Under $1000 Gaming PC

[Dmaster481]

Hey everyone!
I have used Tom's Hardware for years to get benchmarks and reviews on computer components, but this is the first time I have asked for advice on a build. I'm sure all of you know just how much info there is to wade through about pc parts on the net, so I was hoping to get some reviews of my build before I buy to get other people's opinions on parts (I'm not very experienced). Anyway, thanks in advance!

I have two different builds, one if I choose to go with INTEL, one if I choose to go with AMD. Both builds have the same basic parts, so I will separate the AMD and INTEL specific ones.


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 7 days

Budget Range: $700-$900 CAN After Rebates (Well, I suppose up to 1000 is okay, as long as it's a good rig )

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, HTPC, Video Editing, Modding, Surfing the Net

Parts Not Required: Keyboard/Mouse (If anyone knows any great keyboard/mouse deals, I'm all ears, but I can make do with what I got.)

Preferred Websites for Parts: Tigerdirect.ca (Store right by my house), newegg.ca, any reputable Canadian website

Location: Canada

Parts Preferences: I prefer INTEL and NVIDIA, but I'll go for AMD/ATI if it's a good enough deal.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Likely, in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900+

Additional Comments: Should have SATA III (6gb/s) and USB 3.0 support, I want it to be "future-proof".


Base Parts:

Spoiler

NZXT LEXS-001BK Lexa S Crafted Series Mid Tower PC Case
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5222598

Lite-On IHAS22406 Internal DVD Writer
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5204603

Seagate ST31000528AS Barracuda 7200.12 Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200 rpm, 32MB, SATA-3G, OEM
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4691122

Philips 221E1HSB 22" Class HD Widescreen LCD Monitor - 1080p, 1920 x 1080, 8000:1 Dynamic, 5ms, HDMI
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5268280

AZZA Dynamo 850 850W ATX & EPS 12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817517003

AMD Specific Parts:

Spoiler

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3 CPU OR: AMD Phenom II 1055T Six Core Processor
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5692033
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6455299

OCZ Gold Dual Channel 2048MB PC10666 DDR3 1333MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3246375

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX OR (If I go with NVIDIA): ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636

INTEL Specific Parts:

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 930 Processor BX80601930 - 2.80GHz, 8MB L3 Cache, 4.8GT/s QPI, HyperThreading, Quad Core, Bloomfield, LGA 1366, Retail, Fan
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5719283&CatId=4072

ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

Kingston ValueRAM 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134851

A few notes: I am mostly just looking for a review of whether these are good parts or not, and for recommendations. And yes, I realize that the i7 is going to be much faster than either AMD. The reason I am including the AMD is because $180 for a 965 seems like it is better price/performance than the i7. BTW, the graphics cards I am looking at are the Radeon HD 5770 (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5660536) and the GTX 460 (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6526199).

The Bottom Line is that I need a computer that will last me at least 2 years with upgrades. I do not expect it to be anywhere close to high-end at that point, but I will be off to university summer of 2013, and I would like to be able to stretch the lifespan of this PC to match that. Also, gaming will be less important to me in 2 years, but I would like to be able to still play new games and such, even if it's at low graphics settings ( ).

Thanks again!

 

[ScrewySqrl]

either looks decent.

I didn't see your video card choice in there, but 850W is overkill for anything less than crossfire 5870 or gtx 470 in SLi

if you're going single card, a 550 to 650 will be plenty.

Also: The X6 1075 is due out Tuesday, might be a better fit for you than the 1055.

 

[mosox]

Here's an AMD idea.

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443
AMD Phenom II X4 955
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134790
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
LG Black 22X DVD+R
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136180
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
Rosewill CHALLENGER
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
ASUS VH242H
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

$958.91 without shipping and rebates.

 

[Dmaster481]

Thanks for the quick replies!

@ScrewySqrl
Good power supply advice! I have my video card options separate from the other parts (it's in the second last paragraph). I was planning on Crossfire 5770s or a single GTX 460 and upgrading to SLI later. But if I decide I don't need SLI for another year or so, maybe you're right and I should go with less power. Oh, and thanx, hadn't heard of 1075, will check it out.

@Mosox
Looks good! I'd probably go with the 965 (cheaper than 955 at TD!), and a larger power supply/hard drive, but that is a surprisingly cheap build considering it has the HD 5850! Will definitely consider it.


Also, this is a bit of a side question, and I know the answer is often changing, but what is the current status of the x16/x16, x8/x8, x16/x4 scaling debate? Especially on cards like the GTX 460, 5770, and 5850.

 

[mosox]

Well, you can wait for a few weeks for the ATI 6 series to show up, that will drive the current GPU prices down.

If you get something like a 5850 you don't need crossfire, the current cards will be obsolete anyway by the time that card won't be able to run the games. Few people buy now or will buy another HD4xxx or GTX2xx in order to make his CF/SLI, especially if the have the more powerful cards in those series, the cards are already outdated so they just change their card with something new.

For a single HD 5850 a good 450W PSU is enough.

You can also start with two GTS 450.

For any card but the most powerful ones (5970, 480), x8x8 is enough.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

a 16x/4x is really a single card solution, the x4 could be used for a non graphics card however (like a USB3 card, or Raid card)

8x/8x loses only about 2% of performance vs 16x/16x

 

[Dmaster481]

Thanks again for the advice you two. So do you think it would be better to get two 5770s or a 5850, or a 6700 series? I suppose I could survive another month with the PC I've got... What do you think we could expect in terms of price drops?

Anyway, thanks for the crossfire/sli and PSU advice Mosox. I'll probably still get a 600w PSU or something, for peace of mind . Also, thanks for the scaling tip, Screwy