Gaming Rig, First build.

[not moose]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: June - July 2009.

BUDGET RANGE: $900-1100, Around $1000 is preferred.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Graphics design, Web browsing.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Anything Canadian.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Case with plenty of cooling, A nice video card.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not known, deciding on a local monitor but likely to be 1680x1050.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Would you recommend buying a PC from CyberPower (keep note I know very little about computer hardware) or build my own? I'm down for the experience but I don't want to mess anything up, I dont have alot of money to spare so building my own PC may be a gamble.

In the case of either what case and cooling would you recommend for a computer that is on most hours of the day and in a very warm room.

Also addition the PC must be able to run Warhammer Online.

 

[xthekidx]

Build the PC yourself, its easy to do. If you are unsure of what you are doing consult the manual and just take your time doing it. Anyone with the aptitude to use a screwdriver and a little common sense can build a PC.

 

[Why_Me]

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29812&vpn=THREE%20HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC&promoid=1060 $68.99 CAD
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37047&vpn=OCZ550FTY&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology $79.99 CAD
OCZ FATAL1TY 550W ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 80PLUS Black

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36213&vpn=GA-EP43-UD3L&manufacture=Gigabyte $101.18 CAD
Gigabyte EP43-UD3L ATX LGA775 P43 FSB 1600 OC 1PCI-E 2PCI DDR2 SATA2 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34584&vpn=BX80571E7400&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1060 $151.98 CAD
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.8GHZ 1066FSB 3MB Retail

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23670&vpn=996557&manufacture=MUSHKIN $59.99 CAD
Mushkin EM PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35503&vpn=896-P3-1255-AR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1060 $239.99 CAD After Mail In Rebate $219.99 CAD
EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216 55NM 576MHZ 896MB 1.998GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E 2XDVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&vpn=WD6401AALS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1060 $89.99 CAD
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33902&vpn=SH-S223F/BEBS&manufacture=Samsung $30.23 CAD
Samsung SH-S223F/BEBS 22X Speed Plus Black SATA DVD Writer OEM

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=22438&vpn=66I-01939&manufacture=Microsoft $138.99 CAD
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

Total: $961.33 CAD *not including shipping/taxes and rebates

 

[xthekidx]

PSU: 550vx $24 Rebate
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25984

MB: P5Q Pro <== gives you free shipping on the whole order $15USD Rebate
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=30418&vpn=P5Q%20Pro&manufacture=ASUS

CPU: Q9400 Savings Code $24 31414-1060 if bought by 4/21
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=31414&vpn=BX80580Q9400&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1060

Case: Antec 300 Savings Code 29812-1060. SAVE $9.77 til 4/21
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29812&vpn=THREE%20HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC&promoid=1060

Ram: Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 4gb $30 rebate $5 instant rebate til 4/21
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=25228&vpn=TWIN2X4096-6400C5&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1060

GPU: XFX HD 4850 $20USD Rebate Savings Code 36070-1060. SAVE $40.00 til 4/21
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36070&vpn=HD485XYDDC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1060

HDD: WD6401AALS Savings Code $12 34286-1060 til 4/21
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=34286&vpn=WD6401AALS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1060

Optical: Samsung SATA DVD drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=33902&vpn=SH-S223F%2FBEBS&manufacture=Samsung

Cooler: Scythe Mugen 2
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35847&vpn=SCMG-2000&manufacture=Scythe

Total of that comes to ~$1028CAD before rebates and you get free shipping (which is worth a lot) with that MB.

Now NCIX will pricematch, so if you find a better deal on the same product they have from another online store like newegg.ca they will give you that price so you can cut the price that way. I used a Q9400 because it will give you a good boost in your graphic design, however in gaming it will not give you much benefit over a Dual core at the same speed, so if you wanted to save a little there you could look at the E8400. NCIX will also assemble the PC for you for $50 and test it to make sure it works, so if you are really uncomfortable with assembling it then you can do that, but I think you should do it yourself. The MB and PSU will allow you to Xfire later as well.

Edit: made some changes to bring down the price a bit. Why_Me included an OS, I wasn't sure if you needed that included as well or not. If you do, hopefully you can stretch the budget a little to include it, if not then go with a cheaper CPU like the E8400 or E7400. If you notice the dates on those promo codes, you will save a crapload if you buy it today 4/21

 

[Zenthar]

I would suggest you also try that build on www.directcanada.com. At a glance, all components are cheaper, shipping is free for orders >300$ and <100lbs and you can save PST if not in BC (I think they charge HST for the applicable provinces tho).

 

[not moose]

Buying today is not an option. I'll be buying parts from June to July. I've decided to build my own so if anyone has more advice on parts or the general build itself, let me know. Also would prices drop if I build it as late as August?

 

[xthekidx]

Buying today is not an option. I'll be buying parts from June to July. I've decided to build my own so if anyone has more advice on parts or the general build itself, let me know. Also would prices drop if I build it as late as August?

The market will be very different by then, recommendations are going to be very different in two to three months.

 

[not moose]

Alright, I'm still unsure if I'm going to build myself or buy from CyberPower but this is what I've conjured so let me know what you think, and be harsh.

* CASE: ($20 off Mail-in Rebate) Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. 420 Watts Case (S Type Black Color with Side-Panel 250mm UV LED Fan)
* Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
* POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 500 Watts Power Supplies (**Recommended** WIN-500XSPX APEVIA 500W JAVA Power Supply-Black)
* CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit
* COOLING FAN : CoolerMaster Hyper TX2 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dBA + Overclock Proof)
* MOTHERBOARD: Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 CrossFire Chipset LGA775 FSB1600 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394, & 7.1Audio
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Mushkin High Performance II (HP2) w/ Heat Spreader)
* FREEBIES: None
* VIDEO CARD: ATI Radeon HD 4850 PCI-E 16X 1GB Video Card (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
* VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
* MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Non-SLI/CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* LCD Monitor: NONE
* 2nd Monitor: NONE
* HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: NONE
* HARD DRIVE COOLING FAN : None
* USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
* Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
* Optical Drive 2: NONE
* SOUND: 3D WAVE ON-BOARD 5.1 SOUND CARD
* SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: NONE
* MOUSE: NONE
* Extra Thermal Display : NONE
* Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
* Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
* VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER CABLE: None
* IEEE CARD: NONE
* USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition w/ Service Pack 3
* FREEBIES: None
* Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

Totaling 1029$, Prices likely to drop by July.

 

[xthekidx]

That PSU is a fail, I'm not crazy about that case, and since you are paying for it get Vista 64bit, its much better.

 

[cns77]

Alright, I'm still unsure if I'm going to build myself or buy from CyberPower

Hi there. I'd just like to join in with the chorus of other folks suggesting that you build this rig yourself. I built my first rig in 2006 and it was an awesome experience. I was very nervous about making a small mistake and screwing the whole process up, but as other's have said if you do a little research, take your time during the build, read directions, and maybe follow a good online building guide you'll find that the whole process is easier and more rewarding than you might expect.

I still remember grinning from ear to ear when my first rig was able to POST. I took pictures of it and everything, lol. Oh, and you can't beat playing games on a self-assembled rig. Feels great. It's just not the same when you pull the whole rig out of a box pre-assembled.

 

[Why_Me]

For a grand I would expect more than a 4850.

 

[xthekidx]

Yeah there is something very satisfying building your own creation with your own hands. Its really very simple. And Why_Me is right, for that much money (and considering the relative quality/price of the other components you chose) I would expect no less than a 4870 1gb in that rig. Do it yourself, you won't regret it.