$1500 Gaming PC

_Aries_ · May 15, 2011

Hi guys, I'm trying to build a $1500 PC for gaming,movies and internet but I'm so nerd to build it myself so i really need your help here. First i planned to build it with the Thanksgiving sale, but i just bought Brink , The Witcher 2 today and i tried to take a look in these games with max setting, just find out that my computer is so suck for them, and i can't live 6 months with these games until November. So If you think that i should wait until Thanksgiving sale to save money or i can build a new one now, please tell me.

This is my old PC's specs.
OS : Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64x
System Model Aspire X1301
Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 215 Processor, 2700 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD P01-A0, 8/28/2009
RAM: 4Gb
VGA: ATI Readon HD 4650 ( yes, i upgraded my vga once)

And this is the new one requirements:

Approximate Purchase Date: like i said before it's from now to Thanksgiving :wahoo:

Budget Range: about $1500 total ( not include about $100 for shipping)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming,movies,internet , sometime i did encode few old movies .

Parts Not Required: mouse , speaker, case (i have a Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition with Docking Station , ATX Mid Tower)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:newegg.com ( most peple choose it so i will take this one)

Country of Origin: USA - California and zip code is 92843 if you need it.

Parts Preferences:8Gb ram , 24" monitor, and of course SSD hard driver , i hope you can pick a quite VGA for me cuz i don't wanna play next to a saw machine, hope to hear suggestions from you guys.

Overclocking:no

SLI or Crossfire: is this for two or more monitors?? if I'm right so NO.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments:As you see i will have some extra parts from the old PC , i want to build a $300-400 PC for my younger bro from these parts (he is 9grade so he just need a PC for study and play game like Starcraft or Warcraft). Btw i think i need to buy an OS ( window home).
That is all i can think of now, i will add info later if i need something else.
Thanks you.

genghiskron · May 15, 2011

Well, the first thing i should mention is that Amazon will almost always be cheaper than newegg in CA because Amazon doesnt charge sales tax. What is it now 9.5%? I still miss CA however, totally worth the tax. Best thing to do is to build at newegg because it has a better browser, and then see if amazon has the same parts.

nd_hunter · May 15, 2011

genghiskron :

What's shipping like to Canada from Amazon?

EDIT: I should clarify. I mean the shipping charges, not the packaging. Are the super-saver shipping items still free shipping?

genghiskron · May 15, 2011

http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/usps_abbreviations.html

nd_hunter · May 15, 2011

genghiskron :

Lol. Wow. Fail on my part.

aznshinobi · May 15, 2011

Check out my siggy for the $400 build you wanna do, the 450$ build would run SC2 really well, though it is 50$ above your budget for him.

As for the 1500$ build, like genghis said, stick to Amazon. It's cheaper that way, Newegg is good too, you just pay taxes. Anywho... There is also a 1500$ build there too, you can always get SLI 560 Ti or 6950 2GB with that build so. Your choice.

Why_Me · May 15, 2011

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-compatible-platforms/dp/B004LB5AZY/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305413603&sr=1-2 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms 650TX v2

http://www.amazon.com/ASRock-H61M-VS-Intel-Micro-Motherboard/dp/B004S9JXPW/ref=sr_1_9?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305412995&sr=1-9 $71.50 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASRock H61M-VS Intel H61 Micro ATX DDR3 1333 Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Processor-i5-2500-LGA1155-BOX80623I52500/dp/B004EBUXI0/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305416745&sr=1-4 $209.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU BOX80623I52500

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-1333MHz-KHX1333C9D3B1K2-8G/dp/B004DDI0IE/ref=sr_1_32?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305413200&sr=1-32 $90.74 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Kingston Technology HyperX Blu 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2) KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G (1.5v)

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305413529&sr=1-2 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305413562&sr=1-1 $25.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L9MBEY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER 499.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI GeForce GTX580 1536 MB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card N580GTX TWIN FROZR II/OC

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305087935&sr=8-2 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) OEM System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VH238H-23-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B004J6BIJ8 $179.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1

Total: $1,327.37

aznshinobi · May 15, 2011

You suck Why_Me... You suck.

flong · May 15, 2011

You can research monitors at TFT Central - google it. The ASUS monitor recommended above is recommended by Cnet. There is a review here: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/asus-vh236h/4505-3174_7-33615002.html

Corsair 850 HX is on sale at newegg for $119.00 right now - I know it is not Amazon

You may want to look at the ATI 6950 1 GB or 2 GB. It is about equal with the GTX 570 and it is cheaper. Two 6950 cards in crossfire outperform the GTX 580 by quite a bit and they are cheaper.

You may want to pay the extra $10.00 to go with DDR3 1600 or 1866 RAM (2 x 4gb). This seems to be the performance/price sweet spot

mjmjpfaff · May 15, 2011

the 6950 is not about equal with the 570 and all h61 dont support cf or sli

mjmjpfaff · May 15, 2011

here is better ram- http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Division-PC3-12800-9-9-9-24-PGD38G1600ELK/dp/B004GUT33A/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305473630&sr=1-8

_Aries_ · May 15, 2011

As from your suggestions above i will make a build like this:

OS: Window 7 home premium - a friend just gifts me one when he heard i want to build a new PC

Why_Me · May 15, 2011

_Aries_ :

1) That 650w psu is more than enough with plenty of juice to spare.

2) A P67 board a board that is primary purpose is over clocking and sometimes...dual vid cards. Seeing how you plan on doing neither... H61 is the obvious choice.

3) I would say G.Skill > Corsair. Anyways though...the H61 boards support 1333...there is no noticable difference between 1333 and 1600 in regards to gaming. What the manufacturers do recommend for these 1155 boards is low voltage RAM (1.5v or less) hence the reason I stuck that 1.5v Kingston RAM in that build.

4) In regards to the 2500K and 2500....the 2500K is an unlocked cpu that's intended for over clocking. No over clocking, no need to spend the extra $20+ on the 2500K.

4) As far as a h/d that Samsung is the most recommended h/d on this board for reasons as speed, quiet, price, and dependability.

5) No real difference between that Viewsonic and Asus monitor other than $10. Otherwise the specs are the same.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Technology-RealSSD-Solid-CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1/dp/B0039SM0AS/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1305481956&sr=1-1 $237.49 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Crucial Technology 128 GB Crucial RealSSD C300 Series Solid State Drive CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1

_Aries_ · May 16, 2011

Best answer selected by _Aries_.

_Aries_ · May 16, 2011

Thank you very much guys, I'm ordering those parts.

flong · May 16, 2011

mjmjpfaff :

Depends on how you rate the two different cards. As far as fps for different games the 570 holds a slight edge but not much. The 570 is quieter than the 6950 but not much.

On the negative side for the 570 is that it costs a lot more for the slight performance edge in some not all games. It doesn't play HD video as well as the 6950 (as far as the quality of the picture). It doesn't scale as well in SLI as the 6950 does in crossfire. You can't run three monitors off of it via eyefinity if that is important to you.

The two cards are fairly equal, but the 570 costs $349 - $375. The 6950 1 GB can be purchased for $209 and it is nearly as fast. The 2 GB 6950 is around $240 after rebates. So is the 570 worth twice as much as the 6950? Most people don't think so, that is why Tom's Hardware and other computer websites recommend the 6950 over the 570.

Don't get me wrong, the 570 is an amazing card; but so is the 6950. If you like GTX and have the extra $150, the GTX is a great choice.

mdd1963 · May 16, 2011

mjmjpfaff :

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4137/amds-gtx-560-ti-counteroffensive-radeon-hd-6950-1gb-xfxs-radeon-hd-6870-black-edition/5

The 6950 does match the 570 in several benchmarks, depending on the resolution, and, of course, is defeated in others. Were they priced identically, I'd also choose the 570, but, given the 570's nearly 45-50% higher cost, suddenly the choice is less obvious.

flong · May 16, 2011

BTW, I don't want to be argumentative, but I disagree that 650 W PSU is "plenty of juice to spare." The idea of buying a PSU with more than enough reserve is that if they run at 50% capacity they are most efficient and last longer. With a 750 W or 850 W you easily accomplish this even if you add another video card and several HDDs a TV card, etc. In other words it gives you plenty of room to upgrade and still not really tax your PSU over its highest efficiency parameters. Add to this that the cost difference is very little to go from a 650 to a 750 or an 850 on sale and it seems to me to be a better decision to choose the higher capacity.

The Corsair 750 HX and 850 HX have a seven year warranty and so a builder could easily use either for two or three builds while it they are still under warranty. Having the extra capacity is nice if in the future you need it and keep in mind it costs only $10 - $40 more. The alternative is that if a 650 is too small for your next build, you have to buy a whole new PSU.

mjmjpfaff · May 16, 2011

well im talking about his resolution and 1 monitor because we are helping him and he says he will just be gaming so i did not take into mind the hd video and also he cant cf because he is using a h61 board. come on guys stick to the forum we are helping him not ourselves

flong · May 16, 2011

I am not sure I follow your reasoning. I wouldn't waste my time if I was not trying to help him. This has nothing to do with "helping ourselves."

I also think that the P67 board or the Z68 board are by far better choices for this person - but I understand that other people have different opinions.

genghiskron · May 16, 2011

Flong, why dont you link a complete build and argue why its better than Why_Me's. What im hearing is that its very little to upgrade the PSU, and its very little to upgrade the mobo, and its very little to upgrade the CPU, and its not that much more to add in a cpu cooler. So show us.

flong · May 16, 2011

genghiskron :

Again, I don't follow your reasoning. Many of the cost differences have already been listed.

2500K Approx $215
ASUS P67 $150 (could go with Z68 platform for approx $200)
Corsair 750 TX (or 850 TX) $75-$120 depending on sales and rebates
Altenate PSU - Corsair 850 HX was just on sale for $119.00 after rebates at newegg
A Noctua CPU cooler DH-14 $75-$90 depending on sales and rebates
A Hyper 212 CPU cooler approx $30 as a cheaper alternate to the Noctua
GPU XFX 6950 1GB on sale at newegg right now for $209

The rest of the build like the case, the RAM, etc. are all about the same cost for any build and so they are irrelevant.

You could go with Gskill / Corsair DDR3 1600 CL9 (2 x 4GB) - $75 on sale at newegg

Case cost would vary between $50 - $100 for low-end and approximately $200 for high-end. I prefer the CM HAF 942 ($180) or the Silverstone Fortress ($200) but there are plenty of good cases out there in the $75.00 range

DVD/CD approx. $20 for Asus

HDD Samsung Spinpoint F3 - $60

You might even be able to fit in a 120 GB SSD ($200 - $300) if you go with a cheaper case and CPU cooler.

Not really rocket science - all of these costs are readily available at Newegg and Amazon.

The point is that a P67 I-7 2500K system doesn't cost that much more than a cheaper AMD system in many cases and is a much more powerful system. This individual has a $1500 budget. The system listed above fits very well into that budget. Tom's Hardware picks several of these items in their monthly builds.

I understand that some people only have $500 to spend on a computer and that they need to go to cheaper components. Heck I am having to use my spare computer now which is a Pentium 4 because my I-7 920 was stolen. I know what it is to use a cheaper computer and that is fine if that is all you can afford. But in this case, Aries can afford a very good computer in their price range.

mjmjpfaff · May 16, 2011

again you arent looking at what he wants he couldnt care less if he could overclock so why say this is best for him if he doesnt want to or know how to oc.

flong · May 17, 2011

mjmjpfaff :

I understand that overclocking is not important to him/her now but things change. When you consider that the 2500K is only $20 -$25 more than the 2500, it is the better buy. This gives Aries the opportunity to overclock later if his/her needs change for chump change. Overclocking the 2500K increases the speed for real-life applications by over 50% which is a tremendous increase in productivity. For $20 why wouldn't you allow yourself that option? It really is silly not to, especially now that the Z68 platform is out.

Conversely if Aries buys the 2500 CPU and later needs a faster computer his/her only choice will be to buy a new CPU and probably a new motherboard which will be a whole lot more money than $20.

Frankly, I think the 2500 chips are a waste of money compared to the 2500K but I understand that not everyone feels that way. if it was a matter that you had to have a computer science degree to OC the K chips then the 2500 might make sense because not everyone has that level of expertise. However, everyone I have read agrees that the K chips are dirt easy to overclock for a beginner who has never overclocked before. And so this option is something that anyone can take advantage even if they don't need it when they first buy the chip.

When you consider that a moderately overclocked 2500K out performs the $1000 I-7 990 in most benchmarks, it really is a no-brainer.

Before the K chips I would never have considered overclocking myself, but now I have grown to change my mind because of the ease of use and great potential benefits overclocking. The extra $20 gives you a whole world of options with the K chips that the non-K chips do not have. That is why I think they are the better buy.

genghiskron · May 17, 2011

Flong, the reason i wanted you to link a full build was so you could see how several small upgrade costs manifest as a significantly larger overall cost. The upgrade cost for an i5-2500k may be only $15, but overclocking also requires a p67 board and a cpu cooler. The cheapest p67 board on newegg is $108, and its certainly not one id recommend. Thats $36 more than Why_Me's recommended $72 H61 motherboard. A cheap cpu cooler like the hyper 212+ is gonna cost $30. Thats $81 BARE MINIMUM for overclocking an i5-2500k. You recommended a $150 asus p67, meaning that you have suggested that he spend at least $123 dollars more for the purpose of overclocking when he has indicated he does not want to OC.

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