Good $800 Multimedia and Gaming PC?

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soros151

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May 31, 2009
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Okay I have a bit of dilemma here. This is my first build. I have been reading for 6 days straight now all kind of reviews, articles, and specs. Frankly the more I read the more I realized I'm extremely behind the new trends and the latest technology. Even if I know a fair amount of things computer related, this is my first build. Now I'm looking to spend $800, in a Multimedia (read: High Definition Video Playback) and a little bit of gaming. I mostly play World of Warcraft. Here are the parts I have in my list.

CPU: AMD Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition
CPU Cooler: Ultra X-Wind Socket 2200rpm K8/AM2 Copper CPU Cooling Fan
Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-CM
RAM: Patriot 4GB (2x2048MB) DDR2 RAM - 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz
Graphic Card: Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT Video Card - 1GB DDR3 [Core Clock: 650 MHz] [Memory Clock: 1800 MHz]
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 16mb cache
Case: ThermalTake VI6000BNS Strike 120mm fan x2 included
Power Supply: ThermalTake Pure Power 500watts 120mm Fan
OS: Vista Home Basic or XP Media Center

Allthis comes too: $798.17 with shipping/ From Tigerdirect.com

Now I already have:
19"Monitor @ 1440x900
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers

Will this combo work? Is it worth my money? Mind that I own right now a Dimension 8300 with 4GB RAM and a Radeon HD2400 GPU. My processor is Intel Pentium 4 2.4Ghz, and 120GB in the HDD,.... and was built by Dell in 2001.... yes it is 8 years old....
 
No...someone will recommend you a Phenom II chip as one of those would be a much better choice...i would also opt for atleast a nice 4770 to give you an excellent boost in performance for gaming...
 
 
$568.89 with ship less MIR, use Win 7 RC?
5XXFCGJ3.jpg


 
Get the Win7 Beta, then upgrade once it is available in retail. You will have some months to save the cash for it (it is fully functional until the end of March of next year), and you have extra cash to spend on GRAPHICS, which I think you need... You are spending more on your processor than graphics for a gaming PC. That makes no sense, unless you edit video or multitask more often.

Also, you might want a better brand PSU... I don't know the reliability of ThermalTake, albeit I haven't built a ton of machines or anything.
 
All these parts come to right around $800 shipped to my address:

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&Tpk=Antec%20Three%20Hundred

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=750tx

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

WESTERN DIGITAL WD3200AAKS 320GB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive Bulk
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005615&prodlist=celebros

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152
 
Congratz! That build is great. I am currently setting up a $800 rig myself (coincidentally) and I am happy you skimped nowhere in terms of quality; it's actually pretty impressive. A 3.0Ghz quad-core that is easy to OC must be sweet!
 
😱 I just installed Windows 7 RC. Did the SoundMAX driver for Vista so I could regain my audio. I just love it. Fast enough for me. Now to keep looking into your builds. Thanks for all this options guys! THANK YOU! :hello:
 
I noticed you guys use a lot from Newegg's website. I'm going to compare prices between this and Tigerdirect and buy in separate web sites If I find anything worth buying in the other place. I found that in Newegg it becomes more problematic when browsing for CPU coolers. But better in CPU and Motherboard bundles than Tigerdirect.com
 
From Newegg, possible final setup.

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

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Rosewill RCX-Z1 Long life ball bearing for over 45,000/hrs CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200014

DVD-R WRITER
(I already own 1 😀)

This all comes to: $760 with shipping.

What do you think. My main game is World of Warcraft and I believe I can run Max settings with this and have great FPS.
 
Yup. Last thing you want is for a Rosewill to turn itself and half your PC into a plastic barbeque, which seems to happen with alarming frequency. Good brands for PSUs are Corsair, PC P&C, Antec (except their basiq series), and Seasonic. OCZ is pretty good, too.
 
Soros151, it is good to compare the prices of every part on newegg and tigerdirect. Tigerdirect's regular prices are usually a little higher, but they don't charge tax. I also will wait for the parts to go on sale of have free shipping on newegg. For example, the Antex300 doesn't have free shipping right now, and the shipping will cost $22 to my house, so I will also keep an eye on other cheap cases. Here is another good one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-11-119-077-_-Product
 
Get a better PSU, people (including myself) tend to skimp on it a little, and it bites you back when it fails and possibly takes your entire computer with it. My brand of preference is Corsair.

Also, DONT FORGET THE THERMAL COMPOUND! A great cpu cooler is rendered useless without a good compound, and I don't mean what could possibly come with the cooler. Get AS or Turniq TX-2 (IMO just as good w/o the higher cost or worry of using metal in the compound).

Pay a little more (you definatly have the room to) and get a better hard drive with twice the cache here.

Also, you could get twice the memory for your graphics for ~$25-$30 more if you prefer, which you will notice in other, more recent games, and possibly WoW if settings are cranked and you are in a city like Dalaran during rush hour (here), although it is getting old enough that it may not make a difference.

You could also double your memory to 8GB, but after 4 it is almost a waste (and a strain on your fsb), and is worthwhile only if you run every program you have at once or use virtual machines.

Either way, use what you have left to either help with the reliability of the parts or to give some cushion room in case you need to RMA anything, which is a luxury when it happens.
 
Revision to the list:

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Black Edition <<<OC?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103471

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128387

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231166

Rosewill RCX-Z1 Long life ball bearing for over 45,000/hrs CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835200014

DVD-R WRITER
(Already own one)

Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound <<<<(Thanks for the recommendation)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003


Here is the final Price: $763.77 with Shipping....

I have been researching this thing for a month.... it better pay off.... :na:

I getting near my savings goal of $800! SOON IT WILL BE ON MY HANDS!
 
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