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[ductape]

Well, I need to mention some of the point at the bottom of my first post. I am a designer and work performance is more important to me than gaming performance, but I figure I can have a little of both.

I multitask a LOT and I often have several Adobe products open like Illustrator and Fireworks. I also run CAD such as AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino3D, and Vectorworks and GIS software such as ArcView. That along with my browser and some FTP clients and PSpad are often open all at once when I really get going. Thats why I am leaning toward a quad-core.

But all the advice here is really making me think, thanks so much for putting in. Let me post these builds so you guys can see:

Build 1:
motherboard:
ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
graphics card:
SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
CPU:
AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX455WFGMBOX
RAM:
GeIL Value PLUS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1600C9DC
CPU COOLER:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU
COST: $670

Build 2:
motherboard:
ASRock 890GM PRO3 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (integrated Radeon GPU)
graphics card:
NONE - Will upgrade after a few months
CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
RAM:
GeIL Value PLUS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1600C9DC
CPU COOLER:
ZALMAN CNPS10X Performa 120mm Long life CPU Cooler
COST: $590

So basically, $80 difference in price. Build 1 has good graphics and tri-core CPU and costs more. Build 2 has quad-core CPU, no graphics card but cheaper and I can use that money to buy one later.

I was looking at prebuilt HPs and they arent bad for the price. Slightly lower specs on everything, but they come with Windows 7 and some other bells and whistles plus it built already.I have Windows XP so i could do that if I build it or I could get creative i guess.

EDIT: I might as well mention that I used this web page as a guide to my builds: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/budget-gaming-pc-q4-2010/

[Jehdin]

I'd get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 over the Zalman for the quad. The Zalman is way too expensive for what it is. The Hyper 212 will handle the quad just fine. Put that $50 towards another 4GB of RAM (helpful in Photoshop and such) or save it for a 6850.

[Kitsunin]

Hm, I personally like to think in the long term, so choice number two might be better, although the system is obviously inferior, a graphics card can be upgraded whereas a processor can't (Well it can but it 'aint easy)
Graphics cards are not as important if you aren't doing gaming but a 3.3 ghz Triple Core processor really is plenty powerful, I'm actually doing alright for most everything and my processor is only a 2.0 ghz dual core.

[yamo]

What will your power source?

[ductape]

I GOT IT! It came in the mail today and I finished building it a couple hours ago. Installing XP right after the friggin terabyte HDD formats...ugh 45% so far.

Ill buy a graphics card next month,for now even this setup is the most powerful computer I have ever owned.

this is it:
Build 2:
motherboard:
ASRock 890GM PRO3 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (integrated Radeon GPU)
graphics card:
NONE - Will upgrade after a few months
CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
RAM:
GeIL Value PLUS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1600C9DC
CPU COOLER:
ZALMAN CNPS10X Performa 120mm Long life CPU Cooler
COST: $590
PSU:
600w

[Nistenf]

Congratulations, building a new PC is a really nice feeling. I wish PC components were less expensive here

[Tilla]

Sounds like a good build overall.

[Draco18s]

Try also pricing out your builds on PortaTech taking only the bits you need (eg. not buying a hard drive to use an old one, for example).

I just got a sweet, high end computer for $520.

Barebones with AMD CPU
  w/ Phenom II X6 1090T (6 x 3.2GHz - 9MB Cache - 4000 FSB)
  Asus M4N68T-M
  CPU Fan Only
  2GB DDR3-1333
PC3-10600
(Single Module)
  Standard Mid-Tower (Black)
  650 Watt Power Supply
  ATI Radeon HD5570 1GB
  Standard - Build, Burn-in, Test & Ship Out in Approx 3 to 5 Business Days
  2 Year Direct Replacement Warranty (With Free - Lifetime Tech Support)
1   plat-del   Platinum Delivery Plan (Full Insurance - Heavier Packing - On Time Guarantee).

$526.25 including shipping and tax.

I plan on using my existing heat sink (a 120mm copper beast) and hard drives, and DVD drive (plus mouse, keyboard, and monitor).  I could have upped ram, but it was like $70 for another 2GB and I don't use the 4 GB I currently have installed (and could push to 6 on a 64 bit OS without buying more sticks).

[Jay]

If you're going for Crossfire or SLI, you have to buy the cards at the same time.
That's not actually grounded in any science, but the cards do essentially have to be identical.

Those technologies just split the required rendering up, that is, for example, the main card renders the top half of the screen while the secondary card renders the bottom.  Your framerate is essentially locked to the speed that the slowest card can get done with its portion.
While switching to multi-GPU mode will help your framerates by halving the required render amounts, sure, it's not efficient in the slightest unless the cards are the same.
Also, integrated GPUs are worse then even a lower-end dedicated card.

In short:
Crossfire or SLI are useless for you, as by the time you would consider buying a second GPU, the first one would be too far out of date for it to be worth it.
Not having a dedicated GPU at all for any amount of time is dumb for a gaming PC.

[Tilla]

Looking at the revealed Sandy Bridge specs and feature sets and I gotta say: damn, is that tempting, for a gamer like me without an i7-level CPU around. It also does an okay job of integrated graphics, with integrated HD3000 intel chips - not an entusiast gpu by far but passable on low settings for stuff like New Vegas, CoD, Crysis, etc. I'll probably wait for it's successor Ivy Bridge, which will have DX11 support and twice the performance on integrated GPU, and will be smaller, faster, and come in up to 8 cores, next year! Damn!

[Diakron]

Try also pricing out your builds on PortaTech taking only the bits you need (eg. not buying a hard drive to use an old one, for example).

I just got a sweet, high end computer for $520.

Barebones with AMD CPU
  w/ Phenom II X6 1090T (6 x 3.2GHz - 9MB Cache - 4000 FSB)
  Asus M4N68T-M
  CPU Fan Only
  2GB DDR3-1333
PC3-10600
(Single Module)
  Standard Mid-Tower (Black)
  650 Watt Power Supply
  ATI Radeon HD5570 1GB
  Standard - Build, Burn-in, Test & Ship Out in Approx 3 to 5 Business Days
  2 Year Direct Replacement Warranty (With Free - Lifetime Tech Support)
1   plat-del   Platinum Delivery Plan (Full Insurance - Heavier Packing - On Time Guarantee).

$526.25 including shipping and tax.

I plan on using my existing heat sink (a 120mm copper beast) and hard drives, and DVD drive (plus mouse, keyboard, and monitor).  I could have upped ram, but it was like $70 for another 2GB and I don't use the 4 GB I currently have installed (and could push to 6 on a 64 bit OS without buying more sticks).

Putting your HD into this and expecting it to work is NOT true. Windows uses a special Serial number that is tied to EACH PC's build, So include the price of installing a new version of XP, Vista, or Windows 7 into the system. IF you bought a copy of Windows (a Hard copy with the Serial and everything) then your good.

As someone how has built over 30 system (Including a server for a small office) I can say that buying the parts individual can save you some money, but savings can be offset by S&H. Splurge on the CPU and GPU, get the minimum motherboard that will allow you to use them, get 2 gigs of Ram (you said Gaming system right? then 4 gigs is better I have 9@10600 and and use ~60% on a decently complex game, E:TW with best graphics can push me to 86%) get a 400-500 watt PSU (they exist)... and get a cheap chassis (makes sure it is keyed for your MoBo), a few cans of paint and a little welding is all it takes to make a decent chassis. Hard drive? the best you can afford after getting Windows. My build normally cost ~600 with S&h and will are good for atleast 2 years of top-of-the-line games. If you have ~1000 dollars to spend then look at I7 processors, worth the expense and will run games for a long time to come.

[Jay]

Putting your HD into this and expecting it to work is NOT true. Windows uses a special Serial number that is tied to EACH PC's build, So include the price of installing a new version of XP, Vista, or Windows 7 into the system. IF you bought a copy of Windows (a Hard copy with the Serial and everything) then your good.

You've built over 30 systems but you don't know that HDD has nothing to do with operating system?
What?
Also, who said that he was using an OEM machine's OS to begin with?

Win 7 doesn't actually have anything like that.
You have to re-validate your key, which won't work if it's within a 3-month period of the last activation, but otherwise, nope.

[Soulwynd]

My PC was 1000ish bucks, not counting brazil's stupid import taxes and has been lasting me 6 years and will last a few more while running everything on max with decent fps.

In fact, in most games, changing my video qualities affects in nothing my FPS. I blame it on my CPU becoming a FPS choke point, 3ghz x2 while the video card has more than enough juice to give to the games.

[Kitsunin]

Looking at the revealed Sandy Bridge specs and feature sets and I gotta say: damn, is that tempting, for a gamer like me without an i7-level CPU around. It also does an okay job of integrated graphics, with integrated HD3000 intel chips - not an entusiast gpu by far but passable on low settings for stuff like New Vegas, CoD, Crysis, etc. I'll probably wait for it's successor Ivy Bridge, which will have DX11 support and twice the performance on integrated GPU, and will be smaller, faster, and come in up to 8 cores, next year! Damn!

Huh, it looks okay-ish...I'm still planning to get a laptop with a separate discrete graphics card, no doubt, I want my lappy to handle stuff like New Vegas on high quality!

I was kind of just expecting an i7 with better power management?

[Tilla]

Looking at the revealed Sandy Bridge specs and feature sets and I gotta say: damn, is that tempting, for a gamer like me without an i7-level CPU around. It also does an okay job of integrated graphics, with integrated HD3000 intel chips - not an entusiast gpu by far but passable on low settings for stuff like New Vegas, CoD, Crysis, etc. I'll probably wait for it's successor Ivy Bridge, which will have DX11 support and twice the performance on integrated GPU, and will be smaller, faster, and come in up to 8 cores, next year! Damn!

Huh, it looks okay-ish...I'm still planning to get a laptop with a separate discrete graphics card, no doubt, I want my lappy to handle stuff like New Vegas on high quality!

I was kind of just expecting an i7 with better power management?

Ivy Bridge is where it's at then, as it seems to be running something a lot better for integrated graphics. And the coolest thing is that they're as cheap as a current low-end i7, mostly in the range under $300. Better power, better overclocking (4.4 is EASY on average air coolers while 5.7 is the limit). When they get cheaper they'll do wonders for non-gaming laptops, and maybe even make some really low-end gaming laptops which have never really existed in the price range possible before.