Budget 500$ gaming pc with core i3 3220

I could set you up a really nice one for around $600.00 USD would you be interested in that kind of setup or are you firm on 500.00?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QBSY Base Total: $486.88

About the best you are gonna get with a $500 budget using intel. If you went with an amd a10-5800k you could do a bit better on price.

An a10-5800k build? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QBUT Base Total: $471.48

Heh not much of a first person shooter player but if you can gage it from grand theft auto san andreas? that game plays flawlessly. I'm more of an rpg and mmorpg nut if you know what i mean. My setup was cheap and rushed to replace a dead pc and so i can get off the wifes pc so it was built cheap out of necessity. I plan to do another upgrade as i get the money ahead replacing the gpu and the cpu. But its not a bad build. A lot faster then my old amd athlon 64 x2 4400+ i was on before lol.

If i had the money i probably would have gone with an a10-5800k or the FX-6300 which i plan to upgrade my cpu to or to a FX-8350 if i can get my funds up that high. Also i'm using windows xp 32 bit with a max of 4 gigs of ram so before a cpu or gpu upgrade i plan on a ram and os upgrade first. That is what i like about the am3+ board is that i have several options when upgrading. And 1-2 newer amd cpu' lines yet to be released. And the boards are cheaper i may be able to hunt down a cheap am3+ build if you want. i bought the board i did in case i want to later unlock a cpu to play around. Plus it was cheap and within my budget.

Ok here's a build. There was no way to work a monitor into it and make budget:

G.SKILL Value 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBNT
Model #:F3-10666CL9S-4GBNT
Item #:N82E16820231423
$29.99 $29.99
There were a couple ways to do this. Normally I'd go for a two-stick kit to operate in dual-channel mode. That would populate both slots on a budget motherboard though, necessitating replacing them to add memory; this way you can buy another stick later. You'll lose a little performance, but not much.

GIGABYTE GV-N65TOC-1GI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Model #:GV-N65TOC-1GI
Item #:N82E16814125447
$129.99 $129.99
Not quite the cheapest one, but this GTX650Ti has a nice factory OC on it. I wanted to work a Boost Edition card into this build, but couldn't quite do it.

Athena Power CA-GSB01DA Black 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - OEM
Model #:CA-GSB01DA
Item #:N82E16811192289
$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99
This case has 0.8mm steel, which is very solid for a cheap case.

ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #:B75M-DGS R2.0
Item #:N82E16813157362
$54.99 -$5.00 Instant $49.99
This board has modern interfaces (USB3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s), but is otherwise very limited on expansion, with but a single PCI slot. This is probably the first piece I'd improve with a budget increase.

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply
Model #:VP-450
Item #:N82E16817371045
$49.99 -$5.00 Instant $44.99
A few weeks ago, this PSU was $10 less. It is still probably the cheapest one I'd buy though.

Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ...
Model #:BX80637i33220
Item #:N82E16819116775
$129.99 $129.99
Your specified CPU. Should be a good choice.

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - OEM
Model #:WD5000AAKX
Item #:N82E16822136769
$59.99 $59.99
Seems to me I saw a deal on a 500GB Seagate for $10 less last week, but it probably required a discount code.

LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black SATA Model GH24NS95 - OEM
Model #:GH24NS95
Item #:N82E16827136259
$17.99 $17.99
Meh. One optical drive is much like another.

Subtotal: $487.92
Shipping will likely use the rest of your budget. If you've got some wiggle room, the first thing I'd improve is the motherboard. The brand is fine, I'd just like one with a few more features and slots.
It would not surprise me if you could find one or more deals, shaving a few dollars off a few of these items. If you live near a Microcenter, they often have CPU+mobo combo deals.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QC2K Base Total: $506.30

That is a FX-6300 build you could go with a cheaper cpu to start out with to get a better gpu or get a much better gpu later on. But still its not a bad build its like mine except quite a bit better. In home builds though i like going with a bit better cases as you can reuse them over and over. but you could go with a cheaper case then the Cooler Master HAF 922 which is $89.99 you can get a case as cheap as $30 but many are not well ventilated. But its a way you can cut corners a bit. And if so you could bump up to a better gpu.

Won't he need a copy of Windows for like an additional $90?

Onus i second you on the VP-450 psu its what i'm using right now. I got mine back in November for around $39.99 its a steal in my opinion. So when i recommend builds its my go to psu.

No he said in his first post not to include the os.

I would NOT use a cheap MSI board with any thought of overclocking; they use weak VRMs that pop under load.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=0
If you go AMD, you want a true 900-series chipset board, which ups the price; I think there are a few around $80.

I should have mentioned that i never overclock so its why i went with the msi board. The most i would do with it is maybe unlock a cpu. But seeing how i'm planning to go with an fx series with my next cpu upgrade its kind of a useless extra lol. Although i will note also my pc refused to come on at one point while a keyboard was plugged in. Something to either do with my keyboard or the keyboard ports so i fixed it by going with a usb keyboard.

Yeah but only certain athlon and phenom have unlockable cores. The one i purchased does not have locked cores. But if unlocked a dual becomes a 3 core a 3 core a 4 and so on.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1005739/what-unlocks-the-unlockable-cpu-reference-list

A list of unlockable cores and information on them. So if you can grab one of these cheap it be worth it. There are a few motherboards that can unlock cpu's i just happened to buy the cheapest one there is. And yeah the am3+ cpu socket does offer quite a few upgrade paths at least for a few years especially since the next amd cpu architecture is slated to be an am3+ and improve apon the 8350 line slightly which are already very good cpu's.

And since most games are gpu driven so long as the cpu does not bottleneck the gpu you can always get better gaming with a cheaper cpu and a better gpu over a cheaper gpu and a more expensive cpu. And most games are not taking full advantage of more then 2 cores so dual cores are still pretty good for gaming. So i plan on a gpu upgrade before a cpu upgrade lol but before that i need more ram and windows 7 64 so i can use more then 4 gigs of ram. They have the Athlon II X4 640 listed here http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html its about $80 or the Phenom II X4 965 for $100 which while a bit more expensive then the athlon II X2 270 they are a bit better as well. So also worth considering.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280 $84.95

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138373 $59.99

The ASRock 970 Extreme is an awesome board and should handle the stress as well as many upgrades. And worth the extra $25 in my opinion.

Ok, here's an AMD version. I have an Intel and an AMD rig right now; the Intel rig is clearly faster. When I had my graphics cards switched, the Intel+7770 was smoother than the AMD+HD7870, although graphical settings weren't quite as high.

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply
Model #:VP-450
Item #:N82E16817371045
$49.99 -$5.00 Instant $44.99
Same.

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:970 EXTREME3
Item #:N82E16813157280
$94.99 -$10.00 Instant $84.99
Is OK to OC per that spreadsheet I linked.

GIGABYTE GV-N65TOC-1GI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Model #:GV-N65TOC-1GI
Item #:N82E16814125447
$129.99 $129.99
Same.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Model #:F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Item #:N82E16820231396
$33.99 $33.99
Since the motherboard has 4 RAM slots, this kit will run in dual channel mode but still leave two slots available for upgrading later.

Athena Power CA-GSB01DA Black 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - OEM
Model #:CA-GSB01DA
Item #:N82E16811192289
$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99
Same.

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
Model #:ADX640WFGMBOX
Item #:N82E16819103871
$74.99 $74.99
For $25 more, you can get a 965BE, but then you'd want a $20 Xigmatek Gaia to go with it. You may still want the Gaia, as stock AMD heat sinks are loud under load. The Gaia is quieter than the Coolermaster Hyper212 EVO and cools within 1C of that one, for a lot less money.

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - OEM
Model #:WD5000AAKX
Item #:N82E16822136769
$59.99 $59.99
Same.

LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black SATA Model GH24NS95 - OEM
Model #:GH24NS95
Item #:N82E16827136259
$17.99 $17.99
Same.

Subtotal: $471.92

That Biostar board isn't a 900-series. The SB is the 710; you want the 950 in order to get SATA 6Gb/s and USB3.0.

And no, I would not expect prices to drop. There may be some fluctuation, but which parts, in which direction, are hard to predict.

Definitely a sweet build Onus. The case looks pretty decent. I love my case though http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144091 It is a shame i can never find another like it to recommend. But the case you mentioned does look pretty decent and is dirt cheap as well. If i was doing a new build case and all that is one i would definitely consider myself barring not being able to find one similar to my current case.

You do not want a x2 for today's games. Remember that benchmarking systems are typically "naked." By the time you add your AV scanner, Teamspeak, Steam client, etc. etc. etc. you'll grind a poor X2 into the ground.

Even unlocked its not a bad cpu. But you could go with the 640 that Onus mentioned its $20 more and a quad core so not to shabby. Or another $40 for the phenom ii x4 965 neither are unlockable but being quad cores they still are not to shabby and a huge step over the amd athlon ii x2 270 i'm using currently. And if you plan to not upgrade the cpu for a good while the quad core is a good investment.

I would go with Onus' Intel Build, it is very solid and the i3 is better than any AMD quad-core

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-processor-frame-rate-performance,3427.html

The performance edge today definitely goes to Intel. I will say though, if you enjoy playing "with" your PC as much as playing "on" your PC, budget AMD systems are a lot more fun and interesting. Budget Intel chips are locked, and have only slight OC potential by messing with the BCLOCK. Budget AMD CPUs can be tweaked in a lot more ways.
If you're going to be playing at 1366x768, another option to consider is lowering the graphics card to as little as a HD7750 in order to get a better motherboard, CPU, and cooler. A graphics card is easy to upgrade later, a motherboard not so. I've played GW2 using a HD7750 as high as 1600x900, and settings were still pretty decent.