~$1000 Upgradeable Gaming Rig

[Aalardin]

Hello all,

I'm looking to build a new PC to game on, as the last one I build is now about 6 years old and can barely handle Vista.

I live near a Microcenter, and the following bundle just came up:

Processor: i7-950
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D
Price: $455

I'm looking to build this pretty slowly, as I won't have enough money to buy everything at once, but I felt like I should pounce on this deal. So please help me find RAM, PSU, etc. I do NOT need speakers, keyboard, mouse, or monitor, and I could probably reuse my case and wait to change HDD's as well. But RAM, PSU, GPU, cooling are all unrecyclable.

Thanks!

 

[Proximon]

Asus P6X58D Premium? There is no plain version, it's either -e or premium. Pretty good deal for the Premium.

Rather than asking you a lot of questions, I'll just ask you to answer these:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[Aalardin]

Approximate Purchase Date: Over time, within the next month. I plan on getting the CPU/Mobo bundle this week, though.


Budget Range: $1000-1500


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming to TV, internet, other light usage.


Parts Not Required: Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers. I COULD reuse case and monitor, but I'd rather not.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Microcenter


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: Pretty much set on the following deal from Microcenter: i7-950 and ASUS P6X58D Premium


Overclocking: Probably


SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but not immediately. Probably will get one top-end GPU now, and buy the 2nd later.


Monitor Resolution: Not sure, but the one I have now runs at 1680x1050, but I'd like to upgrade.


Additional Comments: The price for the bundle is $455. Probably looking to only get one GPU right now. I'd like an SSD, and I could reuse one of my current harddrives for larger storage if I can't afford a better one immediately.



Parts decided on:

Intel i7-950
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346210

ASUS P6X58D Premium
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0326238

(these two together are $455)

 

[boiler1990]

That's a great deal on the i7-950; I got my i7-930 3 months ago for $200 from Microcenter.

RAM: You'll want 3x2GB @ 1333MHz or 1600MHz with a Cas Latency of 7 or 8 (lower is better). I have the Patriot Viper II Sector 7 1600MHz CL8 RAM, and it's gotten about $30 cheaper since this summer (plus a MIR, which would only make it $115): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220502&cm_re=patriot_sector_7-_-20-220-502-_-Product

SSD: The OCZ Vertex and the Crucial C300 are the two fastest boot drives, but are a little expensive per GB. I have the WD SiliconEdge, which is a "slow" SSD, and I still boot in 30s.

GPU: I would recommend the EVGA GTX 460s: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130566&cm_re=GTX_460_evga_ar-_-14-130-566-_-Product
The OCed version is the same price, but it's easy to OC the stock ones. If you plan on needing more performance, go with the GTX 470.

PSU: You'll need a 650W Continuous power (750W max power) for SLIed 460s, and a 750W continuous (850W max) for 2 SLIed GTX 470s (more for 3 SLIed 470s). I'd go with a Corsair, Antec, or Seasonic. XFX's Black Edition is OEMed by Seasonic, which is the best PSU maker out there.

Case: The high end GPUs are going to get hot, so you'll need a case with good airflow. I have the Raven RV02 full tower, and it only has 4 fans, which are really efficient and extremely quiet (it's almost soothing). Plus, you'll be able to wire the cables behind the motherboard to improve airflow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163154&Tpk=raven%20rv02

If you can find any combo deals, you may be able to save a bit here and there, but don't expect to be saving $100s at a time.

 

[Twoboxer]

Well, get some memory . . . and maybe you can install it, depending on what kind of OS disk you have

Actually, for top memory in your rig I'd recommend 1600 CL7 from Mushkin for $110 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226155

Since the cheapest you could get away with is $100:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226063
it seems the good stuff is a no-brainer.

Next up might be the cooler - either excellent cooling on a budget:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=cooler_master_heat_sink-_-35-103-065-_-Product

or quite likely the best air available: Thermalright Silver Arrow
http://www.rwlabs.com/article.php?cat=&id=300&pagenumber=7
http://www.amazon.com/THERMALRIGHT-SILVER-ARROW-DUAL14CM-HEATSINK/dp/B003XRAKLQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1287793425&sr=8-1

SSD? Last thing to llok at on a budget.

Gaming at 1680? With future plans for 1920? AMD 6850 or this faster OC'd Gigabyte 460 both at $180:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333

PSU? Minimum 650, 750W max:

650W Seasonic $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151091

750W Corsair $90 after MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Case: Hard to argue with Silverstone Raven 2 - so cool it makes cpu/gpu fans run slower, quieter. But expensive. Cooler Master HAF 912 would be my budget choice.