I want to build a gaming rig.

[mikejet]

So with Duke Nukem and other games coming, it's high time I finally put together a gaming rig.

I'll probably buy the parts over about 2-3 months then slap it all together.

I want to keep costs under $1000

I have never done this before.

Where do I start? Case? Power supply?

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by mikejet

Where do I start? Case? Power supply?

First question that comes to mind is: will you be migrating any of the existing components from your currnt PC over to the new one (including, but not limited to, monitor, keyboard, hard drive, etc.)? If you are, we can deduct this from your $1000 budget, which will give you more headroom for higher-rated components.

Also, does it matter whether the CPU is AMD or Intel?

[mikejet]

This will be a new rig from the ground up(something I always wanted to do)

Performance > brand names for me

the $1000 and under price is for the rig only and does not include cost of a monitor.

[NeoCortex]

Instead of buying parts over the next 2-3 months, you would be better off to just wait 2-3 months and buy everything at once. Otherwise, there's a good chance that what you buy now will be cheaper in a couple months, or something better for the same price could become available.

[PrivatePixel]

Do you need a Blu-ray drive or burner?

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by NeoCortex

Instead of buying parts over the next 2-3 months, you would be better off to just wait 2-3 months and buy everything at once. Otherwise, there's a good chance that what you buy now will be cheaper in a couple months, or something better for the same price could become available.

I'm inclined to agree. There were quite a few Labor Day deals last week, but that's past now. Sales during Halloween are negligible, which leaves Black Friday as the most opportune time to take advantage of spectacular offers.

I can still put together a few mock rigs that you can build right now, but sales/rebates will be few and far between. It's your call, mikejet.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Do you need a Blu-ray drive or burner?

No. It will be a Steam desktop.

[PrivatePixel]

OK, here are a couple of mock builds: one AMD, one Intel. Both builds are under $1000, but the totals do not include shipping. SATA cables and additional cooling fans are excluded as well (but neither will push the pre-shipping total to $1K).

AMD:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $198
Motherboard: ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI $120
CPU Heatsink: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (i5 775, AMD compatible) $35
XIGMATEK ACK-I5361 Intel Core i7/Core i5 compatible Bracket Set $10
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL $93
Video card: GIGABYTE GV-R585OC-1GD Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready $260
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s $88
DVD-ROM burner: LG GH22NP20 22X Super Multi drive $20
Power supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 $80
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid-Tower $60

Total (before shipping): $964


Intel:
CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750 $195
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 $140
CPU Heatsink: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (i5 775, AMD compatible) $35
XIGMATEK ACK-I5361 Intel Core i7/Core i5 compatible Bracket Set $10
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL $93
Video card: GIGABYTE GV-R585OC-1GD Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready $260
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s $88
DVD-ROM burner: LG GH22NP20 22X Super Multi drive $20
Power supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 $80
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid-Tower $60

Total (before shipping): $981

[SoCalTiger]

Here is my build. Came out to I think $830 including taxes and shipping. Upgrade the video card with the price difference. But to be honest, with this 250 GTS I play every game at 1920x1080 on High settings or better.

BTW this build is VERY close to the Intel build in the post above except I have a slightly stronger CPU (HT enabled, +1 multi) but weaker GPU. Even the RAM and MB are the same as above. Also, for a few dollars more you could get the CAS 7 G.SKILL RAM.

• CPU: i7-860
• MB: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3
• GPU: Palit NE3TS25EFHD02 GeForce GTS 250 E-Green
• HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB (WD1002FAEX)
• RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
• Case: Antec 300 Illusion
• PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W RT
• DVD: Samsung DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L
• Sink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
• TIM: Arctic Silver 5

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by SoCalTiger

BTW this build is VERY close to the Intel build in the post above except I have a slightly stronger CPU (HT enabled, +1 multi) but weaker GPU. Even the RAM and MB are the same as above. Also, for a few dollars more you could get the CAS 7 G.SKILL RAM.

To be fair, I did all of my pricing through NewEgg; better prices on CPUs can be had elsewhere, e.g. Core i7 870 is available at Micro Center for $229.99 this month (it's $290 at NewEgg).

You're right on the CAS 7 G.Skill RAM being a better deal for ~$5 more.

[mikejet]

There's Fry's near me and with Newegg I can do the cheapest shipping since their distribution warehouse is near me too.

[ryoohki]

The question is.. what resolution are you gonna play in long term?

1680x1050 or 1920x1080 or..

with 1680 you'll be good with a 5770. for 1080p i'll suggest a 5850 or a GTX460 1gb. If you plan going 2 video card one day. I suggest getting a Nvidia system. Thrust me i've been a hardcore fan of ATI for 10 years until just recently..

[SoCalTiger]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

To be fair, I did all of my pricing through NewEgg; better prices on CPUs can be had elsewhere, e.g. Core i7 870 is available at Micro Center for $229.99 this month (it's $290 at NewEgg).

You're right on the CAS 7 G.Skill RAM being a better deal for ~$5 more.

Yeah, I got lucky with my build with some components being on sale at Newegg (like MB being the Shell Shocker deal one day) as well as getting my i7-860 from MC for $199.99. OTOH I paid full price from my DVD drive and it's on sale for half the price right now. Unfortunately I live in CA so I pay Newegg sales tax. Otherwise could have cut off another $60 or so easily.