# First Build. Budget Gaming. Recommendations?



## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

I've never built a PC, but of course it's the cheapest route.. so that's the way I gotta go.

I wanna do some gaming.. probably City of Villains and EVE Online.

I also want to use my PC for video editing, graphic design and website design.

I need to keep it under $1000. $700 - $800 would be ideal, but I'm willing to spend the extra $200 if need be.

I don't mind purchasing from any particular place, whichever has the best deals is fine with me. 


I'm not too picky about motherboards. I'd like to have at least 800 mhz RAM, 1 16x pci express slot, and 3 pci slots is nice. I'm not really even sure what 1x pci express slots are for. The motherboard I'm showing only uses 1066 mhz RAM I think.. which might be a little too expensive for my tastes, but other than that the motherboard is perfect.

What does Windows have that something, like say Ubuntu doesn't have? Should I use a free OS instead? Or are compatibility issues a problem?

I'm clueless about routers.. people have negative things to say about every one. But I need to use it for two computers and a Wii.

I'm also clueless about monitors, I want something 20" - 22", probably widescreen. Any suggestions? Should I just go to a local store and see which ones I like better?

Here are some items I have in mind. Do they look fine? Would you recommend something else? Is there something I can buy cheaper? Should I get a sound card?


* COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

(open to suggestions on towers)

link


* Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

(perhaps a cheaper one)

link


* XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card

(eh?)

link


* Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply

(do i need more wattage? of course I do, but will 430 suffice? I already have one of these in my current computer, but it's not nearly the machine this one will be. should I really get 600-800 watts? any recommendations on a PS of that size?)

link


* Genius SP-F200 - Stereo Speaker for PC/MP3 with Flat Front Design and 6W RMS Power Output, Black

(whatever for now)

link


* Logitech 967561-0403 Black USB + PS/2 Cordless Standard Desktop EX110 Mouse Included

(seems like it'll work for now)

link


* Rosewill RNX-G400 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless-G Broadband Router

(junk?)

link


*CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-8500C5D

(probably a little too pricey, I think I might want to use 800 mhz RAM, so I'm going to include that as well.)

link


*CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C5DHX

(more in my price range)

link


* ECS A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

(this looks like pretty much everything I need, except that it's 1066 mhz RAM, which I'm not sure I can afford. What are 1x pci express slots for anyway? Because I'll probably need at least 2 pci slots for firewire cards and such.

link


* Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack

do you really need a link?


Should I get a sound card immediately? Or is it something I can wait on? Any motherboards out there with decent on-board sound that don't cost a bundle?


Thanks in advance for your help, suggestions and recommendations!

ray:


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Is a 2.3 ghz processor fine?


* AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4400DOBOX

link


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Oh, and I'm from the USA.


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## bruiser (Jul 30, 2005)

At this point in time, Intel is ahead of AMD. Check the Conroe prices vs AMD.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

How bout something like this?

If you bundle the cpu and mobo together there cheaper.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3433136&CatId=2406

some memory
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3402808&CatId=2033

same case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119047

better videocard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3618454&CatId=1826

psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371002

cpu heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118004

hdd
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255389&CatId=2458

That all came out to 684$, and that w/o the rebates. And leaves enough room for the rest of your accessories. As for monitors im not quite sure about brands , but try to find something with a high resolution. Like 1680x1050 or higher


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Cool, thanks.


Will my cheaper graphics card suffice? The one you're showing almost costs double.

Also.. can I just use the heat sink and fan that come with the processor? If not, can I get like a $10 one? Or should I spend the $50 on that heat sink?


Thanks for the suggestions. I'm gonna go look at monitors right now.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

bruiser said:


> At this point in time, Intel is ahead of AMD. Check the Conroe prices vs AMD.



I still can't find any Intel prices that compare with AMDs.

All the Intels I find are 3x the price of the AMDs.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Well the gpu you found will work fine, but it is gonna not be too great for playing games. It more made for like HD movie playback and maybe some older games. The card I posted is only bout 50$ more after the rebate and is well over two times the power.

As for the heatsink , I would get the 50$ one, I have a crappy heatsink on my cpu and its ok for a pentium d but you'll really want that good cpu cooler on the core two duo.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Hmmm.. right on.

This is definitely gonna take some more thought.


Any other thoughts, suggestions, tips, or advice?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Well make sure you think of all the little stuff you might need. Extra fans in case the case doesn't come with them , extension cables , cable ties , card readers , screws , and so on. When picking out a keyboard and mouse, it might be better to go to a store like a bestbuy or circuit city to try them out in person to see if you like them.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Well I just went to best buy and circuit city.. and their selection of monitors is absolute junk.

How are ACER brand monitors?

Is there a good card reader you'd recommend, or will any suffice?

And what about a wireless router? I have no experience with these, but i would like it to be reliable.



Also, do you really recommend intel over amd? I can't seem to find any good prices on intels. :4-dontkno


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

And how does this card: XFX GeForce 8800GS
compare with the 9600GT?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

it is alittle slower then the 9600


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Acer's good , any card reader should be fine , As for wireless routers linksys is good. And yea I's hafta recommend intel over amd because I'm an intel fan and I think there worth the money over amd cpu's.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Ok, thanks.

I think I'm gonna go the ultra budget route and get the 8600GT.

So how about this for a motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...lickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16813127031

And do you know of any places that have a good deal on Intel processors right now? I'm gonna check pricewatch here in a minute.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

ebay, should have some good deals.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=E2160&c=pw

How about this?


And this:

Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W Power Supply


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Ok, I don't know if you can view this or not:

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.asp?ID=8683808


But this is everything I think I need, including all the extras.. EXCEPT for the processor.

It comes to about $850 w/o shipping. But I get $100 back in mail in rebates.

Everything look ok? Will the processor in the above post suffice?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

No we can't and i would stay away from thermaltake that are not "toughpower"


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Yea and stay away from pentium d's, while there cheap they just suck compared to core two duo's. and copy the list here because we cant see it.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Dang.. I'm not sure if I can go with Intel. I can't find any deals.


I'll post the updated list after some more searching.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

are you trying to go lower then your original 700-800$ budget?


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

No, not at all.

If I add everything up:

Monitor: $200
Case: $50
Video Card: $100
Hard drive: $70
RAM: $50
Motherboard: $100
Power Supply: $80
Windows XP: $90
Extras: (No less than) $60

That equals up to $800, and that's with the cheaper Video Card. If I buy an Intel.. I'm looking at $980 subtotal, plus shipping. Plus I need to buy a wireless router.. another $50 (of course this isn't in the budget for the computer though).


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Ok, I'm getting close.

But I stumbled upon this, and thought I'd ask if anyone knows what's up with it?

Windows XP PRO Full version, for the upgrade price. Doesn't include the box, but what do I need the box for?

http://www.cietdirect.com/product_special_detail.php?s=1&id=163


And is PCI Express 2.0 really worth it? Is it double the speed? Is it only minimally better?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Thats a 64bit version of xp , and you need the box for the product key.

Also for your budget range 800 to 900 for the entire setup , you won't be needing pci-e 2.0 .


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

I'm going to try to see if i can fit everything into your budget again. So you need the pc itself , a monitor , kb mouse , and a router for under 800/900$ ?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

a pc 420$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3581364&CatId=2650

monitor 170$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3428431&CatId=170

video card 70$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3514923&CatId=1560

wireless router 45$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=628108&Sku=L48-2230

Ok thats 705 $ after rebate. Let me know what you think. Personally I think thats killer for the price. The pc comes with vista , so if you want to you'll have some extra cash to buy xp.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Isn't the 64 bit version better? Can't you use twice the amount of RAM with 64 bit? And it says activation key is included. I'd really rather buy pro, than home.. especially if it's the same price. I was just wondering if there was a catch.


I'll check to see what you posted. I think I found a few real good deals that may be perfect for my budget.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Yeah, that's a pretty decent PC. Almost what I want, except that the power supply is real small, and it comes with Vista (like you mentioned).



Let me know what you think of this:

Case - $50
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119047

MB - $60
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813127031

CPU - $60
http://www.starmicro.net/detail.aspx?ID=899

PS - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

RAM - $33
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145175

HD - $70
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148262

Card reader - $8
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820609198

Keyboard & mouse - $30
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823126174

heat sink - $15
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835150081

dvd burner - $27
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827248009

OS - $90
http://www.cietdirect.com/product_special_detail.php?s=1&id=163


Same video card and router.


Now, I found a monitor for $200. It has 1680 x 1050 resolution. But it's $30 more than the one you show, and it doesn't have built in speakers.


http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16824009108

Huge difference between the monitor you recommend and this one? If I buy the more expensive one, then I need to buy speakers too. But they're only $10. How do you think the speaker quality is on the monitor you recommend? Should I just get speakers anyway?


With your monitor: $773 (after rebates)
With your monitor & speakers: $784 (after rebates)
With 1680 x 1050 monitor & speakers: $814(after rebates)


Thanks a lot for all your help man! :grin:


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

Yeah, that's a pretty decent PC. Almost what I want, except that the power supply is real small, and it comes with Vista (like you mentioned).



Let me know what you think of this:

Case - $50
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119047

MB - $60
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813127031

CPU - $60
http://www.starmicro.net/detail.aspx?ID=899

PS - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

RAM - $33
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145175

HD - $70
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148262

Card reader - $8
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820609198

Keyboard & mouse - $30
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823126174

heat sink - $15
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835150081

dvd burner - $27
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827248009

OS - $90
http://www.cietdirect.com/product_special_detail.php?s=1&id=163


Same video card and router.


Now, I found a monitor for $200. It has 1680 x 1050 resolution. But it's $30 more than the one you show, and it doesn't have built in speakers.


http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16824009108

Huge difference between the monitor you recommend and this one? If I buy the more expensive one, then I need to buy speakers too. But they're only $10. How do you think the speaker quality is on the monitor you recommend? Should I just get speakers anyway?


With your monitor: $773 (after rebates)
With your monitor & speakers: $784 (after rebates)
With 1680 x 1050 monitor & speakers: $814(after rebates)


Thanks a lot for all your help man! :grin:


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Well I guess its really up to you what you want now, now that we have two choices both under your budget. As for the monitor speakers there going to sound like crap.


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## FixThis (Mar 19, 2005)

I found an Intel Quad Core computer on slickdeals.net for $650, and it includes a 22" monitor. I just need to add a gig or two of RAM, and that video card.


Thanks for helping me walk through this.


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