Building a new gaming computer

[Plutoburn]

My old man bought a 22inch monitor for his computer, when he told me I winced because the GPU on his tower is a sad little 5200fx. And it just happened that the GPU I had on my computer died on me a few days later. So I thought a bit and decided to buy a replacement GPU for my computer, and gave it to my dad, and he gives me a bit of cash to help funding my next computer.

My last computer:

An antec chassis I forgot the name of.
Corsair 620W HX PSU
Asus P5K
Q6600
EVGA Geforce 8800GTS 320MB manufacture overclocked <-- It died on me
4GB Corsair Ram
WD 320GB HD x 2
Soundblaster Audigy 2ZS

I am not a big fan of onboard sound, so I will be getting a sound card as well.

My budget is US$1400 (flexible if the increase in performance is really really worth it) I am gonna keep using the RAM from my current computer. Everything else I am open to suggestion. The most demanding thing I use will be gaming.

 

[DSF]

EVGA has a lifetime warranty. You aren't going to get the card replaced?

 

[fourdegrees11]

You have a pretty solid system already, instead of a complete new build why not just upgrade your set-up with a fancy new GPU, and a better CPU. Maybe a 4890 and Q9650? You could even add another 4gb of ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359

 

[Plutoburn]

DSF: It generate a lot of heat, fan is noisy, takes 2 PCI slots, and sucks up a lot of power. I rather get a new card. And I had unpleasant experience dealing with EVGA before...

fourdegrees11: I am trying to kill 2 birds with one stone by giving my current system to my dad, so I can start clean.

 

[fourdegrees11]

Ahh, I read that wrong, sorry.

 

[AstroGuardian]

1. Get 800W PSU for future upgrade.
2. Get 4870 or 260 for your 22' monitor
3. Q9550 + little bit of OC is great for gaming
4. Go for P45 for oveclockability (or X48 is you want crossfire later)
5. Try putting two Western Digital 640GB in RAID Stripe for improved I/O which is noticeable in games and general system usage. DOnt forget third drive for backup and storage.

This should fit in your budget

 

[fourdegrees11]

I'll take a shot at it...

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119160

ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131368

XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139006

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz $225.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103471

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136319

ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16829132007

Here's the curve ball...

Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 27.5" 3ms 1900 x 1200 Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor $349.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824254026

Total $1405

Or if you really don't need/want a monitor upgrade you can add a second GPU and another 4gb of ram.

 

[Plutoburn]

Thanks for the suggestion, just curious, I live in Canada and I am absolutely terrible at putting together my tower, does Newegg offer service of putting together a tower?

Also...

If I go with this, which mobo should I go with? (I know next to nothing about OCing myself)

Corsair TX 750 (What's the difference between TX and HX serie?)
BFG Geforce GTX 280
Q9550
Cooler Master Sileo 500 Black Mid Tower Case
Western Digital Caviar (WD6400AAKS) 640GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Buffer (OEM)

 

[fourdegrees11]

I don't believe Newegg assembles systems, so if you don't have a friend capable of helping you, you might be better off going through Ibuypower or Cyberpowerpc. Newegg sells both, but the company's websites will let you configure your setup .

The GTX 280 has been displaced, a GTX 275 or 4890 would be better at $250.

 

[Plutoburn]

Thanks for the info, base on the review on the front page, I am gonna go with your recommendation for the HD4890.

I got another question also. I already got 2x2gb ram, and I do a lot of gaming, does it make sense for me to get the vista x64 OS?

So far I have:

Corsair TX 750 (What's the difference between TX and HX serie?)
Sapphire HD 4890
Q9550
Cooler Master Sileo 500 Black Mid Tower Case
Western Digital Caviar Black (WD1001FALS) 1000GB SATAII 7200RPM 32MB Cache (OEM
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 7.1 PCI Low Profile
A cheap dvd burner
2x2GB DDR2 ram (I already own it)


What motherboard should I use? (Not into overclocking)

 

[heyheybooboo]

I'm not seeing a big leap up from the Q6600 - why not build a new system for your Pops?

The Phenom II 940BE is $75 less than the Q9550 - the 720BE is $175 less

 

[Plutoburn]

So I can still play some decent games when I visit.
(His comp will be q6600 + Radeon 4550) He has a 52inch LCDTV, so I think he'd like to connect the two and do some stuff with it.

 

[Hacp]

Sounds to me like you just want your old man to fund your next upgrade. Instead of building a system that fits his needs, you're just going to sell him your comp so he can pay for your new one.

 

[Plutoburn]

I think he is getting a really good deal getting an antac casing, Corsair 620HX, P5K mobo, Q6600 with a good fan, Radeon 4550HD, 640GB HD, 2GB ram, dvd burner and sound card for about US$300 albeit used except the video card. His motherboard don't even have a pci-e slot, its upgrade potential is about nil. But then again, it's irrelevant to the topic what my motive is anyway.

 

[Rifter]

NCIX will put your computer together and they usualy match newegg.ca prices for me, just a thought.

Edited to add:

Where in canada do you live? NCIX will let you do local pickup to save shipping if you are in vancouver, i dunno if they have other stores across the country i know they have a toronto warehouse but i dont know if it allows pickups.

 

[Plutoburn]

Riferut: Thanks for the info, I actually just got back from ordering the computer. I will check out the website next time I am doing an upgrade.


Here is my finalized rig:

Cooler Master Sileo 500 Black Mid Tower
Corsair 750TX PSU
Gigabyte GA-EP450UD3L
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
OCZ Reaper 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-15
WD Caviar Black 1TB 32MB cache
Sapphire Radeon 4890
Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme PCI-E
Samsung 22X DVD writer

 

[AstroGuardian]

Your rig is perfect man! But this is some serious hardware with which you wouldn't want to play. I suggest you find a professional to assemble it. IF you can't find one, let us know so we can send you some assembling best practices OK?

Cheers to your new machine!

 

[Plutoburn]

I actually bought the system in a store in Toronto, so I paid extra for assembly and in-store warranty. Their prices less than 1-2% higher than online stores so it's not too bad.

Very satisfied with the hardware so far, mobo is very user friendly, only a few clicks to update bios in window environment. System is very quiet under light load. Can't say the same about vista though (first time user) I feel better after playing far cry 2 with max settings on dx10..