Mid-Range Gaming Build

[1ceHacka]

I am looking to go with the following build for a gaming rig. I don't play Crisis or any other high end graphics games. I will be playing SC2 and Diablo 3 upon their release, however. I will be doing only mild OCing (probably no voltage play until a new HS/fan is added to the CPU). My budget is to stay under $800. I am also using a 22" Widescreen Monitor at 1680 x 1050 res. Note: I would be getting 2 sets of the RAM.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail
-and-
BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Bundle Link - $255.99 ($10 MIR)

(2)G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Link - $39.99

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Link - $69.99 ($20 MIR)

EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Link - $190.99 ($20 MIR)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Link - $74.99

NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Link - $69.99 ($20 MIR)

LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS122-04 - OEM
Link - $23.99

That's the build. It comes out to around $772.91 before shipping and rebates. Let me know what you all think.

 

[Howard]

Video card, but you're probably overkill for D3.

 

[1ceHacka]

The video card would really be the bottleneck? I guess that makes sense, but I figured the cheap RAM maybe.

 

[MykC]

RAM is really only a bottleneck when you don't have enough. If you want to spend more on RAM look here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231209 G.Skill PI Black DDR2 800 $45

Thats as good as it gets really without spending a lot of money on a little performance increase.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Yeah, that's a really well-balanced system. Technically the vid card is the bottleneck but all that really means is you have room to upgrade in the future without having to replace your whole system.

 

[1ceHacka]

Awesome. Thanks everyone for commenting. This just convinced me to stick with this list. I was pricing an i7 system as well, but it was going to be around 300-400 more, which is money I can save for later when I video card prices drop some more.

 

[1ceHacka]

I just found that getting the Intel i7 920, Gigabyte X58 UD3R, G.Skill 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1333 will only increase my cost by $130 from the AMD system.

Is it worth the extra $$ to step up to the i7 ???

Edit: I also swapped out the PSU for the Corsair 650W

 

[Howard]

Not if the most strenuous thing you're going to be doing is play D3. Also, that system won't use any more than about 450W at full blast. Don't worry about looking for a lower-rated PSU, though.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: 1ceHacka
I just found that getting the Intel i7 920, Gigabyte X58 UD3R, G.Skill 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1333 will only increase my cost by $130 from the AMD system.

Is it worth the extra $$ to step up to the i7 ???

Edit: I also swapped out the PSU for the Corsair 650W

absoF*lotely

 

[Si7entSam]

i would recommend ram that is the same MHz as the MoBo specifies. also there are some better price performance cards such as the 512mb 4870 from ATi which is actually less than the 260 you currently have. also ATi just released driver updates which had a hge (20-30%) increase in performance.

Thats my .02$

 

[DSF]

RAM will run whatever speed it needs to, and if it doesn't, it's not hard to set. Matching RAM exactly just isn't necessary. (Not to mention that Newegg typically reports the fastest RAM a motherboard is specified to accept, not the "standard" speed.)

 

[sao123]

if you going to get the GF260 get the core 216 instead of the superclocked...
it performs much better.



also have you considered an E8400 or Q9550 with an Asus P5Q Series
(the SE is dirt cheap, and still fully featured)

 

[1ceHacka]

I have changed things up based upon feedback here. The following is the current setup that I will be purchasing as soon as I get up the nerve to drop the $1,100 in one click

CASE: NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

RAM: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

MOBO: MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

CPU COOLER: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

This really isn't a mid-range setup anymore, but it seems that this system will survive the longest in terms of not needing to be fully upgraded. I am hoping I will be blown away in terms of the system above vs. my current machine in my sig.

EDIT: BTW, I have been using the machine in my sig for a long time. I don't upgrade much throughout the years (RAM and Video card maybe), so a system that will stand up to time is good for me.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: 1ceHacka
I have changed things up based upon feedback here. The following is the current setup that I will be purchasing as soon as I get up the nerve to drop the $1,100 in one click

CASE: NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

RAM: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

MOBO: MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

CPU COOLER: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

This really isn't a mid-range setup anymore, but it seems that this system will survive the longest in terms of not needing to be fully upgraded. I am hoping I will be blown away in terms of the system above vs. my current machine in my sig.

EDIT: BTW, I have been using the machine in my sig for a long time. I don't upgrade much throughout the years (RAM and Video card maybe), so a system that will stand up to time is good for me.

There is no point hoping to last the longest. Back in 2005(I think), I bought an X2 4200 for 400 bucks. Its not doing so hot 3 years later is it? I would suggest getting a Phenom 720 with a 4870(512mb) to save yourself some cash. In 2 years, just upgrade to the next price/performance sweet spot with your saved cash.

 

[1ceHacka]

EDIT: Answered my own question.