WTB a decent gaming computer >$1000

[PwnageEngage]

Hello,

I'm debating whether or not to buy this computer

HP ENVY Phoenix h9-1300t Desktop PC

3rd Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570 quad-core processor [3.4GHz, 6MB Shared Cache]

8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]

2TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive

3GB Nvidia GeForce GT640 [DVI, HDMI and VGA via adapter]

Liquid Cooling Solution


However, I have the option of switching the 3GB 640 for a 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7770 at the same price. The tower will cost me a little over 1k from Hp.com.

My question is, does this sound like a decent low - mid end gaming computer?

Which graphics card should I take?

Is there a cheaper, better option available to me that I just dont see?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[siddharthmukul007]

well you should better build your own pc...
if 1k is what you want to spend might I suggest the following components:
Intel core i5 3570K
As rock z77 extreme 4
Corsair vengeance 4gb x 2
AMD HD 7850
or 7870
Corsair gs 600
ocz agility 4 120gb ssd
wd 1tb hdd

the rest of the components are totally up to your own preference

 

[quilciri]

Neither graphics card is good for a $1000 gaming PC. The 7770 is a good low end gaming card. The 640 I would hardly consider a gaming card. Whomever made the decision to stick 3gb of RAM on a 640 should be slapped.

On a $1000 budget for a gaming PC, assuming you don't want to overclock:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.34 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.53 @ Amazon)Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1015.36 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

The power supply is large to support a 2nd 7970 down the road if you so choose.

enjoy!

 

[bjaminnyc]

The real fiscal hurdle in self built vs. pre-built is Windows. $100+ for the OS typically will tip the scales in the prebuilt's favor. You also get a single warranty that covers everything which is nice if you're not comfortable tinkering and don't have spare parts lying around.

The HP you're looking at is a very nice computer, but doesn't provide many avenues for upgrade in the future if you did decide to reuse components. The power supply, MB, and case all likely have proprietary portions that will make them pretty much useless in a future build.

@ $1,000 you're going to have a nice machine either way. I took a peak at that model on the HP site and a 680 or 7970 is an option. Both of those cards would throw the budget well over $1k, but I would ask if they install a different power supply for those cards vs the 7770 or 640. If its the same power supply then you can likely purchase a superior card in the future. If it isn't, then upgrading is going to be more expensive than it should be.

 

[quilciri]

The real fiscal hurdle in self built vs. pre-built is Windows. $100+ for the OS typically will tip the scales in the prebuilt's favor. You also get a single warranty that covers everything which is nice if you're not comfortable tinkering and don't have spare parts lying around.

This is not true at all. First, win 7 home premium 64 can be had for $70
http://www.bing.com/shopping/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-x64-oem/p/EC423D67A33E88425012?q=windows+7&lpq=windows%207&FORM=HURE

Second, all you'd have to do is drop the SSD out of my build if you need to buy windows, and the remaining machine still eats those pre-builts alive.

Third, while you would have a one-stop-shop for warranty claims with a pre-built, which is admittedly convenient, you have better and longer warranties using quality parts. Most pre-builts have a 1 year warranty at most before you have to pay extra.

The Seasonic PSU has a 5 year warranty, and the XFX video card has a *double* lifetime warranty, just to name a couple.

 

[bigcyco1]

I would go for something like this at that price range you could get a cheaper card the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202003&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=#top <--- Solid choice

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130833&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=#top <--- Solid choice


CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($374.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $988.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 16:35 EST-0500)