Gaming Build ~1100 Budget

C

charlok

n00b
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
20
Hello, I'm building a new gaming rig to replace my current 5 year old machine. Not looking for the most high end stuff - I'm just looking for something that will allow me to play WoW, SC2, Dragon Age, etc. on high settings, and hopefully last me another few years. I've been out of the loop for awhile, so please let me know if what I've picked out is adequate!

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

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1100 + shipping / handling

3) Where do you live?
Massachusetts

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
Mobo, RAM, GPU, CPU, Optical Drive, PSU, SSD for O/S, Windows 7. Are sound cards necessary these days? I'm not too picky with sound, so unless onboard audio is particularly bad I'm fine with it.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Lian Li case, 600GB WD 7200 RPM SATA drive for storage

6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a 20" LCD

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

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Don't really plan on using Crossfire, so I'm wondering if I'm overkill on my motherboard? I also do not really need RAID.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Inc. with build.


Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130238
MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
$205

CPU
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4959973&CatId=4731
i5 750
$179.97

Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462
XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
$154.99

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...012&cm_re=corsair_650w-_-17-139-012-_-Product
CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2
$110

DVD Drive
SAMSUNG 24X SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151193
$25.99

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$104.99

O/S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
$105

Solid State Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025
Intel X25-V SSDSA2MP040G2R5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
$129.99


Total: ~$1015
 
charlok said:
Thanks, this board does seem like it would work well for me -

MSI P55-GD65 - 159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...msi p55-gd65

Is it worth it to take the extra $45 and push the budget to step up to a 5850?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5252732&sku=P450-5850
Click to expand...

I think it would be a good idea to get a 5850 or xfire 5770's if you plan on having everything maxed out. I'm in the same situation as you basically... I've been researching a bit and I don't think a single 5770 would be good enough to have every setting maxed out and get like 60fps on a game like BC2 even on a tiny resolution like 1280x1024. However, older games probably will suffice... I guess it boils down to what kind of games you are going to play in the future.
 
OK, here's my new setup -

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130239&Tpk=msi p55-gd65
MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

CPU
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4959973&CatId=4731
i5 750
$179.97

Graphics Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5252732&sku=P450-5850
5850
$319.99

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...012&cm_re=corsair_650w-_-17-139-012-_-Product
CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2
$110

DVD Drive
SAMSUNG 24X SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151193
$25.99

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$104.99

O/S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
$105

Solid State Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025
Intel X25-V SSDSA2MP040G2R5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
$129.99


Total is ~1135. This seem OK?

Also wondering whether the stock HSF that comes with the CPU will be sufficient? And I should probably pick up some thermal paste as well.
 
I just noticed you're going for a 40GB...

Can you really fit Windows with your apps & games on 40GB?

I use up more than 40 and I just recently migrated a couple of games to another drive. All the apps I use are small except Office, and I only have a couple of games installed.
 
NoForgiveness said:
I just noticed you're going for a 40GB...

Can you really fit Windows with your apps & games on 40GB?

I use up more than 40 and I just recently migrated a couple of games to another drive. All the apps I use are small except Office, and I only have a couple of games installed.
Click to expand...

I believe he's going to use his 600gb harddrive as storage.
 
QuadMe said:
I believe he's going to use his 600gb harddrive as storage.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not using my 60GB system partition for storage, either. Point is, he'll need to put most of his games or a lot of apps/suites on that storage drive instead of C:\Program Files\. It's just a friendly notice.
 
charlok said:
OK, here's my new setup -

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130239&Tpk=msi p55-gd65
MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
$159.99

CPU
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4959973&CatId=4731
i5 750
$179.97

Graphics Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5252732&sku=P450-5850
5850
$319.99

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...012&cm_re=corsair_650w-_-17-139-012-_-Product
CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2
$110

DVD Drive
SAMSUNG 24X SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151193
$25.99

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$104.99

O/S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
$105

Solid State Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025
Intel X25-V SSDSA2MP040G2R5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
$129.99


Total is ~1135. This seem OK?

Also wondering whether the stock HSF that comes with the CPU will be sufficient? And I should probably pick up some thermal paste as well.
Click to expand...

Looks like a great build... remember to use bing to get some additional cash back.

Combo Items : Venomous X with Fan - 62.98

http://www.ewiz.com/combo.php?cat_id=441

Or another heatsink of your choosing. The new Veno X is a pretty good performer though. The other one I would choose is the prolimatech megahelms...
 
NoForgiveness said:
Yeah, I'm not using my 60GB system partition for storage, either. Point is, he'll need to put most of his games or a lot of apps/suites on that storage drive instead of C:\Program Files\. It's just a friendly notice.
Click to expand...

I guess he'll probably have to just use that ssd for the os and some word documents if that's what his intentions are. Too bad ssd's are crazy in price once you go above 128gbs...
 
NoForgiveness said:
I just noticed you're going for a 40GB...

Can you really fit Windows with your apps & games on 40GB?

I use up more than 40 and I just recently migrated a couple of games to another drive. All the apps I use are small except Office, and I only have a couple of games installed.
Click to expand...

This.
40GB is laptop non gaming action space...
 
I can vouche for the G.SKILL RipJaws, I love mine.

And if you want to save some money, for more SSD space - go for a HD 4890. It doesn't seem like you are really playing super demanding games if I got the jist of your OP. I got one thinking I would use it for a few months and eventually get a 5850 but after using it for a few weeks, and playing BFBC2, I have realized it is pretty damn powerful. I have all my games maxed out and running flawlessly. However, these do not support DX11 so you probably will have to upgrade in a year or two, but by that time a 5850 will hopefully be half the price they are today.
 
If you're not overclocking, you don't need an aftermarket CPU cooler. Yes, most third-party CPU coolers run quieter and cool better than the stock Intel HSF, but the money that you save by omission could be used to get a larger capacity SSD or a better video card. (For simplicity's sake, I'd recommend one HD5850 over two HD5770s, but if you're willing to compromise, consider a used HD4890.)

Since you admittedly don't need many features on your motherboard, consider getting a cheaper board instead, like the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3. With that particular board, however, you'll essentially have to go with one high(er) end video card instead of two mid-range cards.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for the replies!!

I'm going to take tiraides' advice on the Gigabyte mobo, to save some extra money for the 5850 and stay under budget. I've also decided to drop the SSD for now and get a 1TB 7200 drive instead (I'll use my current 640 GB drive for the O/S, 1TB for storage). An SSD will make a nice Christmas present this year ;)
 
charlok said:
Thanks everyone for the replies!!

I'm going to take tiraides' advice on the Gigabyte mobo, to save some extra money for the 5850 and stay under budget. I've also decided to drop the SSD for now and get a 1TB 7200 drive instead (I'll use my current 640 GB drive for the O/S, 1TB for storage). An SSD will make a nice Christmas present this year ;)
Click to expand...

Be careful with that gigabyte board.
Look at the SATA connectors. If you stick a second GPU in there, you're boned.
 
I stepped up to the single 5850 with the intention of using it as a single GPU. If this board is solid enough (I looked around a little and it does appear to be solid) I'm all over dropping the ability to xfire to save some money. The USB 3 and SATA 3 don't hurt either.
 
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