New Gaming Rig for College

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kvndai

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Dec 16, 2008
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Hey guys, I posted this on the Computers section and a reply told me to post here for more suggestion. I am still trying to build a gaming rig preferably less than 2000 dollars but I will need to be able to dissect the parts after this semester of college and fly it on an airplane.

So basically I am building a computer for 1 semester and then taking it back home (flying it).

That's why I am looking for a cheap case where I toss away when I move back.

1) What will you be doing with this: Gaming
2) What's your budget? Less than what I have listed. Shipping is included in that price
3) Where do you live? Indiana right now
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? Everything I have listed
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? None
6) Will you be overclocking? YES
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? 24in definitely
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.ALL OF THEM
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit? YES WINDOWS 7 ULT 64

What I have so far:

CASE: Antec 300
CPU: i5 750
MOBO: Gigabyte P55A UD3
HDD: Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1TB
RAM: GSKILL RipJaw 4GB 1600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
COOLING: Corsair H50 (I will be actual water cooling when I move back)
PSU: Corsair 750W
GPU: HIS HD 5870 ($30 off right now with coupon form fatwallet) I might get XFX if its REALLY worth it
OPTICAL: SONY dvd burner 24x
Monitor: Dell S2409W 24-inch
Keyboard: K300
Mouse: (I have g5)

Total after shipping = $1400

Is there anyway I can cut some costs without losing the gaming power? Thanks for all the suggestions.=]
 
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It would help if you answered the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" so that we can help you better. Depending on your answers to those questions, I see ways to shave off at least another $100 or so.

Oh and it would help if you listed the exact model numbers of that Samsung 1TB hard drive, G.Skill RAM, and Dell monitor.
 
Ok i have edited my original post and added some additional information
 
If it's just gaming, a Intel Core i5-750 cpu build can deliver and should help cut the cost down.
 
You can't really get much cheaper than this and not sacrifice performance. You are, after all, building an X58 system - there is about a $150 price premium going with such a build.

You can drop down to a 5850 and save around $100.

You can drop down to a P55 Core i5 750 build, and save $70 on the motherboard, and $88 on the CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3188055&cm_re=evga_p55-_-13-188-055-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5_750-_-19-115-215-_-Product

But everything has a cost. You will get %30 less CPU performance in heavily-multithreaded applications, and you will lose about %5 video performance in Crossfire.
 
I think Im going to go with a i5 for now until the i9 comes out

I just realized that I only need 4GB of ram if I go i5 so that just dropped the ram price down a bit. Its around 1500 bucks now totally worth it. Thanks guys!
 
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You listed the CPU wrong: You want the Core i5 750. There is no desktop Core i5 720.

Also, I do not recommend spending more than $160 on a P55 motherboard as any more than that you get into X58 costs range but without the benefits (Core i9 support, 16x16 Crossfire and SLI support, 6 RAM slots, etc).

So I recommend this mobo instead:
$135 - Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 Intel P55 ATX Motherboard

Also which Corsair 750W PSU are you going with? The HX or the TX?
 
Danny Bui said:
You listed the CPU wrong: You want the Core i5 750. There is no desktop Core i5 720.

Also, I do not recommend spending more than $160 on a P55 motherboard as any more than that you get into X58 costs range but without the benefits (Core i9 support, 16x16 Crossfire and SLI support, 6 RAM slots, etc).

So I recommend this mobo instead:
$135 - Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 Intel P55 ATX Motherboard

Also which Corsair 750W PSU are you going with? The HX or the TX?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the catch.

I see, I think I will go with that one then. Does the $135 have less benefits than the one I have listed right now?

I am going with the TX, but I don't know the difference. Which one is better?

edit:
The P55A UD3 doesnt support 1600 DDR3 ram tho? or does it? on the spec it said it didnt
 
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kvndai said:
I see, I think I will go with that one then. Does the $135 have less benefits than the one I have listed right now?

I am going with the TX, but I don't know the difference. Which one is better?
Click to expand...

The Gigabyte mobo probably does have less features than the eVGA mobo you chose earlier BUT more than likely those features won't matter to you. So in other words, no real benefits for you judging from your posts.

The TX 750 is a good PSU. However the 750HX is of better quality than the 750TX but costs quite a bit more..
 
Danny Bui said:
The Gigabyte mobo probably does have less features than the eVGA mobo you chose earlier BUT more than likely those features won't matter to you. So in other words, no real benefits for you judging from your posts.

The TX 750 is a good PSU. However the 750HX is of better quality than the 750TX but costs quite a bit more..
Click to expand...

True.. I am getting rid of this board when the i9 comes out. One question though, Will it support 1600 DDR3 ram?
 
kvndai said:
the P55A UD3 mother board. will it support 1600 DDR3 ram?
Click to expand...

CPu support is now dependent on the CPU, not the mobo. The Core i5 only supports up to DDR3 1333 RAM IIRC. However I've seen people use DDR3 1600 RAM for more overclocking headroom.
 
The P55A-UD3 will support whatever DDR3 RAM your CPU will support, which is officially DDR3-1066/1333. You can definitely go higher in speed for OC'ing, but the price premium beyond DDR3-1600 isn't typically worth it. Just remember that the JEDEC spec'd voltage is 1.5v for DDR3 (standard), and Intel warns going above 1.65v will most likely damage your CPU (mem controller is integrated).
 
That Gigabyte U3 motherboard sucks for Crossfire, because the first slot runs at 16x, and the second slot runs at only 4x PCIe 1.0, and that data has to travel over the DMI bus.

I linked you this EVGA motherboard because in your list you stated you wanted Crossfire support. That EVGA board does 8x8, which is the right configuration to go with for P55.

You need to give this some thought before you make a purchase. Do you want Crossfire or not?
 
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What I recommend for you is that you consider using a m-atx board and shuttle case to keep the size down, making it easier to travel with.
 
Oh, btw, YMMV on this, but my friend was able to bring a midtower as a carry-on item. Call your airline and ask if its possible, instead of just ditching the case.

Dual 8x CFX gets pricey on P55. In Gigabyte's lineup, only UD4+ boards support such config; UD3 and under only do 16x/4x. I agree, dual 8x would be best if you want to run CFX, and the eVGA board luser linked is probably your cheapest option. However, I'd suggest avoiding CFX if you can, since not all games scale well and a single card config is still optimal for 1920x1200, IMO (also, you save on the board and PSU).
 
I wasnt planning on CFXing with the P55 board. When the i9 comes out Im going to get a top of the line x58 board
 
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