$1500 - $2000 Build

[Ronin]

So I've waited around 6 or 7 years to really get into PC building. I think I've outgrown my P4 system.

I'll be using it for gaming, some video/photo editing and the usual surf/watch movies. My Dad will probably use some Auto Cad on it as well (but I'll be paying for the whole thing). I'll be ocing as well.

I got some parts that I bought before the CAD went down.
G15 v2
HX620W
and a 2253BW(on sale at Futureshop)
so the budget price is without paying attention to these since I got'em already.

the Core 2 Duo I so far have is

Asus P5Q-E
E8400
Xigmatek S1283
2x640GB WD Caviar Black
1x1TB Caviar Black
Mushkin DDR2 Ascent 8500

What GPU should I get ? Doesn't matter if it's red or green. Just the best single solution card that will power 2x 22inch Monitors.

I'd like a higher end case. Anything in the 250-350 range. I'm not gonna limit it to the $2000 budget if it warrants going over it. But I'd like to keep it as close to 2K as possible. I'm planning to get my build either December/ Early January.

If you think I'm going overboard, please tell me.
Any help or suggestion is welcome.

[Evylldemon]

if you're planning to be spending in the 1500-2000 range you could easily build something with the core i7 + x58 MB + DDR3 RAM ~ $1000 (likely less). Then you still have $1000 to get harddrives ($300) 4870 or 260 Core 216 ($300) plus whatever case you want to get (250-350). You already have a PSU and peripherals so just get a $30 DVD drive and you're set.

Just the way I would go with your budget

[Ronin]

I might go that route I guess. I'm waiting for the shock factor to die down so the premium goes down.

[chouchou]

With a 2k Budget, id grab a 45nm Quad core. You said your doing some Auto Cad = good vid card. Something along the range of GTX 280, 260 Core 216, 4870...
You could probably get by with a nice SLI rig of 260 Core 216's with that kind of money.
As for the case, id give the ATCS 840 a shot. It's nice, and we'll have to see what kind of pricing is gonna be on that thing.
Good luck!

[jak3_dude]

I set up an i7 rig for 1763.39$ (includ tax)

here's what it looks like:

ASUS P6T X58 - 350.00$
Core i7 920 - 365.70$
G-Skill 3GB DDR3-1333 (3x1GB) - 100.08$
BFG GTX 280 OC - 444.22$
Corsair 750W - 99.95$
NZXT Tempest - 123.00$
WD 6400AAKS 640GB - 76.85$

Subtotal: 1560.52$ CDN (1763.39$ w/tax)

Now take away the Tempest Case and WD HDD and you are at 1360.67$...heck take away the PSU, you might want something else and you're at slightly below 1300$ with 200-700$ to spend on whatever PSU, HDD and Case you want...

[Evylldemon]

Originally Posted by jak3_dude

I set up an i7 rig for 1763.39$ (includ tax)

here's what it looks like:

ASUS P6T X58 - 350.00$
Core i7 920 - 365.70$
G-Skill 3GB DDR3-1333 (3x1GB) - 100.08$
BFG GTX 280 OC - 444.22$
Corsair 750W - 99.95$
NZXT Tempest - 123.00$
WD 6400AAKS 640GB - 76.85$

Subtotal: 1560.52$ CDN (1763.39$ w/tax)

Now take away the Tempest Case and WD HDD and you are at 1360.67$...heck take away the PSU, you might want something else and you're at slightly below 1300$ with 200-700$ to spend on whatever PSU, HDD and Case you want...

That's almost exactly the Core i7 build I priced out for myself incase I win the lottery or something lol. I had a different case picked out but that's purely preference.

Depending on where you live Ronin it might be even cheaper (may only have to pay GST) in which case it would be in the $1640 range plus shipping.

Depending on your graphics needs you could get by the a GTX 260 Core 216 for ~$120 less than the 280.

I'm not sure how power hungry that system would be so I can't say whether you could get by the 620W PSU but that would knock $100 off that price. You could add the extra HDDs you want for like $200 more and you're set well under your limit.

[Ronin]

Sweet where did you guys the pricing for this ? I'd be willing to wait til late Jan to before really getting the main parts(Mobo, CPU,Mem and GPU), since the shock factor will have died down and the case I want is yet to be released. I'm wondering if a 620 could power that ? Does anyone know where the thread about the x58 mobos are ? I'd like to get a view of the other boards to see which fits my taste.

[Difference Clouds]

I just got this build.

Antec 1200 + Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620W - $335
Intel Core i7 920 + ASUS P6T X58 Deluxe - $699.99
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 - $308
Western Digital Velociraptor WD1500HLFS 150GB - $209.00
G.SKILL F3-10666CL9T-3GBNQ 3GB - $98.33
Samsung SH-S223F DVD Writer - $27.98
Noctua NH-U9B Heatsink + Noctua MT-1366 LGA1366 Mounting Conversion Kit - $47.29

Total: $1725.59 (with taxes $1811.87)

[zlojack]

Yeah...definitely if you're starting from scratch, go i7.