$800-$900 Gaming Rig

[GammaLyra]

Hey,

This is my first post on the forums here. Below I've answered the usual questions but the one I'm really looking for advice for regards platform. I can build I high performance LGA775 rig in my price range, but this socket is on its way out. Should I consider AMD? Or, will there be i7 price drops soon? If so, I could see spending $1000 to build an i7 rig for a longer lasting system. Thanks in advance for the help!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming, internet, office, amateur music recording, astronomy.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Between $800 and $900 – tax and shipping hopefully included.

3) Where do you live?

Oregon.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.

Everything (CPU, RAM, PSU, mobo, GPU, HDD, DVD/CD burner, wireless card (?), monitor, keyboard, mouse).

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Won’t reuse anything.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Not planning to initially, but the ability to do so would be nice.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

Plan to order a 22” with a native res no higher than 1680 x 1050.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Mid-August. I need this thing before school starts at the beginning of September.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

Not a requirement, but either dual Ethernet ports or built-in wireless would be a plus.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

Yes. Will use XP and Win 7 RC 1.

Here's what I've selected:

Hanns·G Hi-221DPB Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254035

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182032

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175

Western Digital Caviar Green WD7500AADS 750GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359

COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

 

[lt_shiro]

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945FBGIBOX - Retail and ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail combo $194

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail $60

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $75

and if you change your mind on that 22"

Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail $180

 

[HardwareGuru]

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" for $139.99 w/free shipping

or

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" for $149.99 at Costco
$10 more than NewEggs pricing but, you have the option to return within 3 months if your monitor has bad backlight bleeding or other issues. NewEgg charges restocking fee and for exchanges your monitor must have minimum 8 dead pixels.

 

[GammaLyra]

Thanks a lot for the help. I've switched to the AMD processor and mobo, an Antec case and PSU combo, a 640Gb Caviar Black, and upgraded to a 4890. I think I'm ready to go, but one more thing. As said, I need a wireless card. I've selected: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052

Does anyone have any thoughts on this card? I'm not exactly sure what PCI 2.3 means - I'm assuming my mobo supports it (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381). Thanks.

 

[Dangman]

Thanks a lot for the help. I've switched to the AMD processor and mobo, an Antec case and PSU combo, a 640Gb Caviar Black, and upgraded to a 4890. I think I'm ready to go, but one more thing. As said, I need a wireless card. I've selected: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052

Does anyone have any thoughts on this card? I'm not exactly sure what PCI 2.3 means - I'm assuming my mobo supports it (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131381). Thanks.

Don't worry about PCI 2.3. Your mobo will support it. Dunno about the card itself and its quality.

 

[Mr34727]

hey pm me your email, ive got a newegg cart ill send you to take a look at.

Max

 

[engiNURD]

Just post the part names here if you want more feedback, or make your wishlist public.