$1000 budget Gaming PC

[BBock727]

My AMD64 3000+ and 6600GT are just not cutting it anymore, so I am looking to build a new pc. I am keeping Monitor, speakers, DVD burner, harddrive, mouse and keyboard from my last build. This is what i have found so far.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail @ $169.99

Any reason to go to a E8500, or will this be able to Overclock just as well?

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($99.99 after $50.00 Mail-In
Rebate

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Retail @ $44.99 after $35.00 rebate

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail @ $26.99 after $10.00 Rebate

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail $6.99
145

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $79.99

VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $284.99

So the things im missing in this build are VIDEO CARD and MOTHERBOARD. I just havn't decided what to get that would fix my budget. I'm looking at 4870s, just not sure which one to get (will a 600W be enough power for one of these and eventually maybe 2?)

Also looking at the ASUS P45 for a motherboard, but im not sure which version to get. Any help would be greatly appreciated. So far my PC is 406.95 AFTER rebate and 511.95 BEFORE.

That leaves you guys with a decent amount of money to work with. I don't have a hole in my pocket, so if I can get this pc down below $1000 i would be happy.

*edit* going to go with the Antec 182, as i really need this case pretty silent and I don't want all the LEDs

*edit* added the visiontek 4870. At the moment, it looks like the best bang for the buck.

*edit* went with Gskill 1000 over the mushkin 800

 

[DSF]

The Nine Hundred isn't going to be as quiet as some other Antec cases. It has a lot of fans, and it's not really designed with low noise in mind. It also doesn't come with filters for the intakes, which can allow dust to build up pretty quickly. For a quiet case you want to look more in the direction of the P182, but I'm not sure how well the 4870 will fit in there. I'd double check that before you buy.

I don't know about the power supply's noise level. I would dig up some reviews.

600W would be enough for one 4870. Technically it's probably enough for two, but I wouldn't want to run the system that way. How far off is "eventually"? If it's more than six months to a year, don't bother with a second one. At that point you'll want to just buy a new video card which will outperform two 4870s. If you do go the Crossfire route, I'd look at something like the Corsair TX series or similar.

As for the P5Q series, it's just a question of which features you need/want. Find the least expensive board that has all the features you need. Newegg does a pretty good job describing motherboard features, so use their listings or the ASUS website to compare.

 

[Roguestar]

DSF: The 4870 will fit in the P182 just fine, I read a lot of review of it recently and one of them tested an 8800GTX SLI setup in it just to be sure, and it fit no problem .

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
DSF: The 4870 will fit in the P182 just fine, I read a lot of review of it recently and one of them tested an 8800GTX SLI setup in it just to be sure, and it fit no problem .

I seem to recall there having been some issue with an 8800GTX fitting if you have drives in the middle drive bays.

I don't own one, so I'm not an authority. I just have some impression in the back of my mind with a space issue with larger cards.

 

[BBock727]

I agree DSF, I probably will never crossfire anyway, ill end up going with just one. Need motherboard and videocard help so I can buy it

 

[DSF]

As far as I know VisionTek is the only ATI partner that offers a lifetime warranty if that factors into your decision at all. The cards are all basically the same. There will be three main differences between cards:

1) Reliability of the company in terms of customer service and the quality of the warranty.
2) Occasionally cards will come from the factory with non-reference coolers.
3) Factory overclocks. Not generally worth the money since the performance difference is small and it's something you can easily do yourself.

There are other minor differences like which connections the cards take (HDMI, DVI, VGA, etc.) and whether or not a game is included in the package. With so many choices picking a card can be daunting, but it's not as hard as it seems. They're all basically the same, so the name of the game is finding the best deal on a card from a reputable manufacturer like ASUS or VisionTek.

In terms of the motherboard, what features do you need? If your answer is "I don't know" then that probably means not many, and you'd be fine with the P5Q or P5Q Pro.

 

[BBock727]

Thanks DSF. I'm definately going to overclock, not sure if I am going to crossfire just yet but i would like to keep the capability. I heard things about on some motherboards that the 2nd pci-e is only 8x and not 16x. Is that the case with the P5Q Pro? Im thinking that would be sufficient for what im using it for. Tell me if I am wrong? Any other exceptions? Tell me what I am missing from the higher priced versions.


Also, is my ram fine for OC? I know there are a million choices right now. I hope i made a good performace/price decision on it.


Btw, i already have XP PRO and VISTA ULTIMATE , so i dont have to factor that into the price.

I would like to buy this computer by tomorrow, so i can get the rebate on the P182 case. Please reply to this thread and give me your thoughts! Thanks

 

[DSF]

P45 boards that have two PCI-e 2.0 slots will run them at x8 speed if both are in use. That's true of all boards including the P5Q Pro. I've seen some benchmarks that show as much as a 25-30% performance loss from that, and some benchmarks that show almost none at all. If you're contemplating Crossfire I'd go with an X38/X48 board just to be sure.

Again, whether or not you plan to go Crossfire is something I would decide before you order. Otherwise you're going to buy this 600W PSU and then likely want to buy another one when you get the second card. May as well just get the larger PSU from the get-go. Personally though, I'm a one-video-card kinda guy. Keeps the heat and noise down, and an 8800GT is still enough to let me play anything out there, including Crysis, at settings I'm satisfied with.

There's also the flipside if you're not sure about Crossfire before you order. You pay the extra expense for the X38 motherboard and beefy PSU, and then decide you're actually satisfied with one card. One thing is certain though - if you're not going to use Crossfire from the get-go, or at least within the first couple months, don't bother. Computer tech moves so quickly that we're likely to see a single card in a year or less beat two 4870s in Crossfire at a reasonable price.

Here's the deal with that RAM. It's good RAM, and its aggressive timings at 1.8V mean that it probably overclocks pretty well if you loosen the timings and bump up the voltage. I wouldn't be surprised if you could get it running up around DDR2-900 or 1000. However, it's only guaranteed to run up to DDR2-800. DDR2-800 will cap your CPU overclock at 3.6GHz unless you overclock the RAM. If you want to be guaranteed that your RAM won't hold your overclock back then you need to look at DDR2-1000.

So, in short, it's great quality RAM but it may or may not be right for you. Depends on how far you plan to overclock the CPU and how willing you are to tweak your RAM settings.

 

[MarcVenice]

DSF, those reviews with performance losses are 'false'. There is at MOST a 10% performance difference at the highest resolution, 2560*1600, but below that p45 performs just fine in crossfire. You're referring to the tweaktown review, but as you can see here that review has been discredited: http://www.madshrimps.be/vbull...5-vs-x38-vs-p35-45871/

"For the most part the X48 is just 5% faster than the cheaper P45 chipset"

If you want crossfire, just grab a 750tx from corsair for $100.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
DSF, those reviews with performance losses are 'false'. There is at MOST a 10% performance difference at the highest resolution, 2560*1600, but below that p45 performs just fine in crossfire. You're referring to the tweaktown review, but as you can see here that review has been discredited: http://www.madshrimps.be/vbull...5-vs-x38-vs-p35-45871/

"For the most part the X48 is just 5% faster than the cheaper P45 chipset"

If you want crossfire, just grab a 750tx from corsair for $100.

Interesting, thanks for the heads up.

 

[BBock727]

Ok, I decided that I will not be using Crossfire. I therefore will be going with just one 4870, the visiontek version.

As a result, I will keep the 600w psu.

Also, can someone please recommend me a motherboard as I will be buying these parts tonight.

Thanks

 

[Roguestar]

Gigabyte P45 DS3L

 

[BBock727]

any other opinions? im about to pull the trigger on this build. Give me your critiques , especially on the motherboard!

 

[Roguestar]

The motherboard I suggested is really good .

 

[BBock727]

also is there any good 1066 memory for the same price? I dont want to limit my OC b/c of my ram speed

 

[MarcVenice]

It's ddr2 1000mhz, but almost for the price of ddr2 800mhz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231145

Grab that, this mobo is nice too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131295

 

[BBock727]

Are other people in agreement to get this Gskill memory over the mushkin i have in the top of the thread. Leaning towards the Gskill right now.

Any last minute ideas on the motherboard. Ive been seeing contrasting reviews on lots of the motherboards, so im still looking for ideas!

 

[Roguestar]

Definitely get that G.Skill.

The Gigabyte P45 DS3L is in both the system builders guide in the sticky and almost 75% of "rate my rig" threads here. The P5Q Marc linked is very good also; judge them on features and price and make up your mind.

 

[DSF]

In actuality they're probably about the same - it wouldn't surprise me if that Mushkin did DDR2-1000 at 5-5-5-15. The difference is that the G.Skill is advertised (and therefore guaranteed) to reach that speed, while the Mushkin you picked out isn't. I would go with the G.Skill unless you don't plan to overclock past 3.6GHz, in which case I'd get DDR2-800. If that's the case though, I'd get cheaper DDR2-800.

 

[BBock727]

Ok, i went with the GSkill... i cant believe this damn motherboard is holding me up. Any last ideas would be much appreciated!

 

[BBock727]

bump

 

[StarvinMarvin22]

I just put a system together not too long ago and got the P5Q Pro motherboard. At the time I purchased it there was combo deal with the video card and that sold me on it. Its been a great performer so far

I've been able to run it at stock speed at as low as 1.1000v

@ 4.005Ghz with only 1.3375v (bios)

@ 3.6 Ghz with 1.2000v (bios)

And I only have this as my ram.

Maybe this speaks more to how great the e8400 is but I think the P5Q Pro is a solid board

 

[BBock727]

i missed the rebate... anyone know of a case thats comparable to the Antec P182? But $100 or less? I want quiet and no flashing lights

 

[Joeydubbs]

Hi there, I'm assembling a rig almost identical to yours (I have a thread started here.

Check out Frys for a case Antec P180 for $70 shipped

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: BBock727
i missed the rebate... anyone know of a case thats comparable to the Antec P182? But $100 or less? I want quiet and no flashing lights

Other than the single LED fan which you can replace, the Coolermaster CM-690 is very similar and has gained very good reviews.