500-1000$ What would you build?

A

ada///M

New Member
Hi, I've been lurking around this forum for a couple of weeks and I have an idea of what I want to use in my first build but rather than me post up my (more-than-likely) terrible idea, I'd like to see what some of you pro's would build with 500-1000$ for a computer used solely to get into the entire computer gaming scene that I've so terribly missed out on (except starcraft:D)


I already bought a evga 8600 GTS that I've been using with my crappy old computer to struggle through BF2, so if that can be used to save me some money then of course that's a plus.

I also have 2X 1gigs of Corsair DDR2 XMS2 memory that I would like to use.

thanks for any help with ideas! I've been reading this forum a ton the last couple of weeks and I've expanded my knowledge A LOT from what was close to squat. So thanks again!

-adam
 
fly

fly

New Member
well just some ideas for you would be a an intel quad core cpu, nice mobo, maybe run SLI if u can find another 1 of those cards, 500gb hdd (if needed), nice case, water cooling system maybe, ill try to throw a list 2gether for ya in a little while.
 
2048Megabytes

2048Megabytes

Active Member
I would go with a high end Intel Dual-Core processor. Many Quad-Core processors consume a lot of power and most programs won't even utilize a Quad-Core processor.

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard - $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (3.0 gigahertz) processor - $165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92 millimeter CPU Cooler - $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

PNY VCG981024GXEB-FLB GeForce 9800 GT Hybrid Power 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card - $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133244

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600 Watt ATX12V Power Supply - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010&Tpk=OCZ600SXS

I don't know what other components you need but there is a good start for you. You may need an optical drive, a hard drive, an operating system and/or a case.
 
fly

fly

New Member
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9300 - $244.99

MoBo: EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard $214.99

Second GPU for SLI: EVGA 512-P2-N773-AR GeForce 8600 GTS 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - $79.99

Hdd: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $69.99

Dvd: LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15 - $22.99

PSU: ePOWER ZU-850W 850W ATX12V v2.2/ EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - $99.99

Water cooling kit: Swiftech H20-220-APEX-GT CPU Liquid Cooling Kits - $199.99

Subtotal: $932.93

just add a case and OS and you'll be rocking
 
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Shane

Shane

Super Moderator
Staff member
i agree with the above build,but dont sli 2 8600GTs.....they still both together will not outperform a single 8800gt.

with that sort of budget why not look into a 4850.

also definatly go quad core,dual core is the past.
 
2048Megabytes

2048Megabytes

Active Member
Whatever Intel processor you pick I would definitely buy the heatsink and fan I recommended. Get the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92 millimeter CPU Cooler for $27.

The Intel heatsink and fans that come with their processors I've heard aren't very good quality. The heatsink I recommended is compatible with all Intel Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme Quad processors.
 
atentora

atentora

New Member
The Freezer 7 is kinda loud, but if that isn't a problem it is great. Cools well for it's price.

For a build that is in your price range I would recommend against liquid cooling. HSFs (heat sink fan) work just fine.

CPU: Q6600 - $184.99
GPU: Saphire HD4850 - ($144.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
PSU: CORSAIR 750W - ($99.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
Mobo if you don't plan on crossfire - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R - ($99.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
Mobo if you plan on crossfire - GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS5 - $229.99
HDD: Western Digital Caviar 640GB - $74.99
DVD: SAMSUNG DVD Burner with LightScribe - $28.99

Grand Total: $683.94 - with first mobo
Grand Total: $798.94 - with second mobo

To explain myself, if you go with the first mobo and want to do a crossfire setup the cards are reduced to x8 instead of x16 like they would on their own. The second one will allow you to run both a x16. I didn't factor in a second GPU but that is something you can buy at any point.

The ram you have is decent and will work with these boards.

I have also left the case to choice to you, just make sure it is an ATX case.

Oh, and make sure you get a 64 bit OS.
 
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A

ada///M

New Member
thank you for your ideas guys. atentora, I was thinking something along those lines. I like the q6600 OCed to a little over 3 gigs. I'm also thinking a antec 300 case unless anyone has any advice against it. HDD and DVD drive I think I have picked out. Motherboard and GPU are still up in the air though. It seems like my best bet for a new age build is to forget about my 8600 gts then? I figured so much, even though I've only had it about 2 months, so be it. I'm completely torn and confused on what I need though. Crossfire and SLI both seem sooo spendy, and if I can spend under 100$ on a single GPU board, I can see myself spending as much as 200-250ish on a good gpu.

Also, do you guys reccomend just the 2 gigs of ram that I already have or should I try and get 2 more sticks of the same stuff? Since I see they're only 11$ after rebate now :(

The 3 games I'm looking forward to playing most are Crysis, COD, and GTA4 if that helps any. I don't expect to max out the graphics with a semi-budget build but I'd like them somewhere near the top... am I clueless?

thanks again!
 
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fly

fly

New Member
well for crysis to run on nice settings you'll need a nice GPU and yes i would go up to 4gbs of ram. Now i would recommend getting a board that supports crossfire and SLI so that you can upgrade to that if you want to.
 
2048Megabytes

2048Megabytes

Active Member
I would highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard.

Several points for getting this board:

1) Gigabyte makes very good quality motherboards that have great documentation with them
2) This board supports almost all Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo processors (also supports the Q6600 processor)
3) Board has 1333 megahertz front side bus
4) It can support up to 16 gigabytes of RAM
5) Has 8 Serial ATA ports
 
A

ada///M

New Member
2048Megabytes said:
I would highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard.
Click to expand...
hmm, I like the price! So lets say I get this board, a Q6600, and 4 X 1 gig Corsair DDR2. Would this setup workout good with a 260gtx or 4870?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127361

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

any feedback on either of those deals? Sale ends tomorrow!

edit:
Just noticed that I was looking at the UD3L. And so I must ask, like a true n00b, what's the difference? How about the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L?
 
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2048Megabytes

2048Megabytes

Active Member
The GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L is also a good motherboard. Looking over the specifications real fast what I find different from the previous motherboard is it has two less Serial ATA ports.

With your two choices of video cards go for the SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 video card. It is compatible with either of the Gigabyte motherboards.
 
A

ada///M

New Member
alright after searching just a short while it seems that I'm better off splurging a little more and getting the 1gig saphire 4870 instead of the 512. Is this setup sounding like a good build yet?

Q6600
saphire 4870 1 gig
4 X 1 Gig corsair DDR2
700W OCZ GameXstream
Seagate 32mb 500gig

dvd drive??
Asus or Lite On? Any difference? Or will the cheapest dvd drive of either brand suffice?
motherboard???
I still need to pick a specific model but I'm thinking one of the gigebyte single gpu setups
CPU cooler???
I've heard a lot of good things about the tuniq tower. Anybody know if it will fit in an Antec 300?
OS???
If this is used purely as a gaming computer would I be better off with vista or XP? What would be the pros and cons to each assuming that XP is free and vista would have to be bought.


thanks again!
 
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2048Megabytes

2048Megabytes

Active Member
The Sapphire 4870 is a good video card.

The Antec 300 computer case will fit any ATX form factor motherboard which is what you are looking at. Look at my previous posts on the motherboard model you should get.

I would get Windows Vista Premium 64-bit as it has more features than XP and the hardware you are buying is definitely good enough to run it.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

No time now, but I will post more later on a suggested model of heatsink that will work with your processor.
 
bcoffee20

bcoffee20

New Member
i have the gigabyte ep45 dsl3 and it works great. if you're only looking at getting a single gpu then its a solid choice. the only thing that i could find that was negative about it, is that it has some corny overclocking program that you're supposed to be able to use on your desktop and its terrible
 
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