Gaming Desktop - $800 Range

[rmcnally]

Hello eveyone,
I'm new to building but am a long time gamer and have finally decided to make a system that is capable of running games on high/ultrahigh settings.
Here are a few things that I pieced together. Anyone with advice or suggestions please feel free to comment as I'm a noob in the building world. As a side note I will probably be using a Turtle Beach Earforce x11 for sound as I already have one.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Hopefully sometime during the next month

BUDGET RANGE: $700-$850 (if you have any suggestions that would keep the system under $1,000 but offer a huge performance increase let me know)

SYSTEM USAGE: gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor - I have an old 17" AOC LCD LM760 1280 x 1024 res that I would like to use if at all possible

PREFERRED WEBSITE: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCE: none

OVERCLOCKING: maybe if I read up on i some more
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROCESSOR:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_sp=Pers_InterAlsoBought-_-19-103-727_2_DM-_-20-231-311

MOTHERBOARD:
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=u02656n9huj2

CD READER:
LG DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH22NS50 Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136216

TOWER:
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=xst9xtfl9k6j

POWER SUPPLY:
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=fzrcm2viizms

HARD DRIVE:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1i9hfatdcmej

GPU:
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311&cmsp=CatMemory--DailyDeal--20-231-311&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=5w27nlx71gjn

All of this would build a rig that costs just over $800 which is prefect for my price range.

 

[jmsellars1]

That build looks excellent except for one thing, you don't need 2GB of graphics memory unless youre going to be playing over 3 monitors or at 2560x1600. The 1GB version would perform the same for you, or if you can find an extra $50 the GTX 570 is great.

EDIT: You should know though, if you dont mind waiting a month you can get one of AMD's new CPU's that come out at the end of september.

 

[rmcnally]

That build looks excellent except for one thing, you don't need 2GB of graphics memory unless youre going to be playing over 3 monitors or at 2560x1600. The 1GB version would perform the same for you, or if you can find an extra $50 the GTX 570 is great.

EDIT: You should know though, if you dont mind waiting a month you can get one of AMD's new CPU's that come out at the end of september.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for responding! If I got a 1 gig graphics card what would you recommend other than a GTX 570? If I stay on the cheaper side I can buy a nicer monitor.

Would you recommend one of these cards or something else? I've heard good thing about the Evga GeForce cards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

And you're right, right after I posted that I did research on the 1g vs 2g cards and realized that 2g is way too much power for a single monitor setup. If the new AMD CPU's look promising at a decent price point I can definitely wait.

And if you have any monitor preferences/experience please share.

 

[jmsellars1]

The 550 is pretty weak, the 460 is better but i would get a GTX 560Ti tbh. I tend to prefer Gigabyte, MSI and EVGA for nVidia. The MSI Twin Frozr GTX 560Ti is a pretty solid choice, would perform about the same as that HD 6950 but it's ~$30 cheaper. ($50 cheaper after the rebate.)

As for monitors, are you hoping to fit one into the $850? Whether you are or not, here are 3 good monitors at 3 different price ranges.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009261
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001431

 

[Zero_]

The biggest upgrade you can do for that money is getting a i5. Check my $800 and $1000 builds.

 

[008Rohit]

Processor : Intel Core i3 2100 - $124.99
Motherboard : ASRock H61-M GE - $69.99
Graphics Card : XFX HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $166.99
RAM : Corsair 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Dual-Channel Memory - $45.99
Storage : Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM - $59.99
Optical Drive : LG DVD R/W - $18.99
Case : Any Decent ATX Mid Tower - $50
PSU : CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W - $49.99

Total : $585 after rebates

$60 more for an i5 2400. Still fits in your budget.

Option No. 2 :

Processor: Intel Core i5 2500k $219.99
HSF: CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ $27.99
Mobo: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX $129.99
RAM: Gskill RipjawsX 2x4GB 1.5V CAS9 1600Mhz $54.99
GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1567-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $219.99
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200rpm $59.99
DVD: LG DVD R/W $18.99
Case: Antec 300 Illusion $44.99
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W $99.99
Total : $880

 

[madchemist83]

CPU i5 2500k - 220
Cooler CM 212+ - 28
Mobo Asrock P67 Pro3 (B3) - 110
RAM Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB - 45
HDD Samsung F3 - 60
Case depending on ur preference with side window CM Elite 430 without Rosewill Challenger - 50
DVD Sony Optiarc - 20
GPU HIS IceQ X Turbo HD 6950 2Gb - 270 (can swap for 560Ti the EVGA one for 220 after MIR and get decent 21.5" monitor)
PSU Seasonic 620W - 70
Total $873
With GTX 560Ti and let's say Asus VS228H-P - $973
Plus shipping and taxes