Seeking more knowledgeable Opinions - 1000$ Gaming Build

K

kinein

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
237
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Webbrowsing, Gaming - Starcraft2, Diablo 3, Streaming tv shows online, Instant messaging, Listening to Music, downloading... All at the same time!
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Roughly 1000$
3) Where do you live?
California
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
Case, CPU, CPU Cooler (conservative OC for performance,AIR), Power Supply, Ram, Mobo

***
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

2nd Generation 74GB Velociraptor HD
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd be happy with 3.2-3.6 if it could be done with the intention of 5+ year lifespan on CPU
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a 22" ACER AL2216W
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 7-14 days if I manage my extra funds right.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
None really, just that it works, and supports enough RAM(more then enough) that I can open and close multiple apps while playing games and have zero slowness.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
I think I can purchase Windows 7 Premium on a student discount through the agreement Microsoft has with various Universities, mine included.


I also wanted to present a connundrum.

Computer Builder is selling this PC w/ or w/out Peripherals.
* 24" LCD
* Logitech keyboard & Mouse
Rig itself --
* CPU :: i7-870
* Mobo :: Some gigabyte with 2x pci-e slots for sli/crossfire
* Ram :: 4GB DDR (PC-12800) Ram
* Hard Drive :: WD 1TB HD 7200RPM SATA
* Samsung 24x DVD
* Power Supply :: BFG 650W
* Case :: HAF 922
* GFX :: 9800 GT -- I'd replace this with a GTX 460
* Software :: Windows 7 Premium w/DVD
Office 2010
Nero 10
All Cables
* Cable Managed, Receipts to everything

Tower Only : $745 USA
w/ 24" Asus LCD & logitech Periph : $935.00 USA

-----------------------------------

Now on Craigslist I've found a student at a nearby college that wants to piece his Desktop.
$550 for :
EVGA x58 SLI LE MOBO
i7-930
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3

Another person is selling their HAF 932 + 1100W Power Supply Coolermaster Silver for 250 and throwing in a free Coolermaster V8.

So this would be 800$, Microcenter is selling a GTX460 1GB for 200$.

So for 1000$ and cannibalizing peripherals and the HD from the old rig I would have a i7-930 system. w/ HAf 932

EVGA x58 SLI LE MOBO
i7-930
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3
HAF 932
1100W Power Supply
------------------

800$
+ Microcenter GTX460 1GB Palit - 200$
---------------------------------

1000$

* Pros in comparison to other 2 : 1100W CM PSupply, HAF 932, Isn't i7-930 the best CPU out of all 3 options?
* Cons in comparison to other 2 : No periphs bonus, no software bonus, no LCD bonus
Probably a few other cons and extra expenses.




--------------------------------------------------

Option #3


i7-920
EVGA X58
EVGA GTX260
Corsair 6GB DDR3
Corsair 750W
Plextor 20X DVD
Coolermaster V8
Antec 300
Hanns-g 28"
* He would install Win 7, Office 2010,Adobe CS Suite if I brought HD.

For 1000$

I think this is the - least attractive option, even though he's a PC builder ~ because upgrading to a nVidia GTX460 would easily make this a 1200$ PC. I'm inclined toward HAF 922/932 based on the HAF clubs and all the cool pix.

- but I like the free toss-in of the monitor. The antec 300 doesn't seem like a case I'd like to have for the next 5 years.

-------------------------------------------------------


So as you can see.. I have 3 interesting options. One is built by a pc builder, another I'll have to build myself (I've put together 2-3 PC's in the single core days..) Finally making the leap out of single core history.

------------------------------------------


I also tried to put together a microcenter build for around 1000$
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA
ZOTAC ZT-40402-10P GeForce GTX 460
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 1156
Intel Core i5-750
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212

$1,070.19



*** The i7-870 looks to be the most attractive based on the pricing for tower or even w/ extras ***

--------------------------------------------------------
Newegg

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX :: $59.95
Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB :: $109.99
ZOTAC ZT-40402-10P GeForce GTX 460 1GB :: $219.99
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB :: $109.99
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 :: $139.99
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 :: $194.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus:: $29.99
--------------------------------
Grand Total: $949.18

--------------------------------------

Future out-look.

I think at most I'd go 2 GFX cards. But for the foreseeable future I'd only invest in 1 GFX card at this point and time. At this point and time I'm torn between both PC builder i7's versus gathering the parts from 2 sellers.

Can anyone give me their 2 cents - on which is way would be the best way to go?

* Any suggestions etc to help me make a better decision would be greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:
kinein said:
Computer Builder is selling this PC w/ or w/out Peripherals.
* 24" LCD
* Logitech keyboard & Mouse
Rig itself --
* CPU :: i7-870
* Mobo :: Some gigabyte with 2x pci-e slots for sli/crossfire
* Ram :: 4GB DDR (PC-12800) Ram
* Hard Drive :: WD 1TB HD 7200RPM SATA
* Samsung 24x DVD
* Power Supply :: BFG 650W
* Case :: HAF 922
* GFX :: 9800 GT -- I'd replace this with a GTX 460
* Software :: Windows 7 Premium w/DVD
Office 2010
Nero 10
All Cables
* Cable Managed, Receipts to everything

Tower Only : $745 USA
w/ 24" Asus LCD & logitech Periph : $935.00 USA
Click to expand...

Biggest issue is the crappy PSU. That BFG PSU is barely capable of 450W under ideal conditions IIRC. Since you're buying from what looks like a computer boutique, that basically means that the entire PC would have only a one year warranty.


kinein said:
Isn't i7-930 the best CPU out of all 3 options?
Click to expand...
Actually no. The Core i7 920/930 as well as the Core i7 860/870 CPUs has little performance increases over the i5 750 in games. So from a price to performance standpoint for gaming, the Core i5 750 is the better choice.



kinein said:
Option #3
...................
For 1000$

I think this is the - least attractive option, even though he's a PC builder ~ because upgrading to a nVidia GTX460 would easily make this a 1200$ PC. I'm inclined toward HAF 922/932 based on the HAF clubs and all the cool pix.

- but I like the free toss-in of the monitor. The antec 300 doesn't seem like a case I'd like to have for the next 5 years.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's the least attractive option.


kinein said:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX :: $59.95
Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB :: $109.99
ZOTAC ZT-40402-10P GeForce GTX 460 1GB :: $219.99
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB :: $109.99
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 :: $139.99
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 :: $194.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus:: $29.99
--------------------------------
Grand Total: $949.18
Click to expand...

This is the closest to the ideal setup but still can be improved. It's missing a PSU as well.
 
Phenom II X6 1055t - $197.99 Six core and overclocks well. This thing can last you for a long time.

ASROCK 890FX DELUXE3 - $149.99 Very nice 890FX board for the money, it has 3 16x slots which will give you lots of graphics potential. It had also received a lot of favorable reviews, too.

Mushkin Silverline 4GB DDR3 1333 - $79.99 DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 does not have that much difference, but the 1333s always come at a way cheaper price. Also, Mushkin is a brand you would trust, they are simply awesome.

CM690II Basic - $69.99 This case has support for 10 fans and you can even fit 2 240mm watercooling radiators in there. Also, it has a very good black finish for the interior and excellent cable management.

Seasonic S12II 520W - $59.99 Seasonic makes very reliable PSUs, also it has 80PLUS BRONZE rated. For $59.99 this is a lot of PSU for the money.

2xSapphire HD5770 - $124.99 AFTER REBATE x2 Get two of them and crossfire them. Both of this combined will beat the HD5870 - both in terms of price and performance.

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $77.99 after PROMO CODE. 1TB should be enough for most of your needs, with the promo code this is a very good deal.

Cooler Master Hyper212+ - $29.99 I heard that this does pretty well when it comes to cooling the AM3 sockets. For 30 bucks this is a very good deal.

Total: $915.91.

For $916 you get a hexa-core, dual GPU, and one of the most reliable PSUs on the market - all in one machine.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Danny and killer for your input! Really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
 
Killer I have a question concerning the Crossfire fo the 5770's - does this mean that not only are thye better then the 5870 but they are superior to the gtx460?

Also do you have to use the ati cards with amd systems and visa versa? intel and nvidia only?

-------------

Also what are your thoughts on the 6 core vs the i7-920?

*anyone else with an opinion is welcome to chime in, appreciate any responses from hard members :)
 
A better setup than lkiller1231's setup IMO:
$195 - Intel Core i5 750 CPU
$140 - Asus P7P55D Pro Intel P55 ATX Motherboard
$80 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$230 - Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$75 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$70 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W PSU
$70 - Cooler Master CM690 II ATX Case
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $890 plus tax and shipping.

Some key differences and reasonings:
- In games, the Core i5 750 outperforms the X6 1055T at stock speeds. Even when the X6 1055T is OC'd, it's still slower than a similarily clocked or overclocked Core i5 750. With that said, the X6 1055T would be better for multi-tasking.
- That motherboard supports Crossfire and SLI. So keeps your options open.
- I just prefer G.Skill over Muskin. Neither RAM is inherently better than the other.
- Considering your relatively low resoltion, I see no reason to get HD 5770 Crossfire. Not to mention the scaling issues that ATI Crossfire has. As such, a single GPU like the GTX 460 1GB is more than enough. Then again, for SC2, even at Ultra settings at 1920x1080, all you really need is the HD 5770 1GB.
- Once you factor in shipping, the 620C costs the same as the 520C. So no reason to get the 520C at its current pricing by itself.
- The Samsung F3 1TB is faster than that WD 1TB Black IIRC.

Yes the HD 5770 Crossfire will outperform the HD 5870 and GTX 460 in games that actually scale with Crossfire and SLI. However SC2 is not one of those games. IIRC. SC2 does not scale well with Crossfire.

For gaming, the i7 920 will outperform the 1055T. But the i7 920 is not worth choosing IMO. You don't have to use AMD cards with AMD systems. Sam goes for Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs.
 
Total: $890 plus tax and shipping.

Some key differences and reasonings:
- In games, the Core i5 750 outperforms the X6 1055T at stock speeds. Even when the X6 1055T is OC'd, it's still slower than a similarily clocked or overclocked Core i5 750. With that said, the X6 1055T would be better for multi-tasking.
- That motherboard supports Crossfire and SLI. So keeps your options open.
- I just prefer G.Skill over Muskin. Neither RAM is inherently better than the other.
- Considering your relatively low resoltion, I see no reason to get HD 5770 Crossfire. Not to mention the scaling issues that ATI Crossfire has. As such, a single GPU like the GTX 460 1GB is more than enough. Then again, for SC2, even at Ultra settings at 1920x1080, all you really need is the HD 5770 1GB.
- Once you factor in shipping, the 620C costs the same as the 520C. So no reason to get the 520C at its current pricing by itself.
- The Samsung F3 1TB is faster than that WD 1TB Black IIRC.

Yes the HD 5770 Crossfire will outperform the HD 5870 and GTX 460 in games that actually scale with Crossfire and SLI. However SC2 is not one of those games. IIRC. SC2 does not scale well with Crossfire.

For gaming, the i7 920 will outperform the 1055T. But the i7 920 is not worth choosing IMO. You don't have to use AMD cards with AMD systems. Sam goes for Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs.[/QUOTE]

620c vs 520c? Im sorry I don't understand that piece. The rest I'm grasping.

Re-reading now both your post and Killers.

Can you elaborate on why you think the i7-920 is not worth choosing?

As of now I'm really interested in both suggested builds :)
 
kinein said:
620c vs 520c? Im sorry I don't understand that piece. The rest I'm grasping.
Click to expand...

That's the model number of the power supplies that lkiller1231 and I chose.

kinein said:
Can you elaborate on why you think the i7-920 is not worth choosing?
Click to expand...

Because it costs $100 more than the Core i5 750 yet only provides, at most, an extra 2-4FPS over the i5 750. And that's not factoring in the costs of the motherboards. So yeah, 2-5FPS is not worh an extra $100 let alone the extra $150 to $200 once you factor in cost of the motherboard and Core i7 CPU.
 
ahhh, makes sense. Thanks for going into detail explaining this stuff to me.
 
I have an extra question would either 520 or 620 power be able to manage multiple HDs say 3-4 extra 1-2TB drives each?
 
kinein said:
I have an extra question would either 520 or 620 power be able to manage multiple HDs say 3-4 extra 1-2TB drives each?
Click to expand...

Either PSU will be enough but you would be tad close with the 520.
 
Another question I have is are both of these overclockable to 3.2-3.6? if so would that really be pushing either chip.
 
kinein said:
Another question I have is are both of these overclockable to 3.2-3.6? if so would that really be pushing either chip.
Click to expand...

The Core i5 750 can hit 3.8Ghz to 4Ghz. 3.6Ghz seems to be the average OC for the Phenom II 1055T.
 
kinein said:
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd be happy with 3.2-3.6 if it could be done with the intention of 5+ year lifespan on CPU
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
None really, just that it works, and supports enough RAM(more then enough) that I can open and close multiple apps while playing games and have zero slowness.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
I think I can purchase Windows 7 Premium on a student discount through the agreement Microsoft has with various Universities, mine included.
Click to expand...

6) I'm pretty bullish about this: an increase in frequency simply cannot directly kill chips. If setup/hold time on a transistor is not respected, meaning the pinch-off has not yet been reached, or not yet been removed, and the clock pulse arrives, all that you get is an output voltage that is in an undefined region. That undefined voltage is going to drive further gates down the line into further unknown states, potentially flipping bits incorrectly (and potentially getting caught by ECC or, possibly keeping all the bits in proper order).

9) the big beef I have with contemporary systems is HDD speed. We're talking about devices that is literally a million times slower than the CPU by latency and literally thousands of times slower by bus-bandwidth. SSDs, in my opinion, are a very nice, subtle but very much welcome kick in the seat of the pants to modern computing. Stuff just starts moving to where its supposed to be a whole lot faster, and you can see the bottleneck shifting from the hard drive to the CPU when you're doing normal computer things like launching applications or big non-sequential loads.

10) MSDNAA gives you access to a "developer copy of Windows 7", which is to say, they expect to give you this copy based on the premise that you'll be using it to... test your developed applications in the new operating environment. But, like you, I'm just using it as my main PC --with a copy of visual studios installed and some working-but-doesn't-really-do-much C# projects to keep my conscious clear :p
 
thanks for the comments. i have a question, whats the easiest way to download and install the win7 from msdnaa ? install win xp then download-install win7? Its a digital copy right? with licensed key provided digitally?
 
kinein said:
thanks for the comments. i have a question, whats the easiest way to download and install the win7 from msdnaa ? install win xp then download-install win7? Its a digital copy right? with licensed key provided digitally?
Click to expand...

The Windows 7 copy provided by MSDNAA is a full copy. Not an upgrade copy. So just download the Windows 7 ISO from MSDNAA on another PC, burn that ISO to a DVD using burning software that supports ISO, and then install Windows 7. The key is provided digitally so make sure that you have written down the key as you will need it during Windows 7 installation.
 
I looked at some of the other threads and I was curious what you guys would suggest (danny, killer) or anyone else if I wanted to see a suggested 1200 or 1500$ build? Would there be a point?

Also would you suggest I make a new thread. Or should I just look at other threads other users have made?
 
Danny Bui said:
Actually no. The Core i7 920/930 as well as the Core i7 860/870 CPUs has little performance increases over the i5 750 in games. So from a price to performance standpoint for gaming, the Core i5 750 is the better choice.
Click to expand...

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't games that are more CPU hungry (such as WoW or Civilization IV, or maybe others I'm forgetting) be happier with a faster CPU (assuming the user might do light overlocking)? From what I understand, Intel is definitely the way to go for games.
 
kinein said:
I looked at some of the other threads and I was curious what you guys would suggest (danny, killer) or anyone else if I wanted to see a suggested 1200 or 1500$ build? Would there be a point?

Also would you suggest I make a new thread. Or should I just look at other threads other users have made?
Click to expand...
Considering your moderate resolution and that the only games you've mentioned so far are Blizzard games, really no point going for a $1200 or $1500 build
Jon55 said:
Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't games that are more CPU hungry (such as WoW or Civilization IV, or maybe others I'm forgetting) be happier with a faster CPU (assuming the user might do light overlocking)? From what I understand, Intel is definitely the way to go for games.
Click to expand...
Intel is the way to go for games and light overclocking if you can fit it within the budget. However only 1-2 Intel CPUs are actually worth getting for games whereas AMD has a wide range of budget CPUs for gaming.
 
Question : Say I went with the option guy of 28" monitor - he offered to cut 100$ off the price. Which is much more attractive for a relatively new hanns g monitor.

With those parts any suggestions ?


i7-920
EVGA X58
EVGA GTX260
Corsair 6GB DDR3
Corsair 750W
Plextor 20X DVD
Coolermaster V8
Antec 300
Hanns-g 28"

Also - you can toss out the 1000$ max point in this because I saw the deal on the HAF X - and I might be willing to go with this initial setup because of the discount.

Would buying another 6gb of ram matter?

I tend to have 12-15 firefox windows open, 5-6 word docs open, and another 1-2 apps, open and game.

Nothings set in stone other then I want to get this new pc built or bought or whatever within 7-14 days.

I really appreciated every single response and I have yet to decide on any of the suggested builds or the offers I have found and haggled.
 
additionally what would be the max $$$ value on a XFX 5870 you would consider as worth paying for deal wise?

and Would the venmous x really be an improvement over the v8 cm? or could I safely OC a i7-920 with v8 to 3.4-3.8?

For killer danny and anyone else that has an opinion (ANY opinion is welcome on this forum, I have a high regard for hardforum members as the knowledge base seems to be top echelon) - say I switched to 1500$. Should I go with the 900$ ( read last post ) discounted off the 1000$ rig w/ 28" hanns g - and work from there?

I will OC since I think theres enough info on hardforum anandtech and 1-2 other sites for me to do it safely without necessarily trying to break 4ghz.

I want this pc to last 5 years.

* For those of you curious these are my current specs *

XP PRO SP3
AMD 4000+ 64 2.41 GHZ - non oc - stock shuttle cooling.
2 GB RAM
74 GB Raptor
* I may be the only hardforum member still using a single core as his main pc.
7800GT
 
Last edited:
kinein said:
Question : Say I went with the option guy of 28" monitor - he offered to cut 100$ off the price. Which is much more attractive for a relatively new hanns g monitor.

With those parts any suggestions ?
Click to expand...
The biggest issue is the lack of warranty. Make sure that seller can provide reciepts and/or registration login/info for the CPU, motherboard, video card, RAM, and PSU. Otherwise, it's a bit of a waste of money considering that if those parts start dying, you would be SOL and JWF. If he can't provide that, walk away. No point in spend $1000+ on a bunch of parts that have zero warranty.

The second issue is how long has that PC been operational?

I don't think you would need to replace the video card with a GTX 460 at all considering that all you're playing is SC2.
kinein said:
Would buying another 6gb of ram matter?

I tend to have 12-15 firefox windows open, 5-6 word docs open, and another 1-2 apps, open and game.
Click to expand...
Try out the 6GB of RAM FIRST and then see if additional RAM is needed. Though quick question: how many tabs per Firefox window?

kinein said:
additionally what would be the max $$$ value on a XFX 5870 you would consider as worth paying for deal wise?
Click to expand...
$300 IMO considering that HD 5770 1GB Crossfire can beat one HD 5870 in games that scale with Crossfire. Note that SC2 does not scale with Crossfire or SLI. However, the HD 5850 has dropped in price ($260) over the past few months as well to the point that the higher price premium for a HD 5870 is not justified over a HD 5850. So yeah, $300 IMO.
kinein said:
and Would the venmous x really be an improvement over the v8 cm? or could I safely OC a i7-920 with v8 to 3.4-3.8?
Click to expand...
You can safely OC the i7 920 to 3.4Ghz to 3.8Ghz with the V8.

kinein said:
For killer danny and anyone else that has an opinion (ANY opinion is welcome on this forum, I have a high regard for hardforum members as the knowledge base seems to be top echelon) - say I switched to 1500$. Should I go with the 900$ ( read last post ) discounted off the 1000$ rig w/ 28" hanns g - and work from there?
Click to expand...
Again, it really depends if you can get some paper work for those parts so that you could get warranty on those parts. That's the big question here.

kinein said:
I want this pc to last 5 years.
Click to expand...

Yeah that doesn't change anything TBH. Whether or not a PC will last, assuming no major hardware malfunction, is up to the user, not the parts.
 
You don't need 6GB of RAM for 20 Firefox tabs.

The "retail" (read: NewEgg) price for a GTX 460 is around $200 for the 768MB version and $230 for the 1GB version. What's the "nice price" being offered for the GTX 460 that you're considering?
 
tiraides said:
What's the "nice price" being offered for the GTX 460 that you're considering?
Click to expand...

I think he's referring to the $190 Sparkle GTX 460 1GB in his link.

kinein said:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1546382

Theres a gtx 460 from a hardforum member for a nice price.

Would this be worth considering over the one you recommended earlier Danny?
Click to expand...
Assuming that you're referring to that Sparkle, $190 is a good price for a GTX 460 1GB depending on whether or not you trust Sparkle as brand/company.

Plus that Sparkle GTX 460 1GB is sold out.
 
Tir, um I think 220-230 is fine I think the one Danny recommeneded was that price.

How big of a difference is the GTX 460 1GB vs the HD 5870 though?

RE: Danny
Thanks for the update I didn't checkup on the status today -___- tooo late for me :(

I wanted to start building my heatware too.

300$ gotcha.

So a 5850 would be the wisest choice vs the 5870 - because the leap 40-60$ would be negligible. That is to say I wouldn't really tell the difference?
 
kinein said:
How big of a difference is the GTX 460 1GB vs the HD 5870 though?
Click to expand...
In SC2, the difference is about 20%.
kinein said:
So a 5850 would be the wisest choice vs the 5870 - because the leap 40-60$ would be negligible. That is to say I wouldn't really tell the difference?
Click to expand...

You can tell the difference between a HD 5870 and HD 5850 somewhat. The problem is that the noticeable difference isn't worth the extra $90 to $100. However if the difference was only $40 to $50, then yeah the HD 5870 would be a good alternative over the $260 HD 5850
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top