Best Gaming Desktop for Money

[Death_Knight]

Hey guys, recently joined the forum. In need of some advise regarding my gaming desktop configuration...

Starting with the formalities:
1. What is the purpose of the computer?
A:Mainly gaming, also serve as my home theatre

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers?
A:Of course

3. What is your MAX budget?
A:Around 50k for now, may flex a little later

4. Planning to overclock?
A:To some extent, atleast upto what my non-A/C room in Kolkata lets me

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A:Win7 ultimate

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A:500GB atleast, more is better

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?
A:Full HD, 22"/24"

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10?
A:Maybe 8, not sure

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A:Yes, quite a few

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A:As soon as possible

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A:Certainly

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A:Anything with poor quality, service or warranty

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A:Kolkata. Don't want to go for the hassles of importing.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A:I'm building it from scratch, so need all parts/peripherals

I've sorted some with latest prices [from Vedant, Kolkata]:
CPU: AMD PhenomII x4 945 (6150)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper212+ (probably 1900)

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3 (5150); couldn't find an ATX board in this price

RAM: Corsair 2x2GB DDR3 1333Mhz VS (2400X2) / 1600Mhz XMS3 (5650); can't decide if the performance increase is worth the price for gaming, moreover it seems the value series & XMS3 available both rated CL9 for a particular speed. Please see this DDR3 Memory Scaling On AMD's Phenom II X4 : Which RAM Speed Is Best? regarding DDR3 performance

HDD: Seagate 500GB (1740)

ODD: give some suggestions; no need of lightscribe

Monitor: Samsung 22" LCD B2230 (7850)

Cabby: CM 690II Plus (5250); I know it's an overkill but i fell in love once I saw it . Earlier thought of CM690 (~4.5k), TT ElementT (~4.3k), Antec 300 (~3.6k)

PSU: Corsair VX550 (4850)

KB: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 (950) / Logitech Media KB (600)

Mouse: use my existing one for now, later Logitech MX518 (1250)

UPS: Microtek 800VA (2325); love to go for APC but the price is almost double

Speaker: existing headphone for now, later Creative Inspiron T6060/T6100

Graphix: MSI GTX460 1GB Cyclone. Not available here right now, but they are going to supply in 2days if I book it (13650). I think I'm going to wait for it's availability since I can have a better price then, and may manage to fill my piggy bank in that time to afford it.

Please give suggestions & advice regarding the built... Thanks in advance

 

[Cilus]

At a budget you can get a good AMD based system. Here goes my suggestion:
Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz B.E. @ 7.7k
Biostar TA890GXE @ 6.6k
Kingston 2 X 2 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 @ 4.7k
Seagate 1 TB 7200 rpm SATA (32 MB Cache) @ 3.4k
Zotac GTX460 1GB GDDR5 @ 14.5k
BenQ 22" G2220 FULL HD LCD Monitor @ 7.5k
NZXT Gamma @ 2k
Keyboard & Mouse @ your choice @ 1k
LG 22X SATA DVD Writer @ 1k
Corsair VX550W @ 4.7k

Total is coming as 53.1k. Now Street price in Kolkata is little lesser than the mentioned price (For Processor, Mobo, HDD and Monitor). So you will get everythinng 52k, I guess.

Reason: Phenom II 955 is a Black edition processor. So you can overclock it better by just increasing the multiplyer. If you can live without it, go for the Phenom II 945.

Biostar 890GXE is a very good gaming mobo with USB 3 and SATA 3 support. It can also support latest 6 core AMD processors in full potential. So it is better for future upgrade also.

GTX460 is now the best boy in town with a great price tag. Although it is little less faster than the HD 5850, it will offer you VP4 Video processor, CUDA and PHSYX in gaming.

Ben1 monitor is one of the best buys and it is tested by all the major Tech mags and forums. In the recent Digit monitor review, it was rewarded as the best buy Gold fo 22" monitors and offered better performance than the Samsung's offering on that range.

At a budget of 50k, don't spend too much for cabinet. NXT Gama will be just fine for you.

And Vedant is very good shop. If you want little burganing, you can go a little further, after Vedant, there is a shop EZone (not in the Emall). This a small shop but price is little lower. I got my 2 TB HDD @ 6.35k from this shop.

 

[toad_frog09]

+1 for Cilus' build.
The rig that I thought of while reading the op's post was same xeroxd just few scrolls below.
Also,for an aftermarket hsf, go for Tuniq Tower 120 extreme.
Nice cooling monstor + silent. @ 3.2/3.5k
Or better yet, Spire Thermax Eclipse II (price unknown) if you can get one here in India.
I am not sure but i think they'll fit comfortably in gamma.
Also Nzxt m59 might be a better option of a cabby.
This will probably increase your budget by 5k or so.

---------- Post added at 12:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------

Question. Are we spending a lil too much on a cpu when it is a gaming rig?

 

[Piyush]

nothing to write here
clius already suggested a 10/10 gaming rig in that budget

 

[toad_frog09]

Ehh...how about a WD 1TB hard disk instead. Its got 64 mb cache @3.3k

 

[Death_Knight]

Thanks for all the replies

Reason: Phenom II 955 is a Black edition processor. So you can overclock it better by just increasing the multiplyer. If you can live without it, go for the Phenom II 945.

yes I have thought about it, but due to the pricing I had stepped back. I need to give a second thought now.

Biostar 890GXE is a very good gaming mobo with USB 3 and SATA 3 support. It can also support latest 6 core AMD processors in full potential. So it is better for future upgrade also.

Are you sure it is USB3 compliant? The website mention all ports to be USB2
Moreover AFAIK the current games can utilize 3cores for max, I don't think they would go utilizing 6cores in near future. So, probably I won't go for 6cores anytime soon.
I really love the SATA III availability, but the 1.5k premium for again a mATX board has set me back.
Whats the warranty and support? Actually I never used a Biostar board in any built n completely ignorant about them. We don't see too many Biostars in local stores.

Ben1 monitor is one of the best buys and it is tested by all the major Tech mags and forums. In the recent Digit monitor review, it was rewarded as the best buy Gold fo 22" monitors and offered better performance than the Samsung's offering on that range.

Both the specs n prices are almost same (though Samsung boasts a 70,000:1 DC while BenQ 40,000:1, but again they are often inflated). I need to check its street price.
One of my friend using the B2230 boasts highly of the MagicAngle feature which is great for watch movies reclining in a couch or bed. I'm confused here.

At a budget of 50k, don't spend too much for cabinet. NXT Gama will be just fine for you.

Agreed completely. But I intend to buy a cabby that would keep me happy for a couple of future upgrades, so need to have a great looking one.
NZXT M59 as toad_frog09 mentioned is a great one, but does anybody know about its availability in Kolkata. Surely going to check tomorrow.

And Vedant is very good shop. If you want little burganing, you can go a little further, after Vedant, there is a shop EZone (not in the Emall). This a small shop but price is little lower. I got my 2 TB HDD @ 6.35k from this shop.

I would definitely get a price from the shop tomorrow when I'm off-duty. Is it on the same road as of Vedant or in any by-lanes?

Also,for an aftermarket hsf, go for Tuniq Tower 120 extreme.
Nice cooling monstor + silent. @ 3.2/3.5k
Or better yet, Spire Thermax Eclipse II (price unknown) if you can get one here in India.

I am not sure they are available in Kolkata and also the price is too steep for my "little" OCing. Probably think about HSF altogether later. Sure to bug you then

---------- Post added at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 AM ----------

Ehh...how about a WD 1TB hard disk instead. Its got 64 mb cache @3.3k

ya, checked it on itwares
but it has 5400rpm compared to seagate 32MB cache at 7200rpm. whats the difference in terms of performance??

 

[coderunknown]

DCR isn't the one to be compared when buying monitors. its same as digital zoom in cameras. check the contrast ratio & also if theres any issue of a wobbling stand, dead or bright pixel, etc. also if all the necessary accessories provided in bundle.

the HDD mentioned by toad_frog09 is the Western Digital Black 1Tb. not the Green 1Tb. Green is slow. runs at 5400rpm.

 

[pegasus]

Hey guys, recently joined the forum. In need of some advise regarding my gaming desktop configuration...

I've sorted some with latest prices [from Vedant, Kolkata]:
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3 (5150); couldn't find an ATX board in this price

If you need an ATX mobo and are buying a good graphics card anyways, Do check if this mobo is available here-
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard
Was supposed to be approx. Rs.5800/- in Mumbai or maybe lower.

Cilus sir has suggested some nice stuff.
May i suggest a few changes provided he and others agree with my thoughts-
(1) Get some good quality 1600Mz RAM.
Amongst the easily available decent kits, Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz has SPD data for 1333Mhz too and that too CL8 iirc.
1333Mhz is to DDR3 what 667 was to DDR2, dated and EOL soon.
True benefit of DDR2 was at 800Mhz or higher and so is the same with DDR3 with 1600Mhz or higher.
If anyone wants to add more RAM later, the older sticks won't hold back the new pair.

DCR isn't the one to be compared when buying monitors. its same as digital zoom in cameras. check the contrast ratio & also if theres any issue of a wobbling stand, dead or bright pixel, etc. also if all the necessary accessories provided in bundle.

Dynamic contrast ratio is to LCDs what "PMPO" is to audio systems imho.

 

[Death_Knight]

DCR isn't the one to be compared when buying monitors. its same as digital zoom in cameras. check the contrast ratio & also if theres any issue of a wobbling stand, dead or bright pixel, etc. also if all the necessary accessories provided in bundle.

yes, thats why I mentioned they are often inflated. Typical contrast ratio for both is the same 1000:1 (almost all hardware specs are same). DVI accessory for samsung is optional, so need to check with the local retailer; couldn't find any info on BenQ (the crappy website showd error all day long)
Here's a review of B2230

the HDD mentioned by toad_frog09 is the Western Digital Black 1Tb. not the Green 1Tb. Green is slow. runs at 5400rpm.

3.3k is the price of the green one, the black should cost a lot more

If you need an ATX mobo and are buying a good graphics card anyways, Do check if this mobo is available here-
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard
Was supposed to be approx. Rs.5800/- in Mumbai or maybe lower.

the real problem is that I live in Kolkata and finding the product of choice is very difficult (still remember how I had to comb the entire Chandni to find Asrock G41MLE a year back, when my p4 system went kaput 15days after the end of warranty. found one atlast in the most unlikely place )
Moreover I would have to stall my entire system for some time, since msi cyclone still not available let aside the HAWK

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

avoid asus at all cost. the bio one doesnt have usb3. for that look at MSI 890GXM G65 (7k) or Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H (6-7k) or MSI 880GMA E45 (5.6k).

 

[SlashDK]

^^ Gigabyte 880GMA-UD2H is the best option and should be available for around 5.5k

(1) Get some good quality 1600Mz RAM.
Amongst the easily available decent kits, Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz has SPD data for 1333Mhz too and that too CL8 iirc.
1333Mhz is to DDR3 what 667 was to DDR2, dated and EOL soon.
True benefit of DDR2 was at 800Mhz or higher and so is the same with DDR3 with 1600Mhz or higher.
If anyone wants to add more RAM later, the older sticks won't hold back the new pair.

Who says that 1333 is EOL. The current generation of processors can't utilise 1600 properly and so there is very low difference in performance in 1600 and 1333. 1333 is likely to be EOL next year with the introduction of bulldozer and sandybridges

And BTW Cooler Master elite 430 is a great cabinet. It looks great, specially if you add an LED fan on it and is pretty spacious as well.

 

[toad_frog09]

WD is cheaper by 100-150 rs.
Hey, just asking...werent there rumors that 1tb hd had high failure rates..dont know.
.
Regarding the cost of hsf,i think its better to oc at stock rather than with a cheap 1.5k hsf. Save up sir.
.
Regarding the cabby, plz get one with transparent side panel. It'd look awesome when you put lights & af hsf in it.

.
Also with the 955 selection, its (according to me) the best 8k cpu you can get for gaming. Saving 2k for a cheaper one is not worth it.
.
Also, do you have any thoughts for AMD 5850 for gaming?
.
And congratulations for your new rig.

 

[coderunknown]

even after releasing Fusion, 1333Mhz will not be EOL. cause many entry level chips will continue use 1333Mhz as their native ram speed. from both AMD & Intel side. so at least next year 1333Mhz won't go EOL. for surely. but will become dirt cheap.

 

[rajan1311]

@cilus: perfect config bro, just wanted to clarify one thing, how is Biostar service and product quality?

 

[Death_Knight]

@Cybertonic
thanks... GA-880GMA-UD2H is really a plus at the price with additional SATA 6Gbps support over my native choice. If only I could get one here at the price.
Then the natural choice would be to get a 500GB 3Gbps HDD now and 1TB 6Gbps later when the pricing falls.

Also with the 955 selection, its (according to me) the best 8k cpu you can get for gaming. Saving 2k for a cheaper one is not worth it.

are you sure the 2k premium will be good in terms of gaming? I don't use advanced video editing nor encode while gaming. Check the fps difference between 955 & 940 in this link

Regarding the cabby, plz get one with transparent side panel. It'd look awesome when you put lights & af hsf in it.

And not to forget a great cooling since I'd probably use the internal exhausting cyclone or hawk version

Also, do you have any thoughts for AMD 5850 for gaming?

Yup, actually had 5770 in mind prior to the release of GTX460. but considering the neck to neck performance at lower price (+CUDA,PhysX) my leaned for Nv. Enlighten me if I am wrong.

And save up the congratulations for the coming week, probably Tuesday ; if I could leave my work early enough.

 

[mukherjee]

Hmmm...nicely done Death_Knight(about the tuesday part,forgot about the strike ,eh??? )

I really think u shud consider the Elite 430 and splurge the cash on the 955BE....

And,if u can bear still more pain,try n hold ur horses a bit longer till the HD6000 surfaces....Nvidia will be bound to lower prices ...U will gain by that!

 

[Death_Knight]

oh.ho. damn the strike... are shops & transport going to stay closed too?
430 elite is a nice case in that price, but I have to churn more bucks for cooling.. also the case doesn't have led on/off or any cable management.. btw could you attach the top fans adjacent to the proccy?
when is the 6xxx series going to be released??

 

[Piyush]

^^jan-feb 2011 most probably

 

[Cilus]

Well, as the forum suggested, go for the GA-880GMA-UD2H motherboard. Infact I'm a fan of mobos from this company. Both my AMD mobos are from this company and they are rock solid performer and highly reliable.
Go for it.
As per the memory, 1600 MHz is better, but really, the performance difference is not worth the extra penny. In all the Tech reviews like Guru3d, Tom's Hardware, it is pointed out that AMD Memory controllers are not enough powerful to take advantage of a high speed memory.

And Death_Knight (read Arthas), I think you are in doubt for choosing the right Processor for you. Well, if you are not a hard core gamer and you don't want some serious overclocking, you can go with the Phenom II 945 and save some extra money.

 

[toad_frog09]

I have already been through (and through) that link b4 I got myself a 955.
Things that helped me make my mind : excellent gaming cpu,3.2 ghz, crazy overclocking potential.black edition.

Hey,if I am not wrong, the overclocking record (7 ghz or something) was set on this processor.

Also, regarding 'beautification'. I saw on lynx website that they have cathode tube for sale or something.

And regarding the AMD 6xxx series gcard. I will be upgrading my gpu at end of 2010. So will these new amd cards have affordable prices worth waiting??