In the market for a gaming PC

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buddhantraining

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Hey Gang,

I'm looking to buy or build a new PC but could definitely use some help here. I'm not too bad with computers, I've built tons in my time, but I haven't been keeping up with the new technologies this last year or two as far as video cards, CPUs, and mobos go. Thought I'd reach out to you more knowledgable folks to give me a hand :eek:)

The reason I'm looking for a new rig is to play FEAR, Half Life, etc. The games that are a little less intense play fine on my current system - but it's going on 4 years old, so time for an upgrade anyways! I do a lot of multitasking as well - I'm a web developer and graphic designer so usually have tons of programs open at once. I'm looking for something that's rough, tough, and built to last, as fast as I can afford, and easy to upgrade as the times change.

I've always built my own computers so never had a reason to check out pre-built systems before. After pricing some hardware and comparing it with pre-builts, I don't think I'll be saving much in building my own this time around...so thought maybe I'll just get a pre-built and save the hassle. I've checked out the offerings of ibuypower.com - they seem to have some great stuff over there, the prices don't look too shabby either. Problem is - I honestly have no clue what specs to go for. There's just so many choices and I've been out of the loop for way too long.

I'm looking to do this as cheaply as possible without making too many sacrifices where it counts - definitely under $1,000, preferably around $800 or so.

If anyone could give me a hand on this, it would be greatly appreciated!
 
hhhmm 800, well that might get you a core 2 duo. I think for a grand you could get a

cpu: Intel core 2 duo e6300
gpu: GeForce 7900gs
hard drive: 320gig sata2
CD rom: a dvd reader, burner combo drive.
power supply: antec true power ~550 watt
mobo: it has to be socket (lga 775) I dont know many good ones.
case: coolmaster centrion 5
ram: 2gb prefferably of ddr2 ram
 
I priced a nice gaming/video system for myself last night based around an e6300 and a 8800GT new video card with 2GB RAM and dual 320GB SATA HD's for about $1265. knock the vid card down to a 7series and 1 HD and you're at less than 1 grand prob. with a pretty fast machine
 
Thanks guys for your input on this, I really appreciate it. I apologize for taking so long to reply but wanted to shop around a bit and put something together. I've decided to do a custom build rather than a prebuilt - but never built a gaming system before so hopefully it won't be *too* much of a challenge.

Below are the system specs I have in mind, let me know if you think everything will work together smoothly:

Raidmax ATX 868WGP Green Steel Gaming Case w/ 420w
ABIT AB9 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX
Apevia Aspire ATX-AS520w-BK ATX 520w
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775
Patriot 2GB 240 DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel Kit
ALPS Silver Floppy
Western Digital 250GB 7200 3GB SATA
ASUS 16x DVD Burner w/ 5x DVD-RAM Silver
Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
Link Depot 10" Floppy UV Green
Link Depot 36" ATA UV Green

All at Newegg for $907.70 without shipping.

Good? Bad? Anything I should reconsider?

Opinions and advice always welcomed - thanks guys!
 
Oops, forgot the GPU and that's like the most important part, isn't it? *headdesk*

eVGA 512-P2-N637-AR GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Superclocked Video Card - Retail

Updated total $1,184.69 without shipping.

Ok, so I didn't make it within my budget. Funny how that always happens when it comes to toys.
 
Yeah, don't go with Abit, not what they used to be. Even better than the DS3 is the ASUS P5B-E. Its $10 more than the DS3, but its a better overclocker. DS3 also has some noted compatibility problems with certain hardware such as D9 memory chips. There's a Beta BIOS out there trying to fix it, but its still better to stick with the P5B-E.
 
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