen that you can get Windows 7 and Office for considerably cheaper through colleges...I'm no longer in college and it won't work for me (I tried) but I think I'll be able to find someone to do so for me, although everywhere I see seems to sell Windows 7 upgrades mad cheap (but this would mean I would still need a previous windows OS correct? So I don't know what to do there, let me know if anyone has any advice on that.)

I know this is a lot to read, thank you again for any help in advance :)
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119137
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$84.99
$69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148395
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $10.99
• 2 year: $18.99
-$5.00 Instant
$59.99
$54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

ASUS VW224T Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
Item #: N82E16824236078
Return Policy: Monitor Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $19.99
• 2 year: $36.99
-$20.00 Instant
$179.99
$159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236078

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128435
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $17.99
• 2 year: $26.99
$139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$119.99
$89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Logitech Classic Black USB Standard Keyboard 200
Item #: N82E16823126023
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$14.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126023

Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 1.0A - Black - OEM
Item #: N82E16826105205
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$10.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105205

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH
Item #: N82E16820231276
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
$99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

PLANTRONICS .Audio 355 3.5mm Circumaural Stereo Headset
Item #: N82E16826265063
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265063


• SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814102864
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
o 1 year: $19.99
o 2 year: $35.99
• AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Model ADX255OCGQBOX
Item #: N82E16819103844
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
o 1 year: $10.99
o 2 year: $18.99
-$5.00 Instant
-$15.00 Combo
$237.98
$217.98
1

Rosewill - Select HDMI cable (6 FEET)
Item #: N82E16882021128
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$4.99 Saving
$4.99
$0.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.388235
Subtotal: $1,018.87
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Monitor rez is the horizontal and vertical dots the monitor puts out on the screen to make the image, the more DOTs the 22" monitor has the sharper the image will be. Keep in mind that the higher rez your monitor has you will need a GPU that can push that rez and still give you 30 to 60 FPS in the games you play.

IMO the HD 5770 would be a grate GPU for a 1680x1050 rez

OCing is when you push your CPU pasted its recommended clock speed.

sli/xfire is using two GPU to act as one to give you more FPS in the games you play, now you will not see a 100% in cress in FPS by using 2 GPUs. Stay you have one HD 5770 and you get 40 FPS in WOW adding another HD 5770 in xfire might give you 60 FPS. this will depend on the games you play not all games will scale the same in sli/xfire.

Some benchmark reviews of WOW and the HD 5770

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,697202/Ati-Radeon-HD-5770-reviewed-DirectX-11-Mid-Range/Reviews/?page=11

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,631615/World-of-Warcraft-CPU-and-GPU-benchmarks/World-of-Warcraft/Test/

 
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Hereisphilly

Hereisphilly

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Yeah i'll second that niklas_13

Altho if you dont want to go crossfire, you could save a packet on the mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419

Its personal prefference i know, but i like samsung drives over seagates, seem to be a bit quieter and faster in overall use
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

That kind of PSU seems a bit overkill surely? My i7930 and 5850 doesnt even tax my 650w unit
I would save a bit of money and get the antec
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

Also on the Ram, you could sacrifice a bit on the timings and get a faster speed for about the same price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227483


Cheers
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Yeah i went with the 650W because there is not much of a price differences over the 550W like 5 bucks, also the 650W will allow for xfire and OCing

Its only 69.99 after the MIR and i know corsair is good on there MIR
 
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dndhatcher

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I dont think Raidmax is a good PSU company I would buy a PSU from. Bad power supplies cause mysterious lockups and blue screens and can even fry graphics cards and motherboards. Get it from a reliable company like Antec, Seasonic, Corsair, etc.

There is no reason to buy core2 (which is discontinued, btw). There is a cheaper, newer alternative AMD or intel CPU.

Niklas listed a pretty good build.
 
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Mushman

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I'm trying to compare some of what the previous posters have posted plus what I have found on other threads and recommendations from friends...question for anyone: Do you have to have both of the same company's motherboard and processor...for example could I use:

Intel http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

with

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

or do they have both either be AMD or Intel?

Again..I know nothing about this stuff haha
 
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dndhatcher

dndhatcher

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The CPU has a specific socket. The motherboard has to have the matching socket.

All currently produced AMD CPUs (Athlon II and Phenom II) use the AM3 (or AM2+) socket.

The P55 motherboard you linked has an intel 1156 socket which fits intel i3, i5 and i7 8xx series intel CPUs. Intel also has x58 motherboards with an intel 1366 socket which fits intel i7 9xx series CPUs.

Those are the only 3 sockets currently in production.
 
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Mushman

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After comparing what some of what you guys have mentioned, here is where I am at now:

CD-Rom/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Price: $23 Shipping: $2

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078
Before Rebate: $75; After: $60 Shipping: Free

Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Price: $80 Shipping: Free

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Before: $110; After: $90

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873
Before: $180; After: $170 Shipping: $7

Then a few decisions to make...

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

(what's the difference between the two? There seems to be alot of different 4 MB of RAM available for this price but these seem to be the best 2 I've seen people talking about)

Then...

Intel Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435
Before: $130; After: $120 Shipping: Free
Intel Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Price: $200 Shipping: Free
(Total: $330)

OR

AMD Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435
Price: $140 Shipping: Free
AMD Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Price: $160 Shipping: Free
(Total: $300)

After those decisions...my only real decision left is on a monitor...I'm still a little unclear how monitors react with specific video cards and how it will affect FPS...I'd like a nice monitor...but most importantly, I want one that will fit the video card and everything else I have so that I can run WoW with perfect FPS on high settings in 25 man raids if at all possible. So help with that would be appreciated.

Also...the 5770 video card seems to be what just about everyone recommends...but then I see a bunch of places that it probably won't run games on full settings/full FPS? Would it be possible/smart to get the 5870 or whatever it is that is much more expensive but go down in price on a few other things? I realize I am probably pushing my original budget, but If I have to spend $1200-1300, I can probably do that at the absolute most. Thanks again for any help.
 
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drinkingcola86

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You linked the same motherboard for both intel and amd. Might have been just a mistake but just wanted to let you know.

If your worried about FPS in WoW on that card then what you can do is do the 5870 or see at how it looks and if it does need a boost then you can xfire the 5770 which should put you at that same point the 5870 is and still be cheaper by about $30-$50.

However with a MMO your also going to be looking at internet lag as an issue for drops in FPS and it will have nothing to do with your system. I know i have that issue with my computer right now where i'm running at 60(or 100+ when vsync is turned off) but when i get into a town or something where its trying to receive info on where everyone is at and what they are doing your going to lag and see a drop in FPS no matter how good your computer is(i run a phenom 9850 with xfired 4850's.) All dependent on the internet provider.
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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IMO to get the best FPS out of all games out ATM and not spend 700 bucks on a HD 5970

I see it like this 1920x1200 HD 5870 / HD 5850 1680x1050 / HD 5770 1680x1050 and lower

 
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mansou

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990 less after rebates without OS/Mouse/Keyboard (actually made this build for myself, but should work for you. you can pick up a cheap mouse/keyboard for 15 bucks and get the os by "any means necessary" :sol: )

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236071
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198
Case/ DVD/CD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.406230
Card/PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.408233
Processor/Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.415649

Will destroy WoW.

USB 3.0, crossfire supporting motherboard, quality psu
Crossfire is 2 or more ati videocards, SLI is the same with Nvidia cards
Overclocking is increasing the clockspeed on something beyond factory defaults
 
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dndhatcher

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At 1920x1080 a 5770 should play WoW at High settings at full FPS, but probably wont quite make very high and definitely wont make ultra high. 5770s cost around $160-170 US.

A 5850 is about 50% faster for twice the money, which is why most people recommend a 5770 for gaming performance on a limited budget. A 5850 should easily play wow at 1920x1080 at very high settings, but Im not sure if it can handle raids maxxed out or not. WoW is not the most demanding game so it might.

A 5870 should easily play wow maxxed out, but will cost around $400.
 
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dndhatcher

dndhatcher

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I have an Antec 900; I really like the looks.

I have since bought a 300 illusion and found the dust filters to be a huge benefit. When I buy another case, it wont be another 900 just because of the dust filters. The 902 and 300 illusion both have dust filters so check those out.

Everything else on that build is good stuff.
 
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mansou

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Didn't realize your budget was that big. Build looks good but I would pick up a slightly bigger PSU (700-750) to allow for a second GPU in the future and overclocking. Although that's just to be on the safe side, as ATI recommends 600 watts or more for crossfire 5870s.
 
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Mushman

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I decided to up my budget by a bit...figuring if I am going to spend this much money already, I might as well spend an extra $2-300 and get something that is going to last me a few years hopefully and the 5870 seems to be the way everyone is saying to go if you can afford it.

One other thing I have to decide now is...should I buy all these parts individually from newegg and find someone that I know to build it? (I don't know who will be building it currently but I'm pretty sure I have some friends or friends of friends that could do it) OR should I try to make this exact build on like ibuypower.com or something and order it already done? Not really sure which way to go without trying to spend any more money.
 
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dndhatcher

dndhatcher

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You will pay (usually a few hundred dollars) extra to have a place like ibuypower or cyberpower build a custom system for you. Leeching off friends is far more cost effective if they are trustworthy. Its really doesnt take much more than being careful, reading instructions, screwing in several screws and pluging in a dozen or so cables.
 
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drinkingcola86

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Building it should be cake walk. If its your first time doing it get with a friend or so but have you do it and not your friend. Always better to be learning how do mess with it so if something does go wrong you know where to start trouble shooting.
 
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