Optimizing performance per $, a custom HP PC for gaming.

[andyeverett]

Costco allows us to customize HP computers. I like Costco's warranties and support. For about 1100$ I would like to pick components that will maximize performance for the following set of games; Dawn of War II, Starcraft II, Diablo III.

The web site is http://www.costco.com/

click on, computers/desktops and servers/HP store/Custom configured desktops

The following is the set of components that I picked starting with the HP Pavilion Elite m9500t PC. The price came to $1,086.99.

Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q8200 [2.33GHz] [included]

8GB DDR2-800MHz dual channel SDRAM [4x2048] [add $159.00]

500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive [included]

1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters] [add $230.00]

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit) [included]

Can you help me come up with a better computer for about 1100$ Should more money be spent on a better processor at the expense say a cheaper video card, or save money on memory and upgrade the processor.

Does this setup look like good performance for 1100$

Thank you for any help.

 

[rohan23]

That setup is way overpriced. You are never going to use *GB in gaming and the video card isn't worth so much. You can pick up a GTX Core 216 or a 4870 1GB for that price and it will chew that card up. You can custom build your own or look on websites that do it for you. Try iBuyPower.com