[I♥GFX]

Hi!

I will actually be purchasing the best gaming rig you can come up under $2000 from online parts. This will also help me learn what parts to put together, and of course a lower price is very nice .

If you don't want to do it, please feel free not to flame me! This is more of a discussion, not a "here you go, now build me a desktop" thing. I plan to ask questions, put in my own parts and see if we can help me build the best bang for my buck...together.

Rules? Just feel free to post links if it helps, otherwise I will look up the parts myself. HDD can't be lower than 7200RPM and 120GB (which is absolutely perfect for me) and GPU has to be nVidia, nothing lower than a 9800GX2. Can be an i7 build...if you can pull it off while leaving extra money required to make a full system (keyboard, mouse, etc.).

So far I'm thinking a Q6600, one GTX280 & 4GB of DDR2 RAM. But with the fans, heatsinks, monitor, HDD, cables, computer case, optical drive, PSU, keyboard, mouse, I broke $2100 @ newegg, so there goes that .

Help is highly appreciated, I will do whatever I can to contribute back. And I do -not- have any means to waste time. Trust me, I will be researching this stuff myself so no one thinks I am taking the easy way out.

*Update: I am in the US btw, and looking for the sleekest monitor I can get to hold 1920 or 1900x1200 resolution (17" minimum, but 17" is perfect if necessary). High contrast ratio is nice, but not a deal-breaking factor.

[BackBreaker]

why not build one under $1000 instead?

[I♥GFX]

If thats possible w/ a Quad-core, GTX280 and other parts...that would be nice lol. But unlikely!

[White_Pawn]

i'd go with an i7 build if you have ~$2000 to spend.

Will you be overclocking?

920i
gigabyte x58 UD5
6gigs of pc1333//pc1600
2 x GTX260 216SP
corsair 750TX
WD 640gig BE
case//cooling

[I♥GFX]

Yeah I'm looking for overclocking and SLI options (only 2 way, I will never do 3-SLI). But after the main components and checking out the other required accessories, I easily break $2000 =(

[jamesman32]

Well, lets be realistic. If you're on a 17 inch monitor as in your original post, you will never need dual GTX260s. Hell, you wouldn't even need one. I say, go with a single card setup, such as a 4870X2 to save a few $$$, and go with a nicer monitor. Nobody likes playing games on a small screen.

EDIT: I see you only wanted Nvidia. Hmm...would you be willing to go ATI, or is it really strictly Nvidia?

[dlavrenz]

for monitor, check out something like acer 24" for $340
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009125

i7 920 is something like $300 right now and a motherboard is probably another $300

subtotal so far is 940

6gb GDDR3 is about the same price as 4 lol

$215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225

250gb HD $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148262

subtotal 1200

optical drive ~ $25
Case could be wide range ~$75
Keyboard and mouse are more personal preference so ~$75
Power supply depends on if you NEED that GTX280... 650W+ ~$150
EVGA GTX 280 $375
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130365

total $1800

this leaves $200 for odds and ends or better parts

[I♥GFX]

Originally Posted by dlavrenz

for monitor, check out something like acer 24" for $340
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009125

i7 920 is something like $300 right now and a motherboard is probably another $300

subtotal so far is 940

6gb GDDR3 is about the same price as 4 lol

$215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225

250gb HD $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148262

subtotal 1200

optical drive ~ $25
Case could be wide range ~$75
Keyboard and mouse are more personal preference so ~$75
Power supply depends on if you NEED that GTX280... 650W+ ~$150
EVGA GTX 280 $375
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130365

total $1800

this leaves $200 for odds and ends or better parts

Wow, Im surprised you kept it under 2K, I'm going to verify this right now...

[Mr.Guvernment]

wjhat monitors do you plan to use or what res cause thayt wiill make a HUGE diff in what video cards to get...

[don'tknow]

Any reason why the GPU has to be Nvidia? You could get better performance by choosing a 4870X2 instead of the GTX280 with the above setup and still be within the $2k range.

[I♥GFX]

I'm just not comfortable buying from AMD cards, I'm more used to nVidia and would rather pay the premium for them. I might build the desktop w/o a video card and just wait a few months for nVidia to launch their new cards, and see what kinds of price/performance things we can mess with.

The resolution I want to play on (with maxed settings and good amounts of AA/AF) is 1900x1200 (or 1920, w/e).

[I♥GFX]

@ dlav: thanks a bunch, you were right it's possible. Your push helped me come up with this:

CPU ($300): i7 920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202
GPU/MOBO ($578): GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked w/ EVGA X58 3X SLI ($20 discount)
http://www.evga.com/articles/00443/
LCD ($300): Samsung 24" ($30 mail-in-rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001295
RAM ($195): 3 x 2GB DDR3-1333 Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145220
HDD ($55): Seagate 7200.3 250GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148262
DVD ($22): LG
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136144
CASE ($110): Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021
KB ($80): Logitech Illuminated (really like this one)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...nc.-_-23126043
MOUSE ($40): Razer Deathadder 1800DPI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826153007
PSU ($100): Corsair 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006

Total: $1800 +/- $10

Any improvements? What else do I have to buy to complete the system? I know it's missing a "cooling system", but I'm not sure what that comprises of.

[Steven-1979]

i7 920 will be $250 and Antec 900 will be $80 (no rebates on either which is always a bonus) at microcenter on Dec 13 and 14 if you have one near you: http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...cember.bf.html

[BackBreaker]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229049

[I♥GFX]

Originally Posted by BackBreaker

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229049

A little insulting...thanks.

[Mr.Guvernment]

Originally Posted by I♥GFX

I'm just not comfortable buying from AMD cards, I'm more used to nVidia and would rather pay the premium for them. I might build the desktop w/o a video card and just wait a few months for nVidia to launch their new cards, and see what kinds of price/performance things we can mess with.

The resolution I want to play on (with maxed settings and good amounts of AA/AF) is 1900x1200 (or 1920, w/e).

honestly, dont let that be a reason,it only hurts your wallet, there is nothing wrong with ATI cards. You dont win or gain anything being loyal to on company.

[dlavrenz]

for cooling if you are not overclocking, you do not actually have to buy anything.
If you plan on overclocking, the system will generate more heat which will need to be dissipated.
Basically the first "upgrade" to cooling you would do is buy an aftermarket CPU heat sink and some thermal paste. I am going to stay out of this realm though because I do not know much about i7 cooling.
Other then that, just make sure your case has a few bigger fans (preferably 120mm or greater) so that it has good airflow

[Brandontw]

I think theres a few things you need to ask yourself before you go dropping that entire 2 grand on a computer.

First how much are you on this computer everyday?

Have you ever really played computer games before?

Do you really need a gtx-280 or other super-high end vid card?

What I'm getting at is that for a 1000$, you can build a quad core computer with 4 gigs of ram, blue ray drive, and a single GTX260 and it will tear through any game at 1900x1200 at high settings, probably higher. Once you hit the 200$ mark on a video card, i feel like you get a minimal noticeable performance increase for your dollars.

[Brandontw]

I was bored, so i threw this together for you. I may have missed a couple small things but the total is under 1000$, and like i said above, quad core, 4gb, 4870 or gtx260, blu-ray drive, nice case, ect.



I have a hard time imagining you wishing you would have spent another 1000$ once your get on a rig like this... It will do any gaming you want with a smile on its face, really no reason to spend that extra 1000$ unless you plan on spending ALL your spare time gaming and really want the best of the best.

I'm speaking from experience here... I've played on 4000$ computers, and honestly, unless your are a benchmark wh0re then its tough to notice a big difference.

But i will say that you should invest in a good monitor, maybe even a 1080P HDTV for your display. 17" just doesn't cut in now days, i'd say get a nice 22" at least.

Edit: Missed the HSF for the CPU, still under 1000$ with that though.

[dlavrenz]

you bring up a good point Brandontw but I jsut want to point out the $2000 includes a 24" monitor and is i7.

Personally I can say my computer I am currently using was slightly under 2000 when I bought it in '03. I definitely noticed a performance upgrade from the $1000 rig I built a friend a few months down the road. However, my next rig is going to be around 1000, maybe slightly in excess.
The problem is i7 is still slightly "cutting-edge" so the price hasn't dropped too much yet. I am waiting for a few months for my next build to see how the market plays out.

I might be off topic a little bit, idk. Moral of the story is, don't spend more then 2000 on a computer at any given time but I think it is still perfectly normal.