My old computer finally gave up the ghost (Athlon XP 2400 A7n8x HD 2850 AGP) so now i have to build a new one.
It would mostly be used for gaming, but every once in a while multitask.
I also wanted to have some room for upgrades/overclocking in the future.
I was also hoping to keep it under a grand.

My build:

Windows Vista 64bit
Sony GDM-5411 CRT Monitor from previous computer
Generic Case from Previous computer
BFG 650W power supply from previous computer
Q9300 - $245
Asus P5Q-E LGA - $145
Saphire HD 4870 1GB DDR5 - $265
8 GB (4X2) G. Skill DDR2 1066 RAM- $120
2 X WD 640GB 7200 RPM SATA3 Drive $150 at $75 each will run in a RAID 1 setup.
Samsung SATA DVD Burner- $28

That brings the total to $943.

What do you guys think?

8GB RAM is overkill, and I hope your RAID0-ing the HDD.

What OS are you using? And monitor?

I will be using Vista 64, and will use my older monitor.

I was debating on the amount for the ram. I could always get more later.

I was planning on running them in a RAID 1 setup as this will also store all my files.

Y'know, I'd consider getting one 1TB HD instead of having 2 640's. May also be cheaper.

The 8Gb of ram is pretty cheap actually, so I'd stick with that for future proofing. Make sure the 4870 you're getting is the absolute fastest one availible, and make sure that you overclock it about ~10%.

Consider getting an insanely fast Dual Core as QuadCore is actually slower in most games when compared to a Dual core of the same clock speed.

I've considered the Duals, but I plan on overclocking and I multi-task quite frequently. That is also why I'm picking up 8 gigs, although I doubt I will ever use all of it.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Consider getting an insanely fast Dual Core as QuadCore is actually slower in most games when compared to a Dual core of the same clock speed.

What? You saying a Q6600 (2.4 GHz) is slower than an E6600 (2.4 GHz)?

If your going RAID1 I would look at 2x Samsungs F1's - 1TB storage and faster than pretty much every other HDD on the market (besides the Raptors).

In most games, the advantages of having 2 extra cores are not noticeable. :P

Not noticable =/= slower.

Most games are single-threaded, but at the same time i've had apps crash (and eat a whole CPU core) without even noticing it the whole day before :P

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Consider getting an insanely fast Dual Core as QuadCore is actually slower in most games when compared to a Dual core of the same clock speed.

That only applies for right now as the software is not optimized for the Quads. Once that start happening you will see the difference. I'd rather spend a little but more and get a quad. Besides I can always overclock it.

@ Jakg: Thanks for pointing out the Samsungs F1s. It only adds $50 to my build, but adds about a third of the capacity.

What is a good cpu air cooler? I've heard that the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme cannot be beat.

You can do soooo much with a $1000 PC.

Rig #1:
CPU - E8400 / E5200 (Depending on budget)
P35 / P45 Chipset Motherboard (ie. P5K - Q)
4 GBs of Ram (DDR2/3 Depending on motherboard)
GPU- 4850 x 2 (or 2x 4850)/ 4870 / 4830 (or 2x 4830)
depending on preference. (P35s (ie. P5K support Crossfire)
(ATi has considerably better graphics cards @ price/performance ratios in current series)

\\ PSU - Considerably good brand PSU (500W as a guide line minimal)
Case - Blah blah blah \\ (ignore)

If you actually want future proof, Core i7s. With the motherboard and a 920 for example, the cost will be around $700. (Depending on where you live). Throw in DDR3 ram, around $200. Throw in a HD4850, goes another $150. A tad over $1000. Again, this is for future proof.

BTW - Dual Cores are still probably better gamers. Quad Cores... ehhh, not right now. If you are doing overclocks, the E5200 with moderate cooling will get (depending on batch) 4 Ghz, even more (45 nm die).

(no point really of getting a Q9300. Might as well get a E5200 or E8xxx and overclock it. You'll save money where you can save elsewhere. Add a 10k Raptor, or// SSD HD. These will further enhance your PC performance. If not, save money here and there, and throw in another HD4870, or even a HD4850 for that matter.


My E2180 is at 3.2 ghz (pumping @ 1.5vCore).

Hope this helps... =DDD