PC on budget of $1200

[promethius]

Trying to build myself a PC for about $1200 never built my own before so a buddy gonna help me put one together. I was hoping some of you guys could show me what parts i can buy for a good rig for gaming. sorry if there is a main thread for this didn't notice one besides a laptop one. thanks again.

[Zilong]

System Builder Marathon, Sept. '09: $1,250 Enthusiast Build : System Builder Marathon: $1,250 AMD System - Review Tom's Hardware

[Olo401]

It's nice to see AMD get some spotlight for a change heh..

Here's an updated sketch of an i5 system I put together: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/M...spx?ID=9722154

[fishstix]

Here's an updated sketch of an i5 system I put together: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/M...spx?ID=9722154

it's linked wrong, makes you log in and then shows our own wishlists, here it is fixed though! Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg How are the i5's stock heatsink, is an aftermarket cooler necessary? wtf @ the article, 4x ATI 1850s. Must get hot?

For Olo's build, if you wanted to fill your budget, you could go with the ati 5870 instead, get a second hard drive for a raid 0 setup, or switch the cpu/motherboard/ram for the i7 lga 1366. Otherwise as it is, it's still pretty solid and should max most, if not all games. Maybe you could spend the extra money saved from not going all out on the system, for buying extra monitors to use the eyefinity stuff :D

[promethius]

thanks for that info gonna use this stuff and do a lil more snooping around.

[Kilhart]

System Builder Marathon, Sept. '09: $1,250 Enthusiast Build : System Builder Marathon: $1,250 AMD System - Review Tom's Hardware

I'm a computer nub (kind of), but how does this one compare to the $650 gaming PC in that link you posted??

Gateway LX6810-01 Desktop, Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q8200 2.33Ghz, 8192MB, 640GB,DVDRW, Keyboard and Mouse, Remote Control, Windows Vista Home Premium, Factory Refurbished - LX6810-01 - Buy.com

[fishstix]

For gaming, I'd definitely go with the $650 one. It features 2x ATI 4850s over Gateway's Nvidia GT120 (equivalent to the 9500). The gateway one has a quadcore at 2.33ghz and I'm not sure if you'll be able to overclock it on their motherboard. Realize though that he $650 one is something you'd build yourself and doesn't come with an OS included into that $650 estimate, although I wouldn't build a PC with 2x 4850s so you can save some money there.

I think the Gateway is pretty good for the price, but it's refurbished if that matters to you. You could throw upgrades into it to be able to nicely play newer games, but then at the final price, you'd be better off buying/building something better like an i5 setup. Depends on what you're looking for in a PC

[Kilhart]

Hrm.. are there any suggestions you'd make to the $650 build? It seems there's more emphasis on the GPU than CPU.. is that normal? I've heard that some games are far more dependent on CPU than GPU, and vice versa. I was thinking of changing the Phenom II X2 to an X3 and using one GTX 260 instead of 2 video cards.. would lower the price for me a bit but I don't know how that would affect the performance.

[Olo401]

Hrm.. are there any suggestions you'd make to the $650 build? It seems there's more emphasis on the GPU than CPU.. is that normal? I've heard that some games are far more dependent on CPU than GPU, and vice versa. I was thinking of changing the Phenom II X2 to an X3 and using one GTX 260 instead of 2 video cards.. would lower the price for me a bit but I don't know how that would affect the performance.

I would completely agree that there's more emphasis on the graphics processing than the CPU.. someone who's building at a pricepoint of $650 is honestly not going to take advantage of Crossfire or SLI. They just want a budget gaming machine that doesn't break the bank. Here's what I would do:

- Upgrade the motherboard to a 790GX chipset. (-$10 after rebate)
- Upgrade to the Phenom II X3 720 (+$16)
- Replace the dual 4850s with a single BFG GTX260 core 216 (-$40 after rebate).
- Switch to the Antec 300 case. (+$15)
- Drop down a notch to this power supply (-$10)
- Memory prices have gone WAY up across the board. This is now the lowest priced 2x2GB set I can find on Newegg - same brand and it's an upgrade from DDR2 to DDR3 though. (+$20)
- Upgrade the HD to at least a 750 gig (+$13)

Net change in price is about $5 and you'll have an overall MUCH faster and better quality machine.

[Kilhart]

I would completely agree that there's more emphasis on the graphics processing than the CPU.. someone who's building at a pricepoint of $650 is honestly not going to take advantage of Crossfire or SLI. They just want a budget gaming machine that doesn't break the bank. Here's what I would do:

- Upgrade the motherboard to a 790GX chipset. (-$10 after rebate)
- Upgrade to the Phenom II X3 720 (+$16)
- Replace the dual 4850s with a single BFG GTX260 core 216 (-$40 after rebate).
- Switch to the Antec 300 case. (+$15)
- Drop down a notch to this power supply (-$10)
- Memory prices have gone WAY up across the board. This is now the lowest priced 2x2GB set I can find on Newegg - same brand and it's an upgrade from DDR2 to DDR3 though. (+$20)
- Upgrade the HD to at least a 750 gig (+$13)

Net change in price is about $5 and you'll have an overall MUCH faster and better quality machine.

O: Will definitely take all of that into consideration. Thanks!

[fishstix]

I'm not really sure what the pc makers of those builds were thinking, they stuck 4x 4850s in the $1.2k build. I guess the ATI 5000 series wasn't released at the time this was made, but still >.>;

idk how others would feel about this change, but I'd recommend this: Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Power Supplies it's 100w more, $15 cheaper after mail-in rebate, and modular so you only hookup and use the cables that you need to make everything neat.

[Kilhart]

Would a system like that need any additional cooling or anything? If I end up playing something like FFXIV I'd probably be leaving the PC on for long periods of time, so yeah.

[Olo401]

You probably would yes.. you could also benefit from a case with improved ventilation.

[fishstix]

My case isn't one of those full sized cases, a bit smaller and my Phenom II x4 940 never goes above 50C, even leaving it on all night also. I only have 2 fans, one for a rear exhaust and one on the side panel pulling air in, directly towards the heatsink/fan. Ultimately it's up to you though, how it looks, size, but I find the Phenom IIs run decently cool with the stock heatsink. Here's what my case looks like lol. I added a new 500gb drive and seemed hot to the touch, so I added a 100cm or 120 intake fan at the front of the case.

Spoiler: show

http://i33.tinypic.com/9srvo8.jpg

]

I only use this case since I had it lol, don't like spending money. It's annoying how crampped things are though, like if I wanted to remove the harddrive, I'd have to remove the motherboard since the heatsink is in the way

[promethius]

My friend sent me this what do you guys think?

Product Description Savings Total Price
select item 1 quantity of item 1

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119160
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$20.00 Instant
$159.99
$139.99
select item 2 quantity of item 2

XFX GX295NHWFC GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150401
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy -$50.00 Instant
$529.99
$479.99
1
Nvidia Gift Call of duty - World at war - OEM
Item #: N82E16800999088
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy -$49.99 Saving
$49.99
$0.00
select item 4 quantity of item 4

Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371022
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options17-371-022|hide options17-371-022)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info17-371-022.0.18)

1 year: $16.99
2 year: $25.99
-$65.00 Instant
$169.99
$104.99
select item 5 quantity of item 5

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145224
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
$214.99
$204.99
select item 6 quantity of item 6

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131404
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options13-131-404|hide options13-131-404)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-131-404.0.18)

1 year: $16.99
2 year: $25.99
$149.99
select item 7 quantity of item 7

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115215
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy $199.99
Subtotal: $1,279.94

[fishstix]

Missing a hard drive to make it complete, the LGA 1156 motherboard can't use triple channel ram, dual only and $200 for ram is a lot :3 The gtx 295 is a personal choice, whether you think it's worth it or not. The ATI 5870 is $100 cheaper and performs decently close to the gtx 295.

[Kilhart]

I'm not really sure what the pc makers of those builds were thinking, they stuck 4x 4850s in the $1.2k build. I guess the ATI 5000 series wasn't released at the time this was made, but still >.>;

idk how others would feel about this change, but I'd recommend this: Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Power Supplies it's 100w more, $15 cheaper after mail-in rebate, and modular so you only hookup and use the cables that you need to make everything neat.

How about this? It's cheaper :3

Newegg.com - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

Edit: also, I saw this...

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1621679

Would it be smarter to just get this package and sell the extra 4870? I'm not sure how a single 4870 would perform in comparison to a GTX 260 (the benchmarks are almost identical though).

[Weeks]

Damn you for bringing that deal to my attention. What am I going to do with 3 of those cards?

[Kilhart]

Also:

- Upgrade the motherboard to a 790GX chipset. (-$10 after rebate)

- Memory prices have gone WAY up across the board. This is now the lowest priced 2x2GB set I can find on Newegg - same brand and it's an upgrade from DDR2 to DDR3 though. (+$20)

When I look at the specs on that motherboard, it doesn't seem to support DDR3 RAM... am I mistaken? I could very well be, but I'm just double checking.

Right now I'm thinking of something like this:

Motherboard: ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
Graphics Card: XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel
Case: APEVIA X-SUPRA G-Type X-SUPRAG-BL Black / Blue SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply: Thermaltake W0106RU 700W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version SLI Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC

I have keyboard/mouse/speakers already, and I'm getting a DVD drive/HDD from a friend's old Dell. My monitor is a 22" LCD with 1920x1080 max resolution and DVI-D/VGA input. If I can sell the extra graphics card in the deal I posted earlier for $100 or more the total cost of these parts would come to about $510 after rebates.

Are there any problems with this setup (incompatibility issues, problems with case, power supply, just bad choices in general, etc.)? I've never built a computer before :<

Also, sorry for hijacking your topic, OP <_<

[fishstix]

On the powersupply, it's up to you. If you look above at my pic, that's the non-modular version and this is what it'd look like if you did get the ModX one
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/3561/dsc00437ic7.jpg
well, obviously my case is different with the harddrive setup, but you get the idea. You only have to plug in and use the specific cables needed, removing the huge jumble of cables that I have. I found another deal, although I hear zoomzipfly's rebate service is really slow zoomzipfly.com - OCZ 700w ModXStream $80, $50 after rebate

And you're right on the motherboard, the one posted doesn't support ddr3. The one you listed is only the 785 chipset, but that doesn't really matter if you're not into heavy overclocking and saves a little money.