Advice for new PC

[nicholasee]

Guys I'm buying a new PC for gaming with a budget of around $750. I have selected the following components. Please advice whether this is the best I can get for my budget:

Processor: Core2Quad Q8200 2.33Ghz

Motherboard: MSI P45-Neo3FR

RAM: Kingston 2GB 667Mhz (DDR2)

Harddisk: Western Digital 320GB (16MB SATA2)

Graphics Card: MSI GeForce 9800GT OC 512mb

Power supply: Acbel 510W

Monitor: LG 1943S

Casing: Cooler Master Elite Series



Thanks in advance! :)

[123456]

I'd go for a better PSU and at least 800MHz RAM. Where are you buying this from?

[nicholasee]

I'm buying at a local computer shop in my place, Malaysia. Besides your advice above, is there anything else I need?

Also, I was thinking of another motherboard : Gigabyte EP-43 DS3 since it is cheaper and I think I am not going to SLI.

What do you think?

[scuderia]

I would go for a Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale. It's the most bang-for-the-buck gaming CPU out there, in my opinion. It clocks at 3.16 GHz, I believe, and can be overclocked stably to 4.4 GHz, for a little more than the quad.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010340343%2050001157&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16819115036%2CN82E16819115055

EDIT: I suggest not skimping on the cpu, mobo and psu. They're the brain, heart, and muscle of your computer and where the quality pieces should be, IMO. The video card can always be upgraded later if need be.

You can't go wrong with Corsair:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

[nicholasee]

About the PSU, do I need as much as 610W? I thought 510W is more than enough to run 9800Gt?

[jlreich]

Yes. 550W is minimum for a modern system with on-board or a low end GPU. 650W is the standard recommendation going up from there for higher end GPUs.

at least 800MHz RAM
Agreed. 1066 is what I would look for. Around here costs only a little more than 800. But in Malaysia that may or may not be the case, so you will need to decide.

[nicholasee]

So, I'll need a better PSU and RAM. Alright then. What about the mobo?

[minus-sign]

Mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130180) is fine for a budget system unless you intend to double your card in the future. I typically recommend SLI or crossfiere capability, but its your call. memory standard for your MSI is 1066, so grab that if you can. Suggest 4 gigs minimum for gaming, but I've been accused of overbuilding systems.

One other thing: you never mention your CPU heatsink. Are you intending to use the stock that comes with the processor? if so, reconsider. Factory heatsinks tend to be...stock. As a gamer, a good aftermarket heatsink will improve airflow and--thus--performance considerably and improve your ability to overclock. Look at this thermaltake (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106123); its expensive, but it keeps your CPU downright chilly. If you can't get it now, consider it or something similar for a later purchase.

[minus-sign]

grrr...stupid brain. why no sleep for minus???:(

If you want a solid performer in the 750 range, you're better off moving to the AMD side of things.

CPU: $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
Note: this little sucker actually managed to beat out i7s in a few benchmarks, and OCed it did a fair hand keeping up with its 940x4 brother.

Mobo: $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366
What can i say? i'm a sucker for midrange ASUS boards :p

RAM: $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190
You can do better on Cas, and the board will OC to 1600MHz, but the price is tough to beat for DDR3.

VCard: $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127424
You can do better. but not for $750 w/monitor. Crossfire = Double up laterz.

Heatsink: $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106102&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-CPU+Cooling-_-Thermaltake-_-35106102
I no skimpy here.

PSU: $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182160
its a little low, but it will get you going.

HDD: $53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136161
Its small. i know its small. Thats the nice thing about HDDs; you can put more in later as you need (and can afford) them. besides, this is a gamer, not a file server, neh?

Monitor: $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176085
5 ms. hundred dollar monitor. $80 after rebates=deal. If shadowing isn't too too terrible an issue for you, it should do you well for a good while.

Case: $26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147068
ugly, unimpressive...CHEAP STEEL CASE!

Total cost to build: 764 before rebates. Shopping around may lower the price.

If you are terribly locked to your $750, skip the heatsink and use the stock that comes with the 720. Be aware; your heatsink will suck...and not in a good way.

Hope this helps.

[nicholasee]

Thanks a lot minus-sign. I never thought of the heatsink issue. I need to check out the prices first though. I guess I need better RAM, PSU and heatsink. But I still favour Pentium than AMD. Correct me if I'm sceptical.

[minus-sign]

For your pricerange...no. You won't get a better Intel gaming PC. The i7s blow the doors (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/socket-am3-phenom,2148.html) off the Phenoms in several benchmarks. In a few, the Phenoms actually win; in the areas where you will need to worry, there was not a significant performance difference. And take a good look at that processor and mobo. the CPU is a black edition; that means that depending on the capability of your heatsink, you can overclock that thing into the 3.6GHz range; get it into the 4GHz. AMD did well when they designed the Phenom IIs. they're good processors. Intel i7s are better, but they cost you an arm and a leg. You can't afford to spend what you need to to get the intel that would be better all around.

You build a gaming rig expecting it to get rebuilt on a regular basis. That means you need expandability in the future. 775 socket (core2s and quads) will lock you in lower speed DDR2 and lower FSB speeds. That means that as you find the need to expand, you'll be limited in what you can expand to. Or, worse imo, you will spend extra money for features and speeds your equipment can never meet.

With AM3, you already have access to DDR3. You have access to the 3.2GHz 955 Phenom II later (which is not $1000 i might add). And you've got expandability on the board i link. 16 gigs of RAM worth of expansion. An extra GPU worth of expansion.

Which brings me to graphics. I know the card I link is not uber. You're asking for a $750 system with a monitor included. You--frankly--cannot afford uber. But dual card capability lets you buy cheap later for considerable gains. The same cheap card i link will be even cheaper later. The next single card you buy will cost more than both now, in all probability. Settling for a single GPU 775 socket board will cripple you later besides being (for your purposes) inferior for your needs at a simular price. No L3 cache. No SLI/Crossfire. No DDR3. No Hyperthreading/Hypertransport. Lower FSB. Why would you willingly spend more for less now, and be stuck when you can spend less money on AMD in the long run and be able to expand your box better later?

Intel kicks ass. I AM an Intel fanboy. But for the prices you request, AMD is your best friend.

Now...with all that being said, this system will require expansion (before you think "but if i buy the intel i won't have to expand like this' I'll tell you: you're right. you won't upgrade the intel like this. most likely, you'll stick a little more RAM in there, get sick of it, and rebuy). I recommend this order if you choose to go with something like it:
1. PSU. Its only a 530 watt PSU. Thats not a PSU you want to OC on. You'll want a 650, probably a 750 for a good buffer zone. Roswell does make good PSUs, but I like thermaltake and Antec.
2. and yes, this is second: Hard drives. Buy more later. But don't buy more now unless its external with its own power supply (in fact, I like externals with their own power supply specifically because they don't put extra pressure on my PSU. And you've got firewire and eSATA on the board i link; external is a good option for you.). The more drives you put on, the more pressure you put on that PSU.
3. VCard. You'll outgrow a single half gig video card. For now, it should meet or exceed all system requirements for games.
4. RAM. As you can afford, stick in more sticks. Look for CL in the 7-7-7 range. The board supports 1600 in OC, so don't be afraid to buy that, just be aware that it will run 1333 when you don't OC.
5. Monitor. i love a 22" gaming monitor. I lust after projector displays. Keep looking at newegg and like sites for deals on monitors and set a little money aside for a new one. you'd be amazed (if you've got a mouth like mine) just how quickly you can buy nice stuff from your swear jar.
6. CPU. When its time, and this thing is specced out, decked out and you've got all the trimmings on there, grab that 955 for $260. less by then in all probability. it'll be like breathing new life into your (by then) old PC.

Somewhere in the space of time between swapping your PSU out and putting in the new CPU, find a case. not a budget case; an uber case. Something with a removable tray, removable bays and all the room a full tower can supply. All those extra features that are on the "really nice" ones are really nice. A good case will last you...hell; my bluebox is almost eight years old. its been through 3 boards; 3 rebuilds from the ground up. i love it because it rocks. it rocks because i splurged on it. It makes working inside the box easy, and that makes all the upgrades i suggest above that much more doable.