[ttotsbarc]

I've been on here the last 2 months or so and at one point I was going to buy a computer but things didn't pan out with my budget. I've worked out my budget so I will be buying parts this upcoming holiday (I'm planning on buying it the weekend of Thanksgiving because there are supposed to be GREAT deals then)

I'm planning on building a computer for the first time. I will be using some pre-existing parts from my current computer and I will buy some new parts.

I plan to use this computer primarily for Photoshop CS2, Maya 2008 and to play "high end" fps games (arma II, Crysis, COD, FarCry2 etc.)


Here is a list of what I currently have and will be re-using and then a list of new parts.


Re-use:

-ViewSonic A91f+ at 1280x1024 (max 1792 x 1344).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116048
-Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05 case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077
-PC Power and Cooling 610 Watt (80 plus) sli certified power supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3247723&CatId=1483
-2 DVD drives
-Keyboard, mouse, and speakers.


New Parts to buy:

-Intel i-5 ($200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
-GIGABYTE micro ATX ($110)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405
-XFX 4890 ($200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438
-Win7 OEM ($107)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
-G Skill 4GB ($90)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
-500GB hard drive ???

After asking TONS of quesions on this forum and searching around a bit, this is what I think will be best for me. By the way, my budget is $700 or less.
I know, Im allready at $700 without the Hard drive included but I figured that I can buy these in bundles and buy them durring the Thanksgiving holiday to drop the price quite a bit... I hope

Please let me know what you all think, and what I should change. or if there is a cheaper route to go.
And THANKS AGAIN for all of your patience and time!!!

[Spartacus]

You can save some money by swapping out that 4890 for a 5770. Though it's performance is lesser then the 4890's, a 4890 is rather overkill for 1280x1024 (I'm running my 4870 1GB on a 1280x1024 panel pending a monitor upgrade and can entirely max out every game I own except for STALKER, Crysis, and Far Cry 2 without it breaking a sweat), and it supports DX11 and is $40 cheaper. That lets you get an HDD now without going much over budget.

[ttotsbarc]

ya, i thought about getting the 5770 but im planning on getting a 23' or 24' HD monitor soon in the near future...I'm down with getting the 5770 unless you think that the 4890 would be a better bet for the long run.

[ttotsbarc]

i was looking around and I think I'll go with this Hard Drive:
Samsung 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181


and maybe to save a few bucks I could go with this RAM:
OCZ 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227495

[Spartacus]

[ttotsbarc]

would it be worth the extra $40 to get the 4890 now rather than buy another 5770 in the near future since that'll cost me more than $40?
(i hope that makes sense)
are the 4890 and 5770 really that much different in performance? and will the directx 11 be much of an advantage?


I guess I would rather avoid getting 2 video cards if possible(less maintinance and it's cheaper).

[Spartacus]

the 4890 is about 20% faster, pretty much dead-on with the price difference. It's just another option to spread out the costs over time.

[Danthrax66]

what graphics card do you have now?

[iPood]

The 5770 actually performs a little worse then the 4870 (due to the neutered 128bit memory bandwidth on the 5770 vs the 256bit on the 4870/4890, all 3 cards have 800 shaders) . If you are going to be upgrading to a 23/24" monitor (most have a resolution of 1920x1080/1200) than the 4890 is the way to go. True you don't get dx11 but by the time dx11 games become standard the 5770 may not be able to perform adequately at 23/24" resolutions (Heck it isn't even ideal right now for 1920x1080/1200 resolutions). Furthermore, the gigabyte mobo you picked is awesome but not ideal if you want to go with a 2nd card down the road as its 2nd pcie slot operates at 4x. Get that mobo if you aren't planning on crossfire.

Here is another suggestion on the hard drive but the samsung you picked out is good as well. The 1TB seagate 7200.12 was rated pretty high with maxpc magazine. the 500gb samsung you picked out is rated quite high with tomshardware.

Seagate 7200.12 500gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

[ttotsbarc]

[ttotsbarc]

[ttotsbarc]

So IM BUYING MY COMPUTER THIS FRIDAY (BLACK FRIDAY)!
I'm way stoked.

I have one more question...


I was planning on getting the XFX 4890:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438

but I notices the HIS 4890 that was reccomended to someone else:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161299&cm_re=4890-_-14-161-299-_-Product

I was thinking about getting the XFX because it seems to have a KILLER warranty but I noticed that the HIS is $20 cheaper (plus mail in rebate of $20 )

Which one would you all reccomend? Which one would last me the longest?

thanks for your inout and THANKS EVERYONE THAT HAS HELPED ME OUT ON THIS FORUM, YOU ALL ARE GREAT!

[Wingzero_x]

Actually Black Monday is where you usually get the better deals at on-line stores.

And remember you're building your system, so you know what's in it, and you know where it's strengths and weaknesses lay, and can make the upgrades where necessary. And soon your friends, and family will be asking you to build them systems. Do two things, make sure you get paid, and don't tell them how easy it is!

Well good luck

[ttotsbarc]