• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Midrange Gaming Build Under 1k

K

kyleandresj

New Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
Hi,

I apologize if this topic is a bit repatative but I was hoping to get some advice on a midrange gaming build for under $1,000. I play primarily FPS and RPGs, online and off, although lately I caught the Minecraft bug :twitch:

I have a SyncMaster P2770HD and I may get a second LCD in the future. I want to base my build around Intel i5-2500k (but am not completely opposed to an Phenom II) with the intention of overclocking. I'm looking for performance and value over appearance. I'm also looking for something that will last a few years. I have keyboard, mouse, LCD, and OS already.

If anyone has a suggestion for a good build, I'd love to hear it! :)

One additional question, I'm an American living in Korea at the moment. Do you think tigerdirect would be the best way to go? I'll also ask some Korean friends where they typically order parts.

Thank you!
 
If you don't plan on playing over 2560x1600 resolution get 1gb cards. I suggest 6850, 460, 560, or 6950 1gb. Either crossfire/SLI or not depending on how much you want to spend.
 
i5 2500k = $230
P67 = $140
4gb DDR3 1600mhz = $55
Case = $50-100 take your pick
HDD = 1tb Samsung F3 $70
ODD = any dual layer dvd burner $20
OS = Windows 7 64bit Home Premium $99
CPU HSF = $30 Coolermaster Hyper 212+
PSU = Corsair Antec etc $70
GPU = $250 leeway should be able to fit a 560 Ti or 6950 1gb

ill list some parts later but the above break down should be just about right.

CPU + Motherboard 2500k + Gigabyte P67 UD4 (x8x8 sli crossfire support instead of the usual x16 x4 slot arrangement)
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...
OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for...
Ram
CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 ...
HDD
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac...
ODD
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DV...
PSU
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12...
GPU
SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GD...
or
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti...
Case
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel A...


Total Cost with Nvidia 560Ti: $1020
Total Cost with AMD 6950: $1015
Shipping + Handling: $27
Total Cost after Mail in Rebate and shipping
Nvidia: $1028
ATi / AMD: $1023

If you plan to overclock to any great length grab a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ for $30 more its cheap and effective
 
Last edited:
$1000 AMD Rig

If you want to keep it under $1000 with better cooling switch the CPU to a 965 and get the Hyper from Crazy's list.

If you can fudge the budget a little, just get the Hyper 212 or a SCMG 2100 ($40).
 
Thanks for the excellent advice! There's a bit of wiggle room so I'll probably grab the Hyper 212.

I've looked at the benchmarks and comparisons between the GeForce GTX 560ti and the Radeon AMD 9650 but it seems like there's no decisive winner. I don't have any experience with either. Is there one you would take over the other? If I were to go with Radeon, is spending the extra $10-20 for the 2gb model unnecessary? I see it as a investment, I know that 1gb is more than sufficient enough at the moment. It's likely I will get a larger screen (currently have a 27") or duel screen in the future.
 
at 1920x1200 theres only a few games that use more then 1gb of Vram before you hit frame rate issues

Oblivion Fallout 3 and New Vegas with mods can hit 1.2gb of Vram at 1920x1200 especially with shadow map edits

Metro 2033 can take up to 1450mb at 1920x1200 and the stalker series comes to mind as well

but you be honest 2gb card is nice it gives a few extra frames at the extreme resolutions in some games, but in general its of no real performance benefit,

if you want the 2gb card spend the extra $10-20 for piece of mind but also look for a REFERENCE 6950 2gb as theres still a small chance it can be shader unlocked to a 6970 for free and with a dual bios on the cards you cant really fuck that up,

but it comes down to what you want

Nvidia gives better folding @ home ppd and has physx which is nice in some 15-20 games i suppose AMD has morphological AA that works in games that dont have AA options so depends either card will do the job :toast: but a 2gb reference model like below might unlock to a 6970

MSI R6950-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDD...

GIGABYTE GV-R695D5-2GD-B Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bi...

SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5...

ASUS EAH6950/2DI2S/2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit...

The chance of an unlock is probably slim by now but with a shader unlock + overclock you can easily get 6970 performance or better for a good bit less, thats about the only reason to go for a 2gb card, as even if your future monitor is 27inches if its still 1920x1200 it wont make any difference but if its 2560x1600 then id suggest the 2gb 6950
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top