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Mid-range gaming pc (~$1000)

Leros

Leros

Lifer
What YOUR PC will be used for.
This is for my 12 year old sister. She currently plays Guild Wars, Sims 2. But she is limited by her older pc and wants to play newer games. Her monitor is 1280x1024.

What YOUR budget is.
~$1000

What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA

IF YOU have a brand preference.
none

If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. I have nothing for the computer itself.

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

WHEN do you plan to build it?
now



I've been out of the loop for a while, so I could use some help. I've been looking at some threads. I looked at the recommended builds sticky and came up with this. I'm sure it could use some refinement.

[*]CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz - $189.99
[*]Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L - $89.99
[*]RAM: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 - $86.50 ($-20 rebate)
[*]GPU: Asus Radeon HD 4850 512MB - $199.99 (-$30 rebate)
[*]PSU: Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W - $89.99 (-$10 rebate)
[*]Optical: Samsung DVD Burner SATA - $28.99
[*]HDD: Western Digital Caviar 500GB 7200RPM 16MB - $79.99
[*]Case: Thermaltake Tsunami - $104.99 (-$15 rebate)
[*]OS: Vista Home Premium 32-bit - $99.99
[*]Wireless: Edimax EW-7128G wireless card - $22.99

Total: $993.41 ($1028.73 w/shipping)
-$75 in rebates

Is there anywhere I could lower the cost?

I would like to replace the case with something "prettier". She wants a window, lights, etc. So if I can fit that in without ruining the budget, I will be doing that.



Updates:

Changed Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W ($169.99) to Corsair CMPSU-550VX 550W ($89.99)
Changed EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB PCI-E ($160) to Asus Radeon HD 4850 512MB($199.99)
Removed Artic Cooling Freezer 7 ($31.99)
Changed Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP Black to Thermaltake Tsunami

Order at Newegg has been placed. Along with some cold cathodes and SATA cables from Jab-Tech.
 
650W might be a bit overkill for that system. I have the Corsair 550W version I got from Buy.com for around 80 bucks. Also, if you're not overclocking, there's nothing wrong with using the stock Intel cooler.
 
Hah... you and I have very similar builds! Here is the link to my post. Hopefully we can both get more advice on what's what. I'm still undecided on the case, motherboard, and gpu.
 
I read bad things about the Gigabyte P35 boards in the Motherboards forum, like the DPC latency issue that is supposed to be fixed in P45.

I just ordered the new Gigabyte P43 chipset board for ~$100, but don't have it yet so I can't fully recommend it.

Graphics: you could spend another $15 after rebate and get an ATI 4850 instead, it's better than the 9800GTX. The GT is fine for 1280, but the extra power could give the card another year or two of useful life (or if she gets a new 16x10 monitor).

You can get a Seasonic S12 650watt PSU for $110 at newegg if you buy today or tomorrow.

The stock cooler should be fine for the E8400 at stock even though the freezer 7 would be a little more quiet.
 
Huh, the 750tx is cheaper WITHOUT rebates then the 650tx ? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...E16817139006&Tpk=750tx

Anyways, grab that 550vx from Corsair, all the power you need. As for the problems with the DS3l, there might be some, but dozens of ppl used it in their builds on this forum. Besides, theres a bios fix for that particular issue.

If not overclocking, you don't rly need a aftermarket cooler. But if you intend on spending $32, go the extra $4, and buy this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233003 It demolishes the AC7 pro in terms of cooling, and will be equally quiet if not quieter when not pushed to the max under a high overclock.

Drop the 8800gt for a HD4850, and you're done 🙂
 
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