Gaming Rig $1000-1500

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#26495 24-Sep-2008 16:17

Hi

I want to build a new gaming rig in the $1000-$1500 price bracket
I want to play games at 1600x1200 and 1920x1200 on my 24" Dell LCD
It will be a complete system less monitor
I will buy a new keyboard/mouse but i want to keep that discussion out of this thread
I intend to get 4gb ram so i can run vista when needed.
I dont need a big HDD because all my media files sit on my HTPC
I want to to run quiet, but not silent and i want to mildy overclock from the start.
I intend to buy this system in a couple of weeks time

I'm not sure if i should be going intel or amd here?

This is what i've started with based on the gpforums PC Build thread located here
http://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/302905/?s=2296d4e0aeddccb020a09caf647bf1e1

I'd prefer to get everything from the one shop if possible for less hassle and have it built by the shop, which will save time if anything is faulty then i just return the whole rig and dont have to diagnose where the problem is.

Prices listed are near/at the bottom of what is available on price spy currently

CPU: $271.00 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16GHz (OC up to 4.2GHz)
HSF: $130.00 Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 + fan

Not sure if this is a good choice or not, comments please. I seem to be spending a lot here, can i go cheaper?
Should i be better of with AMD?
I started with this combo, because it is what is recommended on gpforums

Mobo: $200.00 Asustek P5Q PRO P45

This mobo seems to be recommended a lot on GPForums which is why i choose it. Should i choose something else?

RAM: $145 4GB - Corsair Kit DDR2-800 XMS2 2x 2GB

Can someone please offer some suggestions here. I don't see the point in getting only 2gb here as it doesn't cost much more for 4gb

GFX: $285 Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB

Big price upgrade to get the 4870 and i think it is out of my bracket, so i thought i can save over $100 and always add a crossfire 4850 when the system gets old and i need for GPU grunt. I am guessing the fast CPU gives me plenty of power in the future for when i go cross fire.Do I need to add an aftermarket cooler, as i would like to overclock mildy. Which brand would you recommend?

Case: $135 Antec Three Hundread Gamer Case

If you can suggest a better case please so so, i want one with large fans so it can be quiet.
I intend to add some home made air filters to stop dust getting into the case

PSU: $160.00 Corsair 620W HX Modular Power Supply

A more powerful psu gives me the potential to add a 2nd 4850 in hybrid crossfire in the future

DVD: $42.00 Asustek DRW-2014L1T Serial-ATA DVD Writer

I choose this because it was recommended on gpforums

HDD: $115.00 Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive

Apparently the large platters run cooler and I don't need a big HDD because everything is on my media pc.

TOTAL: 271 + 130 + 200 + 145 + 285 + 135 + 160 + 42 + 115 = 1483

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#166786 24-Sep-2008 16:46

Looks like you've mainly used the GP 1.5k default build, so everything is an excellent choice, very good bang for buck. I have the CPU, Motherboard, Graphics Card and Cooler.

CPU perfect for an overclock. The cooler is awesome, im running 3.9ghz 24/7, once i get some Arctic silver thermal paste i'm going to 4.2 permanent hopefully. Ensure its E0 Stepping, this means it'll run cooler and overclock a lot easier.

Motherboard fine, unless you want full 16x bandwidth crossfire (p5q pro runs 8x 8x crossfire) however 8x has a minor impact on performance and is only noticed for cards like the 4870x2 and the 4850x2, anyone who crossfires two of those has money to burn in the first place. In otherwords, P5Q Pro is awesome bang for buck.

If you can get some slightly better RAM, CL4 latency, it will make your overclock slightly easier. G.skill, Crucial ballistix and Axeram are good. Not sure about how corsair overclocks.

One possible change would be a 4870 instead of 4850 as you mention - this would be a very good choice for running at 1920x1200. This resolutiuon is very taxing on performance, its likely you'll need to compromise with high (not 'very high') settings and possibly no anti aliasing on newer games, however obviously this varies from game to game.
However two 4850's should be able to do this perfect so one might be fine in the meantime.
The 4850 reference board stock fan is quiet, only because its set to very low, meaning temperatures of 80'C+ occur. There is a sapphire one (aka 'big fan') which i think is a bit louder but cuts temperatures in half. I cant remember other options for cooling apart from an aftermarket one, if you choose this look into the Accellero S1 r2, it takes nice big fans and runs very good, at a decent price.

Case is a great choice, though case is highly opinion based.

Power supply is perfect, modular meaning no cable mess.

DVD Fine.

Hard drive nice and quiet, and pretty fast.

As for shop, GP has more great advice here for computerlounge. Get in contact and see if a price match against C1 is possible, or ask what deal they can do for you. One thing they did for me was swap the CPU cooler fan for an Antec Tricool which is a lot quieter with a 3 speed switch.

Hope this helps.

kiwijunglist

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#166801 24-Sep-2008 17:17

Thanks exdee, i read one of your posts on gpforum and updated my list a little using your suggestions, also trying to bring the cost down, because i don't want to spend more than needed and i prefer bang for buck.

CPU: $271.00 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16GHz (Overclock to atleast 3.6GHz or more perhaps) - E0 Stepping
HSF: $48.00 Freezer 7 Pro
Mobo: $200.00 Asustek P5Q PRO P45
RAM: $138.00 4GB kit G.SKILL DDR2-800 PC6400 CL4-4-4-12 2GB x 2
(or) $138.00 4GB kit G.SKILL DDR2-1000 PC8000 CL5-5-5-15 2GB x 2
GFX: $285.00 Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB (Overclocked up to GPU 625 / Mem 1050, run fan at 45%)
CASE: $135.00 Antec Three Hundread Gamer Case
PSU: $160.00 Corsair 620W HX Modular Power Supply
DVD: $42.00 Asustek DRW-2014L1T Serial-ATA DVD Writer
HDD: $115.00 Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive

TOTAL $1394

Future Plan - Add HD4850 crossfire in the future.

Questions
1. Should i try to save money on the PSU and go for a bit cheaper here
2. If DDR2-1000 CL5 is similar price to DDR2-800 CL4 i don't know which is best
3. Havn't decided if i should go with stock cooler for GFX or upgrade

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#166809 24-Sep-2008 17:34

Well.. another question.

Is it worth overclocking, because i have no experience overclocking and it will void the warranties.
Should i just skip overclocking or go for a factory overclocked 4850?

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eXDee

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#166827 24-Sep-2008 18:19

1. That PSU is really nice for good cable management, since its modular meaning no gigantic cable mess. 620w will mean you'll be safe for crossfire + any other expansions, though you might be able to scrape in with lower.
2. I dont know which is best, i would think the DDR1000 would be faster, though i cant say for sure.
3. Stock is fine for normal usage. For overclocking an okay one can be done on the 'big fan' version, and a small one as you've noticed on the stock cooler if you redo the thermal paste. With something like the accelero S1 you could go a lot higher, and it will be quieter.
4. To overclock or not is a difficult choice. I chose to, because the e8500 can make 4.5ghz stable (with a good cooler) from its 3.166. Though a 25% increase here to almost 4ghz is okay for the moment, and 25% is pretty significant. A small overclock is hardly noticable, but an increase of 25% is pretty significant, not sure if you'd notice but the increase in performance is there, the e8500 is very fast if you're coming from an older computer.
As for overclocking graphics card - im not going to due to it running hot enough as it is. It seems a bit harder than CPU overclocking.
Overclocking in general though isnt all that hard, though before i kinda had a grasp of how it worked.
Factory overclocked card (read: Sapphire Toxic) had a couple of issues with bad ram on them, though this has probably been solved. IMO factory overclocked cards dont usually justify their price difference.
As for voiding warranty, i'm hoping that my CPU will keep on chugging as long as i keep it cool. Its pretty hard to break a CPU unless its already faulty, so as long as theres no issues before you begin, the benefits of a decent overclock outweigh the risks.

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#167020 25-Sep-2008 12:22

I'm thinking i will probably get this setup

http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/systems/systemdetail.asp?sysid=45&systypeid=4

$1496 delivered, including Build/Cable Management/24hr burnin test.. Any criticisms?

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Quidam

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#167033 25-Sep-2008 12:57

Yep -that's a great setup for a great price.

I will say (and it may just be my board) but I've found the P5Q-PRO a very poor overclocker -compared to the Asus P5N32-E SLI that could clock the same CPU (e6600) much higher.

ps. I assume you won;t be wanting the AGP card anymore

"There is no way to Peace -Peace is the Way" (A. J. Muste)

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#167037 25-Sep-2008 13:05

nope & thank you... since i vacumned my old pc its been having issues with randomly resetting itself. I think it wants to be put to sleep.

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eXDee

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#167082 25-Sep-2008 15:44

Quidam: Yep -that's a great setup for a great price.

I will say (and it may just be my board) but I've found the P5Q-PRO a very poor overclocker -compared to the Asus P5N32-E SLI that could clock the same CPU (e6600) much higher.

ps. I assume you won;t be wanting the AGP card anymore

Really? Sure it isn't your ram? i've managed 4.5ghz as my highest im daring to go, and windows started and ran long enough to browse the web for a while + post superpi scores. If i had a better cooler i would burn test it with orthos.

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#167099 25-Sep-2008 16:29

which case did u get exdee?

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eXDee

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#167118 25-Sep-2008 17:35

Ive had my Cooler Master Centurion 5 for almost 2 years, i dont change case much. I've set it up with an 'air tunnel' where air is taken in below the CD drive, the TRUE fan sucks it through the heatsink and the exhaust fan pulls that out. The entire front of the case is a grill so no modding needed.

Quidam

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#167155 25-Sep-2008 19:30

eXDee:
Quidam: Yep -that's a great setup for a great price.

I will say (and it may just be my board) but I've found the P5Q-PRO a very poor overclocker -compared to the Asus P5N32-E SLI that could clock the same CPU (e6600) much higher.

ps. I assume you won;t be wanting the AGP card anymore

Really? Sure it isn't your ram? i've managed 4.5ghz as my highest im daring to go, and windows started and ran long enough to browse the web for a while + post superpi scores. If i had a better cooler i would burn test it with orthos.

That's a definate possibility -but I'm sure I dropped the ram speed down and was still not able to get stability, even with a fairly modest overclock.

I might try some quality (corsair) ram I have in one of my other machines and see how that goes..

"There is no way to Peace -Peace is the Way" (A. J. Muste)

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#167211 25-Sep-2008 23:31

I was running my ram @ 1:1 with the FSB, so it was running at just over 900mhz. Mine is Crucial Ballistix 800mhz CL4 which apparently can go up to 1000mhz @ CL5.

charley

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#167291 26-Sep-2008 10:57

Awesome overclock eXDee. I had my E8500 at 3.8ghz 1:1 ratio with Corsair DDR2-800 XMS2 CL4 Ram. Temps didnt increase to much so it's nice to know i have that extra power when needed.

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#167294 26-Sep-2008 11:02

I might buy my computer today if computerlounge will match a quote from my local pc shop in chch (urcomputer) =) !!!! =) + =)

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#167296 26-Sep-2008 11:07

going for the exact system above but with CM690

still partially undecided if i should fork out the extra for the toxic version of the sapphire HD4850

Dual slot http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=7165

Toxic http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=7166 (Extra $56)

It is fitted with a zalman cooler which is quieter and is factory overclocked
Core 625 -> 675
Memory 993 -> 1100

some of the reviews don't think it is worth the extra and better to buy a 4870, but in those reviews the prices are about 4850 = 100 Pounds / 4850 Toxic = 125 Pounds / 4870 = 150 Pounds. But here the price jump to 4870 is a lot more.

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