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[derder]

i'm in the u.s. shopping Newegg. i would be assembling myself. here's my build:

$280 CPU: Intel Core i7-920
$300 Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D
$070 CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
$140 PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W
$100 Case: COOLER MASTER CM690 Mid Tower
$440 GPU: Radeon HD 5870 1GB
$220 Memory: 2 x G.SKILL 4GB
$344 Hard drive: OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD
$027 Optical drive: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD RW

about $1920 or $1700 if I opted for a 1TB HDD

a $1700 Dell XPS would have a worse power supply, but include a BD drive and a monitor.

other than increased upgradeability, i don't see a reason to build.?

I rebuilt yours with the same price.

Intel i7-930 and Gigabyte x58 mobo w/ 6Gb/s and USB3.0 $484.98

Antec 300 Illusion and LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray $99.98

2x OCZ Solid 2 Series 60GB SSDs $318.00-$20MIR

Cooler Master Hyper N CPU Cooler $39.99

GeIL 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 $149.99

Corsair 850W SLI PSU $129.99-20MIR

ASUS 5970 $699.99

$1,922.92 Before MIR and Shipping


I'm pretty sure it will rape whatever you could build at Dell for the same price.

You need to spend a lot more time working with combos on Newegg. Also, avoid spending money in the wrong places. If you don't want the 5970, you could get a 5870 and a 750W PSU and save about ~$380. I would also take Minsc's suggestion and get a singular 80GB SSD (60gb is too small) and a top performing mechanical, high capacity DD. That wouldn't save you that much money, but you'd have considerably more space.

 

[luxarific]

I rebuilt yours with the same price.

Intel i7-930 and Gigabyte x58 mobo w/ 6Gb/s and USB3.0 $484.98

Antec 300 Illusion and LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray $99.98

2x OCZ Solid 2 Series 60GB SSDs $318.00-$20MIR

Cooler Master Hyper N CPU Cooler $39.99

GeIL 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 $149.99

Corsair 850W SLI PSU $129.99-20MIR

ASUS 5970 $699.99

$1,922.92 Before MIR and Shipping


I'm pretty sure it will rape whatever you could build at Dell for the same price.

You need to spend a lot more time working with combos on Newegg. Also, avoid spending money in the wrong places. If you don't want the 5970, you could get a 5870 and a 750W PSU and save about ~$380. I would also take Minsc's suggestion and get a singular 80GB SSD (60gb is too small) and a top performing mechanical, high capacity DD. That wouldn't save you that much money, but you'd have considerably more space.

Don't forget the OS. That's going to be another $100 or so.

I didn't save money over buying a prebuilt from Dell or another company, but I definitely got to configure my desktop the exact way I wanted to.

 

[sumo390]

Hey everybody. I'm ready to get a new computer. Problem is, I'm retarded when it comes to how computers work or are built. I spend all day on one, yet can't tell the difference between most of the stuff that's inside. :lol

Anyways, can anyone point me in the general direction of an affordable bunch of items that could help me run my beloved TF2 at full settings? (Yes, just TF2, I'm very simple). Thanks.

And if there's a post similar to this, just kick my ass over to that post please.

 

[Wallach]

Hey everybody. I'm ready to get a new computer. Problem is, I'm retarded when it comes to how computers work or are built. I spend all day on one, yet can't tell the difference between most of the stuff that's inside. :lol

Anyways, can anyone point me in the general direction of an affordable bunch of items that could help me run my beloved TF2 at full settings? (Yes, just TF2, I'm very simple). Thanks.

Will need a little more info than that, friend. What's your budget? Are you interested in learning how to build one yourself, or do you want something pre-built so you don't have to muck with it?

 

[sumo390]

Will need a little more info than that, friend. What's your budget? Are you interested in learning how to build one yourself, or do you want something pre-built so you don't have to muck with it?

Budget is up to $1,000, I don't need anything crazy (if $1,000 is not enough then I really don't know anything about computers and you can just ignore my ramblings :lol ). And as for building it, I have a cousin who is really into that kind of stuff so I could probably convince him to do it, but if it's pre-built then that's alright too. Whichever one makes it easier for finding options I guess.

 

[Wallach]

Budget is up to $1,000, I don't need anything crazy. And as for building it, I have a cousin who is really into that kind of stuff so I could probably convince him to do it, but if it's pre-built then that's alright too. Whichever one makes it easier for finding options I guess.

That's a start. I'll have to get back to you tomorrow, but to follow up:

Will you need a copy of Windows or do you have one you can use? Also, are you going to need a new monitor or will you be using the one you currently have?

 

[sumo390]

That's a start. I'll have to get back to you tomorrow, but to follow up:

Will you need a copy of Windows or do you have one you can use? Also, are you going to need a new monitor or will you be using the one you currently have?

No hurry, I'm in no need of one immediately. And I assume I will need a copy of Windows so Yes, and I already have a couple of monitors so that's a No on that.

 

[TheHeretic]

Ok guys, soon to pulling the trigger on a new HTPC. All I need it to do is output to a 7.1 receiver, play music, play video and play BLU Ray discs. Heres what I have, prices are Australian so don't panic. The onboard gpu is a HD4200, which I've read is perfectly capable of doing all of the above but advice would be good.

2 spare RAM slots for upgrade-ability, a spare PCIE-X16 for a video card if I want it, and the case has a spare HDD slot for another 1.5tb hard drive if need be. Here it is, analysis please.

 

[GullyJuice]

I rebuilt yours with the same price.

Intel i7-930 and Gigabyte x58 mobo w/ 6Gb/s and USB3.0 $484.98

Antec 300 Illusion and LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray $99.98

2x OCZ Solid 2 Series 60GB SSDs $318.00-$20MIR

Cooler Master Hyper N CPU Cooler $39.99

GeIL 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 $149.99

Corsair 850W SLI PSU $129.99-20MIR

ASUS 5970 $699.99

$1,922.92 Before MIR and Shipping


I'm pretty sure it will rape whatever you could build at Dell for the same price.

You need to spend a lot more time working with combos on Newegg. Also, avoid spending money in the wrong places. If you don't want the 5970, you could get a 5870 and a 750W PSU and save about ~$380. I would also take Minsc's suggestion and get a singular 80GB SSD (60gb is too small) and a top performing mechanical, high capacity DD. That wouldn't save you that much money, but you'd have considerably more space.

okay, tyvm. I was leaning towards the Dell but I'll do another comparison with the combo deals in mind. from everyone else's responses I thought Newegg was losing its edge

 

[derder]

Ok guys, soon to pulling the trigger on a new HTPC. All I need it to do is output to a 7.1 receiver, play music, play video and play BLU Ray discs. Heres what I have, prices are Australian so don't panic. The onboard gpu is a HD4200, which I've read is perfectly capable of doing all of the above but advice would be good.

2 spare RAM slots for upgrade-ability, a spare PCIE-X16 for a video card if I want it, and the case has a spare HDD slot for another 1.5tb hard drive if need be. Here it is, analysis please.

Looks pretty good. If you want 7.1, you're going to have to use a i3/i5 cpu or buy a HD5000 series gpu. If you can afford it, try a beefier cpu. The first HTPC I built used a similar cpu and it had a difficult time with 1080p .mkv files

 

[SuperSonic1305]

This is what I have so far. Any changes I should make?

 

[poppabk]

So what do people recommend in the way of cooling? I have an HTPC 2.6GHz core2duo, passively cooled Nvidia GeForce 210. Not exactly a gaming machine but it gets some light gaming use. Anyway the fans I have (salvaged cooler master) are loud as hell and the machine can get pretty hot. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I would like to get some fans/heatsinks that will keep the volume down so as not to be blindingly obvious and distracting. What components can you change to reduce heat, the power supply seems to put out an exceptional amount of heat and it is a cheap ass one that came with the $60 case.

 

[Nabs]

This is what I have so far. Any changes I should make?

Your motherboard and cpu are not compatible.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

Your motherboard and cpu are not compatible.

What motherboard should I get then?

 

[half a moon]

Going with this as of right now. Waiting a few weeks for some case reviews.

$564.98 Mobo & GFX combo: Asus GTX 470, ASUS P6X58D-E
$199.99 CPU: i7-930
$79.99 Cooling: Corsair H50
$139.98 case: HAF 932
$70 HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$189.99 RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 Model 998805 Cas Latency 6 Timing 6-8-6-24
$129.99 PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX

$1374.93 excluding tax, shipping, OS, & disc drive.

Any critiques?

 

[Minsc]

What motherboard should I get then?

If you want it to work with your RAM, you should get a LGA1366 one.

And if you want your RAM to work with your motherboard, you should get RAM that is specifically listed on your motherboard's manufacturer's page of tested RAM.

 

[GullyJuice]

k looks like i'm gonna go w/ this:

$200 CPU: Intel Core i7-930
$240 Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-E
$040 CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520
$110 PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W
$140 Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP
$425 GPU: HIS Radeon HD 5870
$170 Memory: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$235 Hard drive: Intel X25-M 80GB SATA II MLC SSD
$027 Optical drive: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable
$090 Sound card: HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1
$100 OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

$1782 (- $50 after deals)

 

[K.Jack]

PSOD = Psychedelic screen of death haha. Thats a "common" issue i've heard coming up in forums. Some systems are having to be RMA'd after a screen resolution change, and apparently its trippy as it occurs. Who knows.

And dont tempt me with the G73W. I've waited long enough for this damn thing that i'm sticking with it. I keep trying to tell myself that if I wait for the next one a new one will be out that I'll want even more, and I need a replacement soon.

Spoiler

/I want to wait so bad

GSOD = Gray screen of death. It's the most common form of G73 issue; I believe it's a GPU or motherboard problem.

I'm saving up until Q4 of this year, so I'll be buying from whoever has the best machine on the market at that time. Nvidia will have more high-end Fermi GPUs out as well.

Speaking of which, the specs of a mobile GF108 chip have leaked from Computex:

Possibly the 430M, a replacement for mid-range cards like the GT 335M.

 

[GullyJuice]

Going with this as of right now. Waiting a few weeks for some case reviews.

$564.98 Mobo & GFX combo: Asus GTX 470, ASUS P6X58D-E
$199.99 CPU: i7-930
$79.99 Cooling: Corsair H50
$139.98 case: HAF 932
$70 HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
$189.99 RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 Model 998805 Cas Latency 6 Timing 6-8-6-24
$129.99 PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX

$1374.93 excluding tax, shipping, OS, & disc drive.

Any critiques?

great deal. source?

 

[Toby]

Looks pretty good. If you want 7.1, you're going to have to use a i3/i5 cpu or buy a HD5000 series gpu. If you can afford it, try a beefier cpu. The first HTPC I built used a similar cpu and it had a difficult time with 1080p .mkv files

The HTPC I built for my parents uses an old 939 single core that runs at 2.6ghz. The CPU will be fine, as long as you have a card that can decode h.264/VC-1, which the 4200 does.
1080p MKV's play fine, as long as you are using a DXVA compliant player.

 

[Gully State]

great deal. source?

How is that a great deal? A quick check on Amazon shows that the GPU + MOBO are $350 and $259 separately...

 

[FlyinJ]

I was looking into the Win7 Home Upgrade... and apparently you not only need an XP key, but you need to have XP installed on the drive before you upgrade.

So, any time I want to re-install windows now, I have to install XP, then Win7 on the drive? What a pain in the ass. Is this wrong info?

This is especially crappy because I only have the original retail XP disc, and it doesn't recognize drives bigger than 400 gig. What a nightmare if true.

Why can't it just ask you for your XP key?

 

[rohlfinator]

Ok guys, soon to pulling the trigger on a new HTPC. All I need it to do is output to a 7.1 receiver, play music, play video and play BLU Ray discs. Heres what I have, prices are Australian so don't panic. The onboard gpu is a HD4200, which I've read is perfectly capable of doing all of the above but advice would be good.

2 spare RAM slots for upgrade-ability, a spare PCIE-X16 for a video card if I want it, and the case has a spare HDD slot for another 1.5tb hard drive if need be. Here it is, analysis please.

Looks good, only thing I might change is going to a lower-TDP Athlon II if you can find one -- it's nice to have lower power parts if you're planning to leave it running all the time. But it's a pretty minor difference, and you might be able to undervolt the one you have to get the same effect.

So, any time I want to re-install windows now, I have to install XP, then Win7 on the drive? What a pain in the ass. Is this wrong info?

I don't know if this is still the case with 7, but with Vista you could install the Upgrade versions over an existing Vista install, you didn't need to reinstall XP first.

I haven't heard anything about them changing it in 7, so I'd assume that it still works.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

If you want it to work with your RAM, you should get a LGA1366 one.

And if you want your RAM to work with your motherboard, you should get RAM that is specifically listed on your motherboard's manufacturer's page of tested RAM.

Is this one fine?

ASUS P6T X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard

 

[Minsc]

I don't know if this is still the case with 7, but with Vista you could install the Upgrade versions over an existing Vista install, you didn't need to reinstall XP first.

I haven't heard anything about them changing it in 7, so I'd assume that it still works.

It's Method 3 here, says it works and is supported by Microsoft, though you may want to read it yourself first before buying the copy of Windows, just to be safe.

Is this one fine?

ASUS P6T X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard

I'd sooner go with what is recommend by Tech Report here (for mobo+ram), at least it's their ass if there's any issues, not mine

 

[Hazaro]

Ok guys, soon to pulling the trigger on a new HTPC. All I need it to do is output to a 7.1 receiver, play music, play video and play BLU Ray discs. Heres what I have, prices are Australian so don't panic. The onboard gpu is a HD4200, which I've read is perfectly capable of doing all of the above but advice would be good.

2 spare RAM slots for upgrade-ability, a spare PCIE-X16 for a video card if I want it, and the case has a spare HDD slot for another 1.5tb hard drive if need be. Here it is, analysis please.

Only thing I'd change is to get a 7200rpm drive. The GREEN drives usually go from 5400-7200 so save like 1watt and generally read/write speed is slower. I'd imagine you want as fast as possible read/write with a HTPC.

 

[poppabk]

I was looking into the Win7 Home Upgrade... and apparently you not only need an XP key, but you need to have XP installed on the drive before you upgrade.

So, any time I want to re-install windows now, I have to install XP, then Win7 on the drive? What a pain in the ass. Is this wrong info?

This is especially crappy because I only have the original retail XP disc, and it doesn't recognize drives bigger than 400 gig. What a nightmare if true.

Why can't it just ask you for your XP key?

For some of the upgrades there is a way to burn a bootable iso from the upgrade file and then use that to get a version of win7 working without the original OS.
like here

 

[half a moon]

great deal. source?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.415979

How is that a great deal? A quick check on Amazon shows that the GPU + MOBO are $350 and $259 separately...

"Great" or not, I like 25 dollars off.

 

[Minsc]

Only thing I'd change is to get a 7200rpm drive. The GREEN drives usually go from 5400-7200 so save like 1watt and generally read/write speed is slower. I'd imagine you want as fast as possible read/write with a HTPC.

They're usually significantly cheaper, but they do only carry a 3 year warranty as opposed to a 5 year one you'd get with the Blacks. The price above seems a little high, $130 for a 1.5TB green, when the best 1TB drive on the market (Samsung Spinpoint F3) is only $70. You could basically get two of them for the same price, and they'd be a lot faster.

The WD Greens will run cooler though, I believe.

 

[half a moon]

k looks like i'm gonna go w/ this:

$200 CPU: Intel Core i7-930
$240 Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-E
$040 CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520
$110 PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W
$140 Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP
$425 GPU: HIS Radeon HD 5870
$170 Memory: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$235 Hard drive: Intel X25-M 80GB SATA II MLC SSD
$027 Optical drive: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable
$090 Sound card: HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1
$100 OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

$1782 (- $50 after deals)

If you don't want to do that 470 combo deal there's an asus 5870 combo deal $644.98.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.415981
The asus 5870 also has a 20 dollar MIB.

 

[SundaySounds]

I rebuilt yours with the same price.

Intel i7-930 and Gigabyte x58 mobo w/ 6Gb/s and USB3.0 $484.98

Antec 300 Illusion and LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray $99.98

2x OCZ Solid 2 Series 60GB SSDs $318.00-$20MIR

Cooler Master Hyper N CPU Cooler $39.99

GeIL 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 $149.99

Corsair 850W SLI PSU $129.99-20MIR

ASUS 5970 $699.99

$1,922.92 Before MIR and Shipping


I'm pretty sure it will rape whatever you could build at Dell for the same price.

You need to spend a lot more time working with combos on Newegg. Also, avoid spending money in the wrong places. If you don't want the 5970, you could get a 5870 and a 750W PSU and save about ~$380. I would also take Minsc's suggestion and get a singular 80GB SSD (60gb is too small) and a top performing mechanical, high capacity DD. That wouldn't save you that much money, but you'd have considerably more space.

Maybe you also want to be saving $90 on that processor there?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0331303

 

[poppabk]

Only thing I'd change is to get a 7200rpm drive. The GREEN drives usually go from 5400-7200 so save like 1watt and generally read/write speed is slower. I'd imagine you want as fast as possible read/write with a HTPC.

Best bet would be a SSD drive for OS/software/timeshift buffer and then a cheap 5400rpm drive for storage. Heat and noise are usually the larger concerns with HTPC's. Wish I had the money for an SSD for my HTPC.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

How does this look?

 

[Gully State]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.415979

"Great" or not, I like 25 dollars off.

well I figure you could save more money (I picked up my 5850 for $273 in Dec last year) going with a 5850 and the same mobo. Unless there performance difference b/t a 5850 and GTX470 is that vast...

 

[Wallach]

How does this look?

http://i50.tinypic.com/2czeu5x.jpg

I don't know if I'd feel that comfortable running the 480 and i7 on 550w. I'd personally go for a 650w for that setup, or higher if you ever have aspirations of SLI.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Oh god.

I've been researching water cooling. I have this obsession to build a loop now when I build a new system in the upcoming month or so.

5 years ago I built my first and only PC. It was a fun/thrilling experience . See through side and blue LED's. Very different from stock Dells.

I feel like I need to up the thrill.

 

[Shambles]

I don't know if I'd feel that comfortable running the 480 and i7 on 550w. I'd personally go for a 650w for that setup, or higher if you ever have aspirations of SLI.

Not to mention that OCZ doesn't even list the amperage the 12V rail is running, that looks sketchy. I know that the 550W Corsair unit would be ok but could limit overclocking.

Edit: Basically what he said underneath.

 

[Mr_Brit]

I don't know if I'd feel that comfortable running the 480 and i7 on 550w. I'd personally go for a 650w for that setup, or higher if you ever have aspirations of SLI.

That 550W will run any single GPU set up on the planet with room to spare. PSU figures are always overquoted by nvidia due to the amount of knockoff chinese high rated PSUs out there which would buckle at anything over 50% load.

To the poster that PSU will be more than fine. In fact for anyone not considering going multi GPU in the future there is no point whatsoever to get a 600W+ PSU, just use the money you save on a better GPU.

 

[rohlfinator]

Only thing I'd change is to get a 7200rpm drive. The GREEN drives usually go from 5400-7200 so save like 1watt and generally read/write speed is slower. I'd imagine you want as fast as possible read/write with a HTPC.

Why would you need the speed? The most you'll really need it to do is stream one video while you watch it, and any hard drive can handle that with no problems.

Actually TheHeretic, if you're going to stick with a low-power drive, you can get the 2TB Seagate for $90 right now. I've been running one as my data drive for a few months, and it's a pretty solid drive for that purpose.

 

[Wallach]

That 550W will run any single GPU set up on the planet with room to spare. PSU figures are always overquoted by nvidia due to the amount of knockoff chinese high rated PSUs out there which would buckle at anything over 50% load.

To the poster that PSU will be more than fine. In fact for anyone not considering going multi GPU in the future there is no point whatsoever to get a 600W+ PSU, just use the money you save on a better GPU.

I've seen a 480-based system break 500w draw at load with my own eyes, it's got nothing to do with recommendations. Mind you it was in FurMark, but still... I would not be real comfortable with 550w if you wanted to add HDDs or any other draw sources in the future. Especially if you're going to be doing OCing.

 

[tjohn86]

Quick question for anyone:

I got offered a used Radeon HD 4870 1 GB for $50.

I've currently got the same card but the 512 MB version.


Is the upgrade worth $50 ?

 

[Hazaro]

Why would you need the speed? The most you'll really need it to do is stream one video while you watch it, and any hard drive can handle that with no problems.

Actually TheHeretic, if you're going to stick with a low-power drive, you can get the 2TB Seagate for $90 right now. I've been running one as my data drive for a few months, and it's a pretty solid drive for that purpose.

Ripping. But yeah I can see why'd you want a quieter drive.

 

[Toby]

Why would you need the speed? The most you'll really need it to do is stream one video while you watch it, and any hard drive can handle that with no problems.

Actually TheHeretic, if you're going to stick with a low-power drive, you can get the 2TB Seagate for $90 right now. I've been running one as my data drive for a few months, and it's a pretty solid drive for that purpose.

Don't forget bing cash back if you do end up buying through tiger direct (or anywhere for that matter).
Also, that drive has bad reviews everywhere. Seems luck of the draw whether you receive a good one or not. Still didn't keep me from buying one. Its an excellent deal, and I have never had trouble with a seagate drive.

 

[Wallach]

Grr... my Corsair 650TX just arrived and it's a damn lemon! Why do you betray me now, Corsair?

Back you go, then. Guess it's time to get another one on the way... maybe next time Corsair.

 

[rohlfinator]

Ripping. But yeah I can see why'd you want a quieter drive.

Ah yeah, I didn't consider that. I would think that would be more limited by the speed of your optical drive, but maybe some of the faster Blu-Ray drives could stress it.

Also, that drive has bad reviews everywhere. Seems luck of the draw whether you receive a good one or not. Still didn't keep me from buying one. Its an excellent deal, and I have never had trouble with a seagate drive.

Huh, I hadn't read the reviews in a while... I haven't had a problem with mine either, but I guess that might be reason to avoid it. It's sometimes kinda hard to judge hard drive reviews online, though.

 

[teacupcopter]

OK so I made a post a bit ago but after what some people have reccomended I have changed a little and want to see if anyone has any more reccomendations

I want it for gaming, I already have a monitor that displays at 1080p, already have speakers

For the aussies in the know all prices are from MSy.com.au as they after a lot of searching seem to be the cheapest in most but not all (some prices are from different ones I will mention)

CPU- Intel i5 750 $252
Motherboard GB P55A UD3R $162
RAM DDR3 1600 Gskill (2x4GB) $278
1GB 5850 Radeon 339
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB HDD from pccasegear.com or scorptec.com.au $99
DVD drive - any really, should be $40 max
Case Antec p183 from centrecom.com.au for $158
Power Antec Earthwatts 650 for $105
Windows OEM 64bit $108
Logitech g500 mouse $86
Logitech Wave keyboard from bttech.com.au for $44

total approx 1671 (Aussie dollars)

Anything I could do to make it cheaper or anything I could do to cheaply make it more powerful?

How helpful is 8GB of ram?

Thanks

 

[Smash88]

I rebuilt yours with the same price.

Intel i7-930 and Gigabyte x58 mobo w/ 6Gb/s and USB3.0 $484.98

Antec 300 Illusion and LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray $99.98

2x OCZ Solid 2 Series 60GB SSDs $318.00-$20MIR

Cooler Master Hyper N CPU Cooler $39.99

GeIL 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 $149.99

Corsair 850W SLI PSU $129.99-20MIR

ASUS 5970 $699.99

$1,922.92 Before MIR and Shipping


I'm pretty sure it will rape whatever you could build at Dell for the same price.

You need to spend a lot more time working with combos on Newegg. Also, avoid spending money in the wrong places. If you don't want the 5970, you could get a 5870 and a 750W PSU and save about ~$380. I would also take Minsc's suggestion and get a singular 80GB SSD (60gb is too small) and a top performing mechanical, high capacity DD. That wouldn't save you that much money, but you'd have considerably more space.

I hope some people would realize it isn't just about ordering from one website that can sometimes be expensive on certain parts. You shop around, doing it at one place is just more convenient. Look around, and you will be surprised at how different the prices of some parts might be.

Also why the hell would you waste so much money on a graphics card that will be obsolete in a couple of months. It's all about getting the best bang for your buck, and getting that is just overkill. A 5850 or even a 5870 would be good enough.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150490&cm_re=5870-_-14-150-490-_-Product

Game + Free Shipping + $20 off = Win (If you really want to just look at newegg for parts)

 

[Blizzard]

Grr... my Corsair 650TX just arrived and it's a damn lemon! Why do you betray me now, Corsair?

Back you go, then. Guess it's time to get another one on the way... maybe next time Corsair.

Ouch, I don't know that I'd ever heard of a Corsair power supply lemon. The packaging is really nice too.

My stuff is a state or so away, but I'm assuming UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday. Next week of work will be long.

 

[Wallach]

Ouch, I don't know that I'd ever heard of a Corsair power supply lemon. The packaging is really nice too.

My stuff is a state or so away, but I'm assuming UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday. Next week of work will be long.

Such as it is. I waffled between this and those shiny new TruePower New units, so I guess this is fate's way of telling me I chose poorly. I corrected that with the help of Newegg so maybe fate will leave me the fuck alone now.

 

[rohlfinator]

My stuff is a state or so away, but I'm assuming UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday. Next week of work will be long.

I know how you feel... I got all my main parts today (CPU, memory, motherboard) but the heatsink I ordered from another site is on backorder, so my whole build is delayed for some unknown amount of time due to the cheapest part I ordered.