I7 gaming build for under 1000$?

[Kral]

Hi there

I'm looking into building a gaming PC for under 1k

I probably won't be doing a full upgrade until few years (But will probably be chaning GPU and add some RAM etc)

what i was thinking is something like

Core i7 Nehalem 920: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 294$

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362 288$

Corsair 750TX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=CORSAIR%20750TX 129$

that would be 711$ w/o the Case , RAM , GPU and the Hard Drive (The DVD Reader / Burner is np i can always get one for 20$ or something )

What do you guys suggest to get with the 300$?

Note that i play on a 1280x1024 monitor

For the GPU I'm thinking of the HD 4830 or GTX 9800

Thank you

 

[Mrbumbum]

Although i'm not a fan of AMD a Phenom II 940 is better suited for your budget. I'll update this post in a few with a build, assuming someone doesn't beat me to it.

Cooler Master RC-690 $79.99
Sapphire 4870 1gb $224.99
Intel Phenom II 940 and MB Combo $332.99
G Skill PI Black $54.99
Western Digital Caviar Black 640gb $79.99
LG Black 22X dvd drive $24.99
PC Power & Cooling 750 watt $99.99

Total with shipping: $930.84

You might want to consider droping the 4870 to a 4850. Doing that and adding a 22" monitor will bring you right to your $1000 budget.

Sapphire 4850 $144.99
Acer X223Wbd 22” $169.99

Total with above components, minus 4870: $1,024.54 with shipping

 

[cokenbeer]

^ What he said.

You'll see a much greater benefit from upgrading your Monitor and using a 4850. His build is also more well rounded.

 

[xthekidx]

An i7 really isn't a good idea unless you can spend at least $1300 or so, otherwise you spend to much on the core components and don't really see any performance gains for gaming over a Core 2 build that costs less.

Is this mostly just a gaming PC? Will you do any video editing or encoding or anything of that nature? If not, then I would go with an E8500 build. If you will do encoding and video rendering, then look at a Q9400 or Q9550 if it will fit in the budget.

 

[Kral]

Thanks for the replies

Well yes it's mostly (like 90%) gaming pc , other then that surf the net , watch movies and thats it

I was thinking of i7 because it will probably last longer than the c2q or the c2d , What's your opinions?

mrbumbum

Thanks for that build i think i'll reconsider again about getting i7 or not

Thanks again

 

[xthekidx]

The only place i7's really pull ahead of other processors is in very intensive CPU tasks, such as video editing/rendering/conversion, CAD, and extreme multitasking of highly CPU intensive tasks. For gaming, surfing the web, and watching movies, an OC'd Core 2 Duo will do just as well if not better than an i7. FSX and GTA4 are the only games that necessitate a quad core system at this time. An OC'd e8400 at 4ghz will beat an i7 at 3-3.5ghz in most situations

 

[theAnimal]

Antec 300 + Earthwatts 650 $140
Core i7 920 $230 @microcenter
MSI X58 Pro $200
Super Talent 3x2GB DDR3 1333 $95AR
WD Caviar Black 640GB $80
Pioneer 216DBK $25
ASUS HD4850 $115AR
Vista 64 HP $100

Total $985

 

[xthekidx]

:/ I would not recommend getting the MSI x58 pro Mobo just yet, its pretty new and there are very few reviews of it, I would want to see how it does when overclocking and reliability. Other MSI boards aren't doing all that well right now, they seem to have issues. And sorry to burst your bubble theAnimal, but that i7 at microcenter is available for instore pickup only . I think its just better to go with a Core 2 or PII build right now, you would get a similar performing machine for around $200 less, or get a better performing machine (when it comes to gaming) for the same price because you wouldn't have to cut corners on the video card. You can build an i7 for under $1000, but you won't get enough out of it for the price you pay to make it worth it IMO.

 

[Kral]

Thanks again for the replies

I decided to go for the PII build but i've got a question , How long would it last?

as i said i'm not looking into making a full upgrade until few years so let's say will the PII last for 4-5 years?

what i mean will last is that it will be able to run the new coming games on high/normal setting without any trouble?

1 more question , would this build work ok on a 1280x1024 monitor or should i get the 22" monitor?

thanks

 

[gkay09]

Well the 4870 shuld easily handle the 22" if u are willing to spend ofcourse...And as for the PII sure it will easily last for abt 2 years or more...(Considering u install another 4870 later)

 

[Kral]

Thanks again

I'll only get a 4870(or 4850) if i'll buy a new monitor , if not then a 4830

and yes i'm willing to add another card for crossfire later on

 

[cokenbeer]

Thanks again

I'll only get a 4870(or 4850) if i'll buy a new monitor , if not then a 4830

and yes i'm willing to add another card for crossfire later on

Get a new monitor. It's probably the single best upgrade a person can make.

 

[xthekidx]

I decided to go for the PII build but i've got a question , How long would it last?

as i said i'm not looking into making a full upgrade until few years so let's say will the PII last for 4-5 years?

what i mean will last is that it will be able to run the new coming games on high/normal setting without any trouble?

You need a bigger budget to build a computer that will last 5 years. The top of the line computer for around 3k or so today will be low end and outdated in 5 years. If you want a CPU to last you 5 years, i7 is the way to go, but that is well outside of your budget. Quad cores however will be relevant for at least 3 or 4 years to come though I'd say, and PII is one of the better quad cores available, so it will give you reasonable longevity at a good price.