Help me build a gaming pc before Christmas?

[isuckatlyfe]

I am stressing out very bad about buying a computer before christmas.
I need to buy a desktop computer for not much more than $1200 usd.
I need the pc to be future proof meaning that I can use it for years to come or at least upgrade it because I won't be able to afford a new one for a few years.
I'll be using this pc mainly for gaming. (fallout 3, oblivion, crysis, dragon age, world of warcraft, warcraft 3, etc)
I'll also be browsing the internet, checking and sending email, youtube, music, IM'ing, and etc.
I like to have itunes running in the background when I'm playing games or browsing the internet.
I'm probably going to buy the parts individually and build it myself because I'm so paranoid.
If not I'll buy it from ecollegepc.com or ibuypower.com unless another website is recommended.
I'd like to stick with intel processors.

So with those thoughts in mind please build me a future proof gaming pc that will last me for years to come!
Just post the specs and etc. here.

Also, I've never built a computer before, is it a bad idea for me to buy all the parts off newegg.com and build one myself?

And I heard i5's can't be upgraded as easily as quad cores, is that true? Because I need it to be upgradeable.

Thanks to everyone who helps, I'm not very smart at these sorts of things.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm the most futre proof platforms now are either

a) LGA 1366 : i7 now, i9 later
b) AM3 : Athlon2 X2 now, Thuban x6 later

so it really depends on your budget i guess but for best results for a gaming rig a GPU with enuff teeth for your gaming resolution is of prime importance

 

[masterasia]

Put these bad boys in Raid-0
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011016
Best performance for the price. I have 4 of them now. They've been selling out recently, so get'em while you still can.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

If you check the latest benchmarks you'll see that the "crappy" Samsung drives are faster than the WD Black drives due to a single 500GB platter vs two 320GB platters. I don't know where you come up with "250mb more space". 640GB vs. 500GB = 140GB difference.

 

[darksupreme]

your best bet to be future proof and updatable for the future is an i7 920 and a 5850
and for a mobo wait for the lucid hydra board

 

[masterasia]

I'm only testing out the Samsung F3 because I wanted to see for myself how fast they were and if they lived up to what the benchmarks were saying.

I gotta tell you, they are fast. I got'em when they were $48 shipped from Zip Zoom Fly. After the benchmarks came out, they've been selling out fast.

I still like WD Blacks because of the 5 year warranty, but I would put these Samsung drives right up there with the WD Blacks. Seagate sucks.

If you got spare money laying around, like me, try them for your self. After having 4 of the F3s in Raid-0, I have set my WD Blacks aside until I have a failure. The performance still doesn't beat a single Intel SSD X25-M. I would take the SSD over any hard drive.

 

[isuckatlyfe]

thanks for your input guys!

 

[dirtdiver]

Do you need an OS? Keyboard? Mouse? Monitor? These are things to let us know so we can calculate a proper PC for the budget

Assuming you only need the PC itself:

( $577 solution add your own video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.293841 combo deals are the best way to get a decent rig for a lower price -- but there is less flexibility in which parts you get. I prefer to select each component seperately for gaming PC's)

using newegg to find these components (since you didnt really specify what you wanted, I did not include CD/DVD/Blu Ray drives you will have to find that on your own or specify what it is you are looking for)..

Case -- $89 -- Raidmax Smilodon (built my old man a PC with one of these, it was very easy to use/install parts and looks rather decent, and has decent airflow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156098
PSU -- 500W included (easily upgradeable)
CPU -- $200 -- Intel core i5 socket 1156 (can upgrade to i7 easily) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=intel_i5-_-19-115-215-_-Product
Motherboard -- $150 -- Asus P7P55D http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404
Video -- $170 -- Radeon HD5770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-858-_-Product
Memory -- $94 (has $20 rebate) -- OCZ Obsidian DDR3 1600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227495
HDD -- $75 -- WD Caviar Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283 (I'm sure someone will suggest the Samsung F3 500Gb, but it is sold out ATM)

Bottom line: $779 for a decent priced machine. If you really feel like you want to spend more on this, change out the i5 for the socket 1156 i7 CPU and get a beefier video card.

Hope this gives you an idea of what to look into!

 

[masterasia]

HDD -- $75 -- WD Caviar Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283 (I'm sure someone will suggest the Samsung F3 500Gb, but it is sold out ATM)

I already did....earlier in the thread. They're back in stock at Zip Zoom Fly

Case -- $89 -- Raidmax Smilodon (built my old man a PC with one of these, it was very easy to use/install parts and looks rather decent, and has decent airflow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811156098
PSU -- 500W included (easily upgradeable)

Raidmax makes crappy power supply. You'll be sorry when your computer starts shutting down for no reason.

 

[isuckatlyfe]

thanks again for the help.
my budget is $1200-$1300.
and yes i need a keyboard, os, mouse, and monitor.

anyway check out my other topic, "Answer a few questions?"

 

[dirtdiver]

Yes, Masterasia--they are probably in stock in a few places; however I just snagged all the parts from newegg so it could all be shipped as one to save on shipping and to make it a bit easier.

I don't expect him to get those exact parts--it is more of a guideline to assist his build.

Raidmax just uses OEM supplies IIRC, as do a lot of companies. They slap a sticker on it, and call it their own. If you dont like em, swap it out easily as I suggested (and left room in the budget for).

 

[dirtdiver]

^ If you can find a 5850 lol


Else, zipzoom is correct.

 

[darksupreme]

yea there always at stock at frys to