I am a newbie and I naively trust y'all - Recommend Things!

[sailorjim]

I am a big gamer and I plan on building a new computer very soon. I am somewhat familiar with the workings of a PC and I hope to build this one myself. Unfortunately, I know very little about how certain boards interact with different card and such, so I would rather get a few expert opinions on a from-scratch build.

Things I have:
Mouse
Headset

Things I need:
Everything else

I know a smattering about graphics cards and CPU's, but motherboards are beyond me.

I am a big MMO and RTS nerd, but I want to be able to run any game that comes out in the near future at a reasonable graphics setting.


My budget can range up to $1400 or so (including a monitor), but cheaper is always better, and I am open to any and all suggestions.



Can you computer gurus help me?

 

[gadgetnerd]

get this lcd

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2430647&CatId=2775

 

[mihirkula]

Hi sailorjim .. this build would be top notch for under $1400 budget...

CPU: Intel E8400: $190

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L : $85

RAM: 2GB DDR2 800 Corsair/Gskill/ : $30

GPU: 8800GTS 512mb: $180 / Radeon 4870: ~$350

Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate 7200.11 : $85

Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" : $220

PSU: Corsair 550vx : $65

Total: $ 1025 if you get 8800GTS GPU... / or $1200 if you get the Radeon 4870.

These are the explanations as to why i recommend that build:

Regarding the CPU, its the most popular gaming CPU out there.

The mobo is the very best non SLI mobo in the market ... don't bother with SLI since its expensive and not quite worth it. Stick with a fast single GPU.

Which brings us to GPU.... you really should wait for the new Radeon 4870 and Nvidia GTX260 ... both cards release in a few days time .....

That hard drive is the fastest 500GB HD out there.

Those RAM brands are one of the best ... more quality brands include Mushkin, Kingston, OCZ etc . Though you would need 4GB of RAM if you're running Vista... else stick with 2GB.

That 22" Acer monitor is swell and that 550W PSU is high quality. You're good to go. You could still bring down you budget by $70 or so with a high quality 19" monitor ..its your call.

 

[aevm]

I'm assuming you;'re in the USA. In that case you should try www.newegg.com first, and maybe look for better deals at tigerdirect and www.ncixus.com and www.buy.com.

OK, let's start with this list. Prices are Newegg, but very approximate because I'm too lazy to check, sorry. I need to eat so I'm in a hurry here.

Q6600 $220
GA-EP35-DS3R $120
XFX 8800GTS 512MB (includes Call of Duty, at Newegg today) $230
Corsair 650TX $100
WD6400AAKS $110
OCZ Reaper 2x2GB DDR2-800 $80
SH-S203B $30
RC-690 $100
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 cooler (optional)

That's around $1000 so far. With the monitor and shipping, about $1300.

 

[Dopekitten]

Alright...

CPU: Q6600 - 210.00 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Motherboard: GA-P35-DS3R - 120.00 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086

RAM: Cosair XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800hz - 109.00 USD, 79.00 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

PSU: Cosair CMPSU-550VX 550W - 99.99 USD, 89.99 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Case: Antec 900 - 129.00 USD, 89.00 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500gb - 89.00 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

GFX Card: EVGA 8800GT 512mb - 159.00 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130357

OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit - 94.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116204

Monitor: SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms LCD - 299.99 USD, 279.99 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268

Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black - 34.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175103

CD/DVD Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R - 27.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Total = 1283.95 USD
After MIR = 1183.95 USD

You probably could skimp on the case/keyboard and get a better graphics card, but that 8800GT will do what you seem to be asking for pretty well.

If you want to overclock, then i would suggest getting an Asus P5E ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219 ). Also, then if you decided to go ATI, you could do crossfire, (although i wouldn't reccomend it).

~50 USD more will get you an 8800 GTS 512mb (G92) so that might be a good idea, but its your choice.

Also keep in mind these prices are all from newegg, im sure there are lower prices elsewhere, so look around.

Also on a side note, how do you have a mouse and headset, but no keyboard/parts of an old computer?

 

[Cpt Deadboots]

Here is what I would buy for a gaming build:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400/Core 2 Quad Q6600 (depends on whether or not you multitask. I LOVE my Q6600 for this: I can run Oblivion, a Source-based game, and several web pages and get no noticeable slowdown whatsoever. An E8400 will beat it for straight gaming, though)

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 CPU cooler

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L motherboard

2 x 2 GB kit G. Skill DDR2-800

EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS (G92) (you can Step-Up using EVGA's program to a GT2xx when they come out)

Cooler Master RC-690 case

Corsair 550 VX/650 TX power supply

Seagate 7200.11/WD6400AAKS hard drive (I prefer Seagate myself (5 year warranty, 32mb cache), but some swear by WD's 640 gig drives)

Monitor is up to you.

This build will allow maxed settings on everything but Crysis right now (and it will play that at excellent settings (high/very high) anyway). If you upgrade to a GT2xx, I can't see you having any problems for a couple of years.

Judging from prices on newegg, you should end up spending about $950 without monitor.

 

[aevm]

Newegg right now sells the 550VX with a $10.25 shipping charge, for a total of $100.24 after rebate and shipping. The 650TX is $99.99 after rebate with free shipping. You really need to include shipping costs too to compare properly. Between these two excellent PSUs I'd get the 650TX if the prices differ by 25 cents.

Between 8800GT and 8800GTS 512MB: the GTS is about 14% faster and has a better cooler. If you get a GT at least pick one with a dual-slot cooler.

 

[sailorjim]

You guys are a really good help; this is exactly what I needed!!


I appreciate it very much!

 

[pcgamer12]

i like the build with xfx 8800gts and cod4

 

[Why_Me]

http://z3.invisionfree.com/kips_corner/index.php?showtopic=48 <--- There's two builds you might consider.

The only difference in those builds is the CPU, video cards and the PSU. The first one has a E7200, factory overclocked 8800GT 512 and a 500w OCZ psu, and the second build has a E8400, factory overclocked 8800GTS 512 (G92) and a 600w OCZ psu.

Those builds have decent cooling for a mild OC (3x120mm fans/side air duct/aluminum) and no crappy plastic side window. It's easy enough to swap out the harddrive for a larger one if you so choose on those builds. If your going to overclock to the max, you can always change that heatsink/fan to a Xigmatek s1283 and change the case to a Coolermaster 590 or 690.