How much $$ for a solid gaming machine?

M

MISMCSA

2[H]4U
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Including case, and everything in it, how much $$ would you estimate for a solid gaming machine. By "solid", I'm talking about a machine that can run what's out there today, at respectable settings. I'm not thinking enthusiast (5970, etc.), where every component is the absolute best you can buy. I also figure it'd be a singe vid card machine, with that ability to double up later. What are your thoughts?

The reason for this question is to understand how much money I'll be convincing my wife to go along with :)
 
$800-$1000 for a really solid machine. Now that is with middle of the road components, nothing fancy but also nothing totally budget. No Monitor of course.
 
For a good PC that will handle most everything (ignoring your lack of info on Monitor and game wants) you should pay around 500-700.
 
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Are you building/buying?
Are you including monitors in your budget? Are you looking to go multimonitor/eyefinity? Do you need/want a 3D monitor? What sizes/resolutions are you considering?
 
OP - I moved this over here as the help will likely be better. Hit up the stickies above and answer the questions. Great group of folks in here that can help you out.
 
I just helped a friend put together a nice system that totaled about $1300 when all was said and done. Test the waters and see how much she will let you play with. If you tell her it will cost $1300 and she is against it, then lower your price point a bit until she is comfortable. Here are a few decent guides you can skim through to make a rough estimate. Just be sure to deduct the cost of the monitor and peripherals if you have them already.
 
Motherboard - EVGA P55 SLI
CPU - Intel i5-750
Combo: $325 - $40 MIR
Video - GTX 460: $200
RAM - 4GB DDR3: $100 (multiple brands)
HDD - $60-90 depending on size

Then add in a case/psu for around $150 (and I'm being generous). That's around $800 for a solid system that will last a while.
 
For around 1k, I built the computer in my signature. You can save some money by getting a cheaper PSU and only one GTX 460.
 
Pixeleet said:
For around 1k, I built the computer in my signature. You can save some money by getting a cheaper PSU and only one GTX 460.
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That's more like a $1400 computer in your sig.

If budget is a concern, there really zero reason to go with X58 over P55. The x16-x16 vs x8-x8 barely makes a difference unless you're running quad-sli.
 
450 said:
Are you building/buying?
Are you including monitors in your budget? Are you looking to go multimonitor/eyefinity? Do you need/want a 3D monitor? What sizes/resolutions are you considering?
Click to expand...

In addition to what 450 posted earlier, what about the O/S? Is that included also?
 
I Solid build that can play respectable settings in Most modern games can be done for 5-600 for the hardware.. & From there the sky is the limit. If you want best Bang For Buck hardware & borderlined high end I would say 1k-1100 is where I would be looking for hardware.
 
I think the size a resolution of the monitor used should be taken into consideration here. If you were only playing on a 19" lcd @ 1440x900 a 5770, gts250 etc would be enough. If you are running a 26" lcd @ 2560 you are looking @ a 5870 or gtx 470 or higher.
 
The fact that you're even asking this question tells me that you probably shouldn't be building this computer yourself.

Be extremely wary of people at this forum (and other forums like this) who will tell you that building your own system is 'easy'. Yeah, it might be easy... if you put in your homework... and I'm talking LOTS of homework... and if nothing goes wrong during the build. If something goes wrong on your first build then I can assure you there will be nothing 'easy' about it. It will, in fact, be a nightmare. You'll end up with parts all over the place, and no idea as to how to proceed.

Better to buy a new computer off the shelf, and then start replacing parts in the years to come. Buy a new hard drive, and install that. Buy some more memory, and install that. Learn how to replace your mobo, etc. etc. Within a matter of years you'll have learned how to put things together, and then you'll be ready (maybe) to build your own system.

My recommendation is to buy from a seller who will sell you a computer with a powerful PSU (or power supply unit). A powerful PSU means that the system will be fully upgradable for years and years to come. 18 months ago I bought a computer with a 1000 watt PSU, which many at the time would've said was overkill. Next year, when the prices have fallen, I might buy a second GTX 480 and go SLI - hey, that 1000 watt PSU will pretty much be necessary for that.

Honestly, if you're buying a system, then don't skimp on the PSU. It's the most difficult part to replace, and buying a decent one will ensure future upgrades. If the seller doesn't sell a system in which you can choose the strength of the PSU on your own (and most don't), then walk away.

Now that you've got a decent PSU - you're ready to install ANY gpu you want to. That powerful GTX 480 that costs nearly $600 today, after taxes, is going to be selling for peanuts two years from now. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy one then? You bet it would.

I would recommend a Core i7 for gaming.

Apart from that - you can skimp on the ram and on the gpu. Those components are easily upgradeable. Just make sure that the core elements of your system are ready for the future. People around here will tell you that you can't 'future proof' a system. Trust me, as a non-builder, you can make your life a whole lot easier buy buying a computer with a kick-ass PSU and a decent, up-to-date CPU.

I'd say you're looking at about $1800 for something that will run superbly and last a long time.

EDIT: Wait a minute, you've been a member of this forum for 10 years? Your question made it sound like you had not idea what you were talking about?
 
Building a computer is Easy.. As long as you can read the manual that comes with any decent motherboard it will walk you though 90% of the hardware.. The other 10% is going to be common sense stuff.. & if something does go wrong then be thankful that you get the opportunity to fix it & learn from it.

Most important rule when building a computer for the 1st time is to be patient & Don't rush shit. Thats how I learned & even managed to get through irq conflicts (which I haven't seen now in years) by simply using yahoo (that was well before google's dominance).
 
Thanks for the replies. Sorry for the lack of info in the original post. I was at work, and really didn't put the necessary time into crafting it. When I said, case and everything in it, I was implying I already have a monitor. I should have been more explicit. I have an Acer "22 1920x1080 monitor. I plan to only use this monitor. I'm not planning to do any multi monitor out of the gate, nor is it necessarily in future plans.

I really was asking this question to get a ball park number, as my last build was an Athlon xp 1800, w/ a GF4 Ti 460. Prior to that I was hacking a slot a with a gold finger. I thought some feedback from all of you, would be a great starting point, before researching every component.

I would be building this system to run current games, at high settings, with respectable FPS (30+). If there's a few games that I can't max out, that's not the end of the world. I would like to run all the games at 1920x1080, or close to it. Single card preferred, with he ability to SLI/Cfire in the future. This wouldn't include the OS, but I'd be running Win7 64.

I think the info I got already gives me a descent idea on what I'd be looking.
 
WabeWalker said:
EDIT: Wait a minute, you've been a member of this forum for 10 years? Your question made it sound like you had not idea what you were talking about?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't start the thread off that well... I appreciate the info you provided.
 
Honestly dude, you should shoot for at least $800-$1,000 max. No sense ask for less and then you want to consider upping it a bit. You don't want to ask your wife again.

$800 can get you a Core i5 750 quad plus a GTX 460 768mb video card. But, this is w/o O/S though.
 
like alot of other flolks have said already it depends on how much "ooh shiny" you really need in your build. I think for what you are talking about the above sugestion of a i5 and gtx460 is pretty well in the ballpark of what you want. Maybe step up to a i7 860 if you have a few extra bucks. Win7 Home Prem is 120 bucks(Oem version) or so and a must have for your new Dx11 capible system :)

Two parts not to skimp on are the motherboard and power supply. Power supply wise wattage is a factor, but moreso you need to get a good unit. The 750w corsair in particular would be exceptional for that system. Motherboards wise I'm an asus fan, but really any teir one brand should be good.

If you are planning to buy pre-built .. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.... just say no to Dell, HP etc. Find a good botique builder like ibuypower.com etc.(I'm sure other people know of some good ones) Dell and the other big brands love to cheap out on power supplies and motherboards in a big way, and for a good gaming rig that adds up to be bad mojo.
 
cheaper option with a decent motherboard would probably be a phenom II 955 BE (may want to OC a little) build with a HD 5850 or gtx 470 (even a decent clock on a gtx 460 should put you in a happy gaming performance area).

you could manage a similarly priced i5 750/760 build with the same video card, but you'll be looking at cheaper motherboards (one of the best low budget p55 boards seems to be the msi p55-cd53 reviewed here on [H]ard|OCP).

both builds should run ~900 usd with the mid-ranged high-end video cards.

probably weren't looking for a parts list, but here's just an example of quality basic components that 'll give some punch for the price.

basic components:
coolermaster cm-690 II basic - 69.99
g.skill ddr3 2x2gb 1600 - 98.99
seasonic s12ii 620 - 69.99
lg dvd burner - 20.99
samsung spinpoint f3 500gb - 54.99
coolermaster hyper 212+ - 24.09

amd:
p II 955 BE + asus m4a89gtd - 284.98

intel:
i5 750 - 194.99
msi p55-cd53 - 109.99

either route going a little over 600 before video card. you could probably even go with even cheaper builds and they wouldn't bottleneck your performance at that monitor size and resolution using a hd 5850/gtx 470 video card.
 
I recommend at least $1000 to start with. You may want to add more based on which "perks" you prefer, like a high-end video card (e.g., HD5850, GTX 470, HD5870, GTX 480) or an SSD (e.g. Intel 25X-M G2 or OCZ Vertex 2 60-160GB). Out of the two, however, a better video card will give you more noticeable performance in gaming. Yes, an SSD will load games (and practically everything else) faster, but it doesn't improves frame rates as much as a good video card can.

For an "all-in" tower system, you might as well include the cost of an OS, as an OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Premium costs around $100. In most cases, onboard sound is good enough for your needs.

Again, for emphasis, there is no reason for you to go with Intel's Socket 1366 platform as the primary focus for your machine is single-card gaming. The only reason to consider it is if you decide to go SLI, as the majority of Intel's Socket 1366 boards support both SLI and CrossFire. Though there are Intel Socket 1156 and AMD Socket AM3 boards that can support both technologies, their costs are such that you may want to consider going for the (comparatively slightly) more expensive 1366 board(s) instead.
 
Bottom line is it's all relative. It all comes down to how much you want to spend. You can go top-of-the-line and build a $10,000+ system, one half that price, etc. So it all depends upon what your own terms and budget is.
 
I just priced out a build for a friend and I would say at least $1000 to build a decent rig. Your monitor and video card will be the 2 most expensive parts.

Words of wisdom....... never skimp on your "monitor" and "case"!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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I built my computer from 80% of used parts from the [H] forums.
The rig in my sig:
5850 - 240$
Mobo + CPU + Ram + Cpu Cooler - 400$
Case + PSU : 160$.

800$ is a pretty good deal for the parts in my rig I'd say.
 
I follow these threads with great interest. $1300 seems to build awesome rigs.
 
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