<$1000 PC

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Hessy

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<$1000 PC
« on: March 09, 2011, 05:45:07 AM »
Hoped I could get some feedback from you guys.  I'm building a gaming-rig for a relative with a budget of $1000.  Here's what I was going for...

Case: Antec 900 Mid-ATX

MB: ASUS M4N75TD nVidia nForce 750a SLI-ready (AMD) Core Unlocking

GPU: 2 x EVGA GeForce GTX460 1gb SE in SLI

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 650W ATX12V

CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz (3rd and 4th cores unlockable)

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaw 8gb DDR3 1333

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 600gb SATA2 7200rpm

Optical Drive: ASUS 24x CD/DVD burner

+ Windows 7 OEM ($99), Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound, remover, and purifier ($20)

I'm a little over budget (the GPUs just came off of a great bargain, back up to $170ish with MIR)... any recomendations on where costs should be cut without sacrificing too much performance?

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PizzaPlanet

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2011, 06:05:04 AM »
SLI is greatly overrated. Get a single more expensive card and save money both on your computers and power bills while sacrificing almost no performance.
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Lorddave

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2011, 09:38:07 AM »
Remove 4GB of ram. I have 8 and I have yet to use it all at once.
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Thork

Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2011, 09:59:11 AM »
Remove 4GB of ram. I have 8 and I have yet to use it all at once.
^ This ...
You are better off getting less ram at a lower latency. Kingston, Corsair etc all do good ram.

AMD? Yes its nice to be different isn't it. Of course it make no sense, but its different.
I'd also be inclined to get a small SSD and drop my OS and frequently used apps on it. Your hard drive is going to bottle neck everything else.
PP is right about the SLI. Its a good way to get more money from you.
Oh, and you won't need 650W. You are building a mid-range PC, not a death ray. Its just going to heat your case up and cost more.

I'd be opting for a case more along these lines ... but they do cost more.
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1319&ID=1426
Silverstone also make tons of good cases.
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=lc03v&area=

But you aren't building me a PC so do what you like :P


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Parsifal

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2011, 11:07:33 AM »
I'm a little over budget (the GPUs just came off of a great bargain, back up to $170ish with MIR)... any recomendations on where costs should be cut without sacrificing too much performance?

Here you go:

+ Windows 7 OEM ($99)
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

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Lorddave

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2011, 11:32:46 AM »
I'm a little over budget (the GPUs just came off of a great bargain, back up to $170ish with MIR)... any recomendations on where costs should be cut without sacrificing too much performance?

Here you go:

+ Windows 7 OEM ($99)
If he removes that then it won't be a gaming PC. After all, Linux sucks for windows based games.
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

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Trekky0623

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2011, 11:40:14 AM »
Or, you know, just not buy Windows.

Why the hell is Windows 7 $99 when XP is around upwards of $200?

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Parsifal

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2011, 11:51:16 AM »
If he removes that then it won't be a gaming PC. After all, Linux sucks for windows based games.

>implying there are no other games than what's available for Windows

Good one, man.
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

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Lorddave

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2011, 12:04:38 PM »
If he removes that then it won't be a gaming PC. After all, Linux sucks for windows based games.

>implying there are no other games than what's available for Windows

Good one, man.
>implying no GOOD games requiring a high powered system exist for Linux.
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

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Horatio

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2011, 12:05:18 PM »
If he removes that then it won't be a gaming PC. After all, Linux sucks for windows based games.

>implying there are no other games than what's available for Windows

Good one, man.

>implying that people want to play the games that aren't available for windows
How dare you have the audacity to demand my deposition. I've never even heard of you.

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PizzaPlanet

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2011, 03:22:47 PM »
Why the hell is Windows 7 $99 when XP is around upwards of $200?
l2OEM
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frostee

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2011, 04:32:40 PM »
Also don't think you can just unlock the extra cores easily. It rarely works, so expect to be stuck with the dual core.
Oh and I would NOT recommend any motherboards with nVidia chipsets.
Recently religious due to the impending rapture.


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Lorddave

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2011, 08:41:06 PM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

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frostee

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2011, 09:25:20 PM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
Tell me how can your rig be "Exceptional" or "Enthusiast" if Sandy Bridge, ATI 6xxx and Nvidia 5xx were all released in the last 6 months or less  ::)
Recently religious due to the impending rapture.

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Trekky0623

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2011, 10:12:49 PM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
Tell me how can your rig be "Exceptional" or "Enthusiast" if Sandy Bridge, ATI 6xxx and Nvidia 5xx were all released in the last 6 months or less  ::)

1. Open up case.
2. Take out card.
3. Replace card.
4. Close case.

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frostee

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2011, 10:31:37 PM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
Tell me how can your rig be "Exceptional" or "Enthusiast" if Sandy Bridge, ATI 6xxx and Nvidia 5xx were all released in the last 6 months or less  ::)

1. Open up case.
2. Take out card.
3. Replace card.
4. Close case.
Except he said his system was "A few years old" and Sandy Bridge would require a new motherboard.
Recently religious due to the impending rapture.

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Mykael

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2011, 10:50:39 PM »
Needs moar Sandy Bridge.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how-tos/build_it_sandy-bridge_powered_gaming_pc_under_grand

Replace the i3 processor with a i5-2500k for $100 more, and you get a quad-core processor that can be easily overclocked to a stable 4.4 GHz on stock cooling alone.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2011, 10:54:46 PM by Mykael »

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Blanko

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2011, 01:16:35 AM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.

Well, that's understandable, considering DA2 looks like it's from 2006.

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Lorddave

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #19 on: March 10, 2011, 03:27:00 AM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
Tell me how can your rig be "Exceptional" or "Enthusiast" if Sandy Bridge, ATI 6xxx and Nvidia 5xx were all released in the last 6 months or less  ::)
I'm not basing it on specific components but general power and capability. Like t
1TB drive, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, ect...
You have been ignored for common interest of mankind.

I am a terrible person and I am a typical Blowhard Liberal for being wrong about Bom.

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Beorn

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frostee

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #21 on: March 10, 2011, 05:28:06 AM »
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png
By that guide, my system is around Exceptional and Enthusiastic.  Though my system is a few years old, it still plays Dragon Age 2 with High rez textures and all settings to max (aside from AA.  That's only at 4x) without a problem.
Tell me how can your rig be "Exceptional" or "Enthusiast" if Sandy Bridge, ATI 6xxx and Nvidia 5xx were all released in the last 6 months or less  ::)
I'm not basing it on specific components but general power and capability. Like t
1TB drive, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, ect...
Yes because that was still around a few years ago. What about the important things CPU/GPU/Motherboard. I.e. the stuff I specifically mentioned  ::)
Recently religious due to the impending rapture.

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Hessy

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #22 on: March 10, 2011, 10:14:56 AM »
Haven't had time to respond.  Thanks for the help.

So I guess I may as well scrap what I had.  Any general recommendations on what I should go for?

Mainly:

Nvidia vs ATI, Intel vs. AMD, SSD vs. SATA3 HDD, and RAM size/latency

...under a grand

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Trekky0623

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #23 on: March 10, 2011, 11:28:25 AM »
I've never been a fan of solid state drives. I guess I value size over speed, and an SSD is just not going to be big enough to store much on, and I don't really want to have two drives. I don't mind my regular old hard drive.

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markjo

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2011, 11:59:58 AM »
I've never been a fan of solid state drives. I guess I value size over speed, and an SSD is just not going to be big enough to store much on, and I don't really want to have two drives. I don't mind my regular old hard drive.

SSDs are not really meant for storing vast pron collections.  They are more for storing your OS and applications that you use a lot.  I imagine it might be good for VM swap files as well.  At this point, you really only need to consider an SSD if you need performance on a high end system.
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EnigmaZV

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #25 on: March 10, 2011, 12:22:46 PM »
I've never had a problem with any ASUS MB I've ever had.
I don't know what you're implying, but you're probably wrong.

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Hessy

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #26 on: March 10, 2011, 01:19:06 PM »
Yeah, I find ASUS to be really reliable.  And Im going with a 64gb SATA3 (6gb/s) SSD with a SATA3 320gb HDD.

Performance (namely bang for the buck) is the goal here (for gaming, anyway).

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Hessy

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #27 on: March 10, 2011, 04:11:16 PM »
Last question:

HD 6950 or GTX 560 Ti? (1gb, around $250-270)

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PizzaPlanet

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #28 on: March 10, 2011, 04:58:20 PM »
Cool deleted post, Tom.
hacking your precious forum as we speak 8) 8) 8)

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EnigmaZV

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Re: <$1000 PC
« Reply #29 on: March 10, 2011, 05:45:06 PM »
Cool deleted post, Tom.

Now you look crazy!
I don't know what you're implying, but you're probably wrong.