$1250 (tax+shipping included) gaming pc

[Guest]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: late July

BUDGET RANGE: $1000-1350 including tax/shipping, shipping address is in California

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, multitasking, web, document editing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, OS (would be fine buying a headset instead of speakers)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD CPU, ATI GPU unless intel/nvidia is competitive in the price range

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Eventually

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 23" 1920x1080 is what I have selected now

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This pc will be using a wireless internet connection due to location issues in my house, it will be on the same floor approximately 30 feet from the router (D-link 'g'), with 3 or 4 walls in between. I will also be using an old PS/2 keyboard at least until Christmas, and a Logitech MX500 USB mouse.

I played around on newegg.com and came up with this list:

Monitor: ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built in Speakers - $189.99

Case: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $58.95

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 - $94.99

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-UD5P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - $169.99

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - $189.99

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - $54.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE TOXIC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $219.99

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $74.99

Headset: Logitech Extreme 3.5mm Supra-aural PC Gaming Headset - $12.99

Wireless Adapter: HAWKING HWDN1 USB 2.0 Hi Gain Wireless-300N USB Dish Adapter - $89.99

Cooling: 3x APEVIA CF12SL-4C 120mm Multi-Color LED Case Fan - $22.47 ($7.49 each)

Tax: $99.32
Shipping: $16.09
Total: $1319.23

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

Can't see what monitor you've got picked...

I'd change your PSU to a Corsair 650/750 TX or a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750. Also, I'd go for a cheaper 4870, and change the memory to G. Skill (a bit cheaper for equivalent/better quality).

If you've got a G router, do you need an N wireless card?

Nice build.

 

[Guest]

OK, I actually ended up changing the monitor after I made the PSU and RAM changes you suggested, so I now have a Corsair 650TX, G.Skill 4GB DDR2, and I hung on to the Toxic 4870 because of its ease of overclocking, which is important to my build. These changes allowed me to change my monitor to a 23" ASUS (1920x1080). For the wireless card, it was the best I could find on Newegg and I do intend to upgrade to an N router later this year. I was also able to up my budget a bit to accommodate these changes, but this is the absolute unchangeable maximum. So, those are the changes I've made, and thanks so much for your help!

 

[dna708]

As Cpt Deadboots said, the 4870 you chose is a little pricey. I would actually just recommend getting the 4890 as it's about 215 on newegg.

As for the monitor, I'd recommend the Samsung 2343BWX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001317). It has a higher resolution of 2048x1152.

If you do decide to make these changes, you'll still be well within your budget.

 

[micky_lund]

go for 2x 4770's in CF..... owns on all the reviews

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

Both options listed above are good ones - but it's up to you. If you want to expand later on, a 4870 is a better option than 2 4770's (you can add another 4870 for XFire later). I understand that overclocking is important to your build - but it's likely that a 4890 will still perform just as well as/better than a heavily overclocked 4870.

Up to you; it's not my money.

 

[micky_lund]

+1 for deadbots suggestion
if u want upgrades: 4870/4890, (probably need bigger PSU for XFire 4870?)
if u dont want upgradability, then go for 2 x 4770 in CF