New Gaming PC

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by dragonfire665, Apr 27, 2009.

  1. dragonfire665

    dragonfire665 MDL Senior Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    Ok guys here is the thing, im tryin to put together a new rig but i have 3 choices, now all 3 are different prices, from cheap to more abit expensive but not too expesinve, but here is the thing is for a friend of mine who does not do anything with adobe or encoding or anything like that but a gamer so i dont want to spend too much but i also want to keep it in a good prince, help me out guys, and yes i kno the more i spend the better but lets see if we can play here around with this parts and see if we can get a good price and a good rig' By the way no OC and dont worry about the case, I already have a nice one, so keep in mind, is mostly for gaming


    First one $703 price

    MOBO: $110 EVGA 750i
    CPU: $150 Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93Ghz
    RAM: $41 OCZ Sli Ready Memory 4-4-15 4GB (2X)
    HDD: $100 1TB Caviar Green WD 32MB
    Fan: Blue Orb Thermatake $48
    GPU: $140 EVGA 250GTS 1GB
    PSU: $90 OCZ Sli Ready 700Watts
    DVD Rom: $24 Asus DL

    Second $643

    MOBO: $85 Gigabyte Intel P43 ATX
    CPU: $120 Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8Ghz
    Ram: The Same
    HDD: The Same
    Fan: The Same
    GPU: $135 EVGA 9800 GTX+ 512MB
    DVDROM: The Same
    PSU: The Same

    Last One $818

    MOBO: $165 EVGA 780i
    CPU: $165 Intel Core 2 Quad
    RAM: The Same
    PSU: The Same
    HDD: The Same
    DVDROM: The Same
    Fan: The Same
    GPU: $185 EVGA 260 GTX

    Now i know all the difference between 4 and 2 cores but i am having difficulties on choocing for him. I kno that i am using the same HDD and RAM and PSU and DVDrom but if you guys have a better cheaper choice thats what i am also lookin for

    Now the games most that are goin to be play are like Far Cry 2, C&C Red Alert 3, Empire Total War, Crysis (he never played it) Need for Speed, Fall Out 3 and so on plus any new one coming.

    So again im just lookin for some people who can help me choose and make a rig for a good price and one that can last for some years, cuz game take more time to keep up with technology that technology does comin out wit new parts

    So Please Any Help? Monk? lol
     
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  2. HMonk

    HMonk MDL Addicted

    Nov 3, 2008
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    #2 HMonk, Apr 28, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2009
    Hey, one thing at a time!

    Dragon . . .

    I'm still working on your lappy choice and now you want gaming machine suggestions!

    First off, is this for your honey or some slug you know from school? Your honey needs to be wowed - don't care what the slug thinks.

    Next, what do you anticipate your monitor will be? (want to make sure card is capable of supporting monitor).

    OK . . .

    1. DVD Rom: not a significant component - games should be setup to run from disk;
    2. 700W PSU: adequate but, IMO, the bare minimum for SLI; (depends on mobo/gfx power usage)
    3. RAM: good and sufficient;
    4. FAN: $48!!! :eek: What is this: 500mm, 10 speed? Wait a minute: in what case is all of this going?
    5. CPU: at this point most games (applications) do not take advantage of four cores; indeed, apart from serious number crunching/gfx editing benefits, I dare say, other than looking at spec sheets and arcane tests, most people COULD NOT tell the difference between two and four cores! If Intel duo is the direction you are taking, I would consider the e8400. Why? 1333MHz FSB v. 1060MHz, 6MB L2 cache v. 3MB, 3GHz v. 2.8GHz all at the same voltage (.85-1.4) and same power consumption (65W). AND only a few bucks difference on the street. There are other differences in capabilities that you can read about.
    6. HDD: in my gaming machine, I now have two WD Caviar 750GB Blacks. Why two and why Black? All my machines have at least two HDDs for image and routine backup saving; Caviar Blacks have a 5 year warranty v. 3 years for the Greens: why the difference; Blacks spin at 7200RPM, Greens spin at - wait a minute: nobody knows what they spin at since WD won't tell other than to say its "intellipowered."

    If you are trying to save the planet, rather than opt for WD's Green products, collect the methane from bovine flatulence and generate electricity with it. There are other differences and you can do a side-by-side at WD or read reviews. I went with the WD Blacks and the street price is not that much more.

    7. MOBO: if you are going with the EVGA, the 750i is more than sufficient for your needs AND you can take the $55 saved and consider upgrades, e.g., as I mentioned (or others).
    8.GFX: I would not do an Nvidia card on a bet! Why? Glad you asked. Here is just one thing Nvidia does that few people realize that makes it very difficult (for me, at least) to compare their products within their own line or to others: the GeForce GTS 250, is a re-labeled GeForce 9800 GTX+, which was a re-launched 55nm version of the 9800 GTX. You tell me what you are buying! So, in your list, in the least, it looks like you are comparing the same card with different names! Which is just one reason why all of my cards have been ATi Radeon since 2003 (my "Why not Nvidia" list is presently up to reason number 46). Dragon, my boy, I'm going to pass on your gfx card choices other than to say they are in the range of upper end cards and should serve the purpose.

    Hope this helps some.

    Monk

    P.S. Say Dragon, you know your posts are getting to be quite labor intensive. I know the economy now is not the greatest but I have no choice but to increase my response fee from two to four dozen donuts. Hope you understand. :cool:
     
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  3. dragonfire665

    dragonfire665 MDL Senior Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    Monk, what do u like, krespy Kream? i get them ship right to you, fresh lol, wats ur favorite coffee to go wit it too?

    N u kno u r the best man, thats why everyone goes to u, noone out there can explain it and understand us more than you can, thats why ur name is MONK, it suites u very well

    Now in regards to the PC, well yes is for my "honey" is my buddy and he was about to buy a DELL (sorry but i hate all DELLS)

    The monitor to be use is goin to be a 16:9 widescreen 19in monitor, but we are connecting the PC to his HDTV 40in TV for gaming while the monitor will be use for all other purposes.

    DVD-ROM yea i kno is not use for running game but is needed to install the game

    In regards to ur CPU well the only reason i didnt go with the E8400 (knowing how great it is) is due to is price, as i said i was lookin to build something some wat cheap but powerful enough. But heck if thats the case then ill get E8400 but then i might just do that but then get a cheaper GPU that will run just fine, and in regards to the GPU, yea i kne that the 250GTS is a rename of the 9800GTX+ but i though it might someone be a bit better than the 9800GTX+ but if i should compare GPU then i should do like 9600GT, or the actual 9800GTS or such on that area and well knowin that the750i can take either ATI or Nvidia n there will be no SLI done, then i can get a ATI since is cheaper, and by the way since ur an ATI fan, any good choices for a good price?

    PSU: well 700Watts for what im tryin to do as i check the specs, it should be more than fine he wont be addin much more than i have already placed in the order.

    HDD: yea u r right i kinda saw that late, after i made this post so i will go with the Black, but i most say that 1TB is $105 while 750GB is $80, i think the 1TB sounds like a better buy but if im goin for imaginin then 2 might be the best, but knowin he knows little about PC then yea one 1TB might be just fine, but heck u r the MONK im just ur pupil.

    Well the FAN, i was gettin a thermatake blue orb those are awesome lol, but heck if i buy the E8400 it comes with a stock fan and since there will be no OC that fan will do just fine

    Again im trin to get him a good gamin rig but also savin some bucks while at it
     
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  4. HMonk

    HMonk MDL Addicted

    Nov 3, 2008
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    Less but better . . . .

    Dragon . . .

    I run a CrossfireX rig with two Sapphire ATi Radeon 4830 HD cards - which MWave currently has on sale for $90!!! The much heralded 4850 is, for all intents and purposes, the same card but costs $70 more. Compare specs and you will see little significant difference; however, if you set up a Crossfire rig, saving $140 on two cards is very significant.

    Secondly: case? You did not mention the case; are you putting your rig together in an existing case? If not, then by all means consider the Antec 900 - which was designed as gaming case ($90 at MWave). This sweet box comes with four fans (one a 200mm, three 120mm with either blue or red LED) with room to add two more. I have this case and love it. You can add the additional two 120mm fans at a future date but I do not think heat will be a problem in your rig. (Antec 120mm LED fans run about $13)

    I agree re the DVD ROM; all I was saying is - you need nothing more than a basic drive.

    CPU: the difference between the 75 and 84 is $20. Spend the $20!

    HDD: I like WD (Seagate has had too many issue as of late: some reviewers claim that the 7200 12 is nothing more than the troubled 7200 11 renamed); I also like 5 years v. 3 years for a warranty. Based on my Google, the difference in price between Black and Green: $10. Go with Black - you know the cache, you know the speed, you know the transfer rate, you've got a 5-year warranty.

    So, mobo 110, GPU 90, HDD 100, DVD 25, PSU 90, RAM 41, CPU 160 = $616 almost $100 below your lowest cost rig. If you need it, add the Antec case for another 90 and you have a dandy rig at $706 - right at your lowest cost rig.

    But . . . that's me and not you. My choices are based on bang for the buck (don't be penny wise and pound foolish: adding $10 to the cost of a HDD for an additional 2 years, better speed, better cache, better transfer rate is just one example); also based on what I am going to be doing (a 750i works well, why go with a 780i - take the savings from the 780i and spend a few more bucks on the e8400 - there you will likely notice the difference)

    It goes without saying that I trust you; just want to let you know that the tab is presently 8 dozen donuts - any kind, any brand: I do not discriminate. :cool:

    Monk
     
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  5. dragonfire665

    dragonfire665 MDL Senior Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    good to go, i guess im very please with my rig as u will kno and i kinda wanted to give him some of the goodness that i have even though u dont like Nvidia (or trust them) my 260GTX has done wonders but i do like the 4850 i have read many great things about then and you cant beat that price. The Antec cooler looks like a nice case, the reason i didnt mention on is cuz i wanted him to pick his own case but i will consider this one and since im puttin it together hell ill pick the case lol.

    So this rig sounds just about right and very please wit it lets see how he feels and knowin him he listens to me as ill listen to u,

    PS: ur bill is high but will be pay, enjoy the donuts
     
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  6. dragonfire665

    dragonfire665 MDL Senior Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    n by the way the only issue that i see wit the 750i or any Nvidia chipset MOBO is that if i do buy the 4850 i wont be able to use the SLI neither i cant crossfire, so any recommendation on another board intel? ill be lookin too
     
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  7. HMonk

    HMonk MDL Addicted

    Nov 3, 2008
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    #7 HMonk, Apr 29, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2009
    Mobo

    Dragon . . .

    I am verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry partial to AMD CPUs. Why? More bang for the buck. Generally, AMD CPUs are cheaper (often significantly), offer what I need (I am one who does not have to have the fastest, newest, etc. - if only because I know that I will never use or appreciate the differences) just as reliable as Intel, and you get what you pay for without the added dinero for the name. Secondly, I prefer AMD gfx chipsets. Thirdly, I have to match mobo with gfx and CPU, which explains my M3A79-T Deluxe ($200).

    My suggestion is this: first and most important - decide on a CPU (AMD or Intel; cores; speed; cache, etc) - on which everything else is dependent; then mobo chipset to match CPU; then mobo brand; this will decide whether you go SLI or Crossfire after which you can choose the appropriate card. The other components are not dependent on the above, other than to make sure your PSU is sufficient for mobo/gfx card (check mobo specs as often mfg will specify minimum power requirements; see also sites that have PSU calculators that add up the average power usage of installed components and give you an idea of what's needed).

    There is so much to choose from and it takes a while to narrow down the options. That is why, for me, starting with the CPU>mobo is a good idea because the two will dictate the rest.

    8 dozen high for all the work I've done? OK, this one is on me. :D

    Monk
     
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  8. dragonfire665

    dragonfire665 MDL Senior Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    hey yea well my boy is on a budget, me hell ill buy the best, buy i have convinced him on buyin 260GTX i do like those cards, they are better than the 9series (sorry monk, i cant get away from Nvidia, im a loyal customer) plus i was doin lots of matchin, lots of review, between 4850, 4870, and even 4770, against 250GTS, 260GTX 216 cores and 9800GTX and GTX+, since i dont want to get any higher than that and all im tryin is also 1GB or nearly, since 512MB on this day is not enough, and also since ill be buyin a one slot PCI Express MOBO cuz in reality this guy is not like me and wont be sliding but i will like to put somethin together that will last a good amount of years.

    PS: Monk, did u get the donuts?
     
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  9. urie

    urie Moderator
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    May 21, 2007
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    Well dragonfire665, with all the experience you have then why ask for info on this forum, if my boy was on a budget if i had the Money i would just ask what do you want if i could afford it. But i have a few daughters and everyone to me are the same i would give any one of them anything and do without seems to me you should be giving machines away to family.

    Sorry don't want to offend, but it is just the way you are trying to explain i maybey wrong. is this another day spent on what you would want or don't know HMonk has also spent a lot of time on various conversations but at the end of the day you come back with something else. Please finish one topic i,e Laptop before moving on to another.
     
  10. HMonk

    HMonk MDL Addicted

    Nov 3, 2008
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    Good to go?

    Dragon . . .

    Aradria's post (thanks, Aradria: good heads up) illustrates a fact of electronics: what's new today will be obsolete in 6 months. Another fact to keep in mind is that there is rarely a right thing to do/to buy and yet so many people post here asking just that question, i.e., "What should I get." Dragon, you at least have the where-with-all to offer choices and ask for opinions. In the end, as you have now, you decide for yourself - and that is a very good thing.

    Do let us know what your final choices are and, more importantly, what your friend thinks about the rig.

    Did I get the donuts? Burrrrrrrrrrrp!

    Monk
     
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