Mid Range Gaming Build

[JaggedEj]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Everyday tasks like email and web. Mid Range Gaming like RTS, and RPGs. Don't play Super High End FPS, but Bioshock 2 type games sometimes

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
Would prefer to spend < $1000

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

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.
I've been buying AMD, but I'm open.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Hyundai Imagequest L90D+ LCD Monitor(Native Resolution 1240x1024)

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I'm been looking at a variety of threads for other people's builds, but I wonder how my monitor choice and forced resolution might affect the choices

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I'm not AGAINST overclocking, but the computer room can get into the 90 degree F range, so I worry about system damage.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1240x1024 for now, possible monitor upgrade if I start feeling antsy

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
NOW

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.
No worries here.


I'm not desperate to spend all $1000, but I'd like a system to hold me for a number of years.

I'm thinking of

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX $200
Or
Intel I5 750

AMD Motherboard
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard $100
OR
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $100

Or Intel

Video Card - Not sure

How much RAM?
4 GB or 8 GB?

Mouse
Keyboard
HD
PowerSupply
Case - Needs reasonable air circulation

CD/DVD Burner
Sound Card - I have an OLD one, might I"m sure not it will work with the motherboard slots
HeatSink/Fan


Thanks alot

 

[JaggedEj]

Phenom II X4 955 - $160
Is the 965 worth $20 more?
Is the I5 -750 a better CPU for what I'm using it for?
Is either CPU/MOBO combo going to be upgradeable in 2 years?

Gigabyte - GA-870A-UD3 - $110

Corsair or G.Skill RAM - 4GB $100

5770 - $170
5850 - $300
What about the 460 GTX 1 GB? Out of Stock in a lot of places

Samsung F3 1TB - $75

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - $25

Corsair 550VX - $80

Antec 300 - $60

Will need a new mouse

Total - $800-$900

Am I missing anything?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

4GB is fine.
for $170, i'd get the gtx460 768MB.
i'd also spring for a 64gb SSD for around $100AR for the boot drive (or $130 for a SF controller one).
trust me on these.

 

[mfenn]

Phenom II X4 955 - $160
Is the 965 worth $20 more?
Is the I5 -750 a better CPU for what I'm using it for?
Is either CPU/MOBO combo going to be upgradeable in 2 years?

Gigabyte - GA-870A-UD3 - $110

Corsair or G.Skill RAM - 4GB $100

5770 - $170
5850 - $300
What about the 460 GTX 1 GB? Out of Stock in a lot of places

Samsung F3 1TB - $75

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - $25

Corsair 550VX - $80

Antec 300 - $60

Will need a new mouse

Total - $800-$900

Am I missing anything?

That looks pretty good. You should be able to upgrade to Bulldozer when it comes out if you are so inclined.

I would go with GTX 460 1GB like this one.

The MX 518 is always a solid mouse. I have a G500 that I got 1/2 off at Best Buy that is very nice as well.

 

[darkewaffle]

Until he upgrades his monitor, those GPU and CPU selections are serious overkill. At least as far as gaming goes.

If you're in the market, I got a refurb NEC 20WMGX2 from NEC's online store and I'm loving it for only about $170. Fantastic monitor, and mine looks excellent. It did come with two dead pixels, but I never see them unless I'm hunting for them.

Otherwise most of the choices here look good. They'll definitely do what you want. If you're heavy into RTS you may want to consider a hexacore, but I don't think it'll be an issue.

 

[JaggedEj]

I've never loved the contrast ratio and dynamic range of the monitor, so I Might be willing to upgrade to a new monitor in the future and wouldn't mind spending a little more on a graphics card if it was still a good value.

I probably need a HSF as well. As I mentioned before, the computer room is upstairs and doesn't have very good circulation. I don't need a monster, but I think stock won't cut it

 

[JaggedEj]

What is the general feeling on SSD drives?

I"m thinking it's going to be unecessary for what I need and I can save the money for a future upgrade.

 

[mfenn]

What is the general feeling on SSD drives?

I"m thinking it's going to be unecessary for what I need and I can save the money for a future upgrade.

Think of SSDs as a luxury item. Not strictly necessary, but once you have one, you'd hate to have to do without.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

What is the general feeling on SSD drives?

I"m thinking it's going to be unecessary for what I need and I can save the money for a future upgrade.

any fan of jagged edge knows that once you go SSD, you don't go back. just do it and don't look back.

 

[JaggedEj]

Yea, but is that money best spent on a 23 inch 1920 res LCD monitor instead?

 

[mfenn]

Yea, but is that money best spent on a 23 inch 1920 res LCD monitor instead?

Given that your current monitor is so old, I would go with the new monitor over the SSD.

 

[JaggedEj]

Final Check

I live in CA, so I went with Amazon to avoid Tax

Xigmatek PTI-G3606 Thermal Compound - Micro Technology Concepts
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus 775/1156/1366/AMD/AM2/AM3 Universal Direct Contact Heat-Pipe 120mm Fan CPU Cooler - Cooler Master USA, Inc.
Logitech MX 518 High Performance Optical Gaming Mouse (Metal) - Logitech
Corsair XMS3 4 GB PC3-12800 1600Mhz Dual Channel Core i3 i5 i7 DDR3 Memory Kit CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Corsair
Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case External 3 X 5.25; Internal 6 X 3.5 2*Usb2.0 - Antec
Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti SATA 22X Lightscribe (Black) - Samsung
Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550-Watt VX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5 - CORSAIR VALUE SELECT
Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.5 inch Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive HD103SJ - Samsung
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2 GHz 4x512 KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail HDZ955WFGBMBOX - AMD
Gigabyte Socket AM3/AMD 870/SATA3&USB3.0/A&GbE/ATX Motherboard GA-870A-UD3 - Gigabyte

Amazon doesn't seem to have any GTX460 1GB...

NewEgg
SPARKLE SXX4601024D5SNM GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Just over $900
Possible Monitor upgrade sometime in the future.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[darkewaffle]

Nit picking, but I have no idea how good that TIM is. I'd be inclined to say just go with an old reliable like arctic silver for peace of mind's sake.

Everything else looks good, though I have no experience with Sparkle as far as warranty or tech support is concerned. Might be worth double checking.

Don't forget an OS too.

 

[JaggedEj]

I'm having trouble finding a gtx 460 1 GB, so I'd be happy if someone pointed me to a site with a brand with a great warranty and tech support.

 

[mfenn]

I think Sparkle is just fine. I wouldn't bother with the extra TIM though. The stuff that is pre-applied to the bottom of the cooler will work fine.