Hello I'm sick of my slow crappy 10 year old pc i have upgraded it as much as it can go and im afraid its time to make it bite the dust…
i have a budget of no more than $3,000 for a custom pc prefferably a little closer to 2,000… i want this to be a custom pc built by me this will be my first pc build but i am fairly confident in my abilities i just need some advice…
in all of your opinions for this price range what is the best combination of compatible hardware for my gaming goals? i want top of the line without going to over the top
OK i have done some research and i think ive decided on everything im going to purchase i just need opinions on quality,compatibility and also recommendations for things i have missed
here is the list starting with processor
All prices are from newegg which is where i plan to purchase my parts from
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail - $275.00
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $288.99
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $179.99
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail - $69.99
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1333C9 - Retail x2 = 12gigs total - $288.00
SILVERSTONE OP1000-E 1000W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail - $209.99
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail x 2= $580.00 ($290.00 each)
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $229.99
PLEXTOR 20X DVD Super Multi Qflix Drive Black SATA Model PX-806SA SW - Retail - $54.00
Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail - $199.99
Logitech Z-2300 200 watts RMS 2.1 Speaker System - Retail - $110.99
ok Total comes to Grand Total: $2,691.04 with all extended warrenty and service plans as well as shipping…i can also cut back on the dual gpus if i need to cause it wont be neccessary right away i dont think
so anyway i was wondering if some of you could review and give opinions on this list of hardware i plan to purchase for my new gaming rig
i was also thinking of 2 different windows OS's either vista home 64 bit or xp 64 bit i would like opinions and i would like to use dual graphics cards so any opinions or insight on what my best course of action should be are more than welcome
Off the bat it looks really good. Being a little picky, I would change the CPU heatsink/fan to this Xigmatek and include the additional LGA1366 bracket for proper compatibility.
Other than that, I have a personal preference against Acer monitors, never been a fan of their quality. This ASUS is a little more $$$, but looks a lot nicer in my opinion. Definitely take the time to research your monitor as you're going to be looking at it a lot!
If you are purchasing from New Egg be sure to read the user reviews and also be sure to keep any and all documentation from your purchase. I just built a machine for my buddy and he ordered 2 Sata hard drives and one was dead on arrival!
Troy. i will check out the heatsink and fan may i ask what your gripe is with the coolermaster if you dont mind? also the acer monitor has really good reviews and is ridiculously cheap for the size and apparant quality but i will also check out the one you linked and see if i can find a better deal maybe drop the extra graphics card and get a better monitor and speakers
Missouri thanks for the heads up i always save my receipts and order slips anyway just incase
i had a question since no one has commented on any of these parts being incompatible…so i assume i would be good to go once i ordered it?
also i was thinking of dropping a couple gigs of ram cause i think 12 is over kill and possibly dropping 1 gpu so i could focus funds else where this is all in speculations though nothing is set in stone,…..but my question is since everything is compatible once i start building it do i just assemble it, turn it on and insert the windows disc and install? its that easy? or do i have to flash the bios or do anything that i have no clue how to do?>
Hi again,
Just a personal preference, the Xigmatek is one of the best performing heatsinks on the market. Same deal with the monitor, I always like choosing a top-quality monitor because the customer is going to be looking at it a lot. Acer make decent quality parts, but stand out in a build of this calibre, in my opinion.
Yes, the parts look good to be, compatibility wise. 6GB should be plenty of RAM, and if you wanted to try a single card it certainly wouldn't hurt. If you want more, then adding the extra card would be possible.
I also did help write up a build-your-own computer guide, it's located at our sister forum, Geeks to Go, click the link in my signature. After all that is done, yes, you should be able to put the Windows disc in and install.
Cheers
Troy
Well i make my decision and i clicked check out though i think i may have purchased the wrong graphics card i could have swore i had the 4850x2 in my cart but i guess i had the gtx285 not a big deal by me but Can this graphics card work with this motherboard? i thought intel didnt like nvidia or whatever…should i call newegge and switch the graphics card to radeon or switch motherboard to something else?
i chose the intel motherboard due to all the reviews and ease of use etc. this is my first build i dont plan to overclock the nut hairs off this thing just a wee bit so i think its good for a first build.
anyways here is my shopping cart and everything i finally decided on…if something is not compatible PLEASE point it out i need to know asap before the order is shipped its in "charged" right now
anyways here goes
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129043 - $154.99
Total came to just a little over $2,100 with all extended warranty plans & shipping
it is already purchased hopefully if i up the order i can call them and get a switcheroo…but can anyone please tell me if the graphics card is compatible with the motherboard?
and any opinions on the rest? Remember i am doing this as a first build/learning experience
Hi again,
I have edited your post - please remember this is a family friendly forum, keep your language acceptable.
You have changed a number of things from the original build, however they are still looking pretty good. Yes, the graphics card will work fine - it will even support SLI (2 of those cards).
Keep us informed.
Troy
oops sorry it must have slipped ill watch my language more closely
so yes i have changed quite a few things from my original post but i cut a few corners here and there to save a few bucks i figured i dont need an hd monitor yet i also dont need a crazy expensive keyboard and speakers so i went a little cheap on those things for now i accidentally purchased this gtx 285 i thought i had the 4850x2 in my cart but i guess not. only reason i was going to get the 4850 x2 was because i didnt think the intel motherboard was sli compatible but now im reading in some places it is and im reading in some places its not…i know i can use the graphics card but can this intel motherboard support crossfire and SLI? cause if it can support sli i will most likely pick up another gtx 285 and a bigger monitor or possibly 2
other than those things with the build exactly how i ordered it…how do you think it will perform? as in how will it perform in games? i do plan to overclock but not significantly maybe to like 3.5ghz or so
3.5GHz is quite a decent overclock to be aiming for, you'd want to make sure to keep an eye on your temperatures. This system should perform great for gaming.
According to the Intel website, the motherboard does support SLI, so check there yourself to confirm if you like.
Cheers
Troy
As above, i would REALLY start looking at your temperatures if you're going to be overclocking that much.
I know you had a slow, 10 year old PC, but it might be overkill to overclock that much. The i7 processor, as standard will be very fast along with your ram etc. I would see how it is before deciding to overclock if i was you.
'Bob
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i had a question since no one has commented on any of these parts being incompatible…so i assume i would be good to go once i ordered it?
also i was thinking of dropping a couple gigs of ram cause i think 12 is over kill and possibly dropping 1 gpu so i could focus funds else where this is all in speculations though nothing is set in stone,…..but my question is since everything is compatible once i start building it do i just assemble it, turn it on and insert the windows disc and install? its that easy? or do i have to flash the bios or do anything that i have no clue how to do?>