cost effective $800-1000 multi purpose rig

[demonx5]

Ok - my last PC was a dell which was not particularly terrible - it has since, however, become quite outmoded. I just recently picked up a whopping deal, 250 Gb Seagate 7200.9 hard disk for $83. That is the first piece to this puzzle : ) Here is what I'm looking for - with some leeway, but keep in mind my budget is $800-1000. Let the games begin:

Hard disk - CHECK
MoBo - Looking at Asus, would prefer reliability here, I need a ton of PCI slots, and a PCI-e
CPU - Dual core for sure, no preference Intel over AMD - would like 2.8-3.0 gHz but I'll take a hit in speed for the dual core nature
Video - Looking for value, but try not to sheep on performance a ton - I'd like to be running the newest Nvidia graphics (think Huxley, World of Warcraft, Age of Empires 3, etc.) so Nvidia is probably going to be it here, just not sure about the model, other brands/suggestions VERY welcome
Sound - I'm not a huge sound buff, but anything that supports 5.1 surround is great (I could potentially recycle what I'm using now as well so keep this in mind)
Speaker - I have a recycled set I'm using, Altec Lansing w/ woofer so no big deal
Media - DVD burner, any speed really; floppy drive might be useful.
Monitor - Also recycled - but rather new (good deal on a Samsung 19" flat panel : )
Memory - For the applications and such, I'd prefer as much as possible, 2 Gb is realistic, less if cost starts to creep up, I can always upgrade later
Power Supply - I need a good model here, but this is a good place to balance price and performance - either name brand with lower guaranteed wattage or off-brand with higher overall wattage, this one I need help on
NIC - I can cheap it here, I'm great with networking so dont sweat this one
Cooling/Case - I like the looks of a case, temperature LCD is nice but not necessary, another good place to cut some costs perhaps. I was thinking ATX mid tower, but this is another place where I need some help - also, if I have enough budget left over I would be more than likely interested in installing extra cooling, fans (not sure if I'm quite ready for water cooling but its always possible), etc.


Tasks invovled with this particular PC:

- High demand gaming - World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 2, Age of Empires 3
- Intense multitasking - PS, Dreamweaver, Java Environments - simultaneously
- And other low end stuff that should have little influence on my build.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated - the lower the cost the better, but with that budget I think I can swing a relatively prepared (for .. *cough* vista *cough*) PC. Thanks!

[blue60007]

Antec Sonata II (w/450W Antec power supply) - $90
eVGA 7900GT - $275
LITE-ON DVD-RW - $35

AMD build -
ASUS A8N5X - $75 (3 PCI , 2 PCI-E x1)
3800+ X2 - $300
Cosair VS 2GB DDR400 (2x1GB) - $160
($935)

Intel Build
ASUS P5LD2 - $120 (3 PCI , 3 PCI-E x1) (1 PCI slot might be blocked by video card)
Intel 930 - $194
Cosair VS 2GB DDR2-533 (2x1GB) - $156
($870)

Neither of these include an OS - not sure if you have that or not, but XP Home OEM will run you another $90.

[jayb1234]

Here are some Intel boards with 4 pci slots.

[Kareeser]

Why would you need a ton of PCI slots?

Most On-board sounds can support 5.1 sound (some even go up to 7.1 ), and the NIC takes up one slot

[blue60007]

And, the motherboard has onboard LAN. Unless you want Wireless LAN, there's no need for a seperate NIC card (unless you need two connections or whatever). Both boards I mentioned have Gigabit LAN.

[demonx5]

That onboard sound/LAN is fantastic ! I really appreciate your input. You're right about the PCI slots, I won't need nearly as many with the onboard stuff included. Any word on which would be better, Intel or AMD for the processor?

[flanzig1]

Some old thought was AMD for gaming and Intel for graphics work. But, today it's pretty much a toss up; go with what you are comfortable with.

[demonx5]

So I found the Intel 930 for 190.99 free shipping on newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116238

hit it up quick for a baragin : )

I like the MoBo I might downsize it a bit to cut costs but very nice suggestions

But, the video card, being the priciest item on there:

Can anyone make some alternative suggestions? That one is very slick, I do like the specs, but just in case, you know?

Thanks!

[MakeYourslf2012]

Well, they have retired the 7800GT, so the next lowest generation is the 7600GT which runs in the $125-$175 range I believe ; yeah, its a pretty big margin - not just in price but in performance too.


However, ATI's X1600 and X1800 line of cards are a bit less than the 7900GT

[demonx5]

Are the ATI cards comparable to the nVidia cards based on performace? Or am I better off sucking it up and investing in some top-line product

[glc]

I would not downgrade from the P5LD2.

ATI has decent cards around the $200 range if Nvidia has a hole in their line and that's your budget limit.

[demonx5]

Ok I'm crusing on this build getting all the parts together - my next buy is the video card - I want that 7900gt calibur card but i've looked at some reviews and plenty of them have stated that these cards are faulty at best. Others say they're the best cards for the money. I just don't want to end up with a lemon if i can help it... What is the verdict on this one?

also, if i end up deciding on this card i can order it sooner than later for a better deal : ) ooooh newegg. what would we do without ye?

[blue60007]

An eVGA 7900GT is a dandy of a card, and it's a good bang for the buck.

[glc]

The video card should be one of the last things you buy if you are buying in stages. The pricing and technology on them are more volatile than most of the rest of the components.