Challenge: Build a computer for under $1000

[QforQ]

Hey Rabb1t/Faelor/anyone..

Assuming I'm going to buy a new PC in the next month or so, should I:

A: Revisit this thread and see what you guys come up with..
B: Buy the above parts list
C: Keep an eye out for these "i7" cores that I keep hearing about..

I'm hoping to be able to buy/build a new PC near the end of this month or early February(hopefully by then I'll know what kind of tax return I'm getting :P).

Your help is appreciated!

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by QforQ

Assuming I'm going to buy a new PC in the next month or so, should I:

Within the next month I really don't think a whole lot will change. However, we may see some new stuff coming "soon" at CES happening in a few weeks.

Like, I know Zalman has a new cooler (the 9900 LED) which gets rid of their backplate, and XFX is going to start making ATi cards.

A: Revisit this thread and see what you guys come up with..

Doubt much will change besides very minor price changes. If the GTX 295 launches there may be more shifting in prices than normal, but I doubt it will really affect any recommendations.

C: Keep an eye out for these "i7" cores that I keep hearing about..

Not going to happen within your $1k budget.

Core i7 920 - $300
OCZ 6 gig DDR3-1333 with XMP cert $250
Cheapest Core i7 motherboard there is - Gigabyte - gimped by having only 2 GPU slots - $210

Total = above your budget just for those parts

The only way I could see you even getting close to a Core i7 at 1k would be through Dell.

see what you guys come up with

The newest rabb1t infoz just went up a few minutes ago. I tweaked the pc page and updated my recommendations. You'll note that the system I recommend with the Core i7 920, "Mechagodzilla", is ~$2200 just for what's in the box. If you are looking at spending less, I'd say avoid it. There isn't a lot of gain for gamers.

That being said, I'd say recommend any current quad core over $300 because the Core i7 is just so much better.

[KaimerasPain]

Just a thought, what about the new AMD chips? Listed at $275 for a 3.0 with unlocked multiplier... Ppl already getting to 4.0 and higher with good cooling (Zalman or water cooled). I know the new intels are on the way (or already avail) but they require a new mobo where as the AMD chips can push almost equal performance while still running off the AM2 boards (thus being cheaper). Now, one might say that the difference would be the DDR3 differences on the board, but for WAY under 1k, i wouldnt say that its much of a factor... Thoughts? or did i just step into a pure intel post.... ? I'll tread lightly... heh

Kaimera-

[Shadow]

Raidmax case with 2x 80mm fans and 2x 120mm fans + 500W powersupply $80 ($50 after MIR)
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 $120 ($105 after MIR)
E8400 CPU $165
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $60 ($30 after MIR)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320 gig drive $55
Sony Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM - OEM I don't burn dvd's anymore just put it on my usb drive $18
HIS ATI 4850 OC $165 ($155 after MIR)
Windows Vista 64-bit OEM $100

Total = $ 763
(After MIR $678)

also this system in not top of the line but it would have you running max settings for everything out currently, you can upgrade the optic drive to a burner for cheap also you can add 20 bucks to move to a 4870 but I was trying to get under that 700$ mark

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by KaimerasPain

Just a thought, what about the new AMD chips?

They are decent competition for the Core i7, particularly at their prices. However, remember that AMD has been very slow to produce, and very slow to move forward. What may seem like a fair match now may meet competition in the form of half a dozen new CPUs in 6 months time. For those who don't upgrade all that often it wouldn't matter, but those who may consider changing CPUs in say a year may not have any choice with the AMD.

Also, there is a minor point that the Phenom 2 940 Black edition needs a 3rd party cooler, so you have to add on about $30-60 on top of it's price.

Yes, the DDR3 price will get you, but you seem to be missing an incredible advantage with the x58 chipset... it can run BOTH three way SLI and three way Crossfire. Say this year Nvidia is on top (which most argue that dual GTX 290s are) whereas in a year dual ATi kick the poop out of them and you want to swap. No problem at all with the x58 chipset. Just drop your old cards onto Ebay. With the AMD boards you are really stuck with Crossfire, as their best boards are AMD chipsets.

where as the AMD chips can push almost equal performance while still running off the AM2 boards (thus being cheaper).

The difference between DDR3 and DDR2 is big today, but 45nm chips are on the way and prices will drop rapidly. Also, I believe those tests where the AMD Phenom 2 920 / 940s match Intel are on AM3 chipset boards, which won't be available to the public until early February. So no, not quite a match on existing hardware. Plus, the AMD Phenom 2 920 / 940 must run on AM2+. I'm 99% sure they won't run at all on AM2 boards. So, the vast majority of older AMD people (like me with a base AM2 board) can't use the new Phenom 2 chips without changing motherboards.

but for WAY under 1k, i wouldnt say that its much of a factor... Thoughts?

I think the option for tri-SLI or tri-Crossfire is huge. Plus while the AMD Phenom 2 can match Intel in gaming speed, the Core i7 wins for non-gaming. If gaming and cost are all you care about, sure, the Phenom 2 is full of win. If you want overall performance, better upgradeability for new CPUs, the option to flip dual or tri GPUs depending on who is on top, then there is no doubt the x58 motherboard and Core i7 is by far the better deal.

- - -

I really don't know if I'd recommend either in the 1k for the box price range though. Maybe closer to the end of the year, when new processing has pushed the size down, when DDR3 prices start dropping, when the chipsets are more mature, when AM3 is out to also factor in. But today... I think I'd spare the cost and go with a 780i board and E8400 or E8500 and put the extra towards more graphical power. So little will be gained on either Core i7 or Phenom 2 in the next year or two it isn't worth pushing the build budget to get it. Best to save that for a core change in 2-3 years.

[KaimerasPain]

Very thurough breakdown Rabb1t. I expected you might have an opinion on the matter! I did mean the AM2+ boards, so that was just a slip on my part. And yes, I agree on the difference in the DDR3, I was stating that if you are trying to stay under 1K that it shouldn't become a major factor in your decission. Anyways, I would imagine that the chip would only REALLY be worth it if you were an AM2+ board user already. I have a few friends that are and they are looking forward to bumping up.

Ima have to check out your site when I have a moment or two; if your this in-depth on a post, i cant imagine how u are on a site...! Once again, thanks for the thurough response! Its nice to get an in-depth and respectful response! In most cases I would have been blasted for mentioning AMD!

Kaimera-

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by KaimerasPain

Once again, thanks for the thurough response! Its nice to get an in-depth and respectful response! In most cases I would have been blasted for mentioning AMD!

Kaimera-

Agreed nice job Rab

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by KaimerasPain

Ima have to check out your site when I have a moment or two; if your this in-depth on a post, i cant imagine how u are on a site...! Once again, thanks for the thurough response! Its nice to get an in-depth and respectful response! In most cases I would have been blasted for mentioning AMD!

I has many words.

A few months ago, pre Phenom 2, you'd have caught some flack for AMD no doubt. But, I would always say for a "budget system" AMD might have the edge. In fact my lowest cost system, the "Twiki" is an AMD core, and it should have enough power to play pretty much any game at higher settings at the 1680x1050 res of the screen in said build.

But then, if a person is asking for build advice then they know how to assemble, so upgrades should also be taken into consideration. (See my article on "Riding the Wave vs. Leaping" for more on upgrade paths.) Prior to Phenom 2 AMD users didn't have a whole lot to gain by moving up from something budget, it would have been better to move up from an Intel on an E7300 or something because you could make a much bigger upgrade forward. But now the Phenom 2 does ok. For a new build looking at either though, as above, I'd say Core i7 has more wiggle room.

I would say though that AMD had a good idea with the AM2, AM2+, AM3 design, however, I think it is going to really start to get confusing for those who aren't completely informed with them trying to put parts together which aren't compatible. I follow the stuff fairly heavily and even I'm starting to get confused as to what's compatible with what.

[ethereal-wolf]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

There is always my systems page for peeps looking for full builds. (Though note that I'm still homelss and haven't yet done my year-end change. There are a few tweaks I'd do, so nothing really major would be different.)

$1k for just what's in the box is actually a fairly large budget. IMO that puts you solidly into a current (higher) mainstream build.

Almost straight off my site...

E8400 $160
Evga GTX 260 Core 216, 55nm version $265 (just launched within the past few days) (Nothing wrong with an ATi 4 series, however, Nvidia gives you PhysX)
OCZ 4 gig DDR2-800 SLI ready edition $18 post rebates ($48 pre-rebates) (You can't use the SLI ram feature, but at this cost, this is one of the best kits with excelent timing at an awesome price.)
Evga 750i chipset MB $140 post rebate ($170 pre-rebate)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320 gig drive $55
Asus DVD/CD Burner/reader $28
Corsair CMPSU 520HX modular PSU w/8-pin PCIe lines, $95 post rebate ($110 pre-rebate)
Antec 300 case $60
Windows Vista 64-bit OEM $100

Total = $ 921
(Pre-rebate $966)

rabb1t, is it possible for you to get commission from sites that you refer people to for hardware purchases? just trying to think of ways to help you out with the homeless thing.

[rabb1t]

I looked into the NewEgg affiliate program, doesn't really help. I'd only get a small % of the purchase and, at the time I looked into it, of my like 150 links at the site to NewEgg only like 4 qualified for doing the program. It's not a simple thing of 'add xyz at the end of the link to identify said person came from my site'. It's some super complex annoying link that changes from month to month depending on which qualify and which don't. (So I'd have to filter through what did or did not qualify, change my site, and then it would obviously not be a normal link to anyone looking at it so I'd be worried they would then think it suspicious and that I was doing something funky to trick them in some way.)

But yeah, assuming just 10% of the peeps who are unique visitors spent $150 each, that's like $315,000 NewEgg is making off my peeps each year. (Though I think they make millions per month, so my peeps are likely a very small drop in the bucket.)

(Likely a conservative figure, as I know several have done full builds from my recommendations. I even recently saw someone reference they've done two of my builds, and I've only been recommending full builds for like 1.5 years.)

A part of me has always hoped that people at said manufacturers (Evga, BFG, etc.) would take notice and realize how much word of mouth I'm doing and send me a donation of a something. You know, sort of like a sponsorship in reverse. I know Nvidia knows about me, or did at one time. (I think over a year ago now.) They came over for an in-home study and we talked for a while and the head researcher was blown away by my site and how much I knew about their products. Nothing yet though.

I think at this point the only real way I'd get a commission, since I've gotten nothing from retailers or manufacturers in the 3.66 years I've had my site so far, would be if I got a business license and started offering build services. (Which I can't do without having an address to attach said license to and work from.)