Input for Gaming PC: $1000 Budget

[omegas_decree]

Hi. I know there are some other threads out there requesting feedback on similar systems and budgets, but I would like to get some personal feedback for my own system.

History: Just recently, my laptop mobo fried and I needed a replacement for school ASAP, so I bought a netbook as a school related investment. However, as a regular Guild Wars gamer, the netbook doesn't offer enough power to play with a decent FPS with a live party. As such, I've decided to push forward my plans to build a desktop dedicated to gaming and entertainment. One thing to keep in mind, I've never built my own PC before. I've been reading up on some articles on how to assemble it yourself, but any additional tips you may have will be appreciated.

Purpose: I want to be able to watch HD movies (thinking of adding a blu-ray drive later on) and play current games at max settings and be fairly futureproof (able to play games at medium settings, say...up to 2 years in the future). I'm planning on getting a Samsung T220 22IN with a native 1680X1050 resolution. Below is a list of games I plan to play in the near future.

Games: I am mostly into RPG games. I am a regular Guild Wars player and I know my current build posted will handle it GW and the upcoming GW2 with no problems. Some upcoming games I would like to play on max settings are Starcraft 2, Street Fighter IV +online play (I will be spending alot of time on this game as I love arcade style fighting games, but want to remain with a PC over a console for it's versatility), Need For Speed games. Would also like to try playing Crysis and a couple other first person shooters.

Budget: Having just spent $500 on a netbook as a portable solution, I'm not in a position to splurge on the the best components out there. I only want to spend on what I need to achieve the results I want. I've set a budget of $1000, but if I can build this system for less, then that would be awesome.

Current Build: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/sfung/build.jpg

Let me know if there's anything missing, any components that you would swap, change, up/downgrade. BTW, I already picked up 4GB of DDR2 800mhz RAM. Any input is appreciated.

[killoverme]

you should cancel the monitor, and buy the days of dell one that is on sale today. good.

i'd go for a vendetta 2 for the heatsink though.

[Silver Bullet]

Not to bad ...

Here is a system I just ordered for my cousin.

$ 50 - Antec 300
$115 - Corsair VX550W 550W CMPSU-550VX - ($36 MIR)
$204 - E8400
$ 39 - OCZ Vendetta 2 CPU Cooler (DC)
$139 - GA-EP45-UD3P
$ 28 - Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB ($30 MIR)
$149 - XFX GeForce GTS 250 (GS250XYDFC)
$ 87 - 640GB Black
$ 27 - Samsung SH-S222A/BEBS 22X
------
824 add in taxes and shipping and it came to about $1k

[flyz]

Need For Speed games.

Where do I start with this......
NFS has never been the same compared the NFS I remember playing before all the street racing, dumbed down controls, crappy car selections started showing up. What happened to all the rare exotics you could once drive? In car cam, what serious driving game doesn't have in car gam? NFS:Shift looks like a carbon copy of another game released a year ago. Hmm, let me think, GRID! Luckily we got studios like Codemasters that still makes great driving games.
I blame this all on EA. All they do is buy up good gaming studios and make their games worst (Westwood studios, Maxis) and for their own IP, they release updated rosters with a few graphics tweaks and call it their own. I think this EA effect on games even happened to Spore (remember the early Spore demos in GDC? It was really promising. No wonder Will Wright left EA to pursuit his own company. /rant off.



As for the build, you're missing some RAM. If you could stretch your budget $10 more, I recommend getting the 4870 1GB on sale MSI Radeon HD 4870 1GB (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36664&promoid=1029) for $229.99

[omegas_decree]

you should cancel the monitor, and buy the days of dell one that is on sale today. good.

i'd go for a vendetta 2 for the heatsink though.

Wow. That was a great price, but already sold out. Unless you are referring to the S2309W.

[Seiphas]

You need more jpeg artifacts.

[terrybear]

thats a TERRIBLE build cept for the hard drive & the tower !!

You definatly want a tri or quad core cpu as the multi core supported games are already hitting the market this year. You could easily do a AMD Phenom II X3 720 black edition on a AMD 790gx AM2+ motherboard, 4 gig kit of DDR2 1066 ram & probly a radeon 4890 as well. This kinda configuration would leave you in 2 +'s 1. the AM3 cpu could be transferable to a newer AM3 based motherboard when you could afford to & 2. the ability to add another 4890 also when you could afford to which would also substantialy boost your framerates for up & coming titles in 09 & 10.

here is a build, its over your budget but could be brought back down some by price matchs add aftermarket cpu cooler & rom & your done, board is on backorder but if your not in a rush then its not a biggie:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/terrybear/quote3.jpg

[changturkey]

I'd suggest AMD as well for a sub-$1000 build.

[pace]

yeah that looks like a good build... but would it be ok to buy a AM3 motherboard and DDR3 ram, so later, he doesn't have to buy a whole new motherboard and ram? instead, he can just upgrade the CPU and RAM if needed... right?

[jwei]

Contrast to what others say, I'd suggest your build. I had that exact build a few months ago.

You'll hit 4.0 EASY. However, only suggestion I have is to possibly (dont know if its too late), invest in DDR-1066 instead. Additionally look to get an OCZ Vendetta II.

Are you going to OC it?

If not, go the Phenom II X3 720 way. If so, I'd suggest sticking with the e8400 and trying to hit 4.2.

[terrybear]

yeah that looks like a good build... but would it be ok to buy a AM3 motherboard and DDR3 ram, so later, he doesn't have to buy a whole new motherboard and ram? instead, he can just upgrade the CPU and RAM if needed... right?

the inherent problem would be the pricing on a 4 gig kit of DDR3 1600 would be another $50 + AM3 790FX motherboard would add another $80 to what I posted. The use wants fast BUT as close to $1k as possible & not over.

[terrybear]

Contrast to what others say, I'd suggest your build. I had that exact build a few months ago.

You'll hit 4.0 EASY. However, only suggestion I have is to possibly (dont know if its too late), invest in DDR-1066 instead. Additionally look to get an OCZ Vendetta II.


1 problem here with this sugestion, IF you've been following pc games in the last year or so, you'd know that mhz is not going to be what affects games currently & those to come this year & next, its gonna be the amount of cores/threads a cpu will be able to process to increase the games preformance. You will find that say a 3 ghz clocked 4 cored cpu will trounce that 4 ghz 2 cored cpu in those games.

the OTHER thing is & this is WHY amd has been making great sales as of late is the fact oc'in a black edition cpu is ALOT easier to oc vs a intel where ya gotta fiddle around with cpu:ram ratio's. Where as with a black edition phenom II or any other model with the name extention on it, all you gotta do is just go in, set your multiplier & done.

For example IF the OP buys the parts I sugest he should be getting easily a 3.4 ghz (17x multiplier) to 3.6 ghz (18x multiplier) out of the box without having to put more voltage onto the cpu. How many more things is going to have to do to oc a 8400 to 4 ghz ... more then setting a multiplier as far as I know.

And I know for a fact from the article on anandtech's site that IF he does get the X3 setup & ever does afford to get a 2nd 4890 to crossfire with the 1 in the build he is going to get gaming preformance that compares & in some instances beats a core i7 920 rig with dual cards crossfired for alot less money.

[scv]

I'd definitely swap out that Mushkin PSU, it's an average quality Topower, not that good at all. In its place I would get a Corsair TX650W (OEM = Seasonic) or a TX750W (CWT).
The OCZ GameXStream mentioned is ok, but the Corsair quality is superior IMO.

[pace]

k a little off topic.... but i think the op knows what he's gonna buy now anyways :P...

would it be a good idea to purchase an am3 board and ddr3 ram if someone were to build a computer today with a budget of $100 more than the op? :P

i'm just asking if it's a good idea, since it might futureproof the computer a little more... upgrading motherboards usually mean upgrading ram, and both of those put together is quite expensive.

[jwei]

Correct me if I'm wrong, BUT:

1 problem here with this sugestion, IF you've been following pc games in the last year or so, you'd know that mhz is not going to be what affects games currently & those to come this year & next, its gonna be the amount of cores/threads a cpu will be able to process to increase the games preformance. You will find that say a 3 ghz clocked 4 cored cpu will trounce that 4 ghz 2 cored cpu in those games.


Sorry its hard to read your grammar. I'm usually pretty good with reading slang so I'll try to interpret things as best as possible.

Yes, in the future more games will be designed to utilize quad cores, but that the moment: No.

Furthermore, if you are reading what the OP states he plans to use his computer for:


Purpose: I want to be able to watch HD movies (thinking of adding a blu-ray drive later on) and play current games at max settings and be fairly futureproof (able to play games at medium settings, say...up to 2 years in the future). I'm planning on getting a Samsung T220 22IN with a native 1680X1050 resolution. Below is a list of games I plan to play in the near future.

Games: I am mostly into RPG games. I am a regular Guild Wars player and I know my current build posted will handle it GW and the upcoming GW2 with no problems. Some upcoming games I would like to play on max settings are Starcraft 2, Street Fighter IV +online play (I will be spending alot of time on this game as I love arcade style fighting games, but want to remain with a PC over a console for it's versatility), Need For Speed games. Would also like to try playing Crysis and a couple other first person shooters.

It seems that he is more concerned with current/past games. Also, I doubt (after however many years Starcraft has been made) he'll all of a sudden stop playing it in the future. Therefore in his current situation the higher the clock he can get the better (rather than cores).

Also, an E8400 OC'd will definately last him at LEAST 2 years in the future to play (if even needed) at medium settings.


the OTHER thing is & this is WHY amd has been making great sales as of late is the fact oc'in a black edition cpu is ALOT easier to oc vs a intel where ya gotta fiddle around with cpu:ram ratio's. Where as with a black edition phenom II or any other model with the name extention on it, all you gotta do is just go in, set your multiplier & done.

For example IF the OP buys the parts I sugest he should be getting easily a 3.4 ghz (17x multiplier) to 3.6 ghz (18x multiplier) out of the box without having to put more voltage onto the cpu. How many more things is going to have to do to oc a 8400 to 4 ghz ... more then setting a multiplier as far as I know.



Actually, even with the stock cooler on, you are pretty much guaranteed to hit 3.6 with the E8400 just by upping the FSB. No need to change anything else.

To hit around 3.8-4.0 that MAY require a few more tweaks. However with when OC'ing my friends E8400, I was able to hit 4.0 by just upping the FSB a little more and installing a new cooler.



As for the i7 and X3 setup I haven't looked into that as much, so I'll assume that its true. That in fact would be a great benefit for the OP if he were to go the AMD route.

EDIT: ALSO just wait for willy, darius m5, and Silver Bullet's input. I'll agree with whatever they agree on lol. They ARE the masters.

[ekashyap]

Go for the Dell 2209wa....its an IPS panel not a TN panel. I don't want to start rambling about how its better than 99% of the monitors since those things are all TN panels so google it and read the reviews for yourself. I tested it side by side with the samsung 226BW, T220, T220HD and the HP W2207H before and after colour calibration .....(I bought that many monitors before I was finally satisfied :cheesygri)

The colour reproduction on this thing is just ridiculously good. Its got 5ms reponse time and don't be fooled by the 1ms or 2ms reponse times on other monitors...you will never physically see a difference. I've been playing games for a week straight since I got this monitor and they all look fantastic.

[flyz]

the OTHER thing is & this is WHY amd has been making great sales as of late is the fact oc'in a black edition cpu is ALOT easier to oc vs a intel where ya gotta fiddle around with cpu:ram ratio's. Where as with a black edition phenom II or any other model with the name extention on it, all you gotta do is just go in, set your multiplier & done.

For example IF the OP buys the parts I sugest he should be getting easily a 3.4 ghz (17x multiplier) to 3.6 ghz (18x multiplier) out of the box without having to put more voltage onto the cpu. How many more things is going to have to do to oc a 8400 to 4 ghz ... more then setting a multiplier as far as I know.

You have no idea how easy a P45 based motherboard overclocks. A simple FSB tweak to 400 will net you 3.6Ghz with no voltages or mem ratios.

And I know for a fact from the article on anandtech's site that IF he does get the X3 setup & ever does afford to get a 2nd 4890 to crossfire with the 1 in the build he is going to get gaming preformance that compares & in some instances beats a core i7 920 rig with dual cards crossfired for alot less money.

I don't know which article you're referring to but I'm not seeing it. In every instance, the i7 rig is maximizing the CF cards while the 720 is lagging behind. There's not one case where a 720 surpasses a 920 with similar setup, unless you're comparing an oced 720 to a stock 920?

[Mgz]

get the tower Cooler master Cm 690 instead of the Antec, save $50 or something

the video card is lousy choice, 1st it is an Asuck, 2nd it is an old generation GTX 260 (NOT 216), 1 GB ATI HD 4870 is a much better choice

[omegas_decree]

So from what I gather so far, games in the near future will begin to utilize multiple cores more effectively. But having said that, I gather that a dual core will still be able to handle those types of games relatively well. I've never really had any experience with Intel/Nvidia or AMD/ATI in a PC, but based on some friend's suggestions, I've based my build on the former brand names.


the video card is lousy choice, 1st it is an Asuck, 2nd it is an old generation GTX 260 (NOT 216), 1 GB ATI HD 4870 is a much better choice

I've found that the $200 price point for a video card is a comfortable fit for me and settled on the gtx 260. If not ASUS, could a EVGA model be more highly recommended?

[Silver Bullet]

So from what I gather so far, games in the near future will begin to utilize multiple cores more effectively. But having said that, I gather that a dual core will still be able to handle those types of games relatively well. I've never really had any experience with Intel/Nvidia or AMD/ATI in a PC, but based on some friend's suggestions, I've based my build on the former brand names.

I've found that the $200 price point for a video card is a comfortable fit for me and settled on the gtx 260. If not ASUS, could a EVGA model be more highly recommended?

There is nothing wrong with Asus cards, all the cards are made by either Foxconn or eletrosonic (oems) and then asus and other brand put their sticker on the card. The only way they differ is warranty and clock speeds.

If you're going after a GTX260, I would at least find a newer 55nm version or yes a 4870 1GB is a good alternative and should be pretty easy to find used at this point.

[omegas_decree]

So I've considered an AMD CPU, and was wondering if it is worth it to upgrade to a tri-core, or to get a cheaper GPU than was suggested to put the money to a quad-core.

[pace]

as this is a gaming pc... focus on the GPU. go with the 3 core, and a good vid card.

[terrybear]

Yep, take that system I had put up there, price match the stuff down as much as possible &/or remove the 22" samsung from it & do a dell financing on a 22 or even a nice 24" could work for you. :)