$825 gaming build , comments?

[Vickrum]

My coworker is trying to build a decent gaming rig on a budget, budget is REALLY important to him, so the price eally can't go up from $825.

Barebone Bundle - $475.59
ATOP X-BLADE (BLK)
ABIT KN9 ULTRA
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 4200+ - WINDSOR
MWAVE 2GB DDR2 533
LITE ON 48/24/48+16X COMB

Hard Drive - $69.90
WD 250GB 2500KS SATA300 16MB 7200RPM (Bare drive

Vid Card - $185.64
XFX GEFORCE 7900 GS EXTREME 256MB PCI EXPRESS 480MHZ DDR3 DUAL DVI/TV (Retail)

Win XP Home - $185.64

Total Price 813.12 (price has to stay at about $825)

This sound good with the budget he's working with?

 

[Vickrum]

Just wanted to add that we currently play EQ2 which is mostly what this will be for and he realizes he wont be playing with settings maxed or anything.

Edit*

I priced out a Pny geforce 7900GS for only $160 and with the savings was able to switch his processor to a

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
Asus P5L-MX

end price is about $835 pushing his budget by $10

would that be a better way to go ?

 

[dmartin]

Looks like a good way to go, but instead of the 6400, have him get the 6300 and just OC it up to 2.6-3.1, seems to be an easily achievable number.
And, with the extra cash, have him buy ya lunch!

 

[lunyone]

Just a thought, you might want to get some more specifics on the power supply that comes with the case. I know that most PSU's that come with cases are usually pretty weak, so be warned. I have been very lucky with what I have purchased in the past, but now I'm more informed that before, which makes buying a good PSU/case combo easier for me. If you allocate about $100 for case/PSU. I'm not an expert on PSU choices, but Antec & FSP have been talked about widely here in the forums, so I would look at those.

My 2cp

 

[akhilles]

c2d would be a better choice.

budget c2d mobos:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138037

c2d cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115013

pd-805 cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116001

Any of these combos will work & can overclock.

 

[Turd1327]

I'm in similar situation. Can anyone recommend the best gaming processor/motherboard solution for under $175?? The Pentium D 805 looks really attractive, as are some of the AMD socket 939 Athlon's.

I would prefer first and foremost an easy board to setup and get going as I am a newb and this is my first build. Also, reliability is important. I don't imagine I'd be doing any hard core overclocking but having the capability would be nice as my confidence grows. I'm definately going with a PCI-E video card probably a Nvidia 7XXX of some sort.

I've already got an ultra wizard midtower case and a coolmax 500w power supply.
Thanks
Turd

 

[bliq]

c2d would be a better choice.

budget c2d mobos:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138037

c2d cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115013

pd-805 cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116001

Any of these combos will work & can overclock.

I'd never recommend a P-d 805 unless you were dead broke... You can get an X2 3800+ for near the same money and that will perform much better and cooler too.

If any of you guys looking for a new budget gamer, and live anywhere near a Fry's or know someone who does, do this-

Buy their E4300/ECS P4M800Pro-M v2 combo for $149, return the motherboard for a $25-30 credit (yes you can do it, I've done it twice), and use the savings towards a better motherboard.

You could probably get into a decent gigabyte board for $175-200.

 

[cattbert]

I am assuming the Windows XP was meant to be $85. Aside from that, if you decide to purchase a case and power supply separately, I wanted to point out a great deal at Fry's:

Ultra mid-tower case for free after a $40.00 rebate (and free shipping):
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5124886?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I got the same one for a budget build for my sister and it worked fine (no sharp edges and both sides come off for easy installation of the drives). Not as distinctive looking as the one you were proposing, but you cannot beat the price (and I did get the rebate after the 6-8 weeks). You do need to buy a case fan separately, but I think that is a good thing as you can get something quiet.

As to the power supply, there always seem to be deals on those. Office Depot has an Antec 500w for $35 (incl. s&h) after a $25 rebate:
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?id=399292
http://forms.young-america.com/60565_AN6207-4229983-01052007.pdf

or Fry's has an Antec 650w for $60 (incl. s&h) after a $40 rebate:
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4947861

 

[akhilles]

cattbert, holy crap. That's one hell of a deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817371001
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4947861

Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W
newegg $130 - $20 rebate
frys $100 - $40 rebate

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5124886?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Ultra Wizard Black Mid Tower Case is a steal.
$40.00 Rebate or free

Turd1327, I can't even fathom how some compare e6300/4300 to 3800+/4000+. e6300 is a little faster than 5000+ at stock. How much is the 5000+? $279 at newegg. They're not even on the same manufacturing process. 65nm vs 90nm. The fastest AMD 65nm available at newegg is 4800+ for $248. From what I've read, the AMD 65nm chips are slower than their 90nm counterparts.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138037
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116001

I suggest you start a new thread. Don't hijack this.

 

[hashbrown]

I would for sure go with a Core 2 Duo E4300. It has a higher multiplier than the E6300, just with a 800mhz front side bus. You are able to over clock it to higher than the E6300 quite easily though.

Also I would go with a Gigabyte 965P S3, its only $110 and has great OC ability. I installed one for a friend and we overclocked it just a little bit, but it was very easy.

If you plan on overclocking much, I wouldn't stick with a PSU that came with a case. I'd get like a $50 Coolermaster case or something, and then a $70 PSU atleast.

Everything else is looking good.

 

[Turd1327]

in the $50-$125 range. I will be adding a graphics card so I don't need much in way of onboard video, also I need reliability and easy set up, I'm thinking ASUS/Gigabyte, but I'm not sure which, will be used for gaming