Gaming rig for around $1000 - Please review and advise

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:55 pm

This is my first time building a computer. Trying to keep price around $1000. This is an AMD system, Aspire ATX case, Gigabyte Mobo, 600w psu, xfx 7900GS, 2G Ram, SB audigy, 19 LCD, etc.

Also looking for any incompatibility issues.

Please review and make recommendations to my build. Thanks.

Case
PSU
Mobo
CPU
Video
Ram
Sound
Monitor
HDD
Burner

Post by **dicecca112** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:18 pm

Note a fan of the PSU, this is better http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139001

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:34 pm

Thanks for the recommendation dicecca112.

I had Antec PSU as my 2nd choice, but I like the PSU that you recommended.

My only concern is that the 520W PSU will power the system when I decide to upgrade to SLI, add a 2nd hard drive and a 2nd CD drive. I doubt you would have recommended it if it werent sufficient.

What about my configuration overall? Is everything compatible?

I appreciate your help.

Post by **dicecca112** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:12 pm

I run everything in my sig including 2 HDDS, 2 Opticals, and watercooling with 4 fans. It'll be fine

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:31 am

This is my very first computer build and Im nervous about attacking it. If I dont get the input I need, I probably wont bother building it...I'll just end up ordering again from Dell like I have for the past 10 years.

I could spend a little more if necessary. I want a system that is current, yet expandable. It needs to run the newer games like Vanguard, and not at a crawl. I especially want to make sure that all the components I have chosen are compatible.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

camaroguy1998 · Post by **camaroguy1998** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:35 am

As dicecca112 said, I'd choose a name brand PSU.
I would also drop the SB Audigy and use the onboard audio!
You can then take that savings and put it towards a better CPU.
I'd look for a CPU that has the 2MB Cache(1MB x 2)
The performance increase will probably out weigh the
SB Audio cards slight advantage over the onborard audio, \
especially if you're not using a nice set of 5.1 or 7.1 speakers!

The only other consideration would be to choose a video card that supports DX10 so you're set for future gaming.

One question, what OS are you going to use?
WinXP, Vista, Linux?
You need to add that cost into your build sheet! It will probably be somewhere in the $100 to $200 range depending on what OS you go with.

On a personal note, I have a gigabyte board thats 5 yrs old and runs great but, I would probably choose an ASUS board. The gigabyte board you chose(according to one of the comments left on newegg) doesnt have timing adjustments in the BIOS for the memory, thats a disadvantage if you ever decide to try your hand at OC'ing.
Just my personal choice.

OhNoNotAgain · Post by **OhNoNotAgain** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:11 am

Hello ibleet,

This is my very first post on this forum and 'Bingo, I'm probably going to stick my foot in it right off the bat'!!

On looking at your initial post on this subject and then taking a look at some similar posts, I think I may have a couple of things to share that may help with what appears to be a less than vigorous response to your post.

The main difference that I see between your post and the few that I spot checked is that they were very specific in what they had spec'd out and your information was relatively general.

i.e.: AMD system, Aspire ATX case, Gigabyte Mobo, 600w psu, xfx 7900GS, 2G Ram,
SB audigy, 19 LCD,

- for me to assist with an answer, I would need to know the AMD cpu you are interested in, the model name/number of the Gigabyte mobo, brand and model of the psu, brand and model of LCD, plus brand of ram, etc. See where I'm heading with this?

With this info, I could give recommendations, cautions, and/or a 'way to go - bravo!'.. input. Without it, I'm left thinking that you've not done a lot of research and perhaps are looking for someone to 'spec-out' a system for you. This would be fully acceptable except that some builders spend a tremendous amount of time researching prior to doing their 1st or Umpteenth build and may not be all that interested in 'working the numbers' for someone else - - the end result could be lack of in-depth responses from the forum.

I may be al wet on this- then again?????

Keep smilin.................

liqnit · Post by **liqnit** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:44 am

I think the burner should be SATA.
You have enough SATA connectors no matter which board will you choose.

Darkstar · Post by **Darkstar** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:50 am

OhNoNotAgain
This is my very first post on this forum and 'Bingo, I'm probably going to stick my foot in it right off the bat'!!

lol, hows that foot? each listing he had for his system was a Hyperlink

anyway, i tend to agree with camaroguy1998 go with an ASUS board, skip the audio card, upgrade the Proc.

i picked up a nice 20.1 widescreen (analog/digital) LCD for $199.00 so you might consider a few bucks more for a bigger LCD

DD

bubba · Post by **bubba** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:23 am

Sorry you felt you go the cold shoulder. This is the first I have seen this thread, was off the fourms for a few days, and yesterday was a fog.

I cant say much outside what has been said already.

The case... can't realy comment on the looks (all boils down to taste),as for the inside you may run into clearance issues with the lower drive cage and your vid card in the future IF you up to the 8xxxx GF cards, (but those don't fit in a lot of cases) nothing a dremal wont fix though.

OhNoNotAgain · Post by **OhNoNotAgain** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:07 am

Aaaargh!

Darkstar, thanks for waking me up.......Impressive start, eh what?

ibleet, please accept my apology. I've been known to leap before I looked in the past and I sure did it this time.....

Give me a bit of time and I'll check out your hyperlinks...

Shucks

camaroguy1998 · Post by **camaroguy1998** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:05 pm

Check this out, it may be a choice you can live with!
SLI & DX10

http://forums.legitreviews.com/viewtopic.php?t=8542

OhNoNotAgain · Post by **OhNoNotAgain** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:29 pm

Hi, "foot in mouth" has returned...

Vendors in general: I see you're looking at NewEgg. I've had nothing but excellent service from them and recommend them highly. I've also had great service from MWave and TigerDirect.

Case: Nice looking case.... Is there anything supporting the power supply other than four mounting screws? I feel a bit more secure with a rail underneath, myself. I'm always messing around with my burners and hard drives and so I'd really want rails so that they would just slide in without continually having to remove and install mounting screw all the time. My next case will definitely have the hard drives facing out rather than towards the mobo. Is there a fan in the front to cool the hard drives. If not, there should be one.

I like dicecca's psu recommendation. Corsair is claiming 520W of continuous power, so that shouldn't be a problem. Three rails of 12V should keep you and your video card(s) happy. Active Power Factor Correction is another good feature and I 'love' the use of the 120mm fan.

I'm not all that familiar with Gigabyte boards, however, the specs on the one you've found look pretty good. Socket AM2 is the only way to go for AMD in my opinion. That way you won't become obsolete a year after you've built your system. I would like to see an external eSATA port though. I'm not sure, but I think you can hardwire one in later, if you need it. The IDE controller will give you quite a bit of leeway in using optical drives...... as far as OC'ing goes, that's beyond my expertise at this time.

Gotta go now - will be back later......

keep smilin!

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:36 pm

Wow oh wow! You guys have come to my rescue in a HUGE way! Give me some time to research your input and I will be back with my comments. All your suggestions are fantastic, and Im positive that Dell will not get my business this time.

According to the input so far, Im basically changing the entire configuration. Corsair 520 or 620 PSU, Asus mobo, dx10 video card, CPU with 2mb cache, sata burner, bigger LCD, look into case specs, possibly drop sound card.

Now I just have to see how much this adds to the bottom line.

I will be using XP pro MC edition. May upgrade to vista after a year or so.

I really am overwhelmed by all the support, Thanks!

camaroguy1998 · Post by **camaroguy1998** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:39 pm

Looking at the case you chose I'd say it was for the looks!
One thing to keep in mind, Cooling! I'd look for a case that uses 120mm fans they move more air quieter!
I have a Lian Li PC-75 it is an awesome case but it uses 7- 80mm fans and when they are all running full speed its pretty annoying!
My next case will have 120's!

One thing I did not see in your original post is an HSF setup.
The original CPU you chose has an HSF but you may want to go with an aftermarket for better cooling, thats if you run your system hard or are considering OCing!
If you go with an ASUS mobo, AM2 CPU, Corsair memory, OCing is a must!
You dont have to go overboard with it but, that combo makes it easy to do without abusing the hardware!

Post by **FZ1** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:01 pm

camaroguy1998 wrote: I have a Lian Li PC-75 it is an awesome case but it uses 7- 80mm fans and when they are all running full speed its pretty annoying!

I agree, I had the same case. I replaced the fans with Panaflo's and it was better but still not as good as 120's.

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:20 pm

Busted! You got me, I did choose the case on looks. Feel free to make a suggestion on a more appropriate case.

One thing I did not see in your original post is an HSF setup.
The original CPU you chose has an HSF but you may want to go with an aftermarket for better cooling

I "assumed" that the heatsink fan in the CPU would be sufficient. I definitely have plans to OC the system, so please make a suggestion on a good aftermarket HSF.

ibleet · Post by **ibleet** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:14 am

Corsair 620w PSU - ($170)
Asus Crosshail Mobo - ($230)
Windsor 2.6GHz CPU - ($225)
8800 GTS Card - ($380) OUCH!!!
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB Ram - ($240)
SCEPTRE 20.1 Monitor - ($200)

I need help selecting a case. I would prefer one with at least 2 120m fans, and large enough for the massive video card. Do most of you choose a mid tower or full tower?

Incomplete and already over $1400!

But I like it!

camaroguy1998 · Post by **camaroguy1998** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:47 am

ibleet.... both of those mobo's are great choices and if you'd like to go one better theres always the ASUS CrossHair.
The Crosshair is a Blinged out M2N32 SLI Del.
CrossHair

Heres the HSF I have still NIB.
Zalman 9700LED
I cant confirm performance but everything I've read is all positive!

You should be more than happy with your choice in CPU, the 5200 is sweet for the price!

How soon do you plan on ordering or putting this thing together?
You might want to wait for the 8600 Ultra's to come out. A bit easier on the wallet!

As far as a case goes thats something you're going to have to figure out for yourself!
IMHO a case is a personal thing, you can let someone point you in a direction but dont let them dictate what you really like!
Shop around look at a few different sites.

Heres a cpl links for some possibilities.

57 Full Tower Cases(Newegg)

550+ Mid Tower Cases(Newegg)

http://www.xoxide.com/
http://www.svc.com/cases.html
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product-_-sea ... catalog--7
I've bought a cpl items from ChiefValue and I am impressed with price and delivery!

FZ1....I'm using a multi channel fan controller and at low speeds the PSU is the loudest fan! Definitely an improvement!

Post by **FZ1** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:39 am

There is a Thermaltake Big Typhoon for $30 for sale HERE