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New Gaming Build - $800

M

mfost21

n00b
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
44
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming mostly.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'd like to be around $800 before tax and shipping.
3) Where do you live?
Chicago area
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
From the case in.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Only reusing input devices, speakers, and monitor
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not likely.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Samsung 19" - 1440x900
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a week.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
No special needs.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Going to purchase Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM (Don't include in the $800)


So I am creating a separate thread now that I am sure I won't upgrade - thanks DannyBui and enginurd. Here was DannyBui's initial suggestion:

Danny Bui said:
Here's a prelim build:
$160 - AMD Phenom II X4 955 CPU
$140 - Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard
$95 - Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3K2/4GR 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$235 - XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card + XFX P1-650X-CAG9 650W Modular PSU
$56 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$23 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
----
Total: $879 plus tax and shipping.
Click to expand...

For the processor if I went to:
$200 Intel Core i5-750 - would I have more lifespan out of the build? Also, what would be a good mobo for that processor?

Thanks.
 
The i5 750 would extend the life of the PC a little bit but the socket itself has noting much going for it. I.e most new LGA 1156 CPUs so far will just be dual core CPUs. At least with AMD, you have the option for six core CPUs.
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Decided to stick with the AMD. The memory suggested went up to $105. Should I stick with it or use something else?

Also, how many case fans do I need with this simple build? Any ones quieter than others? I'll probably pick these up at my local Frys rather than NewEgg to save the shipping on those.

Thanks again.
 
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Well everything is ordered, but now I am thinking about adding a SSD. Went with the parts in the original post except used the G.Skill memory suggested by tiraides. Now to deal with waiting for the parts.

Just curious though, if I added an SSD, how much benefit would I see? Would it be limited to boot/loading speeds or would I see any increase in gaming performance? If I did add an SSD, would this be any good:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139132 Sounds like it needs some additional bracket to mount.

Edit: Would this intel drive be a better option:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5532358&Sku=I69-7013
 
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The only gaming performance increase you'd see are shorter load times (for the game to load, the map to load, etc.) It might install faster too, but that's your call on how much it's worth to you. I'm working on a laptop with a 5400 rpm drive and often times am still one of the first people to load a map during a rotation. Not quite sure why that is, but it doesn't scream to me that everyone else's faster hard drives/ssds are the only factor there.

Your boot and program loading speeds would be faster as well, but if you're going to increase your budget by $150, there are other ways to better enhance your gaming experience. The monitor might be my first target to jump up a few inches, but then you're looking at lower FPS/visual quality. Always a trade off.

Overall though, if you're impatient (and I know how that is, I almost did a RAID-0 back in the day because of frustration at map loading times), have the cash and really want it, go for it and don't look back. $150 isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things and you will notice some benefits.
 
The Kingston SNV425 is Toshiba/JMicron, so avoid it. The Intel is value series, so half the speed and size of the X25-M 80GB, but it would be much better than the Kingston SNV425. I'm not sure how much of a difference you'd notice with a single X25-V vs the F3, but IMO, it would not be worth the $130 price, since this is a gaming system.
 
Thanks everyone for the help on parts. BC2 looks so much better at higher settings.

One thing I noticed though when I game is that the CPU fan (stock) is running pretty loud. So I used Core Temp to get an idea of how hot it's getting and I was up to 61C which seems too hot to me. Do you agree and is there a better program i can use to monitor with the Gigabyte board?

I'm gonna throw a couple more case fans in cause right now I just have the two the coolermaster came with. Was also thinking of throwing an aftermarket cooler on the CPU. What would be a good choice?

Thanks as always.
 
Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is good choice for the sub $40 price point

but where the pics at?
 
Thanks for the imput. Went with the CM Hyper 212 Plus as suggested. Got it at the local frys for $30. Didn't realize when I bought I would have to pull the mobo again but oh well. Also dropped in three more 12cm fans (2 exhaust at the top and 1 intake on the side).

As requested, here are the pics. Nothing too fancy. Can't really figure out how to clean up the mess of extra power cables on the lower right.

#1
#2
#3

With the new fans and heat sink, I'm down to CPU temps idle at 35°C and max under full BC2 load of 50°C.
 
thanks! check out the case galleries in the case mod subforum to get clean cable ideas.
 
Thanks again everyone for helping me with my build. I have been absolutely loving it. My Samsung monitor crapped out on me (never wants to come out of power save) and so I upgraded to a 23" Acer at 1920×1080.

All the games I have been playing are still running fine at high settings with the upgraded monitor but am thinking of going crossfire with another 5770. Two questions:

1) Do I need to match the exact card as the existing? ((http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462) If not, what key specs should I match?

2) Will I notice appreciable gains on upcoming games such as Diablo 3, Black Ops, etc., or the games I am playing now like Dragon Age Origins, Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2?

Thanks as always.
 
You don't need the same exact brand but you need the same model card (5770), I would suggest the XFX either way unless that's not an option. You may also want to get one that has a shroud cooler that exhausts the hot air out the back because with crossfire if you have the egg cooler one card will be pushing hot air directly onto the back of the other card. Then put the shroud cooler as the top card and the egg cooler as the bottom card.

Can't tell you about the new games but I'm sure you will notice some gain on those other games, how much is the real question...

As much as I don't like using toms has a reference, I couldn't find another site that had the numbers for l4d2 and dragon age. Here they are (take them with a grain of salt):

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...rts-high-quality/Dragon-Age-Origins,2242.html
5770 CF : 90.8
5770 Single: 47.8

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2010-gaming-graphics-charts-high-quality/Left4Dead-2,2247.html
5770 CF: 122.5
5770 Single: 68.9

Decent gains, but anything over 60 fps isn't going to be any more fluid than something at 60. So it's going to be overkill for l4d2 but dragon age will probably run a bit smoother. I wish I had the min/avg/max fps but I can't find that anywhere.
 
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Awesome help. Great tip on the cooling too; I didn't consider that. This is why I look to these forums for help. Thanks Shadowssong
 
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