Gaming Rig for my bud

[dufftime]

My buddy is moving up from California to Alaska and is stopping by my place near Portland on the way. He was in the market for a new gaming rig so I offered to build it for him here. This would allow me to introduce him to the joys of building a system yourself. He's always gone to the local computer shop to have his rigs built in the past.

I've overclocked my rig (just a little bit), but only once, and really had fun with it. I think it would be fun to show my buddy how to go through the process.

The questions:
1. Will be used for gaming, mostly MMO's. I did help him recently pick out his XPS laptop and I thought an 8600GT card would have been fine but he started playing Age of Conan is currently at mid-low settings :-( I feel bad for talking him down from an 8800GT.

2. Under $1400, give or take. No hard set budget.

3. US. I also plan on taking advantage of shipping the parts to my home to avoid the CA taxes from NewEgg

4. Not a fanboy of anything, but Intel seems the way to go for O/C.

5. Using existing keyboard, mouse, speakers and 19" LCD monitor. He's probably going to splurge on a nice monitor (Dell 24"?) soon.

6. I have read similar threads, but haven't seen anything concrete on the 4870 CF. More on this later...

7. Yes, a conservative O/C. I want him to leave with a system that he won't have to worry about tweaking later.

8. He'll be here the weekend of 7/19-7/20 for the build so I need to order the parts within a week to make sure everything is here.

Some other points:
- He is looking to add a 2nd 4870 in the future. I'm not sure why he would ever need it playing MMO's, but I think he likes having high 3DMark06 scores

- The build below only includes a single 4870 but the mobo and power supply (hopefully) were selected to handle the 2nd 4870. I'm a bit unsure about the PSU.

The build:

• DFI LP LT X48-T2R LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard $269.99
  Given the X48's are newer, can I achieve a conservative O/C without too much hassle? Should I play it safe and go with X38 instead?

• Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 $189.99
  Nice overclocker

• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ $84.99
  I'm not sure which to get here... it seems worth it these days to get DDR2 1000.

• Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version Power Supply $169.99
  Will this be enough to handle 2x4870 and the 8400 O/C?

• Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $89.99
  I want a fast drive here, but don't think the Barracudas are worth it.

• SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N - OEM $26.99

• Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $129.99
  He really digs the stainless steel look. I could talk him into another case if there is another that is noticeably quieter.

• ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail $26.99
  He has a Thermalright Ultra-90 but has already packed and shipped it up to Alaska. This one seems like a good replacement at a great price.

TOTAL: $1288.91 from NewEgg

There's a small MIR $50 for the PSU. All items have free 3 day shipping and no tax. I have the Arctic Silver 5.

Any and all comments are appreciated!

Thanks,
Dufftime

 

[DSF]

A couple thoughts:

1) If it were me, I'd stick with X38. I don't see what the X48 offers you but a bigger price tag.

2) Fine memory choice.

3) I would go with the Corsair 750TX only because it's slightly cheaper, and it's a high quality unit. I believe Corsair has a five year warranty on all of their PSUs as well. For running 4870s in crossfire nobody would fault you for stepping up to a PSU in the neighborhood of 800-850W.

4) This drive is faster than any Barracuda, so I don't think it matters whether they're worth it or not.

5) A word on Crossfire. I would make sure your buddy knows that slapping a second card in down the road won't double his performance. The scaling on multi-GPU setups just isn't there yet. For all the extra money he's spending to prepare for Crossfire (large PSU, expensive motherboard, eventually a second card) he may want to consider saving some money now and simply upgrading his graphics card later.

6) What happens if you put it all together, flip the switch, and...nothing. Let's say the motherboard arrives DOA, or the processor, or the video card, or the PSU, or any of a number of components that would prevent you from assembling a working computer during his short stay with you. Do you have a backup plan for how to get the computer to him and/or how to meet with him to assemble it?

 

[nbowman]

I second the recommendation of the corsair, or consider the PCP&C Silencer 750 for another choice that's less expensive than the one you listed, but very high quality. note I linked the black one with a $30 MIR, they make a red/orange and blue models, but they only get a $20 rebate...

 

[dufftime]

Thanks for the responses. I shared this post with my buddy and it talked him out of the CF configuration. Although he was actually considering a 30" monitor :shocked:, he'd have to explain this type of $1400+ purchase to his wife. So we're back at 1920 x 1200 on a yet-TBD 24" (maybe Samsung?). I also explained to him that he could dual-screen his existing 19" monitor without a 2nd video card.

I went to P35 DFI BloodIron mobo for $114.99 (saving $155) and to the Corsair CMPSU-520HX for $119.99 (saving another $50). I'm pretty sure the Corsair enough for the single 4870... is it?

Build on NewEgg

New total is $1098.91.

@ DSF: I did consider the possibility of some DOA parts. There's a local shop called ENU that's a real bare bones operation. It's literally a counter, inventory, and 2 to 3 guys helping customers in a line. We should be able to rush over and grab something in a pinch.

I also think I'll put everything together as soon as it arrives for a quick test, then disassemble to show the build process for him.

Any last comments before we order today?

Thanks!
Dufftime

 

[Chosonman]

Tell him to splurge on the Monitor and less on the PC. An 8800GT- Radeon 4870 System would be ideal and could be had for around $800

 

[DSF]

Pretty solid list now. The 520HX should handle the 4870 just fine, and can be had for significantly less money at buy.com.
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsai...loc/101/203270716.html

 

[dufftime]

Thanks again for the responses. We did end up with an ATI 4870 system but over $1000 due to the pricier case + PSU.

Good tip on the buy.com price. We'll order the PSU from there. Time to order!!