Current Hardware Recommendations

Here I will maintain current hardware recommendations complete with the best prices I can find. These are usually Umart prices although MSY does have some parts cheaper. PC Case Gear is also very good as is Computer Alliance

PC component selection depends on budget and also your PC usage. If you only use your PC for gaming 90% of the time your priority would be GPU, CPU, HDD/SSD. If you edit video it may be better to prioritize your spending more towards CPU, RAM, GPU, HDD/SSD. Always discuss how you use your PC with whoever you are buying from.

Mainstream Gaming Rig

CPU:	Intel Core i7 920 Processor LGA1366 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$379
Mobo:	Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R X58+ICH10R QPI 6.4GT/s DDR3 2000 PCI-Ex16 SATAII RAID	$244
RAM:	OCZ 6G(3x2G) Obsidian DDR3 1600Mhz	$225
GPU:	MSY HIS 5850	$377
PSU:	Corsair HX-750 ATX Power Supply, Modular, 140mm Fan	$211
Case:	Antec Nine Hundred Two Tower Gaming Case w Side Window black	$166
SSD:	G.Skill Falcon II 64G SSDHD 2.5 inch SATA II	$241
HDD:	Western Digital 1TB SATAII 32M 3GB/s(WD1001FALS)	$118
DVD:	Pioneer SATA DVR218L 22X DVD Black & Cyberlink	$38
CPU HS:	PC Case Gear 1366 CPU Coolers	$80
OS:	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM	$119
Total		$2,198

**Notes:
The Intel Core i7 920 replacement the Core i7 930 is due out in February for the same price. I strongly recommend waiting for this CPU.

This PC offers better memory performance, better SLI performance and better future CPU upgrade possibilities being compatible with Intel Six-Core Gulftown Core i7 980X coming in March at about $1000 and other future enthusiast CPU's. If you aren't interested in any of the above you can get comparable performance at a lower price with the Gaming Rig 2 below.

Gaming Rig 2

CPU:	Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$245
Mobo:	Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4 P55 DDR3 PCI-Ex16 SATAII RAID GLAN	$214
RAM:	Kingston 4G(2x2G)2000Mhz PC16000 DDR3 HyperX	$165
GPU:	MSY HIS 5850	$377
PSU:	Corsair HX-750 ATX Power Supply, Modular, 140mm Fan	$211
Case:	Antec Nine Hundred Two Tower Gaming Case w Side Window black	$166
SSD:	G.Skill Falcon II 64G SSDHD 2.5 inch SATA II	$241
HDD:	Western Digital 1TB SATAII 32M 3GB/s(WD1001FALS)	$118
DVD:	Pioneer SATA DVR218L 22X DVD Black & Cyberlink	$38
CPU HS:	PC Case Gear 1156 CPU Coolers	$80
OS:	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM	$119
Total		$1,974

With all the CPU's above it is important to have better CPU cooling than the stock cooler. CPU's with Turbo Boost will only increase performance if they feel cool enough to do so. http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/


Budget Gaming Rig

CPU:	Intel Core i3 530 Processor LGA1156 2.93GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$168
Mobo:	Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4 P55 DDR3 PCI-Ex16 SATAII RAID GLAN	$214
RAM:	Kingston 4G(2x2G)2000Mhz PC16000 DDR3 HyperX	$165
GPU:	Gigabyte ATI HD5770 1G GDDR5 PCIE2.0 2xDVI HDCP HDMI DX11	$198
PSU:	Corsair HX-650 ATX Power Supply, 120mm fan	$162
Case:	Antec Three Hundred Tower Gaming Case	$84
HDD:	Western Digital 1TB SATAII 32M 3GB/s(WD1001FALS)	$118
DVD:	Pioneer SATA DVR218L 22X DVD Black & Cyberlink	$38
OS:	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM	$119
Total		$1,266

Just released this week is Intel's new i5 and i3 CPU's which gives us a new budget gaming PC option especially if you are an overclocker on a tight budget or want a cheap gaming PC to get your gaming wife or child off your PC.

Intel's New 32nm Clarkdale CPU's

Processor	Base Clock	Turbo (up-to)	Core / Threads	Cache	Memory	TDP
Core i5 670	3.46 GHz	3.73 GHz	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	73W
Core i5 661	3.33 GHz	3.60 GHz	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	87W
Core i5 660	3.33 GHz	3.60 GHz	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	73W
Core i5 650	3.20 GHz	3.46 GHz	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	73W
Core i3 540	3.06 GHz	N/A	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	73W
Core i3 530	2.93 GHz	N/A	2/4	4MB	DDR3 1333	73W

The i3 has no Turbo Boost so the stock CPU cooler is sufficient. Power consumption and heat are lower so a cheaper case and PSU are used.

Back to school PC

CPU:	Intel Celeron Dual Core E3200 2.4GHZ 800FSB LGA775	$49
Mobo:	Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L MB, Intel G41+ICH7 FSB 1333MHz,DDR2 800	$66
RAM:	OCZ 2G(Single Stick)PC6400 800MHz DDR2	$55
Case:	ATX Delux 6220-CA Midi tower Case 400w Black	$55
HDD:	Western Digital 160G SATAII 7200 rpm	$46
DVD:	Samsung 22X DVDRW Black SATA (SH-S223C-BL)	$37
OS:	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit OEM	$119
Display:	Asus VH192C 19 5MS 10000:1 HD DVI SPKR	$145
KB/Mouse:	Logitech Deluxe 660 Cordless Desktop Keyboard+mouse	$28
	Passmark:1516
Total:		$600

Optional Extras

BR Combo	Pioneer BDC202BK Blu-Ray Combo SATA Black OEM	$163
BR Writer	Pioneer BDR-205BK 12X Blu-Ray Writer Drive SATA Black OEM	$245
SSD	G.Skill Falcon II 128G SSDHD 2.5 inch SATA II	$419
SSD	G.Skill Falcon II 64G SSDHD 2.5 inch SATA II	$241
SSD	upgrade to 128G from 64G SSD add	$178

CPU Prices

Item	Price
Intel Core LGA1156 CPU
Intel Core i3 530 Processor LGA1156 2.93GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$168
Intel Core i3 540 Processor LGA1156 3.06GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$189
Intel Core i5 650 Processor LGA1156 3.2GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$249
Intel Core i5 661 Processor LGA1156 3.33GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$269
Intel Core i5 670 Processor LGA1156 3.46GHz 4MB Cache CPU	$389
Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$245
Intel Core i7 860 Processor LGA1156 2.8GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$334
Intel Core i7 870 Processor LGA1156 2.93GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$661
Intel G6950 Dual Core 2.80GHz 3MBCache LGA1156	$129
Intel Core i7 LGA1366 CPU
Intel Core i7 920 Processor LGA1366 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$379
Intel Core i7 950 Processor LGA1366 3.06GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$685
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Processor LGA1366 8MB Cache CPU	$1,319

Netbook

	ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1001P
CPU:	1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
RAM:	1GB DDR2 RAM, 1 SODIMM Slot, 2GB Max
Case:	250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM); 0.3MP Webcam
Net:	802.11 b/g; Bluetooth Enabled
OS:	Windows 7 Starter Operating System
LCD:	10.1-Inch Matte 1024X600 WSVGA LCD Display
BAT:	6 Cell Battery for up to 11 Hours of Battery Life
Total:	TBA

Not released yet but should have best performance and battery life due to new Intel CPU and chipset.

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: January 2010

Can Bargain SSDs Give Windows A Quantum Performance Leap? - "This is an article about something that will change your life."



Have your PC custom built!
If you don't want to build your own PC allow me to quote a price for your new PC! I will quote a lower price than any quote you can get from your local PC store. If you live in Brisbane I can also deliver and do onsite repairs. If your not in Brisbane I can also do work directly on your PC over the Internet.


More to come.....

Gaming rig 2 is better IMO as it's more bang for the buck based on afew reasons.

The Core i7 has been proven to be more efficent with stuff like video editing etc, while the Core i5 is still a very good CPU and runs game flawlessly, not to mention it's so much cheaper, if your going to video edit, get the i7, if your gonna game, get the i5.

Id stay away from the Home Premium and go with ultimate as that is me, I like the "best of the best" and since I get unlimited keys from Microsoft, it doesn't bother me.

You can budget down gaming rig 2 by taking out the 5850 (YES IT IS A GOOD CARD) but if your on a budget the 5770 is a pretty good card for the buck and doesn't consume alot of power, so you can also save more money on getting a cheaper PSU, I myself like the Corsair VX-550 ATX Power Supply 120mm fan PCI-E Graphics Card Connector 6 SATA Connectors Universal - http://umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=4 only 550W but if your using a 5770 with that rig, im sure you'd manage, Corsair is also a great brand and QUALITY .

I myself like your choice of case, HDD, SSD and ram, great picks and they are all value for money if you ask me, I am a big "money saver" when it comes to building a new PC, I tend to use parts that are cheaper but same performance if not better than another. For example id use a 5770 insead of a 5850, I know the 5770 isn't better than the 5850, but the 5770 will easily run the newest games for the next year atleast fine, well worth the $200 then in a years time you upgrade to a better one, would save alot of money and dramas.

The DVD drive is a great pick aswell, I have a pioneer drive and couldn't be anymore happy with it, their quality is just dam excellent.

You haven't put a monitor option in there, you could put one in then do a price with a monitor and without, a great monitor that is pretty cheap is this one: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/21-5-BENQ-LCD-E2200HD-2ms-HDMI-Speak-1080p-FullHD-22_W0QQitemZ260531400199QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_comp_monitor?hash=item3ca8e1ae07 great quality and bang for the buck .

Also, for just $11 more, why not go with the Corsair HX-850 ATX Power Supply w 140mm Modular Cables? At the end of the day, thats a total of 100 more watts for just $11...

Also, for the CPU HS you could have actually just picked one of the coolers there as just putting the link to many fans with a price tag of $80, you will confuse alot of people.

Anyways that is my 2 cents, no doubt you have alot of computer knowledge and these are some great builds, if someone were to buy a exact PC off this list, id say go with number 2 and change the Corsair HX-750 ATX Power Supply, Modular, 140mm Fan to the
Corsair HX-850 ATX Power Supply w 140mm Modular Cables it's just $11 more for better performance.

Thanks for these builds, I can recommend them to the next person I build their computer if it's what they want, or else they just order parts blah blah. Anyways hope you take this feedback nicely and not an "attack" on you as I mean no disrespect and don't want to "stomp" on your forum/thread/rigs/whatnot.

Bye .

Thanks for your well considered thoughts FlyHighNoob.

It is interesting that the i5 actually beats the i7 in some areas and that is why the i7 930 is replacing it. The i7 930 will have better turbo boost and a few other goodies which will make it a clear winner at that price point.

Put in the win 7 home premium because most people still have to buy their OS and Ultimate is an extra $110.

All these rigs are not set in stone and can be tweaked up or down to suit budget.

With PSU's its always a good idea not to skimp. I always go for modular PSU's so you don't have that big knot of unused cables looking untidy in the case and mucking up the air flow. I always go for at least a 120mm or bigger fan because the 80mm are much more noisy. I recommend Corsair because in the reviews and comparisons I have read over the years the have always been reliable and well rated. Always get a larger wattage than you need, as you upgrade parts or start overclocking you always tend to use more power not less. An extra $30 now will save you $200 in a couple of years.

All these rigs are box replacement only as most people have all the peripherals.

Will fix the CPU HS selection.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I'm always after new or better ideas.

chookstrangler wrote:

Thanks for your well considered thoughts FlyHighNoob.

It is interesting that the i5 actually beats the i7 in some areas and that is why the i7 930 is replacing it. The i7 930 will have better turbo boost and a few other goodies which will make it a clear winner at that price point.

Put in the win 7 home premium because most people still have to buy their OS and Ultimate is an extra $110.

All these rigs are not set in stone and can be tweaked up or down to suit budget.

With PSU's its always a good idea not to skimp. I always go for modular PSU's so you don't have that big knot of unused cables looking untidy in the case and mucking up the air flow. I always go for at least a 120mm or bigger fan because the 80mm are much more noisy. I recommend Corsair because in the reviews and comparisons I have read over the years the have always been reliable and well rated. Always get a larger wattage than you need, as you upgrade parts or start overclocking you always tend to use more power not less. An extra $30 now will save you $200 in a couple of years.

All these rigs are box replacement only as most people have all the peripherals.

Will fix the CPU HS selection.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I'm always after new or better ideas.

Yeah but I feel sorry for the people who have already bought an i7 920 :S. Well see, I am sadly *SADDDDDLLY* on a 19" Dell monitor made back in like 2006 lol, thats why I figured it wouldn't hurt to put in a new monitor, as when I upgrade this PC, I will buy a new monitor . I like my current one though, lol.

Yes, I know from experience Corsair is one of the best brands, great, reliable and quite cheap.

Oh and the case is great, what I forgot to mention is, it will provide great cooling .

"Fermi will go into production starting in the 3rd week of February, and be available in "low quantities" starting mid-march.

Fermi's yield will be low but not any worst than what AMD/ATI is experiencing."

Now we just need some reviews with benchmarks so we know if it is worth the wait!

chookstrangler wrote:

"Fermi will go into production starting in the 3rd week of February, and be available in "low quantities" starting mid-march.

Fermi's yield will be low but not any worst than what AMD/ATI is experiencing."

Now we just need some reviews with benchmarks so we know if it is worth the wait!

Agreed =)

Also id like to add that the i5 and i7's don't support any higher than 1600 Mhz ram, it's about 1333 for one and idk bout other but I know it's not more than 1600, so 2000 is a waste, id go with 1600 even though the i5's and i7's don't even support 1600 as 1600 is a steady amount and you can upgrade with it in the future easily.

Also note though, 2000 Mhz is way too much at the moment, if you buy it, I can almost gaurentee you will be using it for several builds in the future. (As long as capacity need doesnt change much..)

Another reason I choose Corsair HX750W The Tech Report just gave it Editor's Choice - January 2010


http://techreport.com/articles.x/18295/12

It doesn't bother me which Corsair model I get (I base it off what power I need then go atleast 100W extra), aslong as im getting corsair as I know im going to get value for money and quality.

And a long warranty!


Interesting article on tom's hardware today Experiment: Comparing Four Quad-Core Architectures At 2.8 GHz

AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ	$224
Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$245
Intel Core i7 920 Processor LGA1366 2.66GHz 8MB Cache	$359

Looking at the prices you get a much better deal with the i5 750 for $21 more than the AMD CPU and the performance between the i5 and i7 is very close considering the $114 price gap.

Is there any good reason to recommend AMD to the average gamer?

chookstrangler wrote:

And a long warranty!


Interesting article on tom's hardware today Experiment: Comparing Four Quad-Core Architectures At 2.8 GHz

AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ	$224
Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU	$245
Intel Core i7 920 Processor LGA1366 2.66GHz 8MB Cache	$359

Looking at the prices you get a much better deal with the i5 750 for $21 more than the AMD CPU and the performance between the i5 and i7 is very close considering the $114 price gap.

Is there any good reason to recommend AMD to the average gamer?

I have never never had a problem with AMD Cpu's I have one in my laptop, although my laptop is just for school work and internet browsing so it's only a dual core, but it's still not too bad, the only problem with AMD is that you don't have much of a choice between their CPUs, whereas Intel you do, since there are many. And to be totally honest with you, Intel CPUS generally are more expensive but offer more/better features, for example one on the top of my head is a bigger sized Cache, etc.

Really it's up to personal choice, AMD are quite good, but Intel are a little bit better. Note: Intel is better for gaming aslong as you stick to the C2D, C2Q, i5 and i7, although the C2D and C2Q are getting "abit" old they are still a very good core, im running the core 2 duo e8500 and it's great, I will overclock it soon and have been told it's perfect for overclocking, and in 2 months time im getting a totally new rig with a i7 and using this current pc for school and whatnot.

I am glad AMD is making CPU's otherwise Intel would probably charging twice the current prices. Who knows maybe this time next year the technological advantage will have swung back in AMD's advantage.

Yes well thank god for AMD, also when they start advancing as pretty much all their cores are "rubbish" at the moment Intel and AMD will do some huge price wars .

Hey chooky I'm looking at buying a mates gaming rig, is this the place to post specs for your once over?

What has he got?

Cosmos S Chassis

Intel Core Quad Q9450 2.66GHZ 12MB 1333MHZ 45NM
Coolermaster Hyper212 CPU cooler
XFX Nvidia 780i SLI ATX Motherboard
6GB DDR2-1066MHZ (4GB of Cosair and 2GB of GSkill)

1x Western Digital Raptor 74GB HDD
3x Western Digital 320GB HDD

Zalman 1000W PSU

2x XFX GTX280 1GB DDR3 Extreme Edition

EVGA Killer NPU 400Mhz

2x LG DVD/CD drives

more info here - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Desktops/No-monitor/auction-268588618.htm

If he is selling it to you for $500 I would buy it because that is good value for what is on offer. You can use the PSU, case 2x XFX GTX280 and some other bits when you upgrade later on. To buy just one of those GTX280's new is more than $500!

What specs is your current PC?

only $500. great price

Sorry $500 was just the start price for the auction the PC is a bit more than that but I'm paying mostly with goods/services (male hookers are expensive when they're used to just sheep!) so not too fussed about the price. The gear works out over $4500 to build so I know the price is good, just wanted your opinion on performance.

Current specs -
Mobo Asus P5KPL-CM
CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4
RAM 4Gb Dual Channel
Graphics HQI IceQ 4850
HDD 500gb WD
DVD Liteon 20x burner
Case Asus Vento

This is my Computer Build Estimate for lowest kiwi pricing -
Mobo XFX 780i $629 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=328388
CPU Q9450 Quad 2.66 $347 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=292096
CPU Fan Hyper212 CPU Cooler $81 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=230681
RAM Corsair 4gb $200 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=515193
RAM Gskill 2gb $100 http://www.oczone.co.nz/product_info.php?cPath=702&products_id=25921
Graphics GTX 280 $737 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=316650
Graphics GTX 280 $737 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=316650
HDD 74gb WD Raptor $240 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=81430
HDD 320gb WD $70 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=151691
DVD LG DVD Player $50 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=451667
DVD LG DVD Player $50 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=451667
Case Cosmos S $376 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=264513
PSU Zalman 1000w PSU $393 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=255867
Network EVGA Killer NPU $296 http://www.impc.co.nz/products/pb_netevg0002.html
OS Vista 64 Business $225 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=146824
OS 7 RC $150 http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=485463
Subtotal $4681

So how much is he asking? Is the important question.

Compared to your current system you will see a major increase in games but not so much in normal use due to the GTX280's

See the performance of the ticked cards here Tom's Hardware - Sum of FPS Benchmarks 1920x1200 with anti aliasing, 8AA (High Quality) and the comparison here Tom's Hardware - Sum of FPS Benchmarks 1920x1200 with anti aliasing, 8AA (High Quality)

Performance will be good, it will play any current game smoothly at the highest res and settings you could throw at it, but it is old tech now. You can get a better performing, cooler, quieter, less power hungry,more upgradable gaming PC with my Gaming Rig 1 or 2 in the top of the thread for around $2000.

The nVidia chipsets are inferior in a lot of areas. I know I have one. But wish I had an an Intel chipset. Especially ICH10R or newer for my SSD RAID 0.

With a bit of wheeling and dealing I'll break even in the end, but from what I can see NZ prices are 50% above Oz so I'd be looking at over NZ$3000 to build any of the gaming PCs above. The price for the new rig's about OZ$1000.

At $1000 I guess it is still a pretty good deal.

Another option would be to upgrade your GPU to a 4850 NZ$489 or GTX275 NZ$395


$1000 extra! You can get a return flight for $350! You could come over for the weekend, pick up the bits and still be in front!

That sucks that you have to pay so much more.

Lowest prices from Shop Bot Aus and NZ
i5 750 AU$ 224 NZ$ 331
Sapphire HD5850 1G GDD5 Video Card AU$395 NZ$489

I could buy the bits and post them to you.

Yeah it sounds great, but the ozzie$ has taken off and left the kiwi$ behind so 2000 ozzies is 2500 kiwis, then I'd have to send stuff back for warranty etc etc. The 350 oz flight is 500 kiwis. Breaks even until warranty issues. Yeah it sucks living on an island.

Oh yes! Exchange rates! Wasn't thinking. So what do you think about just upgrading the GPU? Cheaper and a comparable real world result.