A cheaper gaming rig!

[helpme1011]

Hi everyone people have told me to build my own PC! =D I guess ill go for it umm.. I honestly know jack poop about parts and stuff... My budget is 1300$ american dollars for the PC itself Ill keep my current screen , keyboard , mouse , speakers but.. Ok so now i dont know what to do.. Im a gamer like many.. umm.. My comp is currently 2.0 ghz 512 MB ram ati radeon 9200 ... and i hate my current comp had it for like 5 years now .. my games lag my comp is slow.. memory is bad (37 gig of space.. omg) so... can any1 list me a good list of parts for a gaming computer that will last me for ..... a while i want to max out what i can afford in the best stuff i can afford.... i dont seek to furthur upgrade i just want a maxed out comp now.. then a few years from now ill afford something alot better cus most likely ill have a job =D

Thank you


andrew

[Alfie]

AMD or Intel?

[helpme1011]

witchever is faster and more reliable.. i think amd for gaming right?? so.. amd! =)

[Alfie]

Either one is good,the Intel cpus are outpacing the AMD for the moment,but if you're on a budget,AMD may be more affordable.
For gaming,the video card would be the main component.
A single card would be the best option as opposed to sli.
AMD is now on AM2,using ddr2 memory.
You should have a system with 2 gigs memory,dvd burner dual core cpu,sata hard drive(s)
Best shopping options are at Newegg.com
I will check there for possible solutions.

[helpme1011]

ok thank you

[jer888]

you can fit a core 2 duo into that budget

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor =
$308.00
Free 3 Business Day Shipping
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Any of the P5B's will work well. This is the basic one
Motherboard: ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard =
$123.99
3 Business Day Shipping $6.13
(Not available in HI, AK and PR)

Memory: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory =
$109.99
3 Business Day Shipping $4.99
(Not available in HI, AK and PR)

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply =
$129.99
($119.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)
3 Business Day Shipping $8.48
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Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive =
$84.99
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I'd recommend a placeholder video card, but you said you want it maxed now
Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card =
$294.99
3 Business Day Shipping $6.13
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Optical: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner =
$39.99
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Choose your own case

Total Shipped : $1072.67

After Rebate: $1062.67

That leaves plenty of room for a case or other things you may want

[Mr.Ferrari]

The Corsair HX 520W is available HERE for $96 after rebate plus free shipping.

[Drix]

I'm thinking of using the same list Jer888 posted. The only thing is, my budget is a bit smaller. How can I slim that price down a bit and still keep maximum performance? I was thinking of getting a lesser vid card (place holder) like a XFX GeForce 7600GT PVT73GUGF3 Video Card - Retail. Is this a good idea? how else can I reduce that price? I would also like a flatscreen monitor. If this is not an option with this budget, I have a backup. I am looking to spend somewhere under $1,000. If at all possible, under $900.

[helpme1011]

Thank you for the build but i isnt AMD better?

[Staren]

Originally Posted by helpme1011 Thank you for the build but i isnt AMD better?

Not right now. For a few years there AMD did have the best processors no question, and if you're comparing them to Intel P4s that's still true, but the Intel Core 2s are leaps and bounds better then anything else right now. Plus they're still very well priced, so that unless you're going for major price cuts, it's not worth it to use anything else.

[jer888]

Originally Posted by Drix I'm thinking of using the same list Jer888 posted. The only thing is, my budget is a bit smaller. How can I slim that price down a bit and still keep maximum performance? I was thinking of getting a lesser vid card (place holder) like a XFX GeForce 7600GT PVT73GUGF3 Video Card - Retail. Is this a good idea? how else can I reduce that price? I would also like a flatscreen monitor. If this is not an option with this budget, I have a backup. I am looking to spend somewhere under $1,000. If at all possible, under $900.

you should probably start your own thread, but the only way I see that happening is waiting till the core 2 duo price cuts, getting a E6300, basic P5B, get a EvGa 7600GT as a placeholder (xFx isnt the best brand out there) and an inexpensive case

[helpme1011]

thank you but dont i also need windows disk and floppy drive or something? and whats a good screen ? for 200-250 bux?

[helpme1011]

Can you reccommend a case for me? cus alot of these says.. need fans and stuff and IDK what to choose lol

[keith_mahoney]

I also am new to this game but I couldn't be happier with my build. There is nothing I feel I am lacking. Spces are in sig. 1200 bucks with operating system and drives

[jer888]

Originally Posted by helpme1011 thank you but dont i also need windows disk and floppy drive or something? and whats a good screen ? for 200-250 bux?

yeah my bad 4got

OS : Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack =
$89.99
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dont bother with vista yet

I like samsung for my displays but there are others. I would stick with a name you know though, not an off brand

As for a case, anything from Antec, coolermaster, Lian Li. Check out the Antec P182