New build: Game system

S

snowhiker

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You guys know your stuff, so I appreciate ALL the helpful comments you have for me. Thanks in advance.

I'm helping a friend, who is very, Very, VERY, tired of Dell crap, build a new gaming system. I've included some Combo deals to lower cost, as well as included items that have no shipping costs. And a bonus, there will not be any tax if they order from Newegg.

So $889.91 is the total cost (tax/shipping included). Price can be bumped up a bit to $1000'ish to increase bang for the buck or if component quality can be improved.


Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3L LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $284.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128406

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 - 2.66GHz LGA 1156 Quad-Core Model BX80605I5750 - Retail - $(Combo with mobo)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

----Combo link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.332519

P/S: Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply - Retail - $209.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

Video: XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - Retail - $(Combo with P/S)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

-----Combo link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.339703

DVD Burner: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM - $24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail - $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

O/S: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
 
ddrueding

ddrueding

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As far as bank/buck is concerned, that is a great build. Of course, I'd try to sneak in an SSD, but it would be tough to do that and keep a high-capacity disk under budget.
 
S

snowhiker

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Which SSD? Perhaps a small 30-60 GB one for O/S and a few games, then cut HD down to 500 GB?

Thanks for quick response.
 
Mercutio

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That's a decent computer and a huge step up from what you have. I'm not a big fan of Cooler Master cases, but that certainly doesn't impair the function of the underlying hardware.
 
CougTek

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As Handruin linked in another thread, with only 20$ more, you could get 1.5TB of space to store your files instead of only 1TB.

I haven't used it yet, but the Antec Two Hundred has the same internal configuration as the Cooler Master 690, but it cost less (at least around here). Also, I would (in fact, I did) get the Core i7 860 over the Core i5 750 if I had (and I did) the financial margin to allow it. Everything else is absolutely fine.
 
MaxBurn

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S

snowhiker

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CougTek said:
As Handruin linked in another thread, with only 20$ more, you could get 1.5TB of space to store your files instead of only 1TB.
Click to expand...

That 1.5 TB drive is a 5400 rpm model I believe. Space isn't really a concern as 200 GB is probably more than enough. I spec'd the 1 TB drive as it should be a touch faster than a smaller drive.

I'll take a look at the Antec 200. The case I spec'd currently has free shipping so that helps keep costs down.

This CPU/MOBO combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.322821 would save $55 and a AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition @ 3.2GHz would be close (or not??) to the i5-750. I wonder how that MSI board compares to the budget Gigabyte board.
 
Mercutio

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IIRC AMD doesn't have anything that can touch an i5 based on performance, though it's certainly an attractive buy based on price.
 
S

snowhiker

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Switched ram to:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

as it's on the mobo compatibility list:
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/FileList/MemorySupport/mb_memory_ga-p55-ud3l.pdf

Don't know if buying RAM that's on the mobo Qualified Vendors List is all that important/necessary nowadays.

Also spec'd a smaller version of coolermaster case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161

Any recommendations on a case that's $50 or less (INC. Shipping) would be welcome.

I'm still trying to work the Newegg site to see if I can shoehorn a 5850 into the mix and keep total around $1000 but with the combo savings it's tough.

Is the 500 GB version of the Samsung HDD (link?) just as fast as the TB version listed above? It's a $35 savings as 500 GB would be more than enough. I just hate losing I/O performance for $35.

Again, Much Thanks to all.
 
CougTek

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I often used the CoolerMaster RC335 and while it's not a bad case and it's looking good, the metal used in the panels is very tin and it's quite a notch below the other CoolerMaster you where planning to use.
 
S

snowhiker

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updated again.

Well it's $1062.91 with a HD5850 and 650 watt power supply. If there is a cheaper Power Supply, that is the SAME OR BETTER quality I can swap it out, but don't want to go to a lower QUALITY power supply no matter what the cost savings. Lower wattage is fine if it won't be a problem.


XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 Video card Retail $307.86 w/shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W 80 PLUS Certified Power Supple - Retail $99.99 w/shipping. ($10 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005


Well I need to check the case to make sure the video card fits and find out what the story is regarding the 500 vs 1000 GB HDD and I'm all set.
 
S

snowhiker

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CougTek said:
I often used the CoolerMaster RC335 and while it's not a bad case and it's looking good, the metal used in the panels is very tin and it's quite a notch below the other CoolerMaster you where planning to use.
Click to expand...

OK, that's good to know. I've used the 335 before for my brothers build and assumed the 690 was of the same quality. If quality is lower in the 335 than $20 might be worth the upgrade to the 690?

Thanks for the heads up.
 
T

time

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Firstly, your config is fine, and well researched. My comments are more philosophical than essential.

That's a big case, particularly the depth (525mm). Makes it easy to work on and a pain to live with. Not sure you really need something with 5 quick-release drive bays?

I don't much care for side-mounted USB ports. Apart from needing to keep the PC well clear of obstacles on the right hand side, inserting and removing USB devices by feel gets old real fast.

The case design is a bit of a blast from the past (or something geared towards multiple drives) in that it has provision for seven fans! Great dust magnet then ... sounds more like P4 vintage rather than what a consumer would expect to buy these days. All those holes will also make CPU and GPU fan noise more noticeable.

Doesn't save you anything, but note that you can now buy Gigabyte MicroATX motherboards with Crossfire support. So you're not limited to tower cases.

But if your friend likes the idea of plenty of metal for the money, it's a great solution.

Both your CPU and graphics card are energy-efficient variants, so you could gain a bit in power efficiency by dropping back to the Neo 400W. That's still enough to run a crossfire configuration. I'd stick with the 120mm fan Neo over the 80mm fan Earthwatts models.

The Phenom 955 isn't too far behind that i5, but it chews more power and I don't believe it's discounted enough. Obviously, if you overclock the i5 at all, it will blow any of the Phenoms into the weeds.
 
MaxBurn

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Nice to know my Q9550 is holding up well.

Fess up, who just price checked a W5590?
 
Handruin

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As a more real-world situation, we in fact opted for dual Intel X5550 with 48GB RAM for our environment. Saving $700+/CPU (I don't remember what it was at the time we ordered) when buying 10 CPUs saves us money so we can put it into other things like more RAM. We had to fit it into budget constraints and trading off GHz was one of them.
 
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