40 replies to this topic

[MaradrX]

I'm looking for the easiest way to get a new desktop with ~1,000$. A few requirements I've come up with: 660TI, 500 GB hard drive, 8 M RAM. I have monitors, keyboard, etc. I've taken a look around and the best might be to go with a preassembled PC from newegg, but I'd appreciate any insights.

[ArmageddonKnight]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/14Gwg

vwala
Didnt know if u had a OS to use from a older rig, or if u needed a optical drive. Since the OS is expensive and can be obtained by other means i didnt include it, but i did put in a optical drive since they be cheap.

If u absolutly cant go over $1k then just get a cheaper Case and maybe go down a grade on the motherboard, and ofc u have that $17 in the optical drive that u may or may not need if u have an old one to re use.

Edited by ArmageddonKnight, 09 June 2013 - 12:38 PM.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

I vote for less CPU and more GPU than AK.

i5 4670k at $250 ish and a 7950 or 7970 (if you're patient and find one on sale) since an i5 4670k isn't likely to bottleneck a single high end card in most games at the moment.

[Dragoon20005]

heres a combo from NewEgg

AMD FX combo W/O GPU

http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1292364

and Intel Camp with GTX 660

http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1327024


more from here

http://promotions.ne...-MUT-13015-LV-H

cheers on your new computer

Edited by Dragoon20005, 09 June 2013 - 04:19 PM.

[Shock Wave]

Saw this at frys.com. http://www.frys.com/ads/page3#AdNavi Asus built, 32 gigs ram, 1 TB hard drive, Nvidia GTX 650, $999 plus $75 mail in rebate. Better jump on it quick though as I'm not sure how long the sale is.

[Shakespeare]

A mid-range AMD or an i5 will suit just fine, and go a long way towards keeping costs down. my i7 was easily 40% of my total cost for new parts. And while I can respect the uses for 8GB, you might get away with 6. (that's 3 2GB DDR3 chipsets, which IIRC is what a new socketed i5 will require). Settle on a processor first, then MOBO and RAM. Salvage what drives you can from previous computers or techie friends, keep to a cheap mid-tower or full tower case. There are so many options for vidcards that you can basically take every cent you have left after all that and get the best card for the money.... I think Nvidia's got a better sweetspot for midrange card prices, but that's just my opinion.

And good luck! I love putting a new build together. Stick to Win7 as long as possible!

[Shakespeare]

OH! And do NOT skimp on the power supply. In fact, that would be the reason I don't reccommend a pre-build....the cheaper ones keep costs down by going with cut-rate PSU's and cheap memory, plus the assembly and shipping overhead...frankly, shipping and assembly are the easiest parts, so don't pay someone to do it. Feel free to use their main components as a guide for total cost, though. Ars runs a few good articles a year on this, and I started my build from TweakGuide's personal machine (that was a beast, case was %15 of total cost, but I love it so!) There are several power requirement calculators online, use one, and get a brand-name PSU with a warranty/guarantee. That was my mistake last time, scoring a 'sweet deal' on a high power PSU, only to find later that it was underpowered on most Voltage rails and gleefully feeding my GPU dirty power. Twitchy power supplies are slow death.

Last suggestion - I know building on a budget is tough, and a grand should do you fine, but any investment you make into higher-end parts is likely to pay off in the long run. I haven't bought a single new part in 3 years for my $1600 machine. No breaks, no upgrades, no reformats (again, win7 is delightfully stable these days), and no games under 'high' on settings. My first upgrade, sometime into the end of this year, will just be GPU. Everything else is performing quite well.

If you change your mind on price....get an i7. They're wonderful.

Good luck!

[Catamount]

I agree with the focus on GPU rather than CPU form the build. The CPU is important, but it should never be more expensive than the GPU in a gaming rig.

I'll try to toss up an i5 build tomorrow morning

[Catamount]

OP this build mostly respects the $1000 budget, and is quite high end. I included modest OC capability, and passable Crossfire capability if it becomes wanted later.

Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811235033 - 68

PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182200 - 50

Mobo: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157297 - 95

CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116504 - 219

RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428 - 68

GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202008 - 380 (360 w/MiR)

Optical: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204 - 17

HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822145299 - 54

OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986 - 100

or if W8 is desired: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832416550

Total 1030 if the MiR is done and all promo codes are used, 1050 without MiR.

Yes, I stuck with LGA1155 and Ivy Bridge, and here's why. Originally I built this machine with an 1150 board and a 4670k, but between chip and board cost differences, it was $50 more. That's $50 to cut out of the GPU, and/or the case or PSU to keep it close to budget , real cutbacks to fit Haswell in exchange for no benefit, whatsoever. Yes Haswell has a new socket, but CPUs progress so slowly now, no future 1150 chip will be an upgrade worth putting down money for. The sockets will change LONG before worthwhile upgrades come out. The 4670k is insignificantly faster (5%?), but is an inferior OCer that caps lower and puts out more heat at all clock speeds.

As for other parts of the build, the case is one of the few at that price point with a side-mounted HDD cage which gives more room to work, accommodates longer GPUs and improves wiring, and the 7970 is a much better performer and value than the 660TI, as AMD gives about $160 in new release games with it. The Sapphire dual-X version has one of the best coolers out, is clocked to GE clocks, and the Sapphire 7970s are the best OCers because they have an extra power phase. Reviewers have been able to push some of them to ~1300/1800. Every other part is just whatever works, cheap.

Edited by Catamount, 10 June 2013 - 07:05 AM.

[Shakespeare]

We have a winner. That is is an excellent selection, and I'm shocked to see a good looking mid-tower. I went with a full tower partly for the looks. It gets oogled every time I take it somewhere. I agree with staying with LGA1155. By the time CPUs 'jump' again, it will be a good idea to just get a new chipset altogether. And that is a hell of a card.

Can't stress it enough....

^^^^^^
That. Do THAT.

[MaradrX]

Rock. On. I really love the input, and I'll be delving into this when I return from some sudden work travel. I'll let you know where I end up, as I was looking to mess around with the OS too, but with a new rig the last thing I want to deal with is a lack of stability from some OS items. Thanks again - MX

[Catamount]

I hope you have fun

Promo codes change on newegg, so at the very least, I'd buy the power supply today. Even without the modular cabling, $50 for a GOOD 630W PSU is a rare deal, and it ends the day after tomorrow.

Edit: never mind; Amazon has it for $50 with free shipping

http://www.amazon.co...ting/B004GL8UO2

Just get it there if you need to wait



Also, make sure you brace that 7970 on something. Sapphire made a nearly perfect card, but the cooler is heavy and they didn't put a backplate on, so it can get hot under heavy use and bend, damaging the card.

Doesn't worry; it doesn't take a very sophisticated solution

Edited by Catamount, 10 June 2013 - 12:27 PM.

[Tarl Cabot]

ROFL, just make sure the ammo has been removed.....

[Dragoon20005]

Tarl Cabot, on 10 June 2013 - 01:52 PM, said:

ROFL, just make sure the ammo has been removed.....

Ammo Explosion anyone? lolz

[MaradrX]

Hah! Good point about that... and nice 'hot-fix'.

[CHWarpath]

Shock Wave, on 09 June 2013 - 04:43 PM, said:

Saw this at frys.com. http://www.frys.com/ads/page3#AdNavi Asus built, 32 gigs ram, 1 TB hard drive, Nvidia GTX 650, $999 plus $75 mail in rebate. Better jump on it quick though as I'm not sure how long the sale is.

650 ti is garbage and that price is outrageous.

[CHWarpath]

Catamount, on 10 June 2013 - 06:38 AM, said:

OP this build mostly respects the $1000 budget, and is quite high end. I included modest OC capability, and passable Crossfire capability if it becomes wanted later.

Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811235033 - 68

PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182200 - 50

Mobo: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157297 - 95

CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116504 - 219

RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428 - 68

GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202008 - 380 (360 w/MiR)

Optical: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827135204 - 17

HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822145299 - 54

OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986 - 100

or if W8 is desired: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832416550

Total 1030 if the MiR is done and all promo codes are used, 1050 without MiR.

Yes, I stuck with LGA1155 and Ivy Bridge, and here's why. Originally I built this machine with an 1150 board and a 4670k, but between chip and board cost differences, it was $50 more. That's $50 to cut out of the GPU, and/or the case or PSU to keep it close to budget , real cutbacks to fit Haswell in exchange for no benefit, whatsoever. Yes Haswell has a new socket, but CPUs progress so slowly now, no future 1150 chip will be an upgrade worth putting down money for. The sockets will change LONG before worthwhile upgrades come out. The 4670k is insignificantly faster (5%?), but is an inferior OCer that caps lower and puts out more heat at all clock speeds.

As for other parts of the build, the case is one of the few at that price point with a side-mounted HDD cage which gives more room to work, accommodates longer GPUs and improves wiring, and the 7970 is a much better performer and value than the 660TI, as AMD gives about $160 in new release games with it. The Sapphire dual-X version has one of the best coolers out, is clocked to GE clocks, and the Sapphire 7970s are the best OCers because they have an extra power phase. Reviewers have been able to push some of them to ~1300/1800. Every other part is just whatever works, cheap.

Drop the crappy i5 and pick up an AMD cpu and get a better GPU. I have no idea why you people think buying cpus that are built for x86 is going to do anything for you that a cheaper quad core would not. Don't believe me? Buy an intel I7 for 300 bucks and drop in a $60 graphics card. When you get tired of 10 fps, switch those two around and thank me later. This is not 1998 anymore gents. GPU>x86

Edited by CHWarpath, 12 June 2013 - 01:12 AM.

[Catamount]

CHWarpath, on 12 June 2013 - 12:25 AM, said:

Drop the crappy i5 and pick up an AMD cpu and get a better GPU. I have no idea why you people think buying cpus that are built for x86 is going to do anything for you that a cheaper quad core would not. Don't believe me? Buy an intel I7 for 300 bucks and drop in a $60 graphics card. When you get tired of 10 fps, switch those two around and thank me later. This is not 1998 anymore gents. GPU>x86

First off, that "crappy" i5 is faster in gaming than any AMD CPU on the market, so I'm not sure where you're pulling these adjectives out of. Secondly, the machine already has one of the best 7970s on the market, so you're concocting analogies that have nothing to do with this thread.

The GPU is important, and yes, it's more important in gaming than the CPU, but that does not mean the CPU is unimportant, and since I already have the OP spending just shy of twice as much on the GPU as the CPU, I'd say my build is considerably better than whatever you think you're suggesting.


The i5 is going to mean the difference between having MWO run at 60fps and having it not run at 60fps, since no AMD chip is capable of that. It's going to mean not chunking in other CPU-heavy multiplayer environments. It's going to mean not bottlenecking down the road because the OP didn't skimp and get some POS FX4300 in a thousand dollar build. It's going to mean not bottnecking whatever fast GPU you stuck in there by pairing, to use your own example, a $60 CPU with a $300 GPU.

If we're to follow your logic, then what the OP should really do is get a $900 GPU, and then spend $10 each on the case, PSU, RAM, CPU, HDD and motherboard, because having a $900 GPU is awesome, beacuse nothing but the GPU matters, AMIRITE?

Here in the corporeal world, however, when the budget does, in fact, permit, then having a faster CPU is advantageous, and the OP isn't exactly giving up something more important there, since the focus is already far more on the GPU. The OP is simply putting enough focus into the CPU to not bottleneck that fast GPU, and to not miss out on those games (including MWO) which are heavily CPU-centric. More to the point, throwing out $50-$80 will absolutely savagely cut the CPU, but isn't going to net a GPU that's in any way significantly faster to offset that loss, so what you're really suggesting is that the OP give up something important, and get nothing in return.

I realize it's fun to be an AMD fanatic; I'm one myself. Nevertheless, please, actually bother to consider the budget and build before making a suggestion like this.

Edited by Catamount, 12 June 2013 - 07:26 AM.

[ArmageddonKnight]

Cata is correct.
In higher budget builds you generaly want to spend double what u spent on ur CPU on ur GPU.
So a 4670k at ~$250 means u 'should' spend about ~$500 on a GPU.
However if ur playing online games alot u can forget that. CPU matters alot in muliplayer games, more so than you normaly think. I usualy recommend people to get a i7, becouse certain multiplayer games like MMO's (GW2 for example) can max out a 4 core 4 thread CPU(i5). These games also usualy dont have huge GPU requirments so u can spend a little less on the GPU than the CPU. Like for example with the 4770k, and AMD 7870XT is enough and is a very good card for its price(comparable to a 660ti).

Im not a AMD or Intel fanb0y... i go with whats best bassicaly. AMD currently are not challenge intel i nthe CPU department, atleats not at the high end, so for now Intel is the way to go for CPU. AMD also are not good fr XFire GPU setups due to the runt/droped frame issues they have atm, so Nvidia is the way to go for multi card setups. Both AMD & Nvidia are good for single card setups.

Edited by ArmageddonKnight, 13 June 2013 - 02:14 PM.

[Smokeyjedi]

Whatever the case don't sell the GPU short by choosing a weaksauce CPU to fuel it. it needs to feed 2-3 GPUs similar to it(SLI+XFIRE) before having a chance of bottlenecking is my way of thinking.