Help with a $800 Build for my little brother

[xsbb]

XS Brothers. I'm looking for any quick suggestions. I haven't been keeping up with prices and new toys recently.

CPU i7 or i5?
MOBO Decent Quality please
RAM 2 Gigs is fine

HD Not very important nothing big... doesn't really download anything
GPU Won't be playing crysis. Just WoW and Counter Strike
PSU Corsair or quality PSUs please

LCD 20"-22"

He wants to play WoW and Counterstrike.
I'll get put in $800 for his first gaming computer.

Thanks for the help gentlemen. This will be a surprise for him!

[BeepBeep2]

IMO you will get much further for $800 with an AMD system. Overclockable, decent boards can be had for as low as $70, compared with 4GB of pretty fast ram for $100, and quad cores for $80. That's the board, ram, and CPU for $260. Leaves $500 for a kicking GPU, HDD, PSU, screen etc. You could possibly fit a GTX460 into that budget believe it or not.

[railmeat]

cpu + mobo $400
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0331303
Core i7-930 Processor Boxed
199.99

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327331
GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard
Memory Speeds Supported DDR3-2200, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1066, DDR3-800
219.99

------------------
mem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145225
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X3G1600C8D
89.99
--------------
vid card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162058
Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GC 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
159.99
-------------------------------------
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136549
harddrive---forget solid state drives...there unreliable......and flaky..
DONT get a big(1TB ETC) slow mechnical harddrive,get a FAST 10,000 rpm raptor...proven to pefrom last 6 years.im runnig one of these NOW.amazing and they last...
159.99
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
--------------------------------------------------------------
----POWERSUPPLY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341022
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
64.99
---------------------------------------------------
CASE- TAKE YOUR PICK ACCORDING TO BUDGET....$50-$75
http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/...cPath=18_37_19
----------------------

YOUR WELCOME...GOODNIGHT

[Mr.Pie]

cpu + mobo $400
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0331303
Core i7-930 Processor Boxed
199.99

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327331
GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard
Memory Speeds Supported DDR3-2200, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1066, DDR3-800
219.99

------------------
mem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145225
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X3G1600C8D
89.99
--------------
vid card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162058
Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GC 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
159.99
-------------------------------------
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136549
harddrive---forget solid state drives...there unreliable......and flaky..
DONT get a big(1TB ETC) slow mechnical harddrive,get a FAST 10,000 rpm raptor...proven to pefrom last 6 years.im runnig one of these NOW.amazing and they last...
159.99
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
--------------------------------------------------------------
----POWERSUPPLY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341022
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
64.99
---------------------------------------------------
CASE- TAKE YOUR PICK ACCORDING TO BUDGET....$50-$75
http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/...cPath=18_37_19
----------------------

YOUR WELCOME...GOODNIGHT

excellent build but I would suggest going
for the samsung 1TB F3's or their 320GB F4's as there is nearly no improvment for 7.2K RPM drives to 10K RPM drives

I would throw that PSU out for a Antec True Power New or a nice HX650w from corsair

but the first poster is correct
for $800 for value an AMD build will be much better for FPS per dollar

I would go AMD Phenom II X4 955
a nice Gigabyte mobo~~120$ or so
-4GB of mushkin redlines~~ take your pick
-a 1GB DirectCU GTX460 from Asus
-a CM Storm Scout
-HX650w PSU
-2x 1TB Samsung F3 HDDs

and that should pretty much be it

[mbreslin]

The benefit of SSD for os drive can not be overstated. Even if the budget only allows for a small capacity drive without much room for anything else, simply having the os on a drive with near instant access times versus mechanical drives is completely worth it. People will swear by raptors until the sun burns out, and maybe this is because the "snappyness feeling" that ssds bring isn't conveyed well in words, or they refuse to think price per gigabyte for ssds is justified, who knows. Look around though, the truth is out there.

for os: 64gb crucial c300 or even intel x25-v for ~100$
for storage: samsung 1tb f3/f4 or 2tb if you need the space

New builds are fun, best of luck.

[xsbb]

Thank you for the input gentlemen. I appreciate all the advice on this thread.

I'll be sure to encourage the little brother to OC a little.... you know... just to get him hooked.

[MikeMurphy]

You'll definitely want to budget for an aftermarket CPU cooler, too.

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm is a good place to start.

AMD should treat you well for that budget.


PS. Whats the deal with your ISP numbers?

[zoqiet]

Why not an i5 760 over the AMD though? About the same price here in the UK at least. Better clocker, better mhz pr mhz and cheap mobo if you go for an Asus P7P55D-E.

[Hey Zeus]

800? Pretty Easy....

3.2Ghz Athlon II X3 450 - 84.99
MSI 790X-G45 - 89.99
G. Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 - 84.99
OCZ 550W Fatality - 49.99
Galaxy GTX 460 - 139.99
Rosewill Destroyer Case - 49.99
DVD Burner - 19.99
1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 - 69.99

Total : 589.92

If dead set on Intel substitute this...

Core I3 550 - 129.99
ASrock P55 Pro - 99.99

[BeepBeep2]

----POWERSUPPLY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341022
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
64.99
---------------------------------------------------
YOUR WELCOME...GOODNIGHT

You are joking, about that power supply, right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151094

I'd much rather get that Seasonic.

[Cursed_Wings]

+1 on the samsung f4 hdds, some of the best speeds/capacity for the price.

I'd also go with what the others are saying about the psu. cheapest quality psu seem to be the antec neo eco 620w (still cheaper than the 520w if I remember right), and seasonic 520w (really shouldn't need more than ~500w for the level of components you're looking at). the corsair 650w is also good, but I think it costs a bit more also.

[resident1509]

If you still need the 20-22 inch screen you mentioned, you may want to consider going to a P55 board like giga p55-usb3 for 105, maybe a 655k processor for 180 so he can play around overclocking if he gets into it, consider getting a gts 450 instead for around 110 after rebate considering the games he'll be playing, and the seasonic psu previously mentioned. With that savings (I think around 150-175), you can include a nice 22 inch 1080p lcd.

[Hey Zeus]

You are joking, about that power supply, right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151094

I'd much rather get that Seasonic.

Seasonic isn't modular tho and looks like complete ass in a case

[sdsdv10]

+1 on the samsung f4 hdds, some of the best speeds/capacity for the price.

I'd also go with what the others are saying about the psu. cheapest quality psu seem to be the antec neo eco 620w (still cheaper than the 520w if I remember right), and seasonic 520w (really shouldn't need more than ~500w for the level of components you're looking at). the corsair 650w is also good, but I think it costs a bit more also.

Not to take it too far off topic, but the simple kind of rig the OP wrote about probably won't need more than a 300 watt PSU.

My system has;
Q9450 OC'ed to 3.2GHz
8GB DDR RAM (4x2GB)
4 harddrive (150GB raptor, 320GB WD and 2x1TB WD green)
ATI 4870 1GB GUP (stock)
Asus P5E MB
Asus sound card
USB powered keyboard and mouse

and at idle it pull 205 watt at the plug, as measured with a Kill-a-watt meter. With 4 threads of P95 in blend mode it only goes up to 285 watts at the wall (assuming ~80% efficency for my Cosair HX520 thats only 228 watts of total power used by the all the components, except for the GPU which is idleing in this test). All the parts listed in this thread will use much less power than my setup. I know most users here go with overkill PSU's, but when your trying to save some money a great quality, but lower power, PSU can shave a few bucks off the build price.

However, the Seasonic 520 watt unit linked above is on sale for an excellect price of $60 ($20 off) would make a great buy, as Seasonic is certainly a quality product.

One other potential alternative is this 500 watt OCZ unit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341016

With a $30 discount, a 10% off promo code and a $15 mail in rebate, this unit which has a lot of good reviews could be had for just $39 (after rebate) and includes free shipping.

Just a thought.

[Donnie27]

XS Brothers. I'm looking for any quick suggestions. I haven't been keeping up with prices and new toys recently.

CPU i7 or i5?
MOBO Decent Quality please
RAM 2 Gigs is fine

HD Not very important nothing big... doesn't really download anything
GPU Won't be playing crysis. Just WoW and Counter Strike
PSU Corsair or quality PSUs please

LCD 20"-22"

He wants to play WoW and Counterstrike.
I'll get put in $800 for his first gaming computer.

Thanks for the help gentlemen. This will be a surprise for him!

LOL! WOW only took one post for the Green Team to jump in. If this were the AMD side of the forum, certain mods or some of the AMD Fans would be trying to get them to swing the Ban Hammer

IMHO, it is wayyyyyyy too close to Sandy Bridge to be spending money on anything from Intel or AMD. Same goes for Video Cards as everything is in Flux this close to AMD/ATI and nVidia both launching new stuff and cutting prices.

[clown6magic]

i7 950 +ASUS R3E,

[Donnie27]

cpu + mobo $400
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0331303
Core i7-930 Processor Boxed
199.99

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0327331
GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard
Memory Speeds Supported DDR3-2200, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1066, DDR3-800
219.99

------------------
mem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145225
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X3G1600C8D
89.99
--------------
vid card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162058
Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GC 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
159.99
-------------------------------------
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136549
harddrive---forget solid state drives...there unreliable......and flaky..
DONT get a big(1TB ETC) slow mechnical harddrive,get a FAST 10,000 rpm raptor...proven to pefrom last 6 years.im runnig one of these NOW.amazing and they last...
159.99
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500BLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
--------------------------------------------------------------
----POWERSUPPLY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341022
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
64.99
---------------------------------------------------
CASE- TAKE YOUR PICK ACCORDING TO BUDGET....$50-$75
http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/...cPath=18_37_19
----------------------

YOUR WELCOME...GOODNIGHT

You almost built my system.
I have Cooler Master HAF 922M $69 when I got it on sale.
Corsair TX 750 watt PSU with the 922 case means you don't have to waste money on modular. 922M is big, no huge and GREAT cable and motherboard management.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119197
Even at its current $89 price tag it is a great deal. Money save on not buying something like the Obscenely priced cases can go towards a better PSU or etc...even the smaller Obsidian Series 700D costs more than my Power supply and case. The 800D costs so much more I can add tow 1TB drives LOL! .
Gigabyte UD3R Pro $179 and current price is about $219 other places cheaper than Newegg though.
Intel i930 but paid $279 when I bought it, right now I'd get an i950 at a little less than $300. I use an Angle B cooler that I bought for only $32.http://www.xoxide.com/scythe-kama-cpucooler.html
There's no Micro Center where I live so no in store for me.
6GB of OCZ RAM, careful, their low end stuff is really 1066 and not 1333.
X-FI Platinum, I game too much to own a Xonar
Gigabyte GX-460 1GB and it runs any game fast enough that even faster cards show little improvement unless you're running a benchmark app. Also why I don't overclock the CPU much.

This system is a few months old with the Video card being the last item added recently. If Buying now, I'd wait til at least Feb-2011 to buy anything!