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pc died, building a new one

Z

Zeroheaven

n00b
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
11
recently my pc met an untimely demise and for the past week i've been browsing the forums scouting out new hardware. i primarily use the pc for games and college work.

i'd like to play current games on high settings but i'd also like to play d3/sc2 and ep3 on relatively high settings by the time they release. i have no plans to crossfire, i don't need more than 8gb ram, and i have no OC'ing experience but might mess with it in the future. i'll be playing these games on a 22" LCD. ideally this pc should last me 2 solid years with a budget close to 1k.


UPDATED

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX - (already have)

CPU + Mobo Combo: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale + ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 - $305

Case: I have an Antec P180, undecided if i'm goin to purchase something different.

CPU Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - $37

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail - $7

GPU: VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 512MB - $190

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) - $85

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM - $90

Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" - $219

DVD Drive: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R - $25

----
Total = $958


My main concern lies with the video card. I'm afraid in a year i'll be wishing i'd have gone with the 4870. will the 4850 be able to keep games on fairly high settings for the next 2 years? will the performance difference between the two cards be pretty noticeable at 1600x1200?

thx, any help is appreciated.
 
Video cards are the fastest depreciating components on a computer... it's getting to the point now where there is a new series of video cards arriving about every six months or so. The HD4850 will be enough for your needs, but if you're playing some very demanding games (e.g. Crysis) you may want to consider the HD4870.

Additionally, don't include the after-MIR prices in your total -- it doesn't work that way. You have to pay the full before-rebate price up front at checkout, and then you wait a few weeks for your rebate check. You're not getting any immediate savings.

If you plan on overclocking your E8400, go with DDR2 1000 RAM. And there's always at least one horror story (and/or a bunch of complaints) for every component out there. If you're really concerned about your motherboard selection, read various hardware reviews and check out the hardware forums (starting here, of course) to see what problems the board may have. (And don't rely on NewEgg reviews, as most of them are made by people who have no idea what they're doing.)
 
We can't predict the future (games nor hardware) performance of anything, only guesstimate. I think the HD4870 will only last you slightly longer than the HD4850. In my experience, its better to buy the midrange card and upgrade more often after selling that card every 2yrs or so.

Yes, go with DDR2-1000... its only $5 more. I think you'll be fine with the Asus. Just know that their support sux.
 
Every company gets trash talked from time to time. Accept it as a fact and gain peace of mind :D

Besides that, good build. I would definately keep the P180.
 
updated, got rid of the mir's in price totals and changed the ram to ddr2 1000.

thanks for the feedback.
 
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