Building a Gaming PC

[Doleman]

So I've decided to build a gaming PC while trying to stay around a $1,000 budget, so far this is what I have decided to go with:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=12618372

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

[njitjk68]

If you are dropping 1k for a pc, you'd be better off with i5/i7 or phenom2 instead of the e8400. Don't get me wrong, it's a good chip and all, but for 1k you should be getting the better chip.

[Omnipotent]

* *BASE_PRICE: [+995]
* BUNDLE: None
* BLUETOOTH: None
* CD: LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (RED COLOR [+9])
* CD2: None
* CAS: Azza Orion Gaming Mid-Tower Case with See-Thru Side Panel [-35] (Black with Red Lightning)
* CASUPGRADE: 12in (Red Color) Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10]
* CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Red Color)
* CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-860 2.80 GHz 8M L2 Cache LGA1156
* FAN: Asetek LCLC 120 Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [+20]
* FREEBIE_RM: None
* FREEBIE_MB: Asus 6GB SATA-III Card
* FA_HDD: Vigor iSURF II Hard Disk Drive Cooling System [+21] (1 x System)
* FLASHMEDIA: None
* FLOPPY: None
* HDD: Single Hard Drive (750GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-21])
* HDD2: None
* IEEE_CARD: None
* KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Dominator [+39])
* MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* MONITOR: None
* MONITOR2: None
* MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] Asus P7P55D LE Intel P55 Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA-II RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 3 PCI
* MODEM: None
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* NOISEREDUCE1: Power Supply Gasket [+5]
* NOISEREDUCE2: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
* OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
* OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
* OS_UPGRADE: None
* POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts Power Supplies [+29] (CyberPowerPC XF800S Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER_CABLE: None
* RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
* SOFT1: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More) - Microsoft Windows OS Required
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: None
* TEMP: None
* TVRC: None
* USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* USBHD: None
* VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB DDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [DirectX 11 Support] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* VIDEO2: None
* VIDEO3: None
* VC_PHYSX: None
* VC_GAMES: None
* WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]
* _PRICE: (+1115)
* _view_: d



I just built this for the exact price you have up there, pre-built to so no gay driver installs etc, w/o a monitor though.

[Tits]

This is going to come across as overly critical, but oh well.

Why set a 1k budget and then spend 15% of your budget on JUST a keyboard and mouse?

[Doleman]

oh actually i don't really include the mouse and keyboard into the budget, so in reality its about 850ish overall for the computer.

originally i had an i7, but i couldn't find a motherboard that i really liked to go with it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202 this is the cpu i originally had in with of course a different mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128405) and RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226036).

[Tits]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.301132

The above is an i7 860 and your exact video card in combo form, save 23 bucks total. Processor is 279.99 normal.

Or you can look at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.305925
Which is the same processor, with a fairly nice EVGA mobo, combo discount of 18 bucks, and a $20 MIR.

I only glanced very quickly at newegg as I have to run out, but there's some starting points.

[Omnipotent]

* *BASE_PRICE: [+995]
* BUNDLE: None
* BLUETOOTH: None
* CD: LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (RED COLOR [+9])
* CD2: None
* CAS: Azza Orion Gaming Mid-Tower Case with See-Thru Side Panel [-35] (Black with Red Lightning)
* CASUPGRADE: 12in (Red Color) Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10]
* CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Red Color)
* CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-860 2.80 GHz 8M L2 Cache LGA1156
* FAN: Asetek LCLC 120 Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [+20]
* FREEBIE_RM: None
* FREEBIE_MB: Asus 6GB SATA-III Card
* FA_HDD: Vigor iSURF II Hard Disk Drive Cooling System [+21] (1 x System)
* FLASHMEDIA: None
* FLOPPY: None
* HDD: Single Hard Drive (750GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-21])
* HDD2: None
* IEEE_CARD: None
* KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Dominator [+39])
* MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* MONITOR: None
* MONITOR2: None
* MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] Asus P7P55D LE Intel P55 Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA-II RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 3 PCI
* MODEM: None
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* NOISEREDUCE1: Power Supply Gasket [+5]
* NOISEREDUCE2: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
* OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
* OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
* OS_UPGRADE: None
* POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts Power Supplies [+29] (CyberPowerPC XF800S Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER_CABLE: None
* RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
* SOFT1: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More) - Microsoft Windows OS Required
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: None
* TEMP: None
* TVRC: None
* USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* USBHD: None
* VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB DDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [DirectX 11 Support] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* VIDEO2: None
* VIDEO3: None
* VC_PHYSX: None
* VC_GAMES: None
* WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]
* _PRICE: (+1115)
* _view_: d



I just built this for the exact price you have up there, pre-built to so no gay driver installs etc, w/o a monitor though.

Quick de-rail. How does that look for about 1.1k? Honestly best deal around imo, from what I have seen.

[bcarey9]

Quick de-rail. How does that look for about 1.1k? Honestly best deal around imo, from what I have seen.

Looks like he bought it from cyberpowerpc. I know from personal experience that you have to be very lucky to have a good experience buying from them. Although it's hard to resist, they have pretty low prices.

[Omnipotent]

Hasn't been bought yet, but I am leaning towards this purchase. Newegg just doesn't offer anything close to that, for that price.

[njitjk68]

What you listed is a little bit overpriced, it's not too horrible though for those needing to buy win7, keyboard/mouse, etc.

Just as comparison, you can get better cpu and better gpu for almost same price point (excluding OS and other accessories).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=16951407
Just add in ~60 HDD and total comes out to ~1100

[Omnipotent]

What you listed is a little bit overpriced, it's not too horrible though for those needing to buy win7, keyboard/mouse, etc.

Just as comparison, you can get better cpu and better gpu for almost same price point (excluding OS and other accessories).

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=16951407
Just add in ~60 HDD and total comes out to ~1100

I want to build my own, but I am scared I don't know enough about computers on how to install drivers, and to set it up properly as far as OS etc, seeing how I have never built a computer, only modified them I.E Added Memory, new graphics card, PSU. About it

[Weeks]

I'd wait to see if DX11 is actually a significant feature before I'd start giving the nod to the 5770 as the price/performance king. For most tasks, it's a little bit slower than the 4870 for a few bucks more.

[Doleman]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=12618372

Well with a little tweaking I could do this setup and still be pretty close to budget. The things that have changed are the RAM, Mobo, and the CPU.

[Olo401]

$1000 is a tricky number for building an i5 or i7 system.. The problem is that the decent motherboards are still fairly pricey. For now let's start with the rest of your system aside from the CPU, motherboard & memory:

Hard Disk: You're OK here but if you can swing it go for a 1TB drive.

Video Card: Instead of a 4890 get a 5770. It's newer tech, runs just as good, uses less power and costs less.

Power Supply: 750W will do the job but it's a bit too much and that can cost you money on your electric bill. You should be fine with a 550W unit.

Optical Drive: You're fine here. Blu-Ray is a option if you have the money, but it'd not necessary.

CPU Cooler: The one you picked out isn't much better than the Intel stock cooler. This is the one I'm using - moderate price & it's fantastic for keeping your machine cool for everyday gaming, with or without an overclock. If you want to really get into heavy OCs, you'll want to look into getting a TRUE or a Megahalems with some custom fans, and that gets expensive heh..

Case: This is another one where personal preference plays a big role, but you also need functionality. Antec makes good quality cases, and I like that it includes so many fans and that they make the case look nice when they're lit up, but for a $50+ price they don't even include toolless drive bays? Give this one a try instead.. similar style, not as many fans but easier to work with internally.

-=-

Ok so we have a total so far of $519.35 - let's try to fit the rest in there..

AMD Build : Phenom II 965BE 125W Version, Gigabyte GA-790XT-UD4P, G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$920 + shipping - rebates
Intel i5 Build : Core i5-750, EVGA P55 LE, Corsair XMS3 2x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$974 + shipping - rebates
Intel i7 Build : Core i7-920, ASrock X58 Extreme, OCZ Gold 3x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$1128 + shipping - rebates

Just a mental note.. I used different memory for each based on price, speed and optimization for each processor. Intel's got some special memory profile thing that allows for higher memory clock speeds. And yes, I used an ASRock board. It's been getting some fantastic reviews, and the price is right on for this kind of experiment, so why not give it a try. Plus I'm really not happy with the selection of X58 boards out there... they all either seem poorly designed or get mixed reviews or are way too damn expensive.

[ahiyam]

here's what i just got



*BASE_PRICE: [+999]
BUNDLE: None
BLUETOOTH: None
CD: LG 22X DVD+/-R/+/-RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
CAS: Raidmax Sagitta II Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Side-Panel Window [+9] (Silver Color)
CASUPGRADE: None
CS_FAN: Default case fans
CPU: Intel(R) CoreT i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
FAN: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [+54]
FREEBIE_RM: None
FA_HDD: None
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
FLOPPY: None
FREEBIE_OS: None
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
HDD2: None
IEEE_CARD: None
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
MODEM: None
MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
MONITOR: None
MONITOR2: None
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) MSI X58 Pro-E Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFire DDR3 Mainboard
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OVERCLOCK: Pro OC (Performance Overclock 10% or more) [+45]
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7 Home Premium [+104] (64-bit Edition)
OS_UPGRADE: None
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies (SLI/CrossFire Ready Power Supply)
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers [+15]
TEMP: None
TVRC: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBHD: None
VIDEOCAMERA: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX285 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+340] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: None
VIDEO3: None
VC_PHYSX: None
VC_GAMES: FREE GAME - Battle Stations ** Pacific **
WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]
_PRICE: (+1585)

[viperlasson]

I want to build my own, but I am scared I don't know enough about computers on how to install drivers, and to set it up properly as far as OS etc, seeing how I have never built a computer, only modified them I.E Added Memory, new graphics card, PSU. About it

You gotta start somewhere :D . Go for making your own, its a great learning experience, and you can tell everyone, "Hey.. I made that..." lol. If you need help formatting and installing an OS, just make another thread about it. Its a simple process. Installing drivers is easy too, if you're gonna use windows 7, it has a ton of packaged drivers pre-installed so the only one I needed to install/download was for my gfx card and sound card.

[Luckyseven]

how is windows 7 for ffxi?

[Omnipotent]

$1000 is a tricky number for building an i5 or i7 system.. The problem is that the decent motherboards are still fairly pricey. For now let's start with the rest of your system aside from the CPU, motherboard & memory:

Hard Disk: You're OK here but if you can swing it go for a 1TB drive.

Video Card: Instead of a 4890 get a 5770. It's newer tech, runs just as good, uses less power and costs less.

Power Supply: 750W will do the job but it's a bit too much and that can cost you money on your electric bill. You should be fine with a 550W unit.

Optical Drive: You're fine here. Blu-Ray is a option if you have the money, but it'd not necessary.

CPU Cooler: The one you picked out isn't much better than the Intel stock cooler. This is the one I'm using - moderate price & it's fantastic for keeping your machine cool for everyday gaming, with or without an overclock. If you want to really get into heavy OCs, you'll want to look into getting a TRUE or a Megahalems with some custom fans, and that gets expensive heh..

Case: This is another one where personal preference plays a big role, but you also need functionality. Antec makes good quality cases, and I like that it includes so many fans and that they make the case look nice when they're lit up, but for a $50+ price they don't even include toolless drive bays? Give this one a try instead.. similar style, not as many fans but easier to work with internally.

-=-

Ok so we have a total so far of $519.35 - let's try to fit the rest in there..

AMD Build : Phenom II 965BE 125W Version, Gigabyte GA-790XT-UD4P, G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$920 + shipping - rebates
Intel i5 Build : Core i5-750, EVGA P55 LE, Corsair XMS3 2x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$974 + shipping - rebates
Intel i7 Build : Core i7-920, ASrock X58 Extreme, OCZ Gold 3x2GB DDR3-1600 = ~$1128 + shipping - rebates

Just a mental note.. I used different memory for each based on price, speed and optimization for each processor. Intel's got some special memory profile thing that allows for higher memory clock speeds. And yes, I used an ASRock board. It's been getting some fantastic reviews, and the price is right on for this kind of experiment, so why not give it a try. Plus I'm really not happy with the selection of X58 boards out there... they all either seem poorly designed or get mixed reviews or are way too damn expensive.

I appreciate this post, thankyou for putting this togethar

[Omnipotent]

You gotta start somewhere :D . Go for making your own, its a great learning experience, and you can tell everyone, "Hey.. I made that..." lol. If you need help formatting and installing an OS, just make another thread about it. Its a simple process. Installing drivers is easy too, if you're gonna use windows 7, it has a ton of packaged drivers pre-installed so the only one I needed to install/download was for my gfx card and sound card.

Is there a site that already tells me what the steps are in building once I get the parts? I have that student version 35 bucks of 27 I will be using. If I can go buy that, I will feel much better.

[fishstix]

youtube is a good place to look, so you can see visually how it's done