Building a new computer? Cheap, Hard?

[Tomb]

Im thinking about building my own computer. Since I have about 4.2k doing nothing...


Im planing to spend about 1000 dollars Canadian. for a gaming rig.

So i can play "free" games. If u know what i mean.

or is it better off looking for deals from major vendors like Dell....

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price 1
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119068Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$18.00 Instant

$66.99$48.99 1
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822148395Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy -$5.00 Instant

$79.99$74.99 1
Rosewill RNX-G300EX IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA, WPA2, AES, TKIP ... - Retail Item #: N82E16833166020Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$15.00 Instant

$29.99$14.99 1
EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814130339Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy -$11.00 Instant
-$60.99 Saving
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$162.49$90.50 1
Nvidia Gift Call of duty - World at war - OEM Item #: N82E16800999088Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
$60.99 1
Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817153023Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy -$5.00 Instant

$49.99$44.99 1
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail Item #: N82E16820145184Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
$54.49 1
GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813128388Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$84.99 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115037Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
$198.99 Subtotal: $673.92 Calculate Shipping

Postal Code: UPS StandardUPS Expedited Shipping: $0.00 1
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit for System Builders - OEM Item #: N82E16832116485CVFReturn Policy: Software Return Policy
$154.99 Subtotal: $154.99 Calculate Shipping

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Grand Total:* $828.91
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[Gixxers rock]

If you're building a gaming rig, then a good video card and some ram are your best friends. I think the 9800's will get dated pretty soon, with the 260's and 280's gaining momentum.

[Deep Brown Eyes]

Woah, that's tough to read. Any chance you could format it and cut out the unnecessary information?

Comments - I disagree with Gixxers. A lot of new games still state the 8800's as the recommended card. I don't expect the 9800GTX+ to struggle with anything in the next 18 months. It'll still be able to play games to a respectable level of detail for another 3 years after that. That's just my estimation anyway. I have a 9800GTX OC.

If you're getting Vista, I recommend getting the 64-bit version. They're usually priced the same and with 4GB of RAM, you'll be better off with 64-bit, because the 32-bit can't address more than 3GB. [[EDIT: I'd also recommend getting a basic version for now, then getting Win 7 when released]]

I don't know the going rates for wireless pci cards in Canada, but for a b/g card, 80 seems a bit expensive. Unless you're definitely sticking with a b/g router for the next 12 months, I'd recommend getting an N spec card - they go up to 300mbps.

I'm not sure that 430w is powerful enough with the PSU. I'd personally not be comfortable with anything below 600w, but check it out on http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

And here's the most important part....WHERE'S YOUR CPU COOLER?!? Unless I'm being completely blind and missed it (I repeat my request for formatting), I don't see a cooler there.

[Gixxers rock]

8800 as a minimum requirement. If you want performance for a long time, the more you invest now the longer it will hold on.

Most cpu's come with fans and the case he's getting also has a couple of fans so there is plenty of cooling.

[Deep Brown Eyes]

I've not yet found a game that has the 8800 as a minimum, at least not by any of the major developers/publishers...Most have it as the recommended spec.

As for the fans, fair enough. I forgot about the stock fan...I personally opted for a Zalman.

[hott6pac]

I built my own PC. It's very easy as long as you know what you're doing i suppose! video here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN7KrRuhbY0