$800 moderate gaming system

[kmsplug99]

Hi,

I'm looking for new build advice. I was originally looking at Tecmo34's build guide, and thinking about a cheap AMD system to replace my 2003 home built (SB51G, P4 2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM) -- it was running fine with XP but then I installed Windows 7 and games that normally ran fine are a rather slow now (Civ4, DDO). I might get interested in playing some other (more graphics intensive) games as well. I've built other PC's in the past as well, but technology has definitely passed me by.

Approximate Purchase Date: probably this week or next

Budget Range: $800?

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, video processing, photoshop, likely output to HDTV.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, possibly case (can I re-use an old existing ATX case?), DVD-RW (can I re-use the non-SATA one I have or do I need a new one?)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: Here is my partial parts list. I'm not sure what to get as far as case, psu, optical drive, video card. I'd prefer a video card that has d-sub, dvi, and hdmi outputs, I don't see myself needing multiple video cards (is that was SLI / Crossfire is for?)
$225 Intel i5-2500k (can I just use the stock cooler?)
$150 ASUS P8P67-M PRO
$70 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB
$65 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: probably not

Monitor Resolution: not sure - output to 1080 HDTV and/or 20+" monitor

Additional Comments: I lean towards quieter PC

thanks in advance for any help you can provide

 

[seller417]

$225 i5 2500k
$130 Gigabyte P67
$50 Rosewill Destroyer
$60 Diablotek PHD series 750W
$220 Gigabyte OC series GV-N460SO ~ GTX 460
$65 Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 32 cache
$50 G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB (2x2)

total $800 usd from Newegg

im getting this next month...(i may change the case and PSU by that time though)

 

[sartorius]

The stock 2500k cooler is just fine, as long as you don't plan on doing some extreme overclocking or anything.

Since you don't plan on using multiple GPUs that P8P67-M would be a waste. If I were you I'd buy this Intel DP67DE board for $109 and save yourself the 40 dollars.

As for your RAM, I suggest going for this 4GB Mushkin kit -- $39. I could understand going for the GSKILL and the ASUS board if you were planning on getting as much as you could out of overclocking, but that really seems far from the case so why not save some money?

For the GPU, this Radeon HD 6870 ($220) has got 2 DVI outs, an HDMI out, and a Mini Display Port. It doesn't have D-sub, but it does come with a DVI-VGA adapter. Here's a review of it, along with the 6850.

Also, you'll need a SATA disc drive like this LG DVD R-RW (~$17) if you don't already have one. I wouldn't recommend trying to use non-SATA drives with a P67 board.

If you already have an ATX case then by all means use it, provided it's not too small. A good new case would be the Thermaltake V3 for around $37.

As for your power supply, I'd suggest getting the Corsair 500 watt for $59.

All of this together with the CPU and HDD you chose would total to ~$770 without tax or shipping.

 

[kmsplug99]

Lots of other requests for parts shown on these boards -- I'm perusing a variety of posts to come up with a parts list.

Offhand, I'd prefer to keep initial costs lower and will probably get a less capable video card like the Radeon 5670. In the future as prices drop or my needs change, I might upgrade to a better processor, more RAM, a better video card, or even multiple video cards. Though I'm still not clear on the purpose of multiple video cards in a system.

 

[sartorius]

Lots of other requests for parts shown on these boards -- I'm perusing a variety of posts to come up with a parts list.

Offhand, I'd prefer to keep initial costs lower and will probably get a less capable video card like the Radeon 5670. In the future as prices drop or my needs change, I might upgrade to a better processor, more RAM, a better video card, or even multiple video cards.

That's understandable, but all it takes for a great AM3 build (with an HD 5770, which is much more capable than the HD 5670) is $500.

If you're willing to go H67 instead of P67 and forgo overclocking you could easily make an i5 2400 Sandy Bridge build for $530-600.

Here's an example of an H67 SB build I made for someone in another thread (EDIT: screwed up posting the links, so I've changed them accordingly, along with a better PSU and a DVD R+RW):

MOBO: ECS H67H2-M3 -- $89.99

CPU: Core i5 2400 -- $189.99

RAM: Wintec AMPX 4GB DDR3 1333 -- $39.99

GPU: Powercolor AX5770 -- $119.99

CASE: PSI Soar 088 -- $29.99

PSU: Antec Earthwatts 500 watt (80+ Bronze) -- $49.99

HDD: Hitachi 500GB 7200RPM -- $44.99

ODD: LG Black 22X DVD+R -- $15.99

TOTAL: $580.92 (w/out tax+shipping)

TO OP:
The 2400 is about as fast as an i7 920, but costs about half as much. Only drawback is that you won't be able to do much overclocking with locked SB CPUs like this one. It's still pretty darn fast though.

(was originally $531.53, but with your budget this is still easily doable.)

And there you go. You could still go P67 with the 2500K and only spend like 60 more dollars with this setup.

Though I'm still not clear on the purpose of multiple video cards in a system.

What's the purpose of extra anything, dude?

Faster performance in games (though not all games take advantage of such) and using multiple monitors at resolutions above 1080p are the two main reasons, and are really the only ones you should be worried about.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

no reason in your price range to get a bottom-end card like a 5670. GTX 460 (either SE, 768, or 1GB), HD6850, HD6870, or GTX 560 should be viable at your price range

 

[sartorius]

no reason in your price range to get a bottom-end card like a 5670. GTX 460 (either SE, 768, or 1GB), HD6850, HD6870, or GTX 560 should be viable at your price range

I wouldn't necessarily call it bottom end. I mean, it's pretty much a 9800GT, which was pretty respectable when it came out.

Yeah, it's crap compared to all the high end stuff that's out today, but it's not like it's completely terrible or anything.

I still say he should get an HD 5770, but a GTX 460 is perfectly viable--especially this one in particular. As long as he doesn't go for a 460 SE he'd be fine.

If the SE was cheaper it would be an okay card, but its current price makes it a terrible choice in my opinion.

 

[mdd1963]

The 460 (1 GB) is a good amount of performance for the money spent, to be sure...

 

[kmsplug99]

Thanks for the additional feedback. I'm still weighing my options. Overclocking sounds like fun, having room for growth apart from building a new system or replacing the motherboard is my preference.

A separate, perhaps silly question: do I need to use plastic / cardboard washers between the standoffs in the case and the motherboard? For some reason I needed to do this many years ago.

 

[kmsplug99]

Oh, and for whatever reason, I lean towards Asus mobo and ATI video card because I've used them in the past with good success. Nothing against other manufacturers. $220 does seem like a lot to spend on a video card, though. I mean, where is the performance bottleneck - CPU or Video? I guess it wouldn't be the CPU with the 2500K.

If I get an H67 motherboard, does the CPU still use 'turbo mode' or whatever? From what I read, the onboard video is good enough for basic computing and HTPC but not so much for gaming.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

Washers: Most cases come with plastic standees or washers. They remain a good idea to prevent shorting out from the metal case.

the AMD (the ATI name is retired) video card comparable to the 460 is the HD6850, which runs a similar $180 pricetag.

even on an H67 motherboard, the 'turbo mode' will engage. you cannot overclock on an H-series motherboard. Since you will be using a discrete GPU, the on-die GPU will be disabled. There is no reason to us a H-series board if you aren't using the on-die GPU.

 

[Why_Me]

2500K, after market h/s (thermal paste comes with it), etc...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $59.95
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094 $59.99
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157222 $123.99
ASRock P67 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.584425 Combo Price: $238.98
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146740 $39.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996585

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U3S5S0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=0WTZP6BVYETKEAAD5S00&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939291&pf_rd_i=507846 $59.99 this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.5 inch Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $16.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333 $189.99 (Before $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card ) FREE SHIPPING
GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total $789.87 *not including shipping, rebates, etc..

 

[sartorius]

I chose an H67 board because he never had a definite answer on the overclocking bit.

Now that he does, we can really get down to business.

Also, about Hiya's build. It's really good, but Tigerdirect sells the Twin Frozr edition GTX 460 for $149.99 (before the 40 dollar rebate.)

 

[Why_Me]

I chose an H67 board because he never had a definite answer on the overclocking bit.

Now that he does, we can really get down to business.

Also, about Hiya's build. It's really good, but Tigerdirect sells the Twin Frozr edition GTX 460 for $149.99 (before the 40 dollar rebate.)

That card is priced like that for the fact it's 768mb and not a 1gb card like I posted. There's a definite difference in FPS between those two cards...sans the price difference.

 

[sartorius]

That card is priced like that for the fact it's 768mb and not a 1gb card like I posted. There's a definite difference in FPS between those two cards...sans the price difference.

Oh crap, totally missed that.
Well, he could always try this one.

 

[Why_Me]

Oh crap, totally missed that.
Well, he could always try this one.

Price is low but Iv'e never heard of that card manufacturer before..; Genica.

 

[kmsplug99]

Best answer selected by kmsplug99.

 

[sartorius]

Solved. Disregard this.