Possible build for around $6-700- Need guidance

[mrsinister]

Hey guys, been on this site for a long time(lurker mainly). I might be building a new pc come December. I just build one of my buddies a gaming rig consisting of a e8400, gtx 260, 4gb ocz memory, 600w ocz psu, asus p5e deluxe x48 mobo with everything it came out to about 800 bucks. Was this a pretty solid build?(good parts, well matched, good for the money) The system buzzes along on crysis pretty well. Looked like pretty solid parts, although I didn't do as much research as I did when I build my current rig back in 06. Been out of the loop on new parts for a while.

 

SO:

 

I'm looking for a system for around 600 bucks, a little more if necessary. I need mobo, cpu, gpu, memory recommendations.If possible I'd like to stay with Intel and nvidia, but I'm open to amd and ati if there is substantial reason to switch. I will probably mildy OC this rig, but I'm not buying it just to OC, so bang vs buck is good.

 

What chipset and cpu should I be looking at, what gpus are the newest and not based on older chips like the 8800.

 

 

Just looking for ideas and reccomendations. Haven't kept up on my technology. Thanks!

[JBags]

You could do something like this:

I didn't add a heatsink, but you'll def want to look into that if you plan on OCing.

 

Prolimatech Megahalems is good. though may be a little out of budget (and I don't think it comes with a fan, not sure)

 

if your planning on a mild OC, you could prob get awat with a Xigmatek S1283V it's only ~$45 on the 'egg, but you'll need this bracket kit to install it on LGA 1156, which is current;y out of stock

[mrsinister]

Thanks, for the input!

 

But, whoops! I guess I didn't really be specific. I meant like 700 bucks for the whole system, case, psu, hd, optical drive, everything included. So I guess I'd be looking at closer to about 500~ for the mobo, cpu, mem, and gpu.

 

Although, you're recommendation isn't too far off. I was looking at i5 and i7, however, I don't think I could build it for my price range. Is the i5-7 chips really that much better than the core duo's and quads?

 

note: Is the gtx 275 significantly better than the 260?

 

Sorry for the confusion. Keep it comin'!

[JBags]

oh, well, that will probably be significantly harder then that i5 thing i threw together... but i'll give it a shot.

 

I would not recommend getting anything LGA 775, as it is more or less discontinued at this point.

 

However AMD's AM3 lineup is very good, as are their graphics cards.

 

Do you want/need a quad? what is the purpose of the pc? if gaming, i suggest a Phenom II chip, as they're pretty much identical to i7s in gaming.

 

i'll see what I can put together..

[mrsinister]

Just gaming. A duo would be fine. No need for a quad. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[JBags]

Okay, here's a AMD/ATi build i put together.. and man, even with AMD usually having lower prices this was hard..

Edited November 9, 2009 by fearspartan117

[tkrow21]

Well, honestly, Nvidia is out of the question right now unless you absolutely need PhysX; ATI's current lineup is more efficient, runs cooler, and performs much more for the money spent.

 

AMD doesn't have as many advantages over Intel as ATI has over Nvidia, but it's significantly cheaper for an AMD build.

 

 

The CD/DVD Drive and Hard Drive are self explanatory.

 

The HD5770 has the potential to get better with more drivers, already performs very well (especially for the money), eats very little wattage, and overclocks like mad.

 

G.Skill is just great and I picked DDR3 because it's cheaper than DDR2 now anyway.

 

The Antec 300 is a great case for the money, and the "Illusion" version comes with fans that would cost you $40 separately. It's just an amazing deal.

 

I don't think anyone is going to argue with the Earthwatts choice.

 

I chose a tri-core because your budget allowed it and ASUS is generally a good choice for motherboards.

 

[JBags]

scratch my build... I +1 tkrow21's build

[mrsinister]

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys. I've got some direction now. Are the AMD tricores even close in performance to the duos and quads intel has? Also, been a long time since I've owned an ATI card. The 5770 is a very new card?

Edited November 10, 2009 by mrsinister

[IVIYTH0S]

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys. I've got some direction now. Are the AMD tricores even close in performance to the duos and quads intel has? Also, been a long time since I've owned an ATI card. The 5770 is a very new card?

Ya the phenom II 720 is awesome, the 5770 is very new and super efficient

[nns]

The Earthwatts is good but have a look at Corsair 450 and 550 if you can afford that premium...

Use fearspartans RAM to save costs

[tkrow21]

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys. I've got some direction now. Are the AMD tricores even close in performance to the duos and quads intel has? Also, been a long time since I've owned an ATI card. The 5770 is a very new card?

 

In gaming, it's better than the duo's and worse than the quads. But that's only by a few frames in both directions.