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GAF'S ultimate $500/£400/$650 CAD budget gaming rigs + bonus high end configs!
- Thread starter brain_stew
- Start date
TheHeretic
Banned
dionysus said:
Intel is too obsessed with being at the performance leader. They've let AMD sneak in better chips in so many areas whereas Intels i7 line, whilst powerful, isn't what most PC gamers are buying.
brain_stew
Member
Holy crap, here's a treat for Canada GAF, the X3 720 Black edition with with the same motherboard I specified is actually $20 cheaper than the X2 550, because of this awesome bundle:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=40294&promoid=1004
Updating the op now, you get a better processor and spend less, pretty sweet deal.
I'm able to accomodate a 4870 512MB in the Canadian build now as well, that's one hell of a seriously good deal for you lot in Canada. Updating the op now.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=40294&promoid=1004
Updating the op now, you get a better processor and spend less, pretty sweet deal.
I'm able to accomodate a 4870 512MB in the Canadian build now as well, that's one hell of a seriously good deal for you lot in Canada. Updating the op now.
I don't get the "upgrade to keep up with current games" that I constantly hear from doubters. Recommended specs haven't even completely overtaken the 8800/9800 series yet, and that's a big deal when you think about it. Requirements are an entire generation behind GPU tech, and that gap is about to grow.
Plus the argument never factors in the price drops. By the time your card starts showing age, something more powerful will be available for less than what you originally bought it for.
Plus the argument never factors in the price drops. By the time your card starts showing age, something more powerful will be available for less than what you originally bought it for.
brain_stew
Member
K.Jack said:
You can buy ATI's fastest single card for $150 today. ATI's fastest single card in 2 years should be at least 3x above it. So if spending $150 in 2 years to get a 5x+ leap in graphics power from these $500 rig sounds right for you then by all means go for it. Its not necessary but I'll be damned if its not one hell of an awesome option to have
Oh, and every time I look back I keep finding the components, I specified are going out of stock, guess quite a few people have snapped up these rigs then!! :lol
The rig for Canadian GAF is pretty much the hottest deal of all time now. Go, go go!!
Flying_Phoenix
Banned
brain_stew said:
Well right now I'm only with 2D (mostly Toonboom) I'll move to 3D though. So quad-core would be better for applications even compared to a faster dual core processor?
brain_stew said:
That same motherboard is the one I brought and was defective so I shipped it to the store to fix it and after 5 weeks they sent me a refurbished one back that was also defective and they wouldn't let me send it back to them again so I had to sell it (for a hefty profit as I sold it when those boards were rare). Seriously ASUS is like the only company that I've received reliable boards from.
brain_stew said:
I see so while the requirements are higher that OS improve performance in gaming. I'm strongly thinking of preordering Windows 7 Professional and simply upgrading my videocard.
Haha! I'll have both Windows 7 AND Snow Leopard come this fall. OS Alliance FTW!
TheExodu5 said:I'll be getting Windows 7 for free through MSDNAA.
Yay for university perks.
MSDNNA?
TheHeretic said:
Absurdly expensive, the i7 is. I was planning on building a new rig in the next couple months with an i7, but I don't know if I can justify it over a phenom ii quad black edition for $300+ less when you throw in how expensive i7 mobos are. Hell, the black i7 is freaking $1000 alone without the mobo.
brain_stew
Member
Flying_Phoenix said:
If your apps take advantage of quad core (which I believe the majority of apps in the 3D field do indeed do just that) then a quad will give you a serious boost in performance. It'd be my recommendation to you, personally.
Flying_Phoenix
Banned
brain_stew said:
Thanks. I'm learning a lot from this thread.
I'm just torn whether or not I should get that ATI card or the NVidia ATX's. I think I should NVidia's as it can output 3D (not graphics but the effects, you know that new craze where you need the glasses for) because there seems to be a lot of 3D demand in animation. It could just be a fad but I might as well get started on it, especially since I have a 120hz TV.
EDIT - Are there any cards out that support Direct X 11?
dark_preacher
Member
brain_stew said:
maybe you missed the apples to oranges comment.
i was simply drawing the most basic comparison possible, as that's all most in this thread would understand.
dark_preacher
Member
TheHeretic said:
i never said a console cpu would outperform a phenom. please read, thanks.
Flying_Phoenix
Banned
dionysus said:
Hmm...I guess than I'll probably just pre-order Windows 7 now and wait until next summer to upgrade my PC. I was just worried that Windows 7 would hinder my specs instead of helping them as I assumed that the OS would take a toll on the CPU (mine's Quad Core Q6600).
Minsc
Gold Member
Flying_Phoenix said:
Not yet, DX11 isn't out.
Also to use that 3D Vision from nVidia, you either need a CRT display, or a very specific LCD (out of the thousands of LCD screens, only a dozen are supported).
And you also really need a powerful SLI setup of two GTX 280s or higher to get the most out of it.
Flying_Phoenix
Banned
Minsc said:
...*continues to hope that 3D is just a gimmick and fad*
brain_stew
Member
$1000 CAD setup is done now, it looks very nice indeed and came in under budget.
I'll add the $800/£600/$1000CAD rigs to the op soon. They're awesome value.
I'll add the $800/£600/$1000CAD rigs to the op soon. They're awesome value.
rohlfinator
Member
The higher-end i7s are pretty badly overpriced, I'd agree. And the motherboards are still pretty pricey.dionysus said:
But the i7 920 is actually a pretty good deal when you compare its performance to other CPUs in the same price range. It'd be easily worth the $35 over a PhII X4 955 if all else was equal, but the motherboard prices make it a little less appealing. I think I'd still favor the i7 though, especially when you consider overclocking potential.
brain_stew
Member
rohlfinator said:
The price premium you pay for an i7 rig is absolutely worth it if you've got that sort of money sto spend and demand such incredible multi threaded performance. The problem is, most just don't have the budget and demands to match up. Its a bad use of funds for most gamers for instance, where a much cheaper 3ghz 940 rig will serve them just fine and their money is better off put into a GPU upgrade.
The unlocked multi and decent headroom of that 940 mean you can easily get a nice performance boost out of it if you so please as well.
Edit:
Look what I found through Google:
http://www.albumgrab.com/computer-technology/48511-ultimate-500-375-budget-gaming-rigs.html
:lol
Which one of you lot is impersonating me? I'm more than happy for people to spread this around the web but at least link back to GAF will you?
Gully State
Member
I still can't believe that the E8400 is still $167, especially now that AMD offers better performance at a lower price. That and the i7 920 and 940 apparently are worse for HL2 than the E8400 based on the benchmarks you posted.
rohlfinator
Member
Yeah, I'd agree that it's not such a good buy for a mainly gaming-focused PC, unless you play a lot of very CPU-heavy games.brain_stew said:
But in terms of price/performance ratio, the 920 really isn't a bad deal at all, as opposed to something like the i7-975 which probably doesn't justify the price even if you could take full advantage of it.
brain_stew
Member
Cheeto said:
Some fucker did exactly the same thing with my PC screenshot thread the other week as well. Same words same screenshots everything. :lol
Guess I've got a stalker!!
TheSonicRetard
Banned
kbear said:
Thats the thing about using a computer as an HTPC... as a 4th console, it works the way you want it to work. It's the most customizable console you'll ever experience. Every single feature from any other console that you want is there for you to use, and how you want to use it is up to you.
I installed no-cd cracks on all my games so they load up at the touch of a button. But if I wanted, I could have left them as-is and had to pop in a CD every time I want to play. It's my choice.
brain_stew
Member
rohlfinator said:
Yup, totally agree.
TheSonicRetard
Banned
brain_stew said:
It's always funny when you find a thread you've made parroted on another site.
brain_stew
Member
TheSonicRetard said:
Another thing people overlook is universal peripheral support. I've got a lovely keyboard Logitech MX518 mouse, Saturn USB pad, 360 controller and Logitech Driving Force Pro all hooked upto my rig, and I don't have to worry about compatibility. I choose the best controller for the job and enjoy the bliss of perfect controls for every game and every mood. T'is sweet.
I definitely commend Sony for their efforts in this area, it just a shame most developers haven't risen to the challenge. The great thing about the PC is that even if the developer of you game hasn't written in support of your device, you can be damn sure someone in the community has. I love being in control of stuff like this.
TheSonicRetard said:
Well I've never experienced it before, but its happened 2 times in one week now. Must be doing something right.
I'm curious, how easy is it to go ahead and overlock a CPU/mobo/et al? Does it require anything extra to purchase aside from say a better than stock cooling option for the CPU? Is it all done in software? I've always been curious about this but wouldn't even know where to begin for research. Also, does it affect the CPU's life span? Most people replace their systems entirely about every 5 years, but I am still curious.
TheSonicRetard
Banned
brain_stew said:
Even better is that every game has completely customizable controls if you're using a program like xpadder or pinnacle profiler. Completely customizable. Want to map the camera to the left stick, actions to the right stick, and movement to the face buttons? Doable. Want to play a game that was made for a gamepad in mind with a keyboard and mouse? Doable? Want to play a game with NO gamepad support with a 360 or PS3 controller? Doable.
You can control games ANY way you'd like.
rohlfinator
Member
Some motherboards are better at overclocking than others, so you can't cheap out too much on that. And an overclocked CPU consumes more power, so depending on your situation you might need to upgrade your power supply.Ryu said:
As for the life span issue... in theory it can cause problems, but I think your CPU will last longer than you need it to even when overclocked. From what I understand, the increased heat is what hurts the CPU more than the act of overclocking itself, so if you have a good cooler and keep an eye on temperatures you should be fine.
A stable OC shouldn't damage a CPU, it'll probably be running cooler than it would with a stock fan anyway. Essentially OCing is just messing around with the FSB and multipliers in your BIOS, running Prime95 or whatever for a few hours, and you just repeat the process. Then once you get a stable OC, you look into dropping your voltage so you generate less heat, it's one of those things that you think is going to be difficult but really isn't.Ryu said:
Personally I'd never run a CPU on a stock cooler, they tend to be pretty awful, and the difference in temps between a stock and aftermarket is huge (http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...ight-true-black-120-cpu-cooler-review-7.html).
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17612922 explains OCing a little more.
Yeah. I got an i7 rig because I needed a new CPU. I found a deal for an i7 920 for $200 and I figured it would be silly to spend that much on an outdated socket 775 CPU. Needless to say I spent more than I should have all said and done and now I'm thinking of getting into video encoding and stuff just to get some use out of it. :lolbrain_stew said:
Nice link. That's two major threads in a row, right? No wonder the parts keep going out of stock. This is bigger than GAF. :lol
The blatant copy and paste is even more obvious with the unintentional smiles when you put in "
"brain_stew
Member
Ryu said:
Its much easier than you'd ever imagine, and all done through the BIOS. It can be a little scary at first but you'll sharp get the hang of it, just do your reading beforehand and take it slow.
www.overclock.net is a great place to get advice.
infinityBCRT
Member
I have a 320mb card, so I need to turn the textures down almost all the way IIRC so that it doesn't stutter. Fallout 3 did look better than 360 but when going into VATS there would be huge pauses (and I still wouldn't put detail up on *everything*). That's the last PC game I played if you don't count Braid or Plants vs. Zombies. Waiting on StarCraft 2 here.brain_stew said:
edit: actually I forgot about Far Cry 2. Thats another game where sometimes the game would just pause for long periods of time due to the lack of memory.
brain_stew
Member
The $500 GAF gaming rig really is an excellent buy for any budget gamer, it'll do precisely what its advertised for, and that's deliver a great gaming experience in every game at mainstream resolutions. Quite a lot of people were asking where to spend a little extra cash, and I'm a firm believer that you should aim to create a balanced rig so tacking on parts to the $500 build (outside of the 1080p gamer upgrade) may not be the best idea.
However, if you've got a little more money to play with, you can definitely make some very interesting upgrades, and as such I've specified a range of rigs that I feel hits the next "sweet spot" of price and performance. You're going to be getting full speedy quad cores for your money here, coupled with PSUs and cases that leave breathing room for future upgrades, so they should last you through many builds. You're also getting a 1080p spec. DX10.1 GPU of course, as well as nicer motherboards that are a bit more tailored to overclocking and future upgrades which is why they have Crossfire capabilities built in.
It is important to note that any money spent past this point will throw the idea of getting a good "bang for your buck" gamer rig out of the window. After this point you're entering territory where the in game gains are increasingly less noticeable and the costs start to spiral out of control. Core i7 CPUs are an incredible step forward for heavy video encoders and 3D modellers and the like but as it stands their ingame benefit is marginal at best. There's not much evidence on the horizon that I feel suggest this will change in the short-medium term future. If you're interested in perusing 2560x1600 resolution gaming or Nvidia's 3D vision then by all means make the step up, but those are the only two immediate examples I can think of that offer any forthright advantages. For all intents and purposes you're sat in the top tier of the gaming tree with one of these reasonably priced machines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US GAF'S ULTIMATE $800 HIGH-END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
[DVD (22X Samsung DVDRW)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171
[CASE/PSU (Antec Sonata Elite + Antec TruePower 650w 80+ certified PSU)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.195794
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
*(Use discount code: MBSALE10)*
Total Cost = $810.48 + $30 worth of rebates.
Component pictures:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UK GAF'S ULTIMATE £650 HIGH-END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160854
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/155714/show_product_overview
[RAM (OCZ Gold 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149202
[GPU (ASUS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161725
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150247
[DVD (22x Samsung DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145450
[CASE (ANTEC 300)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854
[PSU (Corsair 550W VX): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563
[CPU COOLER (Akasa Nero)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152658
Total cost = £650.32 delivered
Component pictures:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANADIAN GAF'S ULTIMATE $1000 CAD HIGH END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36856
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35467
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28306&promoid=1042
[GPU (XFX HD 4890 XT 1GB)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&promoid=1042
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1042
[DVD (Samsung 22x DVDRW)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38115
[CASE (Coolermaster CM 690)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26048
[PSU (Antec Earthwatts 650W 80+ Certified)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30037
[CPU COOLER (OCZ Vanquisher)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26163&promoid=1042#ProductDetails
Total cost = $996.75
Component pictures:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These charts should help illustrate the sort of performance you can get from these machines in resolutions above 1080p:
However, if you've got a little more money to play with, you can definitely make some very interesting upgrades, and as such I've specified a range of rigs that I feel hits the next "sweet spot" of price and performance. You're going to be getting full speedy quad cores for your money here, coupled with PSUs and cases that leave breathing room for future upgrades, so they should last you through many builds. You're also getting a 1080p spec. DX10.1 GPU of course, as well as nicer motherboards that are a bit more tailored to overclocking and future upgrades which is why they have Crossfire capabilities built in.
It is important to note that any money spent past this point will throw the idea of getting a good "bang for your buck" gamer rig out of the window. After this point you're entering territory where the in game gains are increasingly less noticeable and the costs start to spiral out of control. Core i7 CPUs are an incredible step forward for heavy video encoders and 3D modellers and the like but as it stands their ingame benefit is marginal at best. There's not much evidence on the horizon that I feel suggest this will change in the short-medium term future. If you're interested in perusing 2560x1600 resolution gaming or Nvidia's 3D vision then by all means make the step up, but those are the only two immediate examples I can think of that offer any forthright advantages. For all intents and purposes you're sat in the top tier of the gaming tree with one of these reasonably priced machines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US GAF'S ULTIMATE $800 HIGH-END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
[GPU (HIS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB))]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
[DVD (22X Samsung DVDRW)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171
[CASE/PSU (Antec Sonata Elite + Antec TruePower 650w 80+ certified PSU)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.195794
[CPU Cooler (Xigmatek 120mm rifle cooler)]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
*(Use discount code: MBSALE10)*
Total Cost = $810.48 + $30 worth of rebates.
Component pictures:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UK GAF'S ULTIMATE £650 HIGH-END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160854
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/155714/show_product_overview
[RAM (OCZ Gold 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149202
[GPU (ASUS HD 4890 1GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161725
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150247
[DVD (22x Samsung DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145450
[CASE (ANTEC 300)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854
[PSU (Corsair 550W VX): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563
[CPU COOLER (Akasa Nero)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152658
Total cost = £650.32 delivered
Component pictures:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANADIAN GAF'S ULTIMATE $1000 CAD HIGH END GAMING RIG
[Motherboard (Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36856
[CPU (Phenom ii 940)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35467
[RAM (G.Skill 4GB DDR2 1066)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28306&promoid=1042
[GPU (XFX HD 4890 XT 1GB)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&promoid=1042
[HDD (WD Caviar Black 640GB)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1042
[DVD (Samsung 22x DVDRW)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=38115
[CASE (Coolermaster CM 690)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26048
[PSU (Antec Earthwatts 650W 80+ Certified)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30037
[CPU COOLER (OCZ Vanquisher)]: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26163&promoid=1042#ProductDetails
Total cost = $996.75
Component pictures:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These charts should help illustrate the sort of performance you can get from these machines in resolutions above 1080p:
Gully State
Member
infinityBCRT said:
That happened to me too. But after I upped my RAM from 2- 4 gigs, the stuttering no longer occured.
brain_stew
Member
yanhero said:
Its a really nice option to have.
So what's the thoughts on my high end configs then? I reckon they're pretty spiffy machines for the money you're paying. Some excellent components in there.
brain_stew
Member
Ryu said:
Already one included in the cost. There's plenty of better high end models but on a budget that little thing is great. I've got the Intel version under a different brand name and it works a treat.
Should manage 3.6ghz+ easily I'd imagine.
brain_stew
Member
Ryu said:Yeah, you did. I'm blind clearly. Sorry about that.
No worries, and the Sonata Elite comes with cooling fans (which are reportedly very quiet) as shown in the picture I've just thrown up.
dasupremeone
Member
Im still debating on upgrading my gpu, currently running a 9800gt gpu. the 4890 is sexy, but I kinda want to wait till prices go down.
dark_preacher
Member
dionysus said:
amd has working silicon as they showcased it. that doesn't put them in a better position to release than nvidia, though.
chip yields on the 40nm process are less than %30. those are rumours reported on the nvidia side of things, though this would affect both vendors.
bee
Member
For CanadaGAF:
The MSI GTX 275 is the best deal this week:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=3...ozr OC&manufacture=MSI/MicroStar&promoid=1042
$239.99 - $15MIR.
The MSI GTX 275 is the best deal this week:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=3...ozr OC&manufacture=MSI/MicroStar&promoid=1042
$239.99 - $15MIR.
brain_stew
Member
TheExodu5 said:
I'm going to switch the GPU in the Canada rig to that, the custom cooler seals it for me.
Edit: Or not, only 12 left, so a bit pointless to use that offer as it'll be gone by tomorrow.