1k Gaming Build... Custom vs pre built?

Custom or Prebuilt

  • Total voters
    13
W

worx

Gawd
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
706
Hey guys, I was wondering if I should build a gaming pc for around 1k or buy this pre built dell for also around 1k after epp and coupons. I saw the review for it and it looked pretty decent. Which option do you guys think would be a better deal? A benefit of a custom build would be crossfire video cards down the road and is more upgradeable?

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? 1000
3) Where do you live? Portland, OR (no tax)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific. Everything except monitor.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model. n/a
6) Will you be overclocking? No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? I have a 23 inch 1080p monitor.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? In the next month or so.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc. Doesn't matter.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit? - Yes Windows 7 64 bit.
 
If you can get that prebuilt setup for $1000, get it.

Do note that the only major flaw I can think of is the PSU: probably not enough for future upgrades.
 
meh. It won't be as fun. It would be difficult to match that price for a DIY, but you would get to DIY...
 
So the prebuilt would be the better deal? For those who voted custom, if you build an AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ 2.8GHz, ATI 5870, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1.5TB SATA @ 7200RPM, Blu Ray ROM, would it cost over 1k? Would a single ATI 5870 last me a while for the newest games?
 
worx said:
if you build an AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ 2.8GHz, ATI 5870, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1.5TB SATA @ 7200RPM, Blu Ray ROM, would it cost over 1k?
Click to expand...

I erno, is it not possible for you do some searching yourself? Y'know... Newegg.. type in product... look at price.
 
A single 5870 card would offer good performance in most of today's games. That said, without combo deals or MIRs (which don't really take any money off the immediate purchase), you'd break $1000 easily with a DIY system:

$200 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
$165 - G.Skill 3x2GB DDR3 1333 kit (then again, you wouldn't benefit much from a tri-channel kit with an AMD-based system)
$390 - HIS HD 5870
$100 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB HDD (OEM model)
$90 - Samsung SH-B083L/BSBP BD-ROM/DVD burner combo drive (it makes no sense not to get a DVD burner nowadays; they're pretty cheap)

The total for the above items is about $945, and that's before factoring the rest of the parts that you may need.

So why build your own machine? Well, do you still want CrossFire support? You won't get that with a pre-built Dell. And even if the proprietary Dell motherboard could (theoretically) support two video cards, Dell's quasi-proprietary power supplies aren't known for handling high power loads. As an aside, however, you don't really need a six-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and a BD-ROM drive to obtain decent frame rates in gaming.

In other words, you can get a decent gaming rig for about $1000, but you will have to make some sacrifices (compared to the specs of the Dell system you're considering). That said, a good motherboard will give you a nice upgrading platform that can last for years, and AMD boards are known for having a lot of features for a relatively low cost.

But I'm digressing a bit... which games do you like to play? And at what level of visual quality?
 
Why would you put 6gb of ram into an AMD build??

The biggest problem with an AMD x6 build for 1k is that your asking after the fry's aniversarry sale. They ahd the 1055t with a MSI 890gxm board for 225.

now however with a 5870 I can get into the 1150ish range

Edit: You can drop to a 5850 & Do it& then crossfire later.
 
The main game that I'm building this for is Starcraft 2 when it comes out. The 5870 is probably over kill but I would also like to play some other games in the future at high settings. So should I tone down on the CPU and RAM and focus more on the motherboard and power supply? Bastage, can I see your build for that price?
 
actually I jsut changed things around a bit & searched the combo's a bit more & came out with a better build for 1063 shipped

325 GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 + AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
494 XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB + G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
153 WD Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB + COOLER MASTER HAF 922
80 CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W (have to add the promo code)

Also there is an additional 20 MIR on the PSU
 
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