Yes, another one...

[Alduere]

I have a $1400 US budget WITHOUT case, PSU, keyboard, mice, screen.

I was thinking about an AMD build, but it does not looks pretty, cant find a good motherboard for my life.

Any builds suggested is appreciated!

Thanks,

Ald

[Minions]

I started with the same budget, and then eventually raised it.

You mentioned 1400 USD without including the case/psu/kb/mice/screen

This is the build that I just had for about 2000~ including PSU/CASE/MONITOR (so for u -$550USD, within your range~)
Just for reference;
Monitor - $100 sale at newegg free shipping 19" widescreen
PSU - Corsair 1000W PSU - 239.99 (-30MIR)
CASE- COSMOS 1100 - $204
-All had free shipping-

CPU: $279.99 (FREE SHIPPING)
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

MEMORY: $104.99 (-20MIR= $84.99) (FREE SHIPPING)
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (x2)
Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Desktop Memory

VIDEO CARDS: $344.99(-20MIR= $324.99) (FREE SHIPPING)
EVGA 01G-P3-1180-AR GeForce GTX 285
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1180-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

MoBo: $419.00 (-20MIR) (FREE SHIPPING)
EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick" 3-Way SLI (x8)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188048


CD/DVD COMBO $30.00~
DVD/CD Burner combo new egg has a lot of choices or in frys or something

HD $60 x 2 ($120) (FREE SHIPPING)
I believe there is still a sale going on 10% off (up to $10) on hard drives if u buy in the next couple hours or so

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB (x2)
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

I believe the free shipping only applies to the US, as well as many states charging no sales tax, so if u are ordering stuff you might be SOL. If you have to pay shipping and taxes it will probably cost you more than predicted amount.

So Totaled (assuming u don't get 2 sets of ram like I did):
120 30 419 344.99 104.99 279.99

1298.97~ Well within your $1400 budget mobo supports 12 gigs of ram (so I did that) (well in theory it supports 24gigs.... if you have a infinite wallet, also I believe you must custom order sticks of that size that are DDR3)
1238.97 after MIR

Things to note my mobo (limited edition) was actually taken off the site the day after I ordered it, and is out of stock permanently to my knowledge

link to my original thread
http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/75010-planning-pc.html

[Jotaru]

Stinky peruvian!

[Olo401]

You can do a good Phenom II OR Core i7 build, possibly with a monitor, on that kind of budget.. Not even gonna get into nitpicking the previous parts list yet tho, since we don't even know what the OP is looking to do with his computer yet.

So then Alduere.. what are you looking to do with your new computer?

[Alduere]

Stinky peruvian!

H8u.

The reason I say no monitor/mice/keyboard/etc is that Ill buy that stuff here since its really troublesome to bring it on my luggage, lol.

That MOBO is basically if you want to overclock right?

Ald

[Olo401]

It's designed for the OC or hard gaming enthusiast yes (like most non-OEM boards on the market), but you don't need to unless you want to. A minor OC (i.e for an E8400 going to the speed of a E8600) doesn't really require more than a small bump of the FSB speed - which is why I'll usually recommend an aftermarket cooling unit with a slower-clocked CPU before I recommend a higher-clocked CPU.

[Alduere]

So then Alduere.. what are you looking to do with your new computer?

Gaming, gaming and... gaming. I have a laptop to do school work.


From extensive research (and the help of Virus!) I've decided on three pieces of my PC, the problem is that I know NOTHING about ATI/AMD and everything has changed so much! lol



Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Processors - Desktops

Newegg.com - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives


Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives



My problem comes when I try to:

- Choose a motherboard for that CPU
- Is Nvidia better than ATI? Use SLI/Crossfire of a lesser card or use one of the best card
- DDR2 or DDR3?

Ald

[Olo401]

OK let's start easy.. Here's a build based around what you've got so far:

CPU - Phenom II x4 940
Mobo - ASUS M4A78T-E
Memory - Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3-1333
Storage HDD - Seagate 1TB
Boot HDD - WD Raptor 300GB
CD/DVD - Samsung CD/DVD+R/RW
GFX - XFX GeForce GTX260
Power - Corsair 550W
Case - CM HAF 922

Didn't get a chance to add it up yet (rushing out the door from work!) but I think it'll come in well under though. Will post again when I get home.

[Alduere]

OK let's start easy.. Here's a build based around what you've got so far:

CPU - Phenom II x4 940
Mobo - ASUS M4A78T-E
Memory - Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3-1333
Storage HDD - Seagate 1TB
Boot HDD - WD Raptor 300GB
CD/DVD - Samsung CD/DVD+R/RW
GFX - XFX GeForce GTX260
Power - Corsair 550W
Case - CM HAF 922

Didn't get a chance to add it up yet (rushing out the door from work!) but I think it'll come in well under though. Will post again when I get home.

Thanks a ton.

I check'd up the MOBO and it's AM3 compatible, does it mean it can support AM2+/AM2 (since thats my CPU socket)?

Well, it adds up to (without the PSU/Case/CD; since ill buy those separately): $895.44

Maybe pump up the video card and RAM to 8gb (maybe a faster one)?

I think the CPU is fast enough, I find it pretty cheap too.

Ald

[virusiidx]

GFX - XFX GeForce GTX260

Gotta 2nd this card since it's the best bang for your buck. Though this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150329 you get farcry2 included as well. Also biased a little since I'm running this as well along with an 8800GTX.

I would like to see someone post a decent ATI/crossfire setup though.

[guartz]

what's with the overkill specs lately? Do guys really like throwing hundreds of dollars on systems to have extra 20 frames?

[virusiidx]

I would spend an extra hundred for 20 frames :O

[Alduere]

I've been messing with newegg a bit and this is what I go until now..

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3RPR16004GK - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - Internal Hard Drives

For a total of: $902.95

I still need a video card tho, cant decide which but I have roughly 400US to buy one (since I play to buy a good sound card).

Ald

[Alduere]

I've been messing with newegg a bit and this is what I go until now..

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3RPR16004GK - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - Internal Hard Drives

For a total of: $902.95

I still need a video card tho, cant decide which but I have roughly 400US to buy one (since I play to buy a good sound card).

Ald

Pd. woops, sorry for the double post.

[Minions]

If you really want to see a speed improvement get 2 of those velo-raptors and raid 0 them. Other than that as far as a AMD build, and only 4 gigs ram the rest seems fine. Raid 0 makes even normal drives write hella quick.

[Cephius]

If you really want to see a speed improvement get 2 of those velo-raptors and raid 0 them. Other than that as far as a AMD build, and only 4 gigs ram the rest seems fine. Raid 0 makes even normal drives write hella quick.

Not really cost effective though. I think just getting one raptor and one large drive is better than RAIDing multiple raptors, in terms of price/performance.

[Minions]

Not really cost effective though. I think just getting one raptor and one large drive is better than RAIDing multiple raptors, in terms of price/performance.

Same can be said for nearly all performance parts, there will always be a cheaper alternative that is better performance for the price (exactly why people are suggesting the gtx 260, when the current card is the 295)

It all depends on what your expectations are for your computer.

[Alduere]

well, I want a video card that will run almost any game on max settings with 1680x1050, know any?

[virusiidx]

imo, RAIDing is going too far, more for server performance and backup/data security. If you really want a performance storage drive, raptor or ssd is good enough.

As for,

well, I want a video card that will run almost any game on max settings with 1680x1050, know any?

I say ATI 4870+ or nVidia GTX 260+ should do the job for the most part. SLI/Crossfire them for later games if you got the moneyz.

Who buys those bleeding edge $500 cards anyways? (don't answer that)

[Alduere]

What do you think about this one?
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards