$1300. Gaming System. Have links. Need suggestions.

[Coldkilla]

Processor/CPU: i7 920. $288.99

Video. XFX HD-5870: $409.99

Motherboard. Gigabyte EX58-UD3R $188.99

Memory. Corsair 6GB $169.99

Power. Corsair 650TX: $98.99

HDD. WD Black 1TB: $99.99

Case. Antec Mini P180 $69.99 (+ $15 shipping).


Total: $1349 including $30 shipping.
-Not overclocking.

PC Usage: Photoshop, 3ds Max, Extremely long gaming sessions, including games that allow you to stretch the limits. (Ex: ARMA2 has view distances beyond the limits of many machines.)

I want to pay lower. Considerably lower if possible, but do not want to cut even a little preformance out of whats here.

 

[MisterDonut]

Looks solid. If you want to pay less, the only thing i can think off the top of my head is dropping the RAM to the OCZ Gold. Saves you like 50 bucks...and it performs ok. Am I missing something or is that motherboard going to fit in your case ? The Mini P180 is small...If you wanna shed off like 10 more bucks, get the Antec 300 Illusion or another cheap midtower. Are you going to overclock ?

 

[RD Mercer]

I like the looks of your build could I ask a couple questions? How long is the 5870? Will the case support the video card? Is there a reason you went with that motherboard? Is this system better than AMD? I am going to build a new computer thats why I am asking?

 

[MisterDonut]

The 5870 is roughly 10'' to 11'', but I believe the P180 mini can support up to 13'' ? Gigabyte makes some pretty good stuff, and the UD3R is reasonably priced. The 1366 motherboards can get pricey. Intel, with i5 and i7, will definitely have the performance gain, but it would all depend on what your needs are. The 955 is about equal to the quad cores when it comes to gaming, so it will give you more bang for the buck.

 

[Coldkilla]

Yea from the reviews it seems people were able to put a 8800GTX in there. Seems like it'd be ok. Sad to see that the Memory is $170. When I bought the exact same pair from newegg over 6 months ago - it was $107. The GTX 285 was only $360 too.. How things have changed.

I like Gigabyte as a company, nothing has failed on me since I've owned any of their stuff (unlike the 2-3 other companies whose products consistantly failed 4-5 months later). Never owned an ATI card, I hope every game we use is compatible - as Nvidia seemed to do well with them.

 

[MisterDonut]

Again, I don't think that motherboard will fit in a microATX case because the UD3R is in ATX form. Or you could look around for the older generation that stood as a midATX case .

 

[Coldkilla]

ohh I got it now. Yea I'll look for a new one and see what I can come up with.

 

[MisterDonut]

If you are intent on keeping the P180 (a great case, btw), might I suggest the UD4, and it also comes in non-CFX/CFX versions. Just has dual channel instead of triple channel support. Then pick up G.Skill ECO for the dual channel, but that might end up costing more...

If you'd rather change the case, Antec 300 Illusion is a great case I've worked with, as is their 900/902 (Have pics if you want to see). But I'm sure you have an idea of what you want.

@ earlier post, yeah, the GTX 285 has surprised me...I figured getting people to buy NVIDIA, after ATI raped with the 4890, that you would want to lower your prices...but I dunno. There's always a reason .