Help buildinng a sub-$1000 gaming/multitasking rig

[forandfrom]

Hey guys,
I was looking for some insight into what the best bang for my buck compenents would be for a new computer. I wouldn't consider myself an "avid" gamer, but I want to play the latest DX10 games at good to great framrates (my monitor only reaches 1280x1024), and have enough raw computing speed to record some of my songs (multitrack).

I have $1000 and ONLY $1000 to spend...I can exceed this by only a very marginal amount.

I need the following components:

-CPU (debating between e6750 and comparable quad core)

-MB (pretty clueless)

-RAM (pretty clueless--but would rather have more RAM than 4 cores right now)

-Hard Drive (would like reliability and speed over size)

-Video Card (anyone have any opinions on 8800gts 320mb vs. hd2900 pro??)

-PSU (nothing overkill, but something STABLE---bad experience in the past)

I am pretty inexperienced in the way of OCing but I'm not afraid to try!!

The idea of 4gb of RAM REALLY appeals to me--but only because I know more RAM is better, and I know its particularly good for recording--does it really translate into speed when running a Vista rig??

And lastly, does anyone have any insight onto where to get a copy of Windows Vista at a discount?? Are there HDs sold with Vista pre-installed?? I'm a student and I could probably get a discount but I just thought I'd throw it out there. Thanks so much for your time, guys!

 

[MarcVenice]

gigabyte ds3l or asus p5k-se

ram, anything that's 2x1gb ddr2 800mhz for 50-60$, corsair, patriot, doesn't rly matter.

HD, seagate 250gb single platter, or 500gb samsung t166 spinpoint.

Videocard: wait for 8800gt/2950pro ?

PSU, 500w antec earthwatts, 450-550vx or 520hx, check clubit.com for good deals.

4gb can make a diff, but not so much in games ...

 

[Skott]

Originally posted by: forandfrom
Hey guys,
I was looking for some insight into what the best bang for my buck compenents would be for a new computer. I wouldn't consider myself an "avid" gamer, but I want to play the latest DX10 games at good to great framrates (my monitor only reaches 1280x1024), and have enough raw computing speed to record some of my songs (multitrack).

I have $1000 and ONLY $1000 to spend...I can exceed this by only a very marginal amount.

I need the following components:

-CPU (debating between e6750 and comparable quad core)

-MB (pretty clueless)

-RAM (pretty clueless--but would rather have more RAM than 4 cores right now)

-Hard Drive (would like reliability and speed over size)

-Video Card (anyone have any opinions on 8800gts 320mb vs. hd2900 pro??)

-PSU (nothing overkill, but something STABLE---bad experience in the past)

I am pretty inexperienced in the way of OCing but I'm not afraid to try!!

The idea of 4gb of RAM REALLY appeals to me--but only because I know more RAM is better, and I know its particularly good for recording--does it really translate into speed when running a Vista rig??

And lastly, does anyone have any insight onto where to get a copy of Windows Vista at a discount?? Are there HDs sold with Vista pre-installed?? I'm a student and I could probably get a discount but I just thought I'd throw it out there. Thanks so much for your time, guys!

I'll try and offer some suggestions that you can ponder over.

CPU- The E6750 & Q6600 are the two comparable procs I think you'll probably be most interested in. Depending on your definition of multitasking the Q6600 might be best. I think dualcore still rules for gaming but the Q6600 handles heavy maultitasking really nice from what I hear. Its a good gaming proc too.

MB- In addition to what Marc suggested you may want to look into the ABIT IP35-E. SerpentRoyal has a very informative thread here http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2063989&enterthread=y that covers alot of info and its not overly expensive from what I hear.

RAM- If you arent going to OC RAM can be had at a decently low price. If you want to OC you'll have to spend a little more on the RAM. 4Gb probably wont fit into your budget though. 2Gb is generally considered good enough.

HD- Get something that has 16Mb cache. Seagate has some great 7200.10 units and Samsung's T166 is another great unit. Due to your lower budget you may not be wanting the Raptor units WD makes. A good 7200 unit is fine for gaming and PC use.

Video Card- I favor the nvidia cards personally right now but thats just me. I'd say wait till October 29th if you can and see what the 8800GT release does to pricing.

PSU- The Corsair HX520w unit is a great choice and will run everything your are wanting including any overclocking. If you feel you want a little extra headroom for future upgrades then look at the Corsair HX620w unit. Its the most you'll ever need for this particular system I'm thinking. Assuming of course we're talking about a single video card setup.

Case- $40 -$100 will get you a nice case. Low end you can get the CM RC541 for around $40. High end? Kinda hard to say. Lot of good choices for $100. You can spend more than that obviously but you dont have to. Cases are hard to reccomend because asthetics come into play and I dont know what you find attractive. You want a case with at the very least a front 120mm fan and a rear 120mm IMO. If it has a extra side fan and a upper blowhole fan so much the better.



Since you have a budget in mind already then your next decision is wether or not you plan to OC. Its cool if you dont want to but if you do you'll want a little better quality mobo and ram to get to where you want to go. You'll also need to invest in a aftermarket hsf to replace the retail hsf for better cooling. $20 - $60 in this category depending on case choice and how high of OCing you plan to go for. The Artic Freezer 7 pro is about $20 and on the high end you'd be looking at the Tr 120 Ultra or Tuniq 120. Not sure what they cost these days.


Edit: Another suggestion is to work up a preliminary build with the components you think might work well together and then ask people to critique it. People are usually happy to chime in with ways to shave costs or add better quality for same or lower price.

 

[jkresh]

First thing to do about vista discount is check your school store, some schools have impressive deals (others dont). Outside of that there are academic stores online which have ok discounts on vista home premium.
Motherboard, p35 (x38 is out of your budget, 680i wouldnt be useful) digbyte or asus would be fine.
CPU for gaming the quad wont help much (yet) but it might help with the music, same is true with 4gigs (just make sure to get vista 64, and that your audio software works with vista 64)
250gb seagate is very fast (and inexpensive), you might want to get 2 and use one for backup (at least of anything important and hard to recreate (ie your music)...)
gpu is hard to say, right now in dx10 or with aa on the 8800gts seems better (remember new cards competing with the gts and 2900pro should be out within the month), but that could change with a driver update (dx10 at least, anti aliasing doesnt look likely to get much of an impovement)
psu (if you are going to overclock the quad core then you will want a minimum of a good 500watt, without overclocking then 400 might be ok).