gaming system for 1000$

[donjonson]

Hello I have 1000$ and a 200$ best buy gift card(sweet keyboard perhaps?)

I would like to build a gaming PC that will be able to play games for quite some time. I know some people say it is better to spend less now and upgrade in 2 - 3 years. I don't know if I will have any money to spend in 2-3 years so I would like to get the most bang for my buck now and build a system that will last as long as possible from a performance standpoint.

I will be purchasing everything in the US and the only brand preference I have is whatever is the best at the moment.

I will be reusing my case, optical medi, monitor, speakers, and maybe my two 100Gb SATA drives. unless someone suggest something else.

I have looked at a few threads but didn't see one that suited my needs.

I have over clocked in the past so if that will get me more bang for my buck I am willing to do it again

I plan to build as soon as I finalize a parts list. (with your help of course)

Thank you for your input! I know you guys get a lot of these threads So I appreciate you replying

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What specific games do you play cause that could mean the difference between a C2Q or a C2D - which could also relate to possible targeted CPU OC speeds and then cooling for which a Quad requires a good HS&F or a nice H20 loop. Help us help you

 

[nsafreak]

Well let's see, bang for the buck and future proof wise I would definitely say go with an Intel i7 processor. What you're going to get from Best Buy with that gift card I'm not sure. They used to have some really nice speakers there but the ones they stock, at least at my local one, suck hard. But here's the list I put together

CPU: Intel Core i7 Nehalem 2.66GHz Quad Core CPU
Motherboard: MSI X58 Pro
RAM: 3GB OCZ Platinum DDR3 1333
Video: MSI GTX260 896MB card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB (nothing like faster disk access )
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 610 Watt Continuous power supply

At current newegg prices this build totals $958 not including shipping & mail in rebates

There are alternatives of course. They may not last quite as long as an i7 but I don't see them going away anytime soon at all and they'll allow for more budget for other things. So here are some other options:

The Quad Build

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
RAM: 8GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L
Video Card: MSI GTX285 1GB video card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair 750 watt power supply

Total for this build with current newegg prices not including mail in rebates or shipping is $981

The Dual Core Build

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM: 8GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L
Video Card: MSI GTX285 1GB video card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair 650 watt power supply

Total for this build before shipping & mail in rebates is $951

Basic breakdown for you performance wise. The Core 2 Duo is going to more likely than not perform the best at games for a little while at least until programmers start writing for more than 2 cores. Once they do though the Quad core and the i7 will obviously perform better and they'll perform better now at a few other tasks mainly video & audio editing if you're into that type of thing. Yes I do realize I suggested all Intel processor and that is because currently Intel outperforms all equivalently priced AMD processors.

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Yes I do realize I suggested all Intel processor and that is because currently Intel outperforms all equivalently priced AMD processors.

Not since Phenom II, they don't.

Phenom II x3 720 sells for $145, and runs neck and neck with the $165 Intel E8400 in this anandtech review. It's also pretty well overclockable and uses DDR2 ram. (Although AM3 mobos that use DDR2 are not widely available at the moment)

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: crimson117

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Yes I do realize I suggested all Intel processor and that is because currently Intel outperforms all equivalently priced AMD processors.

Not since Phenom II, they don't.

Phenom II x3 720 sells for $145, and runs neck and neck with the $165 Intel E8400 in this anandtech review. It's also pretty well overclockable and uses DDR2 ram.

Sure, it compares well to the E8400. But that doesn't change the fact that it gets beat in every single test by the 8400 except for one where there was a .3 difference. That's too close to call a win so I'd say a tie on that one. But still the 8400 overclocks very well too and the performance increase will be even greater. For my money I'll pay $20 more for the better performer.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Well let's see, bang for the buck and future proof wise I would definitely say go with an Intel i7 processor. What you're going to get from Best Buy with that gift card I'm not sure. They used to have some really nice speakers there but the ones they stock, at least at my local one, suck hard. But here's the list I put together

CPU: Intel Core i7 Nehalem 2.66GHz Quad Core CPU
Motherboard: MSI X58 Pro
RAM: 3GB OCZ Platinum DDR3 1333
Video: MSI GTX260 896MB card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB (nothing like faster disk access )
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 610 Watt Continuous power supply

At current newegg prices this build totals $958 not including shipping & mail in rebates

There are alternatives of course. They may not last quite as long as an i7 but I don't see them going away anytime soon at all and they'll allow for more budget for other things. So here are some other options:

The Quad Build

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
RAM: 8GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L
Video Card: MSI GTX285 1GB video card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair 750 watt power supply

Total for this build with current newegg prices not including mail in rebates or shipping is $981

The Dual Core Build

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM: 8GB OCZ Gold DDR2 800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L
Video Card: MSI GTX285 1GB video card
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair 650 watt power supply

Total for this build before shipping & mail in rebates is $951

Basic breakdown for you performance wise. The Core 2 Duo is going to more likely than not perform the best at games for a little while at least until programmers start writing for more than 2 cores. Once they do though the Quad core and the i7 will obviously perform better and they'll perform better now at a few other tasks mainly video & audio editing if you're into that type of thing. Yes I do realize I suggested all Intel processor and that is because currently Intel outperforms all equivalently priced AMD processors.

You could knock off around $50 cus no real need for 8GB RAM if he's just playing games and I would go with at least 6GB RAM on the i7.

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Sure, it compares well to the E8400. But that doesn't change the fact that it gets beat in every single test by the 8400 except for one where there was a .3 difference. That's too close to call a win so I'd say a tie on that one. But still the 8400 overclocks very well too and the performance increase will be even greater.

E8400 definitely OC's well; also since Phenom II is so new, it's tough to find an AM3 motherboard that uses DDR2.

Originally posted by: nsafreak
For my money I'll pay $20 for the better performer.

What about $46 savings for a Phenom II 710? ($119 vs $165 E8400). $46 more of a video card can improve games by more than $46 in CPU.

If the budget really is flexible, then $11 extra over an E8400 gets a Phenom II X4 810, and $24 extra gets a Phenom II X4 920. (which gives you E8400 gaming performance plus four cores for far superior encoding etc.)

 

[Denithor]

i7 for sure. That will last you an easy 2-3 years before you need to upgrade the CPU. At most you will need a new GPU in 1-2 years (or even just drop in a second GTX 260 later since you'll have an SLI board).

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What is his best bet for an i7 board?

 

[heyheybooboo]

Intel does not outperform all equivalently priced AMD processors. That's just FUD.

Anand:

We set out to answer the question, ?Is the Phenom II competitive with a similar Intel Platform in CrossFireX?? Based on our results today, we would have to answer a resounding yes to that question.

It?s not as balanced as the Core i7 920 or even Core 2 Quad Q9550 in a few games, but it does not embarrass itself either. In fact, we think it put up a very good fight and stood its ground with the Q9550. Compared directly to the Q9550, the Phenom II X4 940 is a strong competitor. It had better average frame rates in CrossFire mode than the Q9550 in three titles, tied in one, and finished behind the Q9550 by about 2%~7% in the other three games.

When it came to actual game play experiences, we thought the Phenom II 940 was clearly the better choice in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and Crysis Warhead due to minimum frame rate advantages and fluidity of game play. In the five other titles, we could not tell any real differences in the quality of game play between the Phenom II 940 and Core 2 Quad Q9550. Except for Far Cry 2 where we could raise the graphic quality settings without affecting game play, the i7 platform was no different than our two other solutions.

Last day for the Phenom II 940 / Foxconn 790FX Combo: $344 (less with rebate)

However, your best bang for the buck is the Gigabyte 790x and a Phennom II x3 720 AM3 for around $265.

You did not specify your gaming resolution so lookee here - - - - >>

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 for $225 AR.

all the way up to - - - - >>

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB for $414
(not really worth it when you can buy this card for $275)


It really doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $300-$500 more for little if any gain because you don't think you will have any money in 2 years. Put the cash in the bank and forget about it.

It should be safe

 

[donjonson]

I am sorry I would like to game on a resolution of 1680 x 1050. does that change anyone answer?

also since I plan on overclock, are all those suggested motherboards good overclockers? also What cooler do you recomend for overclocking the i7? not watercooled

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: donjonson
I am sorry I would like to game on a resolution of 1680 x 1050. does that change anyone answer?

also since I plan on overclock, are all those suggested motherboards good overclockers? also What cooler do you recomend for overclocking the i7? not watercooled

A 4870 1GB should do great, and if you want to spend more, you can spend more and run Crysis faster, or if you want to spend less, you can spend less, and not suffer too much.

So take 4870 1GB as a baseline and go up or down depending what your wallet says

 

[donjonson]

nsafreak recomended the geforce GTX card how does that compare to the 4870?

 

[dguy6789]

The Geforce GTX 285 is faster than the Radeon HD 4870. The Radeon HD 4850X2 2GB that was linked earlier is better than either card and would be a better choice for a longer term solution.

 

[TidusZ]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: crimson117

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Yes I do realize I suggested all Intel processor and that is because currently Intel outperforms all equivalently priced AMD processors.

Not since Phenom II, they don't.

Phenom II x3 720 sells for $145, and runs neck and neck with the $165 Intel E8400 in this anandtech review. It's also pretty well overclockable and uses DDR2 ram.

Sure, it compares well to the E8400. But that doesn't change the fact that it gets beat in every single test by the 8400 except for one where there was a .3 difference. That's too close to call a win so I'd say a tie on that one. But still the 8400 overclocks very well too and the performance increase will be even greater. For my money I'll pay $20 more for the better performer.

QFT

 

[donjonson]

why is the use of DDR2 concidered a better than DDR3?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: donjonson
why is the use of DDR2 concidered a better than DDR3?

It isn't, it's just much cheaper (even though DDR3 prices have been falling like a rock). Also, a problem in the launch of DDR3 was ridiculously high latencies, so in many cases you'd notice your system running slower with DDR3 than DDR2 (not that many boards offered it anyways). The benefits of DDR3 over DDR2 are miniscule, DDR3 just comes with the territory more or less, if you use an AM3 or i7 board, you'll be getting DDR3, if it's AM2 or s775 you'll likely be running DDR2.

 

[donjonson]

was this latency problem due to chipsets or certain ram chips? If it was due to Ram chips how do I make sure that I dont by a set of matched ram sticks that have this latency problem?

 

[krnmastersgt]

It was just the sticks they manufactured, not a problem now so it's of no real concern.

 

[donjonson]

Should I get vista or XP? I hear a lot of horror stories with vista.

also That motherboard (MSI X58 Pro) sorta scares me( cheap + bad reviews). does anyone think i should spend a little more and get a better mobo? if so which one would be good and stable for overclocking with possible SLI or crossfire support?

Thanks