Would you tweak this $1400 system any?

[balane]

I have $1400 total to spend a machine. I need a monitor with it. Already have keyboard and mouse. I want to play games on it, Oblivion, SW Galaxies, Splinter Cell series, Half Life series, etc. What do you think?


AMD-compatible Motherboards


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 PC CHIPS A33G V1.0 Socket AM2 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:A33G V1.0
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$46.99 $46.99


ATX Computer Cases


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:CAC-T05-WW
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
Add this item to your cart
$49.99 $49.99


Card Readers


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail
Model #:INT-AIN1-C
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$7.99 $7.99


CD / DVD Burners (RW Drives)


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 LG 18X DVD?R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model GSAH22N-BK - OEM
Model #:GSAH22N-BK
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$29.99 $29.99


Desktop Memory


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Model #:F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$229.99 -$20.00 Instant
$209.99


Internal Hard Drives


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD740ADFD
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$159.99 $159.99


LCD Monitors


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 ViewSonic Q19WB-2 Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Model #:Q19WB-2
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
Add this item to your cart
$209.99 -$20.00 Instant
$189.99


Power Supplies


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #:RP550-2
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart
$64.99 -$10.00 Instant
$54.99


Video Cards


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 HIS Hightech H195XTQT256DVN-R Radeon X1950XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 IceQ3 Turbo HDCP VIVO Video Card - Retail
Model #:H195XTQT256DVN-R
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
Add this item to your cart
$309.99 $309.99


Combo


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5200CSBOX - Retail
Model #:ADA5200CSBOX
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
Add this combo to your cart
$332.00 -$45.00 Combo
$287.00
UBISOFT Gift - PC Game Soft Rainbow Six:Vegas - OEM
Model #:Rainbow Six:VegasOEM
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

SubTotal: $1,346.91

Shipping $45

 

[thesob40]

i would suggest going with a better motherboard....PC Chips is kinda "eh"... i would recommend an asus or dfi mobo

 

[balane]

Thanks. Keeping the grand total under $1400 what would you suggest? Should I go for a slower CPU in order to upgrade the motherboard?

New stuff only, paying with a gift credit card that has a $1400 balance available.

 

[Gautama2]

Yea, definetly not PC chips. Also, get a reputable brand psu. Seasonic, Enhance, Enermax, FSP (not their AX models).

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: balane

1 PC CHIPS A33G V1.0 Socket AM2 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:A33G V1.0

No!

You will have to save money elsewhere to get nforce, so...

1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel

Will you be overclocking? If not you should just get the cheapest memory that runs the speed you want.

1 Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive -

Improving the motherboard should have an effect on gaming performance, whereas the Raptor will not. It will improve load times by some fraction of a second, but not actual game performance.

There are some nice fast 7200 drives which will cost you less and give you more storage space.

1 Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W Power Supply - Retail

Don't know much about Rosewill, do they make a good PSU? Anyone?

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model

Dual core is nice, but for the ultimate pure gaming machine you want only a fast single core. I would give up the Raptor well before I'd give up dual core though, as I do not game that much. Depends on your personal preference.

Also, isn't that quite a high end X2? Have you considered going for a more basic model and overclocking? Or not even bothering overclocking as you will be graphics card limited in games?

Have you considered Core 2 Duo?

 

[thesob40]

i would say keep the cpu...the 5200 is cheaper than the 5000 as of now....(just bought the 5000 after the price dropped..so pissed) but anyways...i would recommend a antec powersupply also...they are very decent....
psu - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103935
as for the mobo...im not sure because all the cheaper asus am2 mobos are mirco atx...and dfi's are kinda pricey

 

[balane]

Rosewill was the highest user rated PSU at New Egg in my price/performance point. I budgeted $60 for PSU, this one had ~150 reviews and they were all nearly perfect. That's the only reason I selected it. I have never heard of them. I can get a 400 watt Enermax for the same price. Should I go that route instead?

OK, drop the Raptor down to a 7200 rpm drive to save some money for an nForce motherboard.

Drop the X2 processor down to a single core also, to save money.

Got it. Thanks.

 

[balane]

Originally posted by: Atheus
Also, isn't that quite a high end X2? Have you considered going for a more basic model and overclocking? Or not even bothering overclocking as you will be graphics card limited in games?

Have you considered Core 2 Duo?

Sure, I would go Intel if it's price/performance ratio is as good as the AMD. I just don't know anything about them.

Is the ATI card a good choice? For the same money I can get a 7950. I was torn between the two video cards. I have $350 budgeted for the video card in the $1400.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: balane
Drop the X2 processor down to a single core also, to save money.

Only if it's a pure gaming machine.

Sure, I would go Intel if it's price/performance ratio is as good as the AMD. I just don't know anything about them.

Core 2 is the fastest processor available by a reasonable margin. Not cheap, but price/performance is probably comparable.

Is the ATI card a good choice?

Yea it's great. Only thing better is 8800 series AFAIK.

 

[thecrecarc]

Originally posted by: balane

Originally posted by: Atheus
Also, isn't that quite a high end X2? Have you considered going for a more basic model and overclocking? Or not even bothering overclocking as you will be graphics card limited in games?

Have you considered Core 2 Duo?

Sure, I would go Intel if it's price/performance ratio is as good as the AMD. I just don't know anything about them.

Is the ATI card a good choice? For the same money I can get a 7950. I was torn between the two video cards. I have $350 budgeted for the video card in the $1400.

right now a core2duo is MUCH better than the AMDX2 and much cheaper. and they overlcock like mad too. GET IT! http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802

 

[balane]

what about

AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 San Diego 2.6GHz Socket 939 $130
BIOSTAR NF4ST-A9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $50

What Core2Duo CPU motherboard combo is good to get in my price range?

 

[bob4432]

swap out for a giabyte 965-s3 m/b, c2d e6300 and a fsp psu in the 450W category. all else looks good.

 

[secretanchitman]

intel core 2 duo E6300/E6400
some asus, gigabyte, abit mobo
2GB of DDR2-667 ram
7900GT/7950GT or an ati equivalent (X1900XT or whatever)
drop the raptor for the $100 seagate 7200.10 320GB sata

that FX-55 and biostar mobo combo looks nice too...

also will you be overclocking?

 

[balane]

No overclocking as of now. Maybe though, but I'm not buying with that intention.

I will look into the core 2 duo. For the money it will be faster than the FX55? That is a pretty cheap set up which is nice.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: balane
No overclocking as of now. Maybe though, but I'm not buying with that intention.

I will look into the core 2 duo. For the money it will be faster than the FX55? That is a pretty cheap set up which is nice.

the fx stuff is 939 which means ddr ram, not ddr2. the 6300 is ~$180 and the gigabyte board is ~$130 so although a bit more expensive it has more upgrade room in the future. for all of us that have ddr ram we are sol when it comes to an upgrade path as now we need m/b, cpu and ram. the gigabyte board also supports quad core intels so you have a lof of upgrading room

 

[balane]

OK, here's what I have.

scepter 20.1" wide screen $200
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor $180
GIGABYTE GA-965G-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard $135
WINTEC AMPO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop 2GB Total $200
HIS Hightech H195XTQT256DVN-R Radeon X1950XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $310
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-400 ATX12V 400W Power Supply $55
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $95
LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE $31
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $50
SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader $8
Sub. $1254
S&H $45
Total $1300

 

[tomt4535]

that one there looks good to me. maybe throw in an e6400 for some more stock speed if you arent overclocking.

 

[bamacre]

An Antec 400w aint gonna cut it.


Coolermaster CAV-T03-UK Cavalier 3 Aluminum Mid Tower Case (Black) Retail
$70.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=141774

Enermax Liberty ELT500AWT 500W Power Supply
$105.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-E500AWT&c=pw

Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 P965
$130.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=322345

Intel® Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe Processor 2.4GHz
$309.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80860

Patriot Signature Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667
$208.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220064

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM
$60.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101208-11

NEC Black 18X DVD+RW
$35.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152076

Sapphire Radeon X1950 XT 256MB PCI-Express Video Card
$272.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=326856

Samsung 941BW SyncMaster 19in Widescreen Analog/Digital LCD Monitor
$230.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=232498

MCR
$13.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820609198

Total Price Shipped: $1,432.00

There are enough MIR's in there to get you way under $1400.

 

[AznSensation]

Motherboard: ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($128.99)

Video Card: eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail ($429.99 *$20 MIR*)

Power Supply: ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail ($79.99)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail ($181)

Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK - Retail ($224.99)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM ($94.99)

DVD Burner: SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM ($32.99)

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($49.99 *$15 MIR)

Monitor: SAMSUNG 941BW Black 19" 4 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail ($219.99 *$40 MIR)


TOTAL: $1442.92 BUT there's $75 MIR.
So it comes out to be $1367.92+ shipping. so it'll come out to be around $1400.

Best bang for your buck. Here's what you get:

Core2Duo processor
Awesome P965 motherboard
Awesome 2 gigs of 4-4-4-12 2.0v DDR 800 RAM
400w Enermax modular powersupply
8800 GTS Video card
Awesome 19" widescreen monitor
18x DVD burner with lightscribe
320gig fast hdd
case you want

 

[AznSensation]

I win?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: AznSensation
Motherboard: ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($128.99)

Video Card: eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail ($429.99 *$20 MIR*)

Power Supply: ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail ($79.99)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail ($181)

Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK - Retail ($224.99)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM ($94.99)

DVD Burner: SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM ($32.99)

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($49.99 *$15 MIR)

Monitor: SAMSUNG 941BW Black 19" 4 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail ($219.99 *$40 MIR)


TOTAL: $1442.92 BUT there's $75 MIR.
So it comes out to be $1367.92+ shipping. so it'll come out to be around $1400.

Best bang for your buck. Here's what you get:

Core2Duo processor
Awesome P965 motherboard
Awesome 2 gigs of 4-4-4-12 2.0v DDR 800 RAM
400w Enermax modular powersupply
8800 GTS Video card
Awesome 19" widescreen monitor
18x DVD burner with lightscribe
320gig fast hdd
case you want

if you went this route i would go a bit higher on the psu - 450-500W in case you want to o/c in the future

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: balane
OK, here's what I have.

scepter 20.1" wide screen $200
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor $180
GIGABYTE GA-965G-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard $135
WINTEC AMPO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop 2GB Total $200
HIS Hightech H195XTQT256DVN-R Radeon X1950XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $310
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-400 ATX12V 400W Power Supply $55
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $95
LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE $31
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $50
SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader $8
Sub. $1254
S&H $45
Total $1300

with this setup you are not going to have enough gpu to run a 20" ws lcd playig oblivion - have a look at the benchmarks. if you want this lcd you need the 8800gts, so mix this with what AznSensation suggested, change the psu to a 450W-500W and see how that comes out. either m/b will be good.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW $49.99
PSU: Enermax Liberty 500W Modular $104.99

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 $134.99
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 $181
RAM: G. Skill 2GB DDR2 800 @ 4-4-4 $224.99

GPU: Sapphire Radeon X1950XT HDCP $249.99

HDD: Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA 3.0Gbps (Perpendicular Recording) $94.99 (Or you could get a bigger/smaller one)
Optical: Samsung 18X DVD Burner with Lightscribe $32.99

TOTAL (Before S&H): $1073.93 for core components

DISPLAY: Samsung SyncMaster 204BW 20" @ 1680x1050 $288.99
There is a 205BW model with HDCP but it isn't on Newegg yet

GRAND TOTAL: $1363.92 before S&H

Things to consider:
1) The build I suggest kicks ass

2) That motherboard overclocks like a dream. Play around with the BIOS a little bit. Let the possibility of a 400x7=2800MHz (or beyond?) tempt you to buy a good after-market HSF in the future.

Edit:
3) While an 8800GTS would be a killer addition, it would add $180 to this rig. The OP is paying with a Gift Card and I don't know if he has any extra bucks to spare. Any one with ideas on how to squeeze one in? I really wouldn't want components any cheaper than these (not that these are cheap).

4) The monitor was reviewed well on Xbitlabs (well, the 205BW version). I really can't seem to find a cheaper & better one that would suit the OP. 1680x1050 is a great res to have. If he can't run games natively, he can just trim down a little IQ.