So, I need a new computer....

[shdw.puppet]

I have been using a 4 year old Dell Inspiron 9300 Notebook for my general purpose computing (and I have a macbook, but that is irrelevant) and now I want to upgrade my Gaming machine because... well, I cant run any of the new games any more. I have 850-900 dollars to spend, including a monitor. I am technically proficient, but my hardware knowledge is a little lacking so I dont know where to even start.

I want a rig that will play all my existing games (TF2 etc) and still keep up with some upcoming games (CODMW, Starcraft etc) I am not looking for a rig that can play crysis Max settings and make coffee at the same time. I also need a monitor. I have been reading, so I know AMD/ATI is what I am most likely going to be going with here.

oh, I want the case to look as bad *** as possible.

any help would be appreciated

thanks,
shadow

 

[Muffin Man]

so you need everything included into your budget? monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS?

 

[iFargle]

If you want a flashy case that really sticks out, I'd say take a look at the Antec Skeleton. It's flashy, but it's really open. Another good alternative for a case would be the classic Antec 900

 

[shdw.puppet]

@muffin man
I do not need keyboard, mouse or OS, just tower and monitor.

@iFargle
I am not a fan of the Skeleton, but that Antec 900 catches my eye, so that is a case I would like to consider using.

I have also been looking at GPUs and I think that the Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards will do what I want it to do at a reasonable price. What do you guys think?

Where I am at a loss is motherboards and cpu's. Hard drive should be easy enough to get a good one at a good price and monitors are fairly expensive (especially since I want one that can use HDMI input if the graphics card will support it)

 

[shdw.puppet]

Ok, so I have a Case, Vid card and PSU

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

I think all these items are compatible with each other, but I am not sure
CPU
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Processors - Desktops

GPU
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Mobo
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Memory (2x2Gb)
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Desktop Memory

Hard Drive
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Disk Drive
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - CD / DVD Burners

That brings my total to 685, so I have a good 200 dollars to get a nice monitor or a mid range monitor and a second video card.

What do you guys think, any serious flaws with the build, anything you would do instead?

 

[Druid]

Well, with that graphic's card, you'd want a monitor like this: Newegg.com - ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - LCD Monitors

And yeah, xfiring grphics cards that week would be almost pointless. I would just get a better video card. While that card, as an actual card, can be considered mid-high end, in terms of purchasing, it is pretty low-end. The only reason someone would buy something lower performance than that would be because they only like to play WoW.

May I suggest either of these:

$125: Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-YWFC Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$145: Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

I might even chose the 512 mb version here because if you get a monitor with the res of the one I listed, the extra VRAM isn't going to help much.

 

[Muffin Man]

edit: didnt see that post ^

you cant use an amd cpu with an intel mobo >.<

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - XFX HD-487A-YWFC Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Newegg.com - Acer H213H bmid Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen 16:9 LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ACM 20000:1 Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

$860 +shipping. quad-core, and is crossfire ready. also, i listed the antec 900 because it was the one you had wanted earlier, so if you dont want it anymore, just switch the case out.

 

[Druid]

If you want him to get a 1920x1080 monitor, then you should have him buy the 1 GB version of the 4870.

 

[Muffin Man]

good idea. youd still have some money in your budget anyway, so get the 1gb version that Druid linked above instead ^

 

[shdw.puppet]

oops, im a newb at this, that is why I am asking for help

I am really liking that build muffin man, that comes in a bit over budget (I completely forgot all about shipping) but I can afford to spend a bit more than planned.

Thanks for your help guys, are there any other suggestions?

Also, this may be a noob question, but what are the major differences between the Athlon CPU you chose and the Phenom one I choose? I thought that L3 Cache was recommended for gaming.

**edit**
you are right, I am actually a bit under budget, so the other vid card is a good idea.