Hey Guys, I'm thinking of building a gaming computer within the next 5 months. Currently, these are the parts I plan on buying. (I plan to use them for games such as Crysis, Left 4 Dead, etc.) PSU OCZ OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail -$70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341018 GFX: XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail $230 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=10010262 MOBO: EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $260 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188046 CPU: INTEL Core i7-920 2.66GHz Intel QPI 4.80 GT/s Socket 1366 Desktop Processor Retail $268 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...dlist=celebros RAM CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail -$69 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145220 Seeing as how computer parts become outdated in a matter of weeks, I will likely post another thread when I am closer to my purchase date, but opinions are appreciated for now.
Sounds like a solid system. Throw in a good harddrive, a case and monitor and you should be set. The only thing I would change in the next few months MIGHT be the graphics card. Thats if new cards hit in that timeframe, and even then the 4890 will probably still be a sound choice. I just picked up a GTX 285 SC a few weeks ago and it screams through eveything I've thrown at it, you should expect the same. If you find yourself short on cash through the year, word on the 'net is that the best time to buy new will be late this year (around christmas). The new revision of the i7 is expected about then, and is supposed to bring some big changes.
What would you suggest Loony? Im trying to stay within a $1,000 budget. I have a Monitor already. Im also wondering what harddrive and case would be suitable Thanks for the input.
gigabyte boards are good, and I have a friend that likes MSI. Asus boards always used to be good but I've heard they aren't so good these days. DFI boards can be good but they're notoriously fussy so I wouldn't recommend them. Hard drives I'd suggest Samsung. Case is your choice really, but you want a mid-tower, and something with good cooling capacity (either a number of fitted case fans, or spaces to fit case fans). Ideally you want it to support fans in both the front and the back. Side/top fans are optional bonuses. Don't get the cheapest of the cheap.
Nothing wrong with EVGA. The 680i and 780i boards were kind of flaky, but that wasnt just with EVGA. The computer shop I work for is running 3 EVGA boards and so am I. That being said, the Gigabyte boards tend to get better reviewed for the i7 series. Any of them should work, just examine the feature set on the different models. As for cases, it depends on if you want to go cheaper or high end, and how large. Antec makes excellent cases, anywhere from microatx up to full towers. They tend to be a little on the cheap side (flimsy plastic, sharp edges in case) compared to some others but are extremely popular. Other good choices include Coolermaster, Themaltake, and NZXT. At the higher end of things you have companys like Lian-Li and Silverstone. These are a lot more expensive, and regarded as kind of the elite in cases. It really comes down to what you like and how much you have to spend. For a solid case look at the following: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160&Tpk=HAF http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047 For harddrives, I buy nothing but Western Digital. They have an excellent track record and excellent customer service if needed. The Raptor and Velociraptor series are nice, but pricey.
Thanks for the help MechaWyvern. I appreciate it. I'll make sure to post another thread when I am a bit closer to the purchase date. Until then, thanks guys. ~Manny2260
