[xquizit]

PC/Monitor Upgrade or TV?



Current PC Setup:
PSU: Single-Core 3.00ghz
MEM: 1gb
PSU: 650 watt
GPU: ATi Radeon HD2900
Sound: No sound card
HD: WD 250gb 16mb cache
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster191T (ANCIENT) ghosting monitor

Current TV Setup: 10 year old 52" Sony DLP
Console: Xbox360 (willing to get a ps3, for blueray + free online gaming + better looks <lol>)


My budget for a tv: $550 (the rest for ps3, only want cod 4#2)
My budget for a PC build + Monitor: $750

I can't afford both, and I would like to go with one route for media use as well. The LCD TV would mainly be used for gaming. I heard plasmas are for movies/tv, and LCDs are preffered for console gaming.

I don't watch much tv; just Comedy Central. I would like to start watching blue rays on a 1080p television. Question about a gaming LCD TV..1080i or 1080p, 60hz or 120hz? (60hz is used for actualy movie theatre screens) Any input?

[Mega Man]

Probably need to upgrade a lot of your hardware if you want a gaming PC.

I would get a new board that supports DDR3 RAM, and a quad-core CPU. Build from there up, as your current set up wouldn't run modern games at a framerate/speed that would be fun. GPU's about a year or two old can run most games these days without sacrificing too much, but if you want the best looking s#it, expect to pay more. You could do a really good set up for $750.

Or just go the easier route and get the PS3 set up you mentioned. However, I don't know what size 1080 TV you'll find for $550. You'll find a lot of 720's though.

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by xquizit

I don't watch much tv; just Comedy Central. I would like to start watching blue rays on a 1080p television. Question about a gaming LCD TV..1080i or 1080p, 60hz or 120hz? (60hz is used for actualy movie theatre screens) Any input? [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

I actually enjoy watching my movies and tv more on my pc monitor now than my actual TV. It just feels more focused.

Anyways, your pricing for both categories is a bit low. $750 for a full system rebuild and a monitor will be cutting it tight. Average monitor cost is about $175, which leaves only $575 for the computer build so your probably going to have to go with a cheap packaged deal. And I'm not up to date on the best TV prices, but chances are you won't be getting a good one for $550.

[UltimateBMW]

From a quick look, this looks like one of your best options for a pc package.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883241007

But the graphics are severely lacking. It will need a GPU upgrade, but on a pre-built system sometimes isn't easy to do. And a good discrete graphics solution will run you at least $150.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130434

[xquizit]

Thank you guys, and I forgot to mention. I have a buddy that would put together my computer (free or a tiny labor fee) and possibly help me OC it. I would hate to get a pre-built computer, that's not the best way to do it bang-for-buck wise.

I know the price for my TV is low, but I also forgot to mention the sales of TV that will be coming soon. Black Friday, and the Super bowl! I heard people buy a tv to watch the superbowl, and return it the next day. Open box steals are an option, because like stated earlier... the budget for my TV is low.


For more information on computer build:

I would need a TN panel (6 bit color, but the low response times are needed for FPS gaming) Most cheap monitors come with this type of panel, so I know I can score a great monitor for under $250. Now, there's no cheap route with motherboards. I need a good one, if I want to OC my parts. For the Operating system, I think I will go the free route for it (sorry, I'll keep it on the DL).

I just want to play call of duty #4 on the PC, and I'm not sure if I would enjoy watching movies/gaming on a TV or PC monitor.

I've played counter-strike for 6 years, and I love pc gaming with FPS shooters. Playing COD4 on the 360 was amazing, and fair (when you jump in a PC FPS game, some people might be more experienced than you.. aka have better feel for their mouse).

[akak1997]

Who Cares About TV if you can get This

Upgrade your monitor to a 24" 1080p with HDMI. You can actually plug your HD cable/sat to this monitor. the sound might be crappy with the built in speaker, but it's better than nothing.

[xquizit]

Originally Posted by akak1997

Who Cares About TV if you can get This

Upgrade your monitor to a 24" 1080p with HDMI. You can actually plug your HD cable/sat to this monitor. the sound might be crappy with the built in speaker, but it's better than nothing.

Sound is very important in FPS gaming.. I can determine where somoene is from foot steps, and I keep it competitive.

So the PC monitor would be connected to my VGA port (graphics card) and my xbox360? What a cheap alternative.... Lets say with the extra money I saved, I want to get a ps3. bLue ray + free internet gaming.. how is the blueray quality on a LCD (TN Panel)?


In addittion, if I do get this monitor.. then my PC specs do not matter when console gaming, correct?

[Mega Man]

One thing none of us are mentioning is your current case and PSU. 650 watt is really good actually, so you'll probably be able to just keep the same PSU. However, with a new board, you may want a new case.

Depending on what board and GPUs you select, it may even be necessary. I'm running a mid-tower, but I'm going to get a full-tower eventually. Without getting into a flame war over overclocking, let me just say that I'm making the move to liquid cooling. But then I digress, and we're getting off topic.

Have you decided on CPU? Since we're talking about cores, I'm assuming Intel.

[xquizit]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

One thing none of us are mentioning is your current case and PSU. 650 watt is really good actually, so you'll probably be able to just keep the same PSU. However, with a new board, you may want a new case.

Depending on what board and GPUs you select, it may even be necessary. I'm running a mid-tower, but I'm going to get a full-tower eventually. Without getting into a flame war over overclocking, let me just say that I'm making the move to liquid cooling. But then I digress, and we're getting off topic.

Have you decided on CPU? Since we're talking about cores, I'm assuming Intel.

Intel forsure! The i7 can be easily clocked, right? from 2.66 to 4.0! Meaning, I would need a $200ish motherboard that can support such a voltage change (I don't know jack about OCn, haha). My case is pretty nice, but what if I want to keep my old Pc in my room? 2x the PC = a friend can come over and we can LAN. But my computer is old, so the only game we could LAN is starcraft and counter-strike . I'd rather spend $80 and get an antec300, or even a 1200 for the higher price, and have two computers.

So let's see..
I would prefer a Nvidia card. Less driver problems, and less over-heating issues (I am totally not a fan boy, and I have two ati cards..and only one Nvidia). Not a fan boy of intel, but they are running the market, from what others tell me (let's not take it too far off topic, hehe).

Monitor (akak recommended):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236049
Doubt it's great for PC use, but I guess this a cheap route for hooking up a console.

PSU: Something to support a future crossfire (forgot if SLI is correct term for Nvidia or not)
GPU: Nvidia <Must be enough for Cod 4 #2 on high settings <great, this statement just screwed me over>
Memory: I need DDR3 <Dual core> Memory $100
Motherboard: $200+ (have to do research on what memory is best, and what about 16/16/8..etc, and what happens if I fill up all memory slots?)
sound card: integraded on the motherboard
HDD: Cheap one, no need for 2x (operating syste, and for media)
CPU: i7 2.66 Nahelem

Looks like my PC build might be more expensive than a TV option. But there is so much to know about LCD tvs. I only care about gaming for the LCD TV, and want to know if I should go for 60hz, 100hz, 120hz.. Is 1080i/p a marketing scheme?

[UltimateBMW]

I hate to say it, but for your budget I don't think you can get an i7 system and a monitor. Cheapest i7 CPU i've found was $199, with the cheapest mobo for i7 being $300 ish. Not to mention you then have to use DDR3 ram, which isn't cheap. The lowest price point for getting into a i7 machine is around $1100, but that is with making a few other sacrifices.

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by xquizit

Is 1080i/p a marketing scheme?

More of less. It's really only going to become noticeable when you run blu-ray dvds on it. Otherwise, there isn't a lot of media out there that is detailed enough to take full advantage.

I will also say, I am usually heavily against back alley means for getting a operating system. Your OS is the base of everything you will do on the computer, and if there is something wrong with it it will have a hand in everything.

There are other free solutions for OS if you don't care about windows, but they aren't really my forte.

[UltimateBMW]

Here is a quick i7 build that I made for you. Its missing some key components that you may be able to take from your old system. Namely the case and power supply. If you don't want to use your current components in the new system you can expect the price to jump up around $200 - $300.

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131386

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148222

GIGABYTE GV-R577D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125301

Western Digital Caviar Green WD7500AADS 750GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136359

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

Mind you, the below list is only mobo, cpu, ram, hdd, and a graphics card. And the ram is only 2gb. (You really need at least 4gb of ram though, 2gb is low imo.) If you want to use your current HDD, then I would switch out that for another set of ram sticks. Pricing was about the same. But even still we aren't able to come in below your $750 price point, and there is no monitor at all. So I don't think i7 is possible for this application. You may want to consider using one of the slightly older but still very fast Core2 chips. I'm running a i9450 right now and its just fine. Don't even have it overclocked.

Regarding the GPU, Nvidia's next gen stuff isn't out yet. On a price for performance comparison ATI will go a much longer way. The 5770 that I selected should out perform its price equivalent from Nvidia which right now is a GTX 260. I'm with you as far as using Nvidia. I pretty much only use them in my builds, but to meet your price point with the performance you want and alittle bit of future proofing (DX11 support) the ATI card is the better choice.

[xquizit]

Thank you so much for taking time out to help me put a rig together! I think the beauty of my purchasing will shine through black friday till x-mas!

Good idea, what I can do is... Use my case, my HDD, and save a good $200! Booyah, I just got a monitor with that savings! Keep in mind, I am buying a cheap TN panel for the response time. I really need to figure out, when I want to make this purchase. Black Friday isn't too far away, and I think that will be the day I take out the paper($).


TBH, the only reason I wanted two computers.. was so I can only use my new gaming rig for gaming. Not surfing the web, and getting spyware/trojans/viruses/etc.. Is there anyway I can repay you for helping me out? Brazzers/Bangbros pw's? haha!

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

Here is a quick i7 build that I made for you. Its missing some key components that you may be able to take from your old system. Namely the case and power supply. If you don't want to use your current components in the new system you can expect the price to jump up around $200 - $300.

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131386

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148222

GIGABYTE GV-R577D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125301

Western Digital Caviar Green WD7500AADS 750GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136359

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

Mind you, the below list is only mobo, cpu, ram, hdd, and a graphics card. And the ram is only 2gb. (You really need at least 4gb of ram though, 2gb is low imo.) If you want to use your current HDD, then I would switch out that for another set of ram sticks. Pricing was about the same. But even still we aren't able to come in below your $750 price point, and there is no monitor at all. So I don't think i7 is possible for this application. You may want to consider using one of the slightly older but still very fast Core2 chips. I'm running a i9450 right now and its just fine. Don't even have it overclocked.

Regarding the GPU, Nvidia's next gen stuff isn't out yet. On a price for performance comparison ATI will go a much longer way. The 5770 that I selected should out perform its price equivalent from Nvidia which right now is a GTX 260. I'm with you as far as using Nvidia. I pretty much only use them in my builds, but to meet your price point with the performance you want and alittle bit of future proofing (DX11 support) the ATI card is the better choice.

[xquizit]

ttt