Need a rec for a decent gaming build.

[MystifyingMonkey]

It's been a while since I built a pc, probably 2-3 years now. My friend is asking me to help him build a new gaming pc with a budget around 1200-1500 dollars. He already has monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers; he just needs a new PC. I've been looking through some sites and such, and noticed that new sockets for the CPU's have come out, and so I'm not sure which one to pick; lga 775, lga 1366, or the AM3. My friend has no preference between Intel and AMD, he only wants to get the best that he can get with the money he has. Also, do you think a 750w PSU will do, or should I bump it up to 850w? I told him to stick with just one graphics card and not go with SLI, so I figured 750w should cut it (probably a Corsair one). For the graphics card, he definitely wants to go with nVidia. I'm just not sure yet which one because I have no idea how much all the other parts are going to cost. I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could recommend me some parts =].

Also, is there anything new coming out sometime soon? The last time I built a PC for myself, I went with an AMD socket 939, and I completely regretted it because the newer stuff came out a month and half later, so I was stuck with an outdated mobo that had an AGP slot only ... I'm still using the same build though after all this time x]

[Masaki 7-11]

Do you need an OS? For a single card build, all you need is a 750W (if you want lots of headroom, at least 500W should be fine otherwise) power supply, if you are going to go crossfire or sli, a 850W will handle two of most cards. In terms of AMD, I don't think AM3 is a good option as it uses DDR3 memory which is expensive and doesn't provide much performance, and there are currently only 3 processors which work for AM3; all AM2, AM2+ and AM3 processors work on (most) AM2+ motherboards. There is a new socket coming out for Core i5 processors, but that won't be for a while and will probably replace LGA775. Here is a list for a good gaming build for about $1300 :


LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS322-08
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106286
$25.49

NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047
$99.99


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284
$109.99

ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131368
$129.99

BFG Tech BFGEGTX2951792E GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143167
$524.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139009
$149.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231166
$54.99

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471
$214.99

Subtotal: $1,310.42

[MystifyingMonkey]

Are you sure I should go with AM2+? My friend has no intention to upgrade his computer minus the videocard. He does need an OS, but it's not going into the 1200-1500 dollar budget. Is there anything new coming out within the next few months? My friend wants to wait a little bit until he buys the computer, probably around July.

Side question: I'm going to be heading off to college after I graduate this year, and I'll be majoring in computer science, or maybe switch to computer engineering. Currently, I only have an year and a half old Macbook Pro, and also an outdated PC. Should I plan to buy a new PC or laptop for this? I don't think there's going to be any rush to do so since the first year in college doesn't have anything to really deal with my major, just some general subjects (or so I heard...).

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by MystifyingMonkey Are you sure I should go with AM2+? My friend has no intention to upgrade his computer minus the videocard. He does need an OS, but it's not going into the 1200-1500 dollar budget. Is there anything new coming out within the next few months? My friend wants to wait a little bit until he buys the computer, probably around July. Side question: I'm going to be heading off to college after I graduate this year, and I'll be majoring in computer science, or maybe switch to computer engineering. Currently, I only have an year and a half old Macbook Pro, and also an outdated PC. Should I plan to buy a new PC or laptop for this? I don't think there's going to be any rush to do so since the first year in college doesn't have anything to really deal with my major, just some general subjects (or so I heard...).

For gaming a you don't need an extremely fast processor; a decently fast quad core can handle most games well and provides a good bit of futureproofing. Right now AM2+ is a better option than AM3 because the processors for AM3 are a decent bit slower than the new AM2+ processors. A new AM3 processor is coming out in the summer; it will be faster than the current fastest processor from AMD and should be a good option if it is available at the time the computer will be built. As far as I know there isn't much coming out in the upcoming months.

You'll probably be fine with your current computers for college, depending where you go, you might only have to use your computer for basic things like web browsing, email and word processing.

[glc]

You could also look at an Intel 775 build. It will also use inexpensive DDR2 ram. The most bang for the buck now is an Asus P5Q or P5Q Pro board and a E8x00 dual core or E9x50 quad core. Yes, the Core i7 is now out, but it's using triple channel DDR3 and very expensive motherboards. The Core i5 to replace the 775 platform completely probably will not be out till the end of the year.

Check back in July - any recommendations we make now will HAVE to be re-evaluated.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by glc You could also look at an Intel 775 build. It will also use inexpensive DDR2 ram. The most bang for the buck now is an Asus P5Q or P5Q Pro board and a E8x00 dual core or E9x50 quad core. Yes, the Core i7 is now out, but it's using triple channel DDR3 and very expensive motherboards. The Core i5 to replace the 775 platform completely probably will not be out till the end of the year. Check back in July - any recommendations we make now will HAVE to be re-evaluated.

I agree, if the computer is to be built in July, it's a good idea to have all the recommendations re-evaluated as even if new parts don't come out, prices change. Core 2 Quad right now is pretty much equal to Phenom II X4, I wouldn't bother going with a dual core as applications and games will change over to supporting quad cores fully as time passes.

[chuck4456]

I'd go with what GLC has suggested. You can build an excellent 775 performance system without declaring bankruptcy.
Keep in mind also that the 1156 platforms coming out at the end of the year will be first runs and INTEL already has plans for their next generation to come out just a few months afterwards.