Building a gaming rig for a friend... - Overclock.net

nightrifle1015 · 10-15-09

Hi, my friend wants a gaming rig and I spent several hours researching parts and came up with this list. I just wanted a second opinion on how well I did with an $900 limit. Thanks.

Everything at Newegg

XFX MBN790IUL9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$154.99 (after rebate) - FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$179.99 - (after rebate) -FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC - Retail
$94.99 -FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
$189.99 - FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$69.99 - FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail
$85.99 - FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
$19.99 - FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
$89.99 -FREE SHIPPING @Newegg
Link

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
$34.99
Link

TOTAL: $900.91 w/o tax and shipping for case and heatsink

Note: I have thermal paste + os, and computer built to be upgradeable. He also has nothing but a laptop at home so we are starting from scratch.

LuckySe7ens · 10-15-09

Well i would choose somethng other then the xclio. maybe a CM 690 or Antec 902 but thats personal preference.

Scythe Mugen 2: Much better then your chosen CPU heatsink $35 (1$ more)

Maybe this combo for much cheaper then that intel quad? $225 (around 100$ savings)

Better PSU and Better GFX card $215 (15$ more)

AIpha · 10-15-09

I'd swap out the Q9400/XFX board for a PHII720/AM3 790 Board. Spend the money you've saved on that on a Better PSU. As stated above, I'd get a different case. RAM is good, maybe look into a Western Digital Caviar Black HDD. Or a Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200.12. Swap out the Artic cooler for a Zigamatek Dark knight or just plain old S1283.(provided the case you select will fit it.)

Just my opinions...If it's for a gaming build, imho the 720 is best bang for your buck...If you/he prefers intel that's your choice. ~_~

Also; it being AM3 would give you the option to later upgrade to the 9x5.

Zigamatek S1283

Dark Knight

Antec 550w Modular PSU

Case is really your friends opinion...since he's the one who will have to look at it all day.

PII 720

Gigabyte GA-MA790GX-UD3H

Motherboard will depend on if he wants to overclock or not...if not you might as well get a 785/770 chipset. Though it probably won't matter...

MoMurda · 10-15-09

Dont wanna buy used from the forums? I would do as stated.

Spritanium · 10-15-09

DO NOT GET AN APEVIA PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9006&Tpk=750tx This costs more, but that's because apevia power supplies are horrible quality-wise. Trust me.

Also, go for a mugen 2 or dark knight cpu cooler. They're about the same price as the freezer 7 pro, but perform better.

nightrifle1015 · 10-15-09

Quote:

Well i would choose somethng other then the xclio. maybe a CM 690 or something but thats personal preference.

A 5770 can be had for the same price as that 260 and performs better.

Scythe Mugen 2: Much better then your chosen CPU heatsink

Maybe this combo for cheaper then that intel quad?

Lastly i have not heard much about the Apevia psus. Might be better off finding a more well documented brand

Will switch out your picked heatsink for mine... that was the thing I was least sure about.

Looking at psu's that was the cheapest one I could find while keeping a shred of reliability (via reviews) and a decent power rating. I didn't particularly want to get a cheeper psu, but I was going a little over his price range, I'll do some more looking.

I am not as familiar with amd/radeon, but I heard amd does not shut down when overheated and will just melt. I heard radeon had a better price/performance ratio, but you cant go sli when using it on an nvidia board. We were thinking he might put another of the same type of gpu in it eventually.

I'll talk to him about the case... He seemed to like that one a lot and $20 will probably be made up in the cost of the fans. Does the one mention cool better? I thought the 2 MASSIVE fans right over the gpu were nice but the lack of fans elsewhere might hurt.

Quote:

maybe look into a Western Digital Caviar Black HDD. Or a Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200.12

That is adding more $... what is the advantage?

Quote:

720

720?

AIpha · 10-15-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightrifle1015

Will switch out your picked heatsink for mine... that was the thing I was least sure about. Looking at psu's that was the cheapest one I could find while keeping a shred of reliability (via reviews) and a decent power rating. I didn't particularly want to get a cheeper psu, but I was going a little over his price range, I'll do some more looking. I am not as familiar with amd/radeon, but I heard amd does not shut down when overheated and will just melt. I heard radeon had a better price/performance ratio, but you cant go sli when using it on an nvidia board. We were thinking he might put another of the same type of gpu in it eventually.

That is adding more $... what is the advantage?

720?

AMD not shutting down when overheating? As long as the cooler is put on right you won't have a problem...Even if the cooler is off just a hair it won't FRY the chip...

Phenom II 720 x3. Triple Core chip. $120+free Shipping at Newegg.

HDD's; Faster. Caviar Black is a pretty fast. 7200.12 has good transfer rates.

I just put a build together for a friend for $600. It has a PHII 720, ATI 4870, 550w PSU, CM690, stock heatsink, and a Seagate HDD for around $630 after shipping. For an additional 200$ you should get a beast build.

LuckySe7ens · 10-15-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightrifle1015

Will switch out your picked heatsink for mine... that was the thing I was least sure about. Looking at psu's that was the cheapest one I could find while keeping a shred of reliability (via reviews) and a decent power rating. I didn't particularly want to get a cheeper psu, but I was going a little over his price range, I'll do some more looking. I am not as familiar with amd/radeon, but I heard amd does not shut down when overheated and will just melt. I heard radeon had a better price/performance ratio, but you cant go sli when using it on an nvidia board. We were thinking he might put another of the same type of gpu in it eventually.

If frying components is something your worried about then cheaping out on the PSU is a bad idea. Amds shut down... who told you that?

If you would like to run multiple cards then 5770s scale exceptionally well! Just dont get an nvidia board

And BTW NewEgg reviews are not the greatest way to get info on parts. A lot of those people have no idea what they are talking about. Trust in OCN.