• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

SFF Gaming Rig Recommendations

J

JamesMac

n00b
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
4
I am currently working on making a list to build a mATX system and of course would love some recommendations from those that are more experienced with the SFF world. I have experience building computers, so putting it together will not be an issue. The last time I built a computer I put in an ATI Radeon 9000, and that was considered top of the line at the time. I moved over to laptops for my general use and xbox, playstation for my gaming. Now that I have gone through 3 xbox 360's (Hardware failures get old) I have decided to just move my gaming back to PC and stick with the PS3/PC combo for gaming.

Some key points:

-Decent GPU but I do not need to spend a ton on one. I want a good performing card that will allow me to play the latest games and perform well. A single card will work just fine for me.

-I would like to go AMD to help keep the costs cheaper. However, I am not against Intel recommendations.

-I want for it to be a quiet machine. It does not have to be whisper silent, but I do not want a 747 taking off in my office.

-I would like to go with a cube design case.

Now on to the Q&A:

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

Day trading using NinjaTrader, Gaming, Web browsing, Web design

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

I would like to keep this build at about $800. Tax and shipping does not have to be included.

3) Where do you live?

USA, Florida

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

CPU, ram, case, motherboard, dvd drive, TV Tuner, power supply. Basically everything to assemble the box.

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

keyboard, mouse, LCD's, speakers

6) Will you be overclocking?

As I would like to go with an AMD Phenom II I believe I would like to but it is not a requirement. I want to keep the build cost down and from my limited research AMD is cheaper even though the performance is a little less than Intel. However, as stated I am not against Intel recommendations.

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

Two 20.5" LCD's. I will need to use both of these monitors at the same time. Also, I would love for this system to have a TV Tuner.

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

Between now and the end of December.

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

I do not need anything crazy. I want a good performing machine that I can do the tasks I want. I also want for it to hold a nice video card. I do not mind a full featured motherboard.

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

Yes, I will be using Windows 7 64 bit.

I appreciate any assistance you can toss my way!
 
jeremyshaw said:
TV tuner? A decent one is not cheap, especially with a 800usd budget.

AMD has a decent price/performance, but not really at this price range. I don't know how the TV tuner figures into this, though.

I have this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163112&Tpk=sg02

case with a 9800GX2 inside, so it's a decent, long case.

EDIT: I had a recommended list, but I neglected the TV tuner, I'm sorry.
Click to expand...

Jeremy,

Feel free to go ahead with the list. When I say TV Tuner I am just referencing a card that I can hook my satellite dish up to. I am sure I can find one for under $100. The main reason I specified that is I want to make sure a recommended motherboard has enough slots for both the graphics card and the TV card.

Thanks for helping out.
 
I went ahead and put together some specs on a system after doing a bit of research. Here is what I have:

All prices from NewEgg

Thermaltake Lanbox Lite - $78.49
Rosewill RBR750-M 750W PS - $84.99
Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H - $94.99
AMD Phenom II X4 955 - $165.99
XFX HD-575X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5750 1GB - $144.99
AverMedia USB 2.0 TV - $64.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 640 GB 7200 RPM HD - $69.99

How about memory? Any recommendations?

Thanks,

James
 
Last edited:
1) don't waste your money on the usb tv tuner, get a pci or pci-e one.

2) the x4 955 is probably overkill for what you want, especially paired with that card.

3) you should look into a different psu as well.

really tired right now, so i can't find any product links.
 
stainremover said:
1) don't waste your money on the usb tv tuner, get a pci or pci-e one.

2) the x4 955 is probably overkill for what you want, especially paired with that card.

3) you should look into a different psu as well.

really tired right now, so i can't find any product links.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply! I am actually going to end up going with one of the Radeon HD 5750 cards. Not much more $ and it seems to be a great performer. As for the PSU do you have any brand recommendations?

Thanks,

James
 
Try and get a modular unit for easier cable management. Silverstone has some nice modular power units that many people like to use in a SFF build. Look into them. A 500w-600w unit should do you fine for many years to come. Corsair makes a nice 520w psu as well.
 
JamesMac said:
As for the PSU do you have any brand recommendations?
Click to expand...

Corsair, Antec (not their Basiq Line), Enermax, Seasonic are good choices.

And no, whatever OCZ PSU you saw is more than likely very mediocre.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top