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New PC for $1000-1300

UnseenK

UnseenK

Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming first and foremost, and other obvious stuff like browsing the internet, watching videos, perhaps attempting to make music.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
Probably around $1000-1300, I just want it to be the perfect balance between last ability and performance.

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

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'm a fan of the best product, lol.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Nah I have a crappy Dell.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Don't hurt me.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Maybe, I don't know to be honest. I'm a complete noob.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
Whatever resolution is preferred around 20-23 inches.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
ASAP.

Thanks guys, I feel like I just filled out a job application for awesome. All I need is the computer itself and a monitor 20-23 inches. I need an OS to but I'm not including it in the price (no I'm not pirating). Also, 500 gigs is probably enough for me. I'm a first time builder so....yeah.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The build:
 
Here's a decent setup, your gfx are overpowered for your resolution providing a degree of futureproofing. Personally I'd get an Aftermarket cooler too and OC that 920 to at least 3.8ghz.

Core i7 920 and ASUS P6T SE mobo. $450
700w OCZ PSU. $60
Cooler Master case. $70
1tb Caviar Black $95
Samsung DVD Burner. $26
4gb Crucial RAM. $61
2x Gigabyte HD4870 512mb $220
22" Acer LCD Monitor $140

Total: $1122
Optional aftermarket CPU cooler: $44


or you can make it $180 cheaper by ditching the second video card, case and 1tb drive and going with this combo.
Rosewill Case, 500w psu, 640gb Caviar Black.$145

Or for an extra $80 you can now upgrade to a 24" 1920x1200 monitor and two GTX 260 Core 216 Video cards.
 
The psu's are cheap but they work fine, electrons only come in one flavor, I've been running a system on a "cheap" Rosewill psu for a year with zero problems drawing within 20% of its rated capacity, it's not like these parts have >20% failure rates and I see little point in paying more than necessary, of course if you want to pay more for peace of mind or whatever you're welcome to do so.

Edit: OK I looked deeper into the newegg reviews on that Sunwhatever model psu and some are scary, with the mail in rebate it's definitely worth it to drop an extra $20 on this 700w OCZ unit. My original post has been edited to reflect this.

I believe you will be able to run every game on the planet maxed out with that monitor and those gpus, save maybe Cryostasis.
 
here is the system im currently working on myself. its pretty kick ass

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

XFX HD-489A-ZDDC Radeon HD 4890 XXX Edition 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150368

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139005

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227381

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131386

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115202

Acer H233Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824009162

Total: $1,232.43

I didnt build you a PC all i did was show you what im working on. you can drop the price by using the combo deals and and add what else u need.
 
i cant stand either so i didnt buy either vista 32 or 64. i basicly just downloaded the windows 7 release and im gonna use it till it comes out. its so much better then vista and right now its free

if u do 6gigs of ram then u will need a 64bit version of any windows

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119137

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136284

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 12000 : 1) Built in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824236051

XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139005

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227381

1. Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
2. ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.216038

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151175

Total ($1,220.91)
 
Bad deputc26. OCZ/Rosewill PSU recommendations? 2x2gb ram DIMMs for a triple channel motherboard? xfire 4870 512? 22" 1680x1050 monitor when 21-24" 1080p monitors are like $30 more and you had room left in the budget? Defending your PSU choice because "electrons only come in one flavor"?



OP, here you go

Phenom II 945 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103675

Gigabyte 790x - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128378

G.Skill DDR3 (two kits) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231193

HIS 4890 1gb (two for xfire) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161276

Antec TP-750 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371022

Cooler Master RC-690 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119137

Samsung 1TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822152102

Samsung DVD burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151187

Asus 23.6" 1080p monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824236052


Total is $1245.91 using newegg current prices. Use promo code EMCLVNP33 to know $20 off the PSU. That makes $1225.91, and another $25 off in MIR. If you do some shopping around, you could knock that down a bit. For one, 4890's can fairly regularly be had for a bit less. Also, Pick up a Thermalright ultra extreme for the CPU, they're around $55



And get Vista 64bit
 
Alright, quick questions. Isn't a 4890 just an overclocked overpriced 4870? And they all come with 1gig, crossfire thats 2 gigs. That kind of seems like a lot of gigs for gaming in my resolution. I could save quite a lot of money and just get a 4870 512 mb and crossfire that. I'll have to see how they perform compared to 4870 & 4890. I can save $100 about if I take that route which is kind of a big deal. Just because I CAN spend more money, doesn't mean I should 😉.

I have to see benchmarks of these things to see how they perform, I'll see if I can find some, unless someone finds some for me...

Sorry its late and I may not be thinking straight.
 
To the OP....all you have to do is search Anandtech's graphics section....the cards are reviewed extensively there.

But, the 1GB 4870 cards perform vastly superior to the 512MB versions due to the extra RAM.

And while the 4890 is sometimes called just an overclocked 4870, there were some fundamental silicon tweaks done to the 4890 gpu, which is why the 4890 is routinely sold, in OC'd versions, with a core speed of 1GHz, a speed no 4870 ever reaches without some serious cooling solutions. The 4890 is just a faster, superior card to the 4870.

As for power supplies, if you like your components, don't cheap out after spending a huge amount of $$ on dual video cards, nice monitor, etc., and buy an OCZ power supply. Almost without exception, OCZ power supplies, as well as Rosewill ps's, are mediocre power supplies at best.....Chinese no-name capacitors, cannot handle heat well. Spend some $$ and buy a decent power supply....Corsair, Antec Earthwatts, Enermax, etc.

And while "electrons come in one flavor," whatever that means, a power supply is the heart and soul of your computer. Its quality directly influences every other part in your computer. A mediocre power supply will derate its output when subjected to heat (lose output rating), will have poorer ripple/noise rejection and will have poorer voltage regulation as compared to better quality units.

And look for a power supply that will run at 50-60% of rated capacity when your system is at full load....you can estimate your system's load capacity by doing some reading....Google is your friend. Why 50-60%? That's the sweet spot for power supplies and their output....power supplies are at their most efficient at 50-60% of rated capacity. And when you leave that headroom available in your ps, you leave room for transients that will heavily load the ps......transients that can actually damage components if the ps has to essentially overload to supply the transient load request. There are threads about just that here, just search.

Just don't cheap out on the power supply, no matter what some say. It's one of the most important, if not the most important, piece of your computer, and while a crappy, cheap power supply may work, it will certainly have a shorter life than a quality unit, not to mention possibly shortening the components attached to it and possibly cause system instability when trying to overclock.
 
Actually I couldn't find a review of of the 4890 in crossfire on anandtech, but I checked google and a site called techpowerup had one up, and it seemed worth it. I guess I just need to choose a PSU now.
 
Originally posted by: yh125d
Bad deputc26. OCZ/Rosewill PSU recommendations? 2x2gb ram DIMMs for a triple channel motherboard? xfire 4870 512? 22" 1680x1050 monitor when 21-24" 1080p monitors are like $30 more and you had room left in the budget? Defending your PSU choice because "electrons only come in one flavor"?
Click to expand...
I don't believe I have ever received such a condescending response to free help offered. 😕
OCZ/Rosewill PSU recommendations?
Click to expand...
After you install it, the only time you will be able to tell the difference between this and a pricier psu is when you look in your wallet.
2x2gb ram DIMMs for a triple channel motherboard
Click to expand...
The OP will not need more ram for the listed applications, if he wants to spend more for more, by all means, and upgrading will be easy should the need arise.
xfire 4870 512?
Click to expand...
For real? you're questioning this? $110 is an outstanding deal for a 4870 and a much better value than the 4890 at 1680x1050. Of course, the OP is welcome to spend 64% more money for 13% more clockspeed if he wants.The 512mb version is less than 4% away from the 1gb version at the given resolution so a 4890 will only be ~16% quicker.
1080p monitors are like $30 more and you had room left in the budget?
Click to expand...
My goal is to maximize value, your 7% bigger 17% higher res monitor comes at a 43% price premium, also I prefer the 16:10 aspect ratio as do many others for monitors.
Defending your PSU choice because "electrons only come in one flavor"
Click to expand...
If the required power is supplied to all components, the psu is doing its job. In the future I will try to avoid metaphors.

OP, the primary advantage of yh125's build is the larger screen. Because the screen is larger more money must be spent on the gfx cards to keep the same level of performance that the 22" would have with dual 4870's

the disadvantage of yh125's build (aside from a higher price) is a significantly slower CPU. The i7 920 can usually clock to higher frequencies than the 955 and is ~35% faster per clock in CPU bound tasks. Though it is currently overkill, the i7 920s 40% extra processing power (when both are max OCed) adds a significant degree of future proofing to your rig.

 
Computer crap confuses me so bad. Anyways, wouldn't a higher res monitor look a lot crisper? Or would I get the same effect by just turning AA up at 1680x1050. Basically, what looks better, 22 inch at 1680x1050, or 21.5/23 inch at 1920x1080? I know for tvs they say don't even bother with 1080p unless you're going above like 35 inches or something, I don't know if the same applies to monitors.

Also, 8 gigs of ram did seem overkill, I've never seen a gaming rig at my entry point with that much ram (usually 6 at the most), but I really don't know what I'm talking about much. If I get 6 gigs of ram over 4 would I be able to multitask better or not much of a noticable difference?

Sorry for the questions, but considering I don't know much about this subject, I can't assume either of you are right about everything. However, I do appreciate the help. Deput makes a great point about 4870 512mb in crossfire if I go 1680x1050 though.
 
Spend as much on a monitor as you can afford. Optimally, it should be your most expensive component just because it's something you actually interact with. A good monitor lasts for years anyway.
 
Originally posted by: UnseenK
I think Deputs build might be better, but I don't really know.

Should I get 32 or 64 bit Vista?
Click to expand...

Not even close. Deputs goes with 4gb ram in a triple channel memory set up. You can use 4gb but why in a mobo that can go triple channel. Im also wondering if the 4gb ram he has picked out are the pre i7 ram that doesnt work with i7 because the i7 have to have ram that are very low voltage. The link he has for ram is pulling up ocz ps. Also saying to go cheap with a power supply is wrong. Do you like system instability? Me neither. Dont cheap out on a power supply especially if you plan on overclocking your system as you will want good clean power going to everything.
 
Originally posted by: Beanie46
To the OP....all you have to do is search Anandtech's graphics section....the cards are reviewed extensively there.


And look for a power supply that will run at 50-60% of rated capacity when your system is at full load....you can estimate your system's load capacity by doing some reading....Google is your friend. Why 50-60%? That's the sweet spot for power supplies and their output....power supplies are at their most efficient at 50-60% of rated capacity. And when you leave that headroom available in your ps, you leave room for transients that will heavily load the ps......transients that can actually damage components if the ps has to essentially overload to supply the transient load request. There are threads about just that here, just search.












Why go for a power supply to run at 50-60%? They rate power supplies now and you can find many of them that are good to 80% easily. They rate them like bronze 80%, silver88%, gold 93%.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: UnseenK
Computer crap confuses me so bad. Anyways, wouldn't a higher res monitor look a lot crisper? Or would I get the same effect by just turning AA up at 1680x1050. Basically, what looks better, 22 inch at 1680x1050, or 21.5/23 inch at 1920x1080? I know for tvs they say don't even bother with 1080p unless you're going above like 35 inches or something, I don't know if the same applies to monitors.

Also, 8 gigs of ram did seem overkill, I've never seen a gaming rig at my entry point with that much ram (usually 6 at the most), but I really don't know what I'm talking about much. If I get 6 gigs of ram over 4 would I be able to multitask better or not much of a noticable difference?

Sorry for the questions, but considering I don't know much about this subject, I can't assume either of you are right about everything. However, I do appreciate the help. Deput makes a great point about 4870 512mb in crossfire if I go 1680x1050 though.
Click to expand...

The higher res monitors will look a little better but honestly it's difficult for the non enthusiast to tell, I'd go down to a local store and check out the monitors for yourself and see if you think it's worth it.

I personally disagree with Ichigo's advice, you can spend an unbelievable amount of money on a monitor that is indistuishable by a normal user from a $150 model. I got two 22" dell 1080p monitors for $150 each a while back and they look awesome. The 22" 1680x1050 monitor that I bought for my parents looks awesome as well though. Again this is just an opinion but it is backed up by the rather more authoritative opinion of the great Anand La Shimpi as his builds usually include the cheapest monitor at a given size/resolution. link.

I'm getting rather beat up on the power supply issue, but my advice just reflects personal experience. I've always gone with cheaper power supplies and I've never had a problem with system instability or any other weirdness... and I always overclock.
On the other hand though, the 4870s eat more power than I had originally thought, I thought they were 130w cards but they actually draw 190w at full load, with an OCed i7 that will come uncomfortably close to 700w for some. Personally, I'd do it. Most here it seems wouldn't.

A lot of the stuff being debated is really not super important. The 4gb on a triple channel proc is a non-issue as proven by this article. A lot of nitpicking goes on in these forums and I apologize for forcing you to sift through it.

Just to clarify, the other builds listed are generally good and will bring you a lot more value than anything you find in a store, though I believe my build gives you the most "futureproofness" for the least money.

Ultimately, to make the best decisions you're going to have to understand the issues yourself to a certain degree.

Best of luck with your system

_Nate
 
I currently have this in my rig and give all these the highest marks.
cpu: core i7 920 running at 3.5 ghz
mobo: intel DX58SO
ram: corsair dominator 3X2 6gb 1600mhz
heatsink: xigmatek dark knight
power supply: antec 850w trupower quattro
case: cooler master atcs 840
gpu: evga gtx 280
If you can score any of these you will not regret it.

Here are my suggestions for you. Im on a phone so you can forget links.
Case: cooler master HAF 932
cpu: core i7 920
mobo: intel DX58S0 not flashy but it does the job well
ram: 3x2gb ddr3 ram by a name brand manufacturer such as ocz, corsair, gskill, patriot, cheapest you can find. Speed not to important as in most reviews 1066mhz ran just as well as 1800mhz in 95% benchmarks and applications.
power supply: most wattage you can afford by a name like corsair, antec, ocz, coolermaster, pc power and cooling
heatsink: xigmatek dark knight good performance for $40. No zalman heatsinks they are just a name (all show no go)
gpu: cheapest 4870 you can find to hold you over till the next generation gpu's come out this fall.
 
Phenom 720BE / Asus 790GX AM3: $205 - $190AR

ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 120mm CPU Cooler: $42 - $22AR

G.Skill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600: $105

Corsair 750w PSU: $120 - $110AR

Western Digital 640GB hard drive: $75

SAMSUNG Black SATA DVD Burner: $27

Asus 23" HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor: $200 - $180AR

Antec Three Hundred Computer Case: $60 (probably $20 shipping)

Around $835 or $770 after rebates.


I'd run off the IGP until the DX11 dust settles down. The XFX HD4870 1Gb would make an excellent CrossFire for $300 but be patient!!

Download the Win 7 64-bit ISO and snag a key.

If you like the bling the new Blue Light version of the Antec 300 is $10 more, or there is always the Antec 900 for an additional $40.

The Phenom 720BE has an unlocked CPU multiplier. Bump the CPU voltage to 1.4v, up the CPU multiplier to 17 (and the NB to 12 🙂 ), and you are running 3.4GHz with the NB/IMC at 2400MHz. AMD has a utility called 'OverDrive' which makes it simple - before yah know it you'll be teaching us a thing or two.

Anand can provide a little taste for the 720BE and the HD4870 in CrossFire.

But wait and see on DX11 !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Originally posted by: deputc26
Originally posted by: yh125d
Bad deputc26. OCZ/Rosewill PSU recommendations? 2x2gb ram DIMMs for a triple channel motherboard? xfire 4870 512? 22" 1680x1050 monitor when 21-24" 1080p monitors are like $30 more and you had room left in the budget? Defending your PSU choice because "electrons only come in one flavor"?
Click to expand...
I don't believe I have ever received such a condescending response to free help offered. 😕

When you offer advice you'd best have good reason to back up your choices

OCZ/Rosewill PSU recommendations?
Click to expand...
After you install it, the only time you will be able to tell the difference between this and a pricier psu is when you look in your wallet.

And when cheap PSUs are poorly built, put out dirty power, are inefficient, and have a much lower real life MTBF. Saving that $25 by getting a cheap PSU is real worth it when You have components dying early deaths because it put out power with high ripple/transient spikes, or your motherboard gets fried by a power surge because the components protecting such things from happening crapped out

2x2gb ram DIMMs for a triple channel motherboard
Click to expand...
The OP will not need more ram for the listed applications, if he wants to spend more for more, by all means, and upgrading will be easy should the need arise.

Games these days can very well take over 4gb of ram, not to mention superfetch... Plus running ram out of triple channel isn't exactly ideal, and could cause problems if OP tried to add three DIMMs at a later time as an upgrade

xfire 4870 512?
Click to expand...
For real? you're questioning this? $110 is an outstanding deal for a 4870 and a much better value than the 4890 at 1680x1050. Of course, the OP is welcome to spend 64% more money for 13% more clockspeed if he wants.The 512mb version is less than 4% away from the 1gb version at the given resolution so a 4890 will only be ~16% quicker.

Every day games take more and more VRAM. I think GTA4 can even break 1.5gb at max details, theres many popular games breaking 1gb at 19x10, and every game in the last three years can break 512mb with AA going. I see no sense in getting two 4870 GPUs that will be powerful enough to play games maxed out with AA if they're going to be choked by the frame buffer at those high settings

1080p monitors are like $30 more and you had room left in the budget?
Click to expand...
My goal is to maximize value, your 7% bigger 17% higher res monitor comes at a 43% price premium, also I prefer the 16:10 aspect ratio as do many others for monitors.

Considering the monitor you recommended is $160 + ~$10 shipping, and the one I recommended is $190, doesn't take much to decide to go for the one that has the res that's quickly becoming the norm, rather than the one being phased out. Even if you don't count on the rebate, its only a ~18% premium

Defending your PSU choice because "electrons only come in one flavor"
Click to expand...
If the required power is supplied to all components, the psu is doing its job. In the future I will try to avoid metaphors.

So wrong it's not even funny.

OP, the primary advantage of yh125's build is the larger screen. (And a PSU that's been proven instead of cringed at by PSU knowledgeables, and double the RAM,and drastically faster graphics with 4890xfire vs 4870 512 xfire, while still being underbudget) Because the screen is larger more money must be spent on the gfx cards to keep the same level of performance that the 22" would have with dual 4870's (4890xfire at 1080p will perform a lot better than 4870 512 xfire at 1680x1050)

the disadvantage of yh125's build (aside from a higher price) is a significantly slower CPU. The i7 920 can usually clock to higher frequencies than the 955 and is ~35% faster per clock in CPU bound tasks. Though it is currently overkill, the i7 920s 40% extra processing power (when both are max OCed) adds a significant degree of future proofing to your rig.
Click to expand...

 
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