~1000 Gaming / Movies Build

[Recruit00]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next 2 months
BUDGET RANGE: (e.g.: 600-800) 800-1200 Before Rebates (hoping to stay close to $1000 USD)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming / part of home theater / general usage
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers (Desktop >9 yrs old :lol: )
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg and Amazon (reliability is paramount)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA!!
PARTS PREFERENCES: i7-930
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (probably not anytime soon)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: N/A (Will purchase monitor separately in a month or two following build)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: First ever build; pretty flexible on parts/configuration; hoping it lasts 3+ yrs; Light-moderate gaming

Config:

SAMSUNG 24x DVD Burner - Bulk SATA Model SH-S243N/BEBS LightScribe Support - OEM ($22.99)

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ($79.99)

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX6GX3M3A1600C9 ($169.99)

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ... + Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Combo $119.98)

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930 + ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (Combo $494.99)

XFX Core Edition GS250XZSL4 GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card + Windows 7 Home (Combo $219.98)

Grand Total: 1,107.92 + 23.69 shipping = $1,131.61

Hoping to add monitor separately for ~200-250. If there are pre-built deals that would be better with a monitor, I'm open to that as well although I'm looking to get into tweaking/building as a hobby.

Thanks for the help!

 

[TheDuke]

depending on how heavy the games you'll be playing, the graphics card is kind of getting old. Maybe consider going for an i5 build to get the cost down and then get a stronger GPU like a 5850 or 5870. For gaming and home theater use, an i7 isn't all that necessary and you'll get more performance in the long run in gaming by going i5 with a stronger GPU

 

[cmcghee358]

Choosing an i7-930 at your price point is actually gimping your build.

i5-750 if you're diehard Intel

AMD build if you can recognize a better bargain that's still 100% reliable.

 

[Recruit00]

Thanks for the input so far guys!

I've debated with myself the pros and cons of i5 vs i7 (as well as AMD vs Intel, 1156 vs 1366) and for me the i7 is a good compromise for my purposes now as well as it gives me a lot of options to upgrade in the next few years. I know it's handicapping my system, especially in the video graphics dept., but I figure I can upgrade that in the near future.

I'm not a true gamer, so I'm mostly looking for a good general purpose computer that can handle media and play COD: MW2, Mafia II and perhaps Black Ops eventually.

Can anyone recommend a better video card that might add a max of $100 to the build price and can last a few years?

What do you guys think about these:

GIGABYTE GV-R583UD-1GD Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ($199)

MSI N260GTX Twin Frozr OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Overclocked at 655MHz ($199 - $20 rebate)

 

[Emperus]

A general purpose PC for handling media and moderate gaming does not require a X58 platform.. You can build up a more potent system by taking the AMD route..

 

[Silvune]

A 5770 will be noticeably better than a GTS250 and not too much more expensive. I'd go for one of those.

 

[rolli59]

I would take the HD5830 over the GTX260. But then again if "Gaming" is not the main issue then GTS250 handles everything well up to resolution of 1680 x 1050.