Helping friend build a gaming computer for $800

[Gimmie2]

any suggestions, as of now im just going to go to Frys and start from the ground up.

Min specs that he wants are
Ram 2 Gb
CPU dual or quad core with total of 4-6Ghz
DVD burner
200+Gb HDD
8800GT or GTX 512 or better
a "kick @$$ case with lots of lights"
already has monitor and keyboard + mouse
MoBo anything that will support all of the above
PSU good enough for all of that + fans + lots of lights

[Reconsnipe1]

That looks good. He needs a mic though

[juneau]

Kick ass case you say. How about mine?

http://www.mountainmods.com/twice7-b...ndow-p-73.html



I'll spec the rest tomorrow.

[AmazingRedd]

Kick ass case you say. How about mine?

http://www.mountainmods.com/twice7-b...ndow-p-73.html



I'll spec the rest tomorrow.

lol well there goes half on his money..

nice case tho.

[juneau]

lol well there goes half on his money..

nice case tho.

Thanks!

Here's my spec. Does it have to be frys? Not newegg etc? Frys seems to have a very limited selection on most things. 5 Internal SATA HDDs to choose from!

Intel? Core? 2 Duo E8400 - BX80570E8400 - Box CPU - Socket LGA775
FRYS.comIntel

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
FRYS.comGigabyte

4GB DDR2 PC6400 TWINX MEMORY / CORSAIR
FRYS.comCORSAIR

Diamond ATI HD 4850 Video Card (512MB, PCI-Express)
FRYS.comDiamond

SAMSUNG 1TB SERIAL ATA/300, 32MB BUFFER HARD DRIVE - HD103UJ
FRYS.comSamsung

PIONEER 20X INTERNAL DVD-/+RW DRIVE w/ LIGHTSCRIBE DVD BURNER
FRYS.comPIONEER

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Case
FRYS.comAntec

Antec EarthWatts 500W Power Supply
FRYS.comAntec

subtotal: $894.92

He needs a bigger budget for starters and then more if he wants to bling out his case when shopping at Frys.

[Gimmie2]

lol i think that the best card that he would need is like maybe a 9600GTX or 9800 GT, not an ATI 4850 lol and the case could just be kinda crap with room for a couple of cathode tubes and the like. other than that ill forward him the specs and see what he thinks

and no it doesnt HAVE to be frys, its just easier for me to get there b/c my internet will randomly die sometimes

Go ahead and post a machine from newegg if you want and ill give him both options

[juneau]

The 4850 will last longer. I'm sure he will appreciate this. The case i specced is pretty 'blingy'. It's not a fave of mine, but it's all Frys had to offer that was better than the Appevia cases or whatever they are.

Will go hunting on newegg once i've cleared the snow from my driveway.

[Gimmie2]

The 4850 will last longer.

you have a point there.....

oh another kinda big requirement, it needs to be able to run Fallout 3, L4D, COD:WAW and Supreme Commander FA on Yery High or better

he also said that he may be able to get another $50-$100 by Xmas and asked if he should wait

[juneau]

Newegg

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

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

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gbs Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD?R DVD Burner - OEM
Newegg.com - Pioneer Black 20X DVDR DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Newegg.com - PC Power EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII W Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII W Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Total without tax $759.92

I have no idea how much tax you pay but that is one kickass rig. If the tax is bumping it up too much let me know and i'll rethink my spec.

[Gimmie2]

MY GOD that is one of the best PCs i have ever seen for under $800....

Tax will bring it up to about $790-$810 so its well within his buget

[juneau]

MY GOD that is one of the best PCs i have ever seen for under $800....

Tax will bring it up to about $790-$810 so its well within his buget

And all you need to add is a couple of cathodes etc. Don't change the case..... it's very very good and worth every penny. Not as good as mine, but, well.....

[Gimmie2]

And all you need to add is a couple of cathodes etc. Don't change the case..... it's very very good and worth every penny. Not as good as mine, but, well.....

yea lol im going to email this to him and some of my other friends who have crap PC's.

Thx again dude
You deserve an award
*steals deed to city of Juneau* *writes "Property of {CLR}Juneau" on it* *hands to Juneau*

[juneau]

yea lol im going to email this to him and some of my other friends who have crap PC's.

Thx again dude
You deserve an award
*steals deed to city of Juneau* *writes "Property of {CLR}Juneau" on it* *hands to Juneau*

Take that Walkin!

[Hammy]

Deals are so red hot right now- I'd just shop the OEMs (HP,Dell,Compaq,Acer,Gateway) and look for these things:

Good Mobo with the FSB to allow several future upgrades
Mobo with 8GB of Mem Support with Min of 4 channels.
PCIE (2.0 support is preferred but not necessary)
1.8GHZ or Grtr Duo Core

-------------------------

You see you might find this machine for less than $400 bucks somewhere, then spend less than $400 on upgrading it with a good Vid Card and additional memory.

This wont violate the Manuf Warranty, and you wont have to deal with bugs and issues common to "build your own" rigs.

I was given my PC, but I looked it up online for specs and discovered this exact machine barebones for $400 bucks on Amazon.com and I am VERY happy with my setup.

Just my advice to you all- save your money and take advantage of the economic downturn. You'll be just as happy- or happier.

[Gimmie2]

... turns out that his parents are buying him a laptop for X-mas/Graduation
and the point is moot