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Help w/ 700-800 gaming build appreciated

T

Tadhg

Junior Member
Hi all. My PC of 7-8 years finally died; it's replacement time. At first I was looking at budget gaming laptops as a desktop replacement/school laptop, but I'm not sure how feasible those are. Now I'm researching desktops, eploring the idea that I may be better off building a gaming pc now, and buying a cheaper laptop better suited for going back to school later.

Since I haven't looked at PCs since before PCI Express was released, I'm a bit overwhelmed, especially with motherboard features. I'm not sure what to skip over or what's worth paying extra for. USB 3.0? SATA 6.0? AMD vs Intel? I saw the new builders thread on page 4, but I still feel uncertain of how much of a practical difference there are between CPUs and chipsets. Similar to its predecessor, I expect that I'll be using this computer until it dies for good. I'll really appreciate your input.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming, viewing video, Office Suite and internet browsing.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

700-800; 850 if the performance upgrade is really justified. What kind of gaming performance should I expect from this budget?

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

U.S.A, and I do live near a Microcenter

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

None.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I have an ATX case I can reuse, as well as monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. I have a copy of Windows XP Home, and I'm pretty sure I can get my hands on a license of 7 as well.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

I've spent several hours looking at threads and also newegg, but I'm stuck in a rut in my own head.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I'd be open to overclocking if it's not too risky, and if I can find guides to doing so.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

I'm using a 17 inch CRT currently, but I'd like to upgrade to a 1920 x 1080 LCD in the near future.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

A week or two would be great, but I could hold out for a month or so if the price drops will be significant.
 
Phenom II X4 955 $140
Asus M4A77TD $65 AR
G.Skill DDR3 1333 4GB $67
GTX 460 1GB $200 AR
Samsung F3 1TB $60
LG DVD burner $17
Corsair 500CX $50 AR
Total w/o case and OS: $599 (accidentally got a marketing number!)

Here's a pretty good 1080P ASUS for $180 AR. That puts your total cost with monitor under $800!

What kind of case do you currently have? If it's decent, then I see no reason to get rid of it, but a crappy case is probably not up to the cooling demands of modern hardware. As for the OS, you should be able to get a copy of Windows 7 from your school for cheap.
 
The PC-60 is a solid design; it should be fine. 80's will be a bit louder than the 120's found in a newer case, but the CFM should be sufficient.
 
Hi again. I'm ordering parts this week (had some delays) and I had a few questions

Can you suggest a wireless solution? My building sends out a wireless signal. If I buy a wireless card for my computer, can I then use my motherboard's ethernet to provide wired internet for my XBox360?

Would you still suggest the GTX 460, or is the new 6850 a better deal?

Additionally, I was wrong about being able to get my hands on a license of Windows 7. I have a license for XP. Is there a way to upgrade from that that's cheaper than the $100 OEM copy of 7?

Microcenter is offering a combination of the Phenom ii x4 965 for $170 with an MSI 785G-E53http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?sku=897520. Is this a solid board? They're offering a similar combo with a Biostar A7885G3, though I'd prefer the expandability of the MSI.
 
Tad you can not use your mobo ethernet port to provide a connection to your xbox. The ethernet port is for an in signal. You options are to buy a wireless adapter for the xbox, or if you can set up a router as a repeater for your building's wireless, you can easily find a router with a few ethernet ports. I am a fan of the netgear as it is very simple to set up and use, but any brand router will probably have the features you would need. Some people are uncomfortable with repeaters for security reasons, so just keep that in mind.

Don't know crap about graphics cards. 🙂

I have been reading a lot of complaints about MSI boards recently on various sites. I had an MSI board that was very good while it lasted, but died after 4 years. They are nicely laid out and pretty fast, but quality control seems to be an issue. read the post about "micro crap international" somewhere on this site. The more boards I look at now, the more I like the way Gigabytes are set up and laid out, with ASUS a close second.

I am by no means as expert as the others on this forum, but hope this helps.
 
You can run XP.

You can get this:
ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157195
AMD Phenom II X4 955 + Mushkin Enhanced Blackline
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.514568
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB + OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.514468
LG Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136168
SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102909
Acer G235HAbd 23'' 5ms 1920x1080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009266

$796.92
 
Tadhg said:
Hi again. I'm ordering parts this week (had some delays) and I had a few questions

Can you suggest a wireless solution? My building sends out a wireless signal. If I buy a wireless card for my computer, can I then use my motherboard's ethernet to provide wired internet for my XBox360?

Would you still suggest the GTX 460, or is the new 6850 a better deal?

Additionally, I was wrong about being able to get my hands on a license of Windows 7. I have a license for XP. Is there a way to upgrade from that that's cheaper than the $100 OEM copy of 7?

Microcenter is offering a combination of the Phenom ii x4 965 for $170 with an MSI 785G-E53. Is this a solid board? They're offering a similar combo with a Biostar A7885G3, though I'd prefer the expandability of the MSI.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can do what you suggest with the Ethernet port. You should look up the Windows feature called Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

There are a few GTX 460 1GB cards available for $170 AR, so those are a better deal.

$100 OEM is probably your best bet.

The Microcenter deal is a good one. The MSI board is fine (though a bit basic). Some people have had bad luck with MSI, but they've always been good for me (still have an one of their boards based on the original ATI NB kicking around in a secondary box).
 
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