MOBO $169.99 minus $30.00 rebate = $139.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3761586&Sku=E145-2038 CPU $179.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017 PSU and Case $109.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424&Sku=O261-2005 RAM $79.99 minus $30.00 rebate = $49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298 Video I need help with…and whatever else I might of forgotten…A reliable HD would be nice as well if you could point me in the direction. So far my cost is up to 539.96 not counting rebates, and I am trying to stay in the 700.00-750.00 dollar range. If you see anything I can trade out and get for cheaper which is just as good if not better, please show me the way. Oh yeah, with video I want SLI…Two cards. Not buying just one.
Also was wondering if there was a way to build a gaming pc around this CPU for about the same price? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4240166&Sku=CP1-I7-920 That is ofcourse if the CPU is good for the money and can do alot more then Q6600 that is in my previous post. How well can these overclock?
FOr the Power Supply, if you want to stick with OCZ, upgrade to a PC Power & Cooling. It seems like PCP&C is still making their own PSU and I used to use them before they were bought by OCZ and they were my favorite for building workstations. Click here for a list of good PSU from three companies For the Motherboard, go for a P45 chipset: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358 It is cheaper and should outperform the nVidia chipset. For video card, go for 2x4850 if you are on a budget. That will be $240 - $260. The 4850 will perform on par or outperform the 9800GTX+ which is more expensive. In Crossfire, it is much cheaper and will outperform anything priced under 1 weeks salary These will take up a single slot: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102775 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127359 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103069 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131125 This is dual slot (because of 3rd party cooler): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770 The Motherboard can handle a pair of single or dual slot cards as there is enough room. And for the Crossfire 16x/16x vs. 8x/8x, there is not much difference. If you are planning to get higher end Crossfire like 4870, then maybe consider an X48 chipset. Only the motherboard is more expensive for those chipsets. This would be if you want maximum performance vs. the P45 chipset. The X48 will get both cards working at 16x and the P45 at 8x (16x for single card). So in terms of money, you are at: CPU: $190 Mobo: $100 RAM: $50 or $70 which was recommended to me PSU: $70 GPU: $260 (this is for two cards) HDD: Choose one of these Case: $40 or $60 ---------------------- Total: $710/$750 You also need a heatsink and fan. I ordered a Tuniq Tower ($54 after shipping): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001 This would take the build at about $800. You would still need some peripherals like keyboard/mouse. Also a DVD burner ($25). So you are looking at about $950 total for the Crossfire system. There is not much that you can really take off the cost. If you already have an HDD, keyboard/mouse, and DVD Drive, then you will get close to your budget. For the i7, it will be much more money as you need an X58 chipset. The motherboard itself will be very expensive. Also, DDR3 RAM is still pricey. It would probably be around $1200 - $1400 for a PC build around the i7 CPU. The 920 is a better CPU, but you can overclock the Q6600 pretty high if you are into overclocking.
Unless you have a big monitor there is zero need to buy two graphics cards. A 22" monitor or smaller will work perfectly at maximum detail with just one HD4850. If you must have two cards, I'd recommend a pair of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770 Or, if you're going to use a big monitor and like features like Anti-Aliasing, I strongly recommend you get a pair of these instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102802
Wow, that 1GB is on sale!! That would have been a no brainer for me since it's like a $15 difference from the 512MB version I bought a couple of days ago However, with the 4870 at it's current $179 level, I think it is a better deal than the 1GB 4850. Of course there's only a few hours left for that sale.
As I stated, this is only for people who like their AA. 1GB of RAM for running 4x AA at 1920x1200 or above is mandatory in some games, faster GPU or not.
