Need advice for new gaming rig

[Waylay00]

OK, well time has come for me to build a new computer...

My current system still runs strong, but since it's almost four years old, it's definitely showing its age. Anyways, I have $1200 (max $1300, if need be) for a new system. Also, I have to go quad-core, as some of the games that I plan on playing take huge advantage of quad core (ArmA 2, for example). Furthermore, I don't have an OS either, so that has to be included.

Here are my answers to the obligatory questions:

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

Gaming (primarily ArmA 2, Empire: Total War, any cool new games), as well as light recording.

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

$1200 (+/- $100)

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

USA (NO Newegg though, as TN is charged 10% sales tax, which ultimately ends up adding $100 or more)

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, etc, etc, you get the picture.

I've had great experiences with nVidia and Western Digital, so I'd prefer to stick with them. Also, my past builds have been with ASUS mobos. I feel "safe" with them, but I'm not opposed to branching out.

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

I intend on using my keyboard, mouse, sound system, monitor (22" Samsung 225BW), and my 640GB WD drive for storage (I will still need a boot drive).

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

Stock speeds 99% of the time...

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Early June


Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Lunyone]

Well there are 2 ways you can build this, IMHO. You can go Phenom II x4 or you can go i7. I personally would go Phenom II x4, so you can get a bit more GPU out of the system for similar $. But it's up to you to decide. Most i7 CPU/mobo combo's will cost you about $500 +/- some. Most PhII x4 setups will be about $400 +/- some. This ~$100 difference can allow you more $ towards a better GPU/PSU or whatever you might want upgraded.

i7 build:
$280 i7 920
~$200 Gigabyte mobo (some are now dropping down to $160 after MIR's, so there are options)
~$80-120 DDR3 (6gb's) 1333 mHz should do you just fine!


AMD build:
$245 PhII x4 955 Black Edition
~$100-$150 various 790gx or 790x based mobo's. I still like DDR2 based mobo's, although DDR3 is becoming more of a staple.
~$45-60 for 4gb's of DDR2 800mHz CAS4 should do just fine or go with a DDR3 based mobo and spend a bit more.

add these below to either build to get a final price:
~$100 Cooler Master 690 case! Has plenty of room and is affordable!!
~$80-100 after MIR's for Corsair 650tx (good for single GPU) or Corsair 750tx or PCP&C 750w PSU's (both good for SLI/X-fire setups).
~$150 for 2x WD AAKS 640 gb HD in RAID 0, if you want faster boot times, otherwise a single one will do or get 1 TB HD for storage and use your current 640gb HD for booting!
~$30 for DVD Burner or ~$100 for Blue Ray ROM drive or ~$200 for BR Burner
~$325 for nVidia GTX 285 or $250 for AMD 4890, if you want other options

Total
Intel Build: ~$1205 w/i7 920, $160 mobo, $80 DDR3, 2x 640 gb RAID 0 HD's, DVD Burner, & GTX 285

AMD Build: ~$1085 w/x4 955 BE, $100 mobo, $45 DDR2, 2x 640gb RAID 0 HD's, DVD Burner, & GTX 285.

Obviously you can configure how you like, but like I said you can get a bit more GPU if you go with the AMD build.

Oooops, forgot the OS, so some tweaking to the Intel build would need to be done to fit the budget.

$100 for Vista Home Premium 64bit

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

You can also knock off 50$ on the 4890 as I have seen them floating around for 200$

 

[Waylay00]

Thanks, guys. Also, I forgot to mention that I'm probably not gonna do SLI. I thought I would with this last build, and I never did.

Some people have recommended that I grab the Windows 7 Release Candidate and use it until its official release in October. How is the driver/app support for Windows 7?

 

[Waylay00]

Bump

 

[deputc26]

Hey man lunymore gave you great advice, The PhII and i7 builds he gave you are also the 2 options I see as the best. Also in agreement with Lunymore I think you will get most out of PhII cause the extra dough saved could allow you to boot off an SSD (Check the 60gb vertex) which would have a bigger performance boost than going to i7 or you could ditch the SSD and just save money.

I have used windows 7 32bit and 64bit as my primary OS for 7 months now (first 32bit build 7000 then 64bit RC1) and have been impressed by both but honestly I'd stick with 32bit for gaming, and I seriously wouldn't hesitate to use it as it is very stable (and cool).