newbie looking for advice on new gaming pc

AerialBlue SG

Here are the rough specs for my gaming pc:

Asus P5KPL-EPU631 motherboard with Intel Q9550 processor
500GB Seagates harddisk
Any cheap DVD writer
4GB Ram
Asus EAH5770 1GB video ram graphic card
Coolermaster elite 310 chasis
Asus 500W PSU (? i wonder if 500W is enough)

What is the cost for the average cost for a pc with the following spec with Windows XP Professional. Any cheap place to intro at sim lim or funan?

jonchao72 SG

PCThemes is good for DIY rigs... at sim lim square

whats ur budget? are you planning to play graphics intensive games at max settings?

dont get Q9550 la, get i5 or i7

Raraken SG

Dun.........Dunnnn.....DUnnDUN!!!!

I hath arrived, to sway thee from thy original intentions. Yes, it is I, the AMD Guy!

First off, what's your budget? Then we can help you build the PC with the most bang-for-the-buck.

jonchao72 SG

Dun.........Dunnnn.....DUnnDUN!!!!

I hath arrived, to sway thee from thy original intentions. Yes, it is I, the AMD Guy!

First off, what's your budget? Then we can help you build the PC with the most bang-for-the-buck.

OH NO ITS AMD-MAN! i7 ftw!

PWNED32 SG

EWW AMD MAN!!!!!! CORE i7 FTW

Raraken SG

Oh yeah, TS?

Don't bother with Core 2 anymore. It's either Phenom/Athlon or Nehalem. Rather than Q9550, get at least an i5 if you want to stick with Intel. Though, for that matter, you'll need a budget of $1.5k or greater for the CPU itself. Less than that, its unfortunately Phenom II for you. If less than $1k, Athlon. If less than $500, you really need to rethink your budget, or forgo the thought of a gaming computer. Tell you what, if you have a budget of 2.5k or greater, I'd advise you to wait till next year. Gonna be pretty epic, since Gulftown's coming out. If you don't wanna wait, get a 920 + HD5870. Pretty much gonna wipe the floor

jonchao72 SG

Oh yeah, TS?

eh what wipe floor :)

AerialBlue SG

my budget is around 1.2k w/o monitor is that possible??

which processor and motherboard do you propose?

I am kind of new, may i know the difference between PC,Sapphire,MSI and other ATI cards?

and 1 last question - i stay near the west area, is there any parts agent near the west? I don't want to go to ban leong (which is all the way at paya lebar) when my com breaks down. I would rather use parts from 1 agent that is near my house.

jonchao72 SG

if ur budget is 1.2k, id suggest amd over intel coz intel's i5/i7 is pricey... yes it is possible to get a rig

the diff between the brands is just the quality of the warranty that they provide, the cards perform the same. i would suggest u go for xfx if possible though it might be slightly more expensive than other brands

i near the west too but i still go to sim lim (pcthemes shop) to buy my rig

Raraken SG

Plus OS? With OS shave off $200, so left $1k for parts.

You ok with AMD? Or you die die want Intel? (No i7, Intel Fanboys! )

Differences? Maybe what is bundled with the card, and maybe the cooler. And the sticker on the cooler. About it, basically. Non-reference cards include an aftermarket cooler. Some manufacturers go one step further and overclock the card for you. Other than that, nothing.

You want a distro near the West? Use Gigabyte, Seventeam and Geil. They are distributed by CDL Trading, located at Commonwealth. Pretty near my school and the Commonwealth MRT.

jonchao72 SG

what i propose:

asus p7p55d-le with intel i5-750 - $492

2x2gb kingston ddr3 1333mhz ram - $73x2 = $146

sapphire ati hd 5770 vapor-x - $279 (dunno whether got stock or not)

western digital 500 gb blue hard disk- $72

cooler master 500w extreme - $69

cooler master 310 casing - $69

samsung dvd writer 22x - $34

total: $1161 without OS

AerialBlue SG

i will go with amd, i5 and i7 are way overpriced

and is possible to build a rig with a single distro (commonwealth (CDL trading) is quite near compared to paya lebar (ban leong) and AMK(corbell).

and for the graphic card, if thats the case, which one gives more bang for the buck?

jonchao72 SG

if u go for amd, then can devote the cash to other parts of the com... i think sapphire's vapor-x is a good choice for ur budget (provided u can find it coz its damn popular and probably sold out/ selling fast)

maybe a better power supply unit and better hdd?

need os or not?

AerialBlue SG

need xp professional and i think i prefer true power PSU

jonchao72 SG

need xp professional and i think i prefer true power PSU

hmm maybe acbel's true power 510w at 85 bucks?

win xp pro like cannot find on pricelist... get win 7 la

Raraken SG

Gigabyte's your only choice, with GEIL memory.

Referenced from Bell Systems Pricelist

Gigabyte MA770T-UD3P + AMD Phenom II 955 - $394

GEIL GV3 DDR3 CL9 1600MHz 4GB Kit - $160

Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB - $77

Sapphire HD5770 Vapor-X - $279

Gigabyte Super B 550W PSU - $85

DVD SM SATA - $35

Cooler Master Elite 300 series - ~ $60-$70

7 Home Premium - $179

If you instead went for an Athlon X4 630, everything else being the same, your total cost would be $1205. Pretty good, if you ask me, and you wouldn't notice the difference, really. Good news is, The Big Three are covered by CDL (CPU, Mobo, memory).

AerialBlue SG

thanks, i will go sim lim and ask around...i heard fuwell and bell are quite good?

jonchao72 SG

thanks, i will go sim lim and ask around...i heard fuwell and bell are quite good?

i think fuwell is rather arrogant... and very difficult to bargain

bell im not so sure but ive heard good things abt them

just go pcthemes la, their prices are very competitive

PWNED32 SG

RAWR INTEL FANBOYS! Btw where to get compressed air? How much is it?

jonchao72 SG

THE WAY TO GO!