First time builder: Up to Around $1300 Gaming PC

[dchae85]

I'm trying to decide between 4 different packages from Newegg that are about the same price. From what I've been reading, they're close to the same performance level too. I'm in need of some advice, so thank you in advance!

To reduce the clutter, I took out the parts that are similar in all 4 packages: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GV-N460OC-1GI Video Card, Western Digital Caviar Blue 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders, and LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98.

Also, I will not be needing a keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, or gaming controllers. I will most likely not SLI. I am not inclined to choose a brand over another, simply because I am not very knowledgeable in the area of brand names.

I will be using the computer mostly for gaming and watching movies/shows. Of course, I'm assuming that if a computer has power to do that, it will be more than enough to also use to surf the internet and for school-usage.

Budget: This is kind of important. At first my ideal price range was about $1000, but then I got to thinking of future-proofing a bit more and threw out the thoughts of building a system around a 5770. HOWEVER, if there are ways to drop the price down without killing performance, I would appreciate it a lot!

Package 1 ($1,315.89):
Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe MKNSSDCL60GB-DX 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Intel Core i5-760 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power "compatible with Core i7" Power Supply
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Package 2 ($1,306.96):
BELKIN BE112234-10 10 ft. 12 Outlets 4156 Joules Home/office Surge Protector
StarTech ST4200MINI Mini 4 Port USB 2.0 Hub
ASUS USB-N13 USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter
Intel Core i7-870 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Antec Twelve Hundred 750 Blue Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i ATX Intel Motherboard

Package 3 ($1,280.89):
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Western Digital Caviar Blue 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Intel Core i5-760 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power "compatible with Core i7" Power Supply
Western Digital AV-GP 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal AV Hard Drive -Bare Drive
TuneUp Utilities 2010
GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 ATX Intel Motherboard

Package 4 ($1,271.98):
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Antec Twelve Hundred 750 Blue Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
OCZ Diesel 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
TuneUp Utilities 2010
Western Digital AV-GP 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal AV Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Again, please let me know your thoughts!

 

[gkay09]

i5 760 + OCZ Agility 2 60GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.476950

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro + GSKillz 4GB DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479961

Lian-Li K62 + XFX 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.469033

Samsung F3 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

GTX 460 + Starcraft
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.477295
Or just the GTX 460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333

Total - ~$1098(With SC2) | ~$1078 Including rebates...
And with the above setup you can go GTX 460 SLI later on...

 

[guanyu210379]

^+1 Cheaper and better and without unnecesary things like :
-Surge protector
-ASUS USB WLAN
-Anti static wrist wrap
-Tune-up utilities
-USB Hub

 

[dchae85]

So then with Windows 7 64 bit and shipping/handling, it's just shy of $1200. Is 650W enough power though? I've heard that it would be safer to go with 800W.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479444

How about this compared to the Lian Li case/Power supply? It's $40 cheaper, but has more reviews (probably because it's been out longer..). Any thoughts?

 

[rxneng]

So then with Windows 7 64 bit and shipping/handling, it's just shy of $1200. Is 650W enough power though? I've heard that it would be safer to go with 800W.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479444

How about this compared to the Lian Li case/Power supply? It's $40 cheaper, but has more reviews (probably because it's been out longer..). Any thoughts?

I'd prefer a 750-850W PSU for this system, and I tend to stick to reputable name brands for my PSU -- it's the one area where I absolutely refuse to skimp. You also might change your mind about SLI in the future and having a bit more headroom on your PSU can't ever hurt anything (except your bank account).

 

[NeoElemental]

650 is perfectly acceptable for 2x460's and a i5 chip, even overclocked. http://techreport.com/articles.x/19404/10 shows 2 460's at a 450 LOAD power draw, as in their absolute maximum. Idle, they are only 150.

750 might be marginally better, especially if you are FOR SURE overclocking. I would go with the XFX 750 + the Lancool k62 for 190.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466882

The lancool is really a phenomenal case for this price point (sub 100). Toolless install, rubber vibration dampeners, great airflow + 3 large fairly quiet fans. Dust filters EVERYWHERE. The LED's might be a bit annoying, but really are not that bright when you have the grills on.

 

[dchae85]

Thanks to everyone's input I feel a lot more confident in what I'm going to buy. I've decided to go with most of what gkay09 listed, but changed the case and power supply to what NeoElemental listed, thanks to him and RxnEng. Oh, and I read also looking at the Gigabyte GA P55 instead of the P7P55. does anyone know if there's a real difference between the two, other than one being slightly cheaper than the other?

Another question I have is that if I'm going to use the SSD for installing the OS, I can install games and programs into the F3 and run them fine, right? I know that's a stupid question, but I've never had to worry about if a secondary hard drive could do or not do something.

 

[coldsleep]

Which Gigabyte GA-P55? There are a number of models. If it's the UD3P, that only has one slot for a graphics card, so you couldn't SLI in the future. The Asus P7P55D-E Pro that was recommended is really the most fully-featured motherboard at the best price, and has been for a while.

And yes, if you install programs onto a secondary disk, they'll run fine.

 

[dchae85]

Alright, so here's my list so far:

XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W and LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466882

iZ3D H220Z1 Black 22" 5ms Widescreen 3D Gaming LCD Monitor and GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.476344

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard and G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479961

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB and TuneUp Utilities
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479277.22-152-185 : I know, it doesn't seem like the TuneUp Utilities isn't really a favorite, but it's only $10..

Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz and OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.476950

So all of this together is $1,437.90 + S/H of $8.80= $1446.70
I could drop the 3D monitor to lower the price by $220 to $1226.71... but the monitor originally cost $339.99. I kind of have been wanting to get a 3D monitor ever since I've heard about PS3 getting into it. Do you think it's worth it?

 

[coldsleep]

Personally, I'd wait a year or two on 3D, there aren't a lot of games that support it yet. But that's just me. If the games you like are on the supported list, go for it.

 

[dchae85]

Personally, I'd wait a year or two on 3D, there aren't a lot of games that support it yet. But that's just me. If the games you like are on the supported list, go for it.

Did you check their compatibility list? It seems pretty big to me: http://www.iz3d.com/compatible

Well, I do like the idea of it, but then I'd have little to no use for my current Acer 22" monitor, which runs fine. I was considering getting a second monitor for $109, but I just read that GTX 400s don't fully downclock if 2 monitors are plugged in. I don't plan on always using two monitors, so will it make a difference if I simply turn one off when I'm not using it or do I have to disconnect it/unplug it completely? If I have to do the latter, there aren't any adverse effects to connecting and disconnecting frequently, right? My older systems seemed to have some trouble with it for some reason..

 

[coldsleep]

I thought you were talking about nVidia's supported 3D. From what I've heard, only the 3D Vision ready stuff really looks good. The Excellent rated stuff works, but doesn't add much. Everything else is glitchy.

 

[dchae85]

Oh well, I decided on not getting 3D just yet. I might wait a couple years and see. I've been surviving without 3D long enough to wait some more. However, I miss having two screens to look at, especially since I like to have more to look at (there's never a time I have less than one tab in any browser).
So right now I'm deciding between first getting a second monitor or not, and if I am if I should get the eMachines 20" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824114002 or [strike]the Hanns-G 23" HDMI Full HD for only $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254045[/strike] the Hanns-G 20" HDMI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254049 (which I think I will get since it's the best deal in that price range)!


Since I chose this thread to be a question thread instead of a discussion one, I guess I'll have to choose gkay09's answer since I took the most from him. I really appreciate all the help I got from NeoElemental, RxnEng, guanyu210379, and especially coldsleep!


Final question: All the parts above fit together physically and performance-wise?

 

[dchae85]

Best answer selected by dchae85.

 

[gkay09]

^ Well why not get a full HD ?? IMO monitors are one that you tend to keep for a long time...Also you can add 1 more GTX 460 later on in SLI, so your PC will have enough graphic muscle to push those pixels...
Check this deal -
$219.99 - 15% coupon code: ACY58341 (Expires soon) - $50 off = $136.99 plus FREE shipping.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/product_detail.do?product_code=WJ678AA%23ABA&aoid=35252

And IMO the 650W would suffice(It can even power 2x HD 5870s)...but its your call though...

 

[dchae85]

I think you're right lol. I just looked around and a lot of people are saying even 450W would be fine for a single GTX 460. 650W seems possible to do 460 SLI. With the money I save on dropping down 100W, I think I'll get the full HD monitor =D Thanks again gkay09!

Update: Whew... luckily I was able to cancel the Newegg order in time (I had done rush processing). I applied the code you gave me to the s2331 (the 23" model) and got the price down to $162.99 from $249.99.

 

[gkay09]

^ Good Luck with your build...