looking to build a new computer with a $1000~$1300 limit.

[Reeno]

i dont know too much about computer hardware, but basically im looking to build a desktop that will have no problem 2boxing with close to maximum settings, and a nice big flat screen, but idk which brand is good for flat screen monitors and i also heard some graphic cards dont play nice with FFXI. any help would be much appreciated =))

thank you in advance!

[Clauz]

1 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$99.99

2 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
$109.98
($54.99 each)

1 SAMSUNG 2333HD High Glossy Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD LCD Monitor - Retail
$239.99

1 GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5 AM3 AMD 790FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
$184.99

1 SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$169.99

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$119.99

1 OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK
$124.99

1 AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945WFGMBOX
$150.99

Subtotal: $1,200.91

From newegg.com.
If you need windows 7 you can buy an oem version for about $100 and a CD/DVD drive for about $30.

I don't really know much about computer monitors so i just picked a random one from newegg.

[Weeks]

Personally, I'd go (Actually, I did go) i5 750, 4870, and a P55 motherboard. Cheaper and better performance. I can't make my stock recommendation of an Intel SSD because they're all overpriced and/or out-of-stock, but there's a very good reason for that.

I decided to go with an Acer monitor and now I wish I'd gone an inch smaller with that or a similar Samsung because I'm not crazy about this one.

[Cjskater]

If you're only going to play FFXI... (could go even cheaper than this actually)
http://i48.tinypic.com/zipv2s.png
Add a cheap video card ($50-100) and then a good monitor. Samsung F3 1TB if it comes back in stock (-$10). If you're going to play more than just FFXI though you'll want a bigger power supply for the better GPU you'll need.

[Omnipotent]

If you have that much money to spend, I'de go for the i7 920 processor, or even the i7 860. Hit up the GTX260, followed by a 800ish PSU, your choice of 7200 RPM HDD, and just fill it in with other stuff from there and you will be golden.

[Furtwangler]

If you're gonna spend over 500 you can get a rig that dual boxes FFXI, but if you spend like 2k ish you're setting yourself for quite some time. Look into an SSD for a main hard drive, then a 1tb (or however much storage you want) sata drive for all your other files that arent critical to running programs.

A 5870 radeon graphics card
i7 series processor,

I'll post links of what i'd do tomorrow when i wake up.

[Darus Grey]

I'd stick with the AMD, but go with the 965. better/equal performance than an i7 for 1/2 the price.

Or stick with the recommended 940 and OC it.

CPU these days is all about maximizing price per unit of performance, and AMD leads there by a wide margin. Reality is that CPU power has far far far outstripped consumer use, so unless you're in the business of using your CPU(like being a professorial video editor), you simply are wasting power(and energy) going above your needs, that includes gaming. My gaming PC is still using a 2.4ghz C2D(4-5 generations old now) because there's no compelling reason to upgrade, cause it has yet to be the bottleneck for any game.

Edit: Also I could quad-box on the above... if dual-boxing is your primary purpose than save yourself money at every corner.

[Deadgye]

I'd stick with the AMD, but go with the 965. better/equal performance than an i7 for 1/2 the price.

In my case, "1/2 the price" becomes $20 less. And I wouldn't say better performance.

[Olo401]

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ster/stuff.png

[Reeno]

all these look really nice, ya i will only be playing FFXI and browsing the web mainly, and will be playing FF14 even though specs are not out. i just want to be up to date with all the computer stuff for a while and have to just switch out parts once in a while. =)) the monitor i ended up ordering was a LG W2486L im still looking at all the hardware you guys recommended and a case that i like, keep the builds coming if you can =) i really dont need that much harddrive space either and idk if there is a difference in cd burners but a good one would be nice. right now i have a old sony one from my old desktop i would probably put in my new desktop. i also ordered a saitek keyboard and a MX518 mouse with a steelseries mousepad.

[Olo401]

That's a damn nice monitor you picked..

[Reeno]

thanks =)) i think im going to order Clauz's build, anything anyone recommend that i could downgrade/upgrade and still have better or same performance? and whats a good CD burner, or does it even matter lol.

[Olo401]

thanks =)) i think im going to order Clauz's build, anything anyone recommend i add to that? and whats a good CD burner, or does it even matter lol.

For a CD burner I've been recommending the Samsung SH-S223L lately. It's gotten some really amazing reviews. Plus I have one myself and it's great.

My changes are in Red. I'll keep it on an AMD build tho even tho my preference is for Intel, but really this needed some major tweaks.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $99.99

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA-300 Hard Drive - $99 Link
(Running a RAID array is fine but it's easier for a novice to go with a simple single drive)

GIGABYTE GA-790XT-USB3 AM3 ATX Motherboard - $125 Link

XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB HDMI Ready Video Card - $299 Link

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX Power Supply - $99 Link

Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1600 2x2GB 8-8-8-24 Kit - $110 Link

AMD Phenom II X4 965BE CPU - $180 Link

Total w/ optical drive: ~$939 before s/h & rebates

[Clauz]

Forgot to explain but with the two hard drives I would suggest putting them in RAID0 for some speed but if you don't want to do that you can just buy a single drive.

[Reeno]

Forgot to explain but with the two hard drives I would suggest putting them in RAID0 for some speed but if you don't want to do that you can just buy a single drive.

don't even know what that means or how to do that lol.

[Clauz]

Raid0 is running both of the hard drives as if they were one. It increases the speed of reading data saved on them. Its easy to set up, if you are interested your motherboard manual will have some information on it and you can google it if you want to learn more.

[Cjskater]

thanks =)) i think im going to order Clauz's build, anything anyone recommend that i could downgrade/upgrade and still have better or same performance? and whats a good CD burner, or does it even matter lol.

The AMD 770/x4 945 combo, WD 1TB Black (if Samsung F3 is OOS), and cheaper RAM. No reason to spend that much on RAM and 790FX is for people who want to use Crossfire. I'd also recommend going for a 500w PSU, you don't need 750w for a HD5770.

Make use of combo deals:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.335020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.326223
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.330013

[Reeno]

Thanks! =) well here is my final build, but the memory is out of stock anyone have any suggestions on other memory?

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=13901586

[Reeno]

now that i built my computer, anyone have any good suggestions on corner desks/desks and computer speaker systems? im trying to redo my whole computer gaming setup^^

[Omnipotent]

Thanks! =) well here is my final build, but the memory is out of stock anyone have any suggestions on other memory?

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=13901586

Toss that monitor and get that 24' Asus, that is fucking robbery as far as money goes. That will save you 150, if you want get another 5770 with the money you saved and run crossfire.

As for memory get the OCZ gold.