~$850 Gaming Build

I

ivandurago

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 5, 2008
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This is a build my friend wanted advice on before he ordered.
It will be an entertainment PC/ web browsing/ school work and gaming. He is a biology major so not sure if that would cause him to use specialty apps.

He plays games on both his TV and PC monitor, not 100% on the size, so lets say at/under 1080p for both.

He basically wants as fast a PC as he can get for his budget, with at least a 1.5 TB hard drive, and future proofing as much as possible.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Entertainment PC/Gaming/School work/ect
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~$800-1000 w/ shipping
3) Where do you live?
Wyoming
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU/MOBO/RAM/VID/PSU/Case/Key and mouse/ DVD drive
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Maybe a couple old hard drives or cd drives...
6) Will you be overclocking?
He may in the future, not the most important item.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
A TV and Monitor, both around 1080p
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
N/A
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
He will be purchasing the student $30 Win 7 license.


Here is what I initially put together for him (but obvioulsy will change anything on advice, especially Danny Bui's and enginurd's :p)

AMD Phenom II x4 955 | ASUS EVO 790X | G.Skill Ripjaw 4gb - $343
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308218

XFX 5750 1GB - $139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448

Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136351

Corsair 400CX - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

LG Black DVD R/W - $28
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136168

Antec 300 - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Keyboard/Mouse - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823204012

~$785 + $30 for Win7 = ~$815

edit: (here is a statement from him)
I may be gaming a little on it, I realized I could play Left for Dead on it but prob not a lot past that, I have a PS3. I think besides just a comp for school, I was looking at it being a more of entertainment system. I'll be downloading movies and music for it and be using it to replace ever having to get cable by using streaming video. Do you have any suggestions for that purpose? I'd be willing to spend more on a video card if necessary, I have no idea what to go for on a card and was going off prices and newegg ratings. It will be hooked up to 19" monitor w/ DVI and a 1080i 37" w/ HDMI and my audio receiver. I'm not entirely sold on anything I've picked out so far so if you have more suggestions for a build. I liked the Antec case because it was cheaper, and had pretty good air flow, the lights aren't necessary but looked pretty good. I was also thinking about a HTPC case but I was wondering if they overheat and they seem more expensive than midtowers with the same features. Also I need a lot of help in finding out what power supply I should be running to allow some hard drive expansion in the future or may be another video card. Do you advise having 2 hard drives to run Ubuntu and Micro 7 or partition the 1.5 TB, or just stick with 7. I think I'd be willing to bump the cost up to around $1000-$1100 if there is some good investments. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
 
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Hmm, the 1.5TB Green drive is a tad too slow IMO for an everyday/gaming PC's boot drive. It'll be fine for a HTPC or server but not for a gaming rig IMO. But if your friend values more storage per dollar than performance, then it's a decent enough choice.

Other than the hard drive, looks good to me.
 
Danny Bui said:
Hmm, the 1.5TB Green drive is a tad too slow IMO for an everyday/gaming PC's boot drive. It'll be fine for a HTPC or server but not for a gaming rig IMO. But if your friend values more storage per dollar than performance, then it's a decent enough choice.

Other than the hard drive, looks good to me.
Click to expand...

Do you think the Corsair 400CX will be enough power for the set-up?

Would you a 1TB WD Black be a better choice for the HDD?

You think there is a better card than the 5750 1gb for ~$140, maybe like the 4870 512?

Thanks for the help.
 
Yes, the Corsair 400CX would be enough for that setup.
Yes the 1TB Black would be a good choice.

As for the video card, a HD 4870 512MB for $140 is a ripoff IMO since you can find HD 4850 1GB cards for less than that. In fact, before the HD 5xxx series were launched, you could easily find HD 4870 1GB cards for around ~$140.

Anyway, if your friend does not want Eyefinity, DX11, and is willing to increase his budget to accommodate a larger PSU, then yes a HD 4870 1GB for $140 or HD 4850 1GB for $120 would be the better choices for current games. As noted earlier, you would need a larger PSU to accomadate the HD 48xx series since they do use more power than the HD 57xx series.
 
Let's ditch that WD 1.5TB green HDD for a 1TB WD1001FALS for $100 or the Seagate 1TB for $90

The Antec Three Hundred + Corsair 400CX for $110 you can save more by going with this
Antec Three Hundred + Antec NEO ECO 520C both for $94.94 w/free shipping

The Antec 520C has 40A on the +12V vs 30A on the Corsair 400CX. This would give him more headroom if he plans to O/C the Phenom X4 Quad.

As for the video card, let's bump it up man. Get at least a Radeon HD 5770 or the Radeon HD 4890.
 
Thanks so much for the help so far Danny Bui and HardwareGuru.

My friend just contacted me, and I will quote exactly what he is looking for to guide you all int he right direction:
I may be gaming a little on it, I realized I could play Left for Dead on it but prob not a lot past that, I have a PS3. I think besides just a comp for school, I was looking at it being a more of entertainment system. I'll be downloading movies and music for it and be using it to replace ever having to get cable by using streaming video. Do you have any suggestions for that purpose? I'd be willing to spend more on a video card if necessary, I have no idea what to go for on a card and was going off prices and newegg ratings. It will be hooked up to 19" monitor w/ DVI and a 1080i 37" w/ HDMI and my audio receiver. I'm not entirely sold on anything I've picked out so far so if you have more suggestions for a build. I liked the Antec case because it was cheaper, and had pretty good air flow, the lights aren't necessary but looked pretty good. I was also thinking about a HTPC case but I was wondering if they overheat and they seem more expensive than midtowers with the same features. Also I need a lot of help in finding out what power supply I should be running to allow some hard drive expansion in the future or may be another video card. Do you advise having 2 hard drives to run Ubuntu and Micro 7 or partition the 1.5 TB, or just stick with 7. I think I'd be willing to bump the cost up to around $1000-$1100 if there is some good investments. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

So it looks more like he wants a entertainment pc vs. a gaming one.
So perhaps more money needs to go towards 2+ TB of storage (maybe a 500-1TB WD Black Drive for OS/games and a 1.5 TB Green drive for storage?)

So maybe we should re-prioritize this build shifting from a gaming set-up to an entertainment HTPC?

So we will need a TV tuner card, audio card and maybe a HTPC case? Quieter fans/ heatsink/ parts now seem more important.

Maybe something like this:
AMD Phenom II x4 955 | ASUS EVO 790X | G.Skill Ripjaw 4gb - $343
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.308218

Sapphire 5770 1GB - $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150448

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136351

LG Black DVD R/W - $28
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136168

Antec 300 + Antec Neo 520W - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304805

That is ~$830, so that leaves ~$70-200 for a tv tuner card (I know nothing about them), an audio card (I know nothing about them), and maybe so Noctuas/Sflexs fans and a heatsink
 
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ivandurago said:
So it looks more like he wants a entertainment pc vs. a gaming one.

So maybe we should re-prioritize this build shifting from a gaming set-up to an entertainment HTPC?

So we will need a TV tuner card, audio card and maybe a HTPC case? Quieter fans/ heatsink/ parts now seem more important.
Click to expand...

Just to be 100% clear, ask him those questions and report back with his answers. But so far, that prelim build looks good. Have him try out the onboard audio and then decide whether or not a dedicated audio card is needed. As for the TV tuner, ask him if he will actually record TV. Also, ask him where he will be recording TV from. i.e from a cable service or over the air/local channels, etc.
 
So I have talked ot my friend some more, and I will just quote him to make this as clear as possible:

I was just reading the forum, suggestions look good. I don't think I need the audio card and I won't be recording tv so scratch the TV tuner. The only problem I saw was with the case combo. That Antec 300 with the lights includes 2 120mm fans that the one in the combo doesnt have, so unless the discount out weighs the cost of two fans I'd rather stick with the individual hardware. What do you think would be a better spend, another hard drive, more RAM or better video card? And I also wanna scratch the idea for HTPC and just stick with a Midtower, so if theres any good PSU and case combos out there that could work too.
Click to expand...

I think since he is using it for a media center/ gaming the best bet for $ invested would be hard drive space, I think 4gb will be more than enough and a 5770 should also be more than enough for light gaming @ 1080i.

I should mention that picking up parts from microcenter is also an option, as we live somewhat near Denver, so if you think getting some parts there for savings would be a good idea, let us know.

It seems a lot of the combos I was looking at the other day are gone, so it looks like we need to start over ><

I believe he is ready to order soon, so the next build ideas linked will probably be the one chosen.
 
The discount in the Antec 300 + Antec Neo 520W outweighs the costs of two fans once you factor in shipping. Once shipping is factored in, that combo deal costs roughly $100. The Antec 300 Illusion, assuming thats the case he's talking about, will cost about $65 shipped. If using the same PSU as that combo, that'll be a total of $135 shipped for the Antec 300 Illusion + Antec Neo 520W. You can easily buy two 120mm fans for way less than $35.

I concur with your assessment on the better spend: Definitely more hard drive space.
 
I am having trouble picking out a combo again, that cpu/mobo combo was nice:

I am thinking a quad Phenom III quad, 4gbs of ram, a 5770, decent mobo, a 1TB WD black drive and a 1.5 TB storage drive - also a case and psu.

Maybe something like this:

AMD 955 + Asus 790x + 4GB DDR3 Ripjaws - $345
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308218

ATI 5770 1GB - $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864

WD Black 1TB - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

WD Green 1.5TB - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136351

Antec 300 + Antec Neo Eco 520W - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304805

LG Black DVD r/w - $28
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136168

= ~$830


I would really appreciate some feedback on this build - remember it is ~$800-1000 build meant for a future proof media center and 1080i gaming.
 
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lt_shiro said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308218

better deal 955+Asus 790x Evo+4GB DDR3 ripjaws $345
Click to expand...

Thanks lt_shiro, I was looking for that link w/o any success.

Any other opinions on the build, or does this look like a great setup for the price?
Really would appreciate as much feedback as possible, as I want my friend to get the absolute best setup for his money.

Also wanted to ask if holding off on buying was a wise idea as prices are jacked up from the holidays?
 
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Thanks again for all the help everyone :D
I will post the final ordered list later tonight after we order, and pictures in a couple weeks when it is all assembled.


One more question though, can you do a fresh install of win7 with a uni/.edu upgrade disc?
Or will I have to install xp/vista than reinstall 7 over it?
 
Here is the final list that was ordered tonight:

AMD BE 955/Asus Evo 790x/Gskill Ripjaws 4gb DDR3 - $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308218

Sapphire 5770 - $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864

Antec 300/Antec Neo Eco 520w - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304805

2x WD Black 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

LG Black DVD-R/W - $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177

Logitech G15 - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126034

Logitech G500 - $42
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Logitec...1218102970726&skuId=9423527&st=g500&cp=1&lp=1

Xtrac Ripper Mousepad - $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817114174

DVI cable/AS5 thermal - $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.248364

2X120mm Fans - $13 (his choice :p)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998123

25ft Cat6 cable - $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812189032

Subtotal=$945
3 day shipping= $24
Total= $969

He also picked up TF2 and Bioshock over steam for $20 :D (Might make a PC gamer out of him after all haha.)


Does anyone know if you can use a Win7 upgrade disc for a fresh install?
 
kinda seems like the kb/mouse was just added to that setup as an after thought
as a competitive PC gamer I think its important to put more effort in getting a good mouse. I prefer the wired logitech mice (mx518, G5 v2, G500) but had little experience with alternatives. As far as keyboards I think any decent one should do. After paying $90 for a G15, I'll no longer pay more than $40 for a keyboard.
 
eon said:
kinda seems like the kb/mouse was just added to that setup as an after thought
as a competitive PC gamer I think its important to put more effort in getting a good mouse. I prefer the wired logitech mice (mx518, G5 v2, G500) but had little experience with alternatives. As far as keyboards I think any decent one should do. After paying $90 for a G15, I'll no longer pay more than $40 for a keyboard.
Click to expand...
He did get the G500...
They key/mouse were not exactly after thoughts, I suggested them as I also use a g15 (rev1) and a g9. I have used a few g5's for mice before that, and have used logitech peripherals for as long as I can remember. He wanted to spend ~$75 on a key/mouse, and I think it is worth it to spend $40 more for a setup he can keep after this build.
+ He was wanted a keyboard wih backlite keys, and after seeing the g15s display, was sold :p

lt_shiro said:
A good mouse surface is more important than the mouse.
Click to expand...
I think so too, and I have always loved Xtrac pads, and have never found anything I think works better.


Does anyone know if you can use a Win7 upgrade disc for a fresh install?
 
lt_shiro said:
A good mouse surface is more important than the mouse.
Click to expand...
i use a func pad which I assume is considered a top notch mouse pad but I honestly have not felt much advantage from it over generic ones I used in the past besides having a larger surface
 
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