Building 2 "budget" gaming rigs. $1500 Limit.

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Sanji's guide. section e4300 OC #1

Whatever else you put into the PC - Golden rule is have 2GB ram - you will have issues without it, MMORPG's lag out without RAM. You can see my rig below - runs WoW sweet.

The idea behind my rig was to get high quality components to future proof, but I went cheap big time on the CPU, as I intend to get a core 2 quad for under $300 in Q3. The Celeron, buy over clocking the nads of it, it keeps up with low end stock C2D's in games.

Although saying that about my rig - I would not purchase the same now - as you can get P4 641 processors for next to nothing. If I were to get one now I would get the 641, OC it as far as poss for now, and then budget for a C2Q for Christmas.

seconded

Sanji put together an excellent guide detailing several price points. Look it over to get an idea, and if you have more questions, fire away.

Good Luck :wink:

For stock voltage, I'd say 2.5-2.8ghz is a good estimate on the E4300.

e4300 after april22, $100, asus 680i board, $200 (on sale, otherwise I would have recommend the 650i instead), an 8600 ultra /9gotta wait on this one too), $200 (estimate), enermax 600w psu, $1xx (don't remember the amount off the top of my head), then just get a cheap case for now and a hdd and you'll be set, the 680i gives you plenty of room for expansion, so you can upgrade when needbe, so I think you'll be set 8)

keep in mind that you can still pull some parts from each computer and reuse them unless they are terribly outdated such as the harddrive and cdrom drive so your budget of $750 can stretch pretty far. Im just gonna up and say what everyone else has said: go with the e4300 because its cheap and can easily overclock. 2gb ram is great to have and as for overclocking youll want some quality ram such as corsair xms

The 4300 for sure. Don't need Corsair for the 4300. Cheap G.Skill 800 will be more than enough. The FSB and 9x multiplier will get him 2.5 - 2.8 ghz without voltage tweaks. Aim for 350 FSB and you should hit it no problem without volt increase.

2 gigs RAM a MUST nowadays. Get the cheap G.Skill like I said, it'll do the trick nicely.

Graphics card is totally up to your budget and how hardcore you want to go. Mostly about budget. Set your budget and find the best card in that range. Nvidia has some very good GForce cards at various price ranges that will run 1024 or 1280 rez at high settings without much issue.....7600GT and 7900GS are very affordable and offer good performance.

I love Taco, but his suggestions are overkill. He likes power. You don't need anywhere near that horsepower/high end stuff to do what you need. Save some cash, go with a 965 motherboard  

<3 ya Taco, but lower the horsepower to suit the OP's needs  

 

Aww, come on skyguy, why can't we supe up the build to go so fast, boot time will be a thing of the past 8O   Anyways, I think 333 will be the max without volt increase (3ghz), as some of the newer steppings are barely reaching 3.2ghz, but you never know

LOL.  


OK, I think I made a BIG typo. I meant to say 310 FSB on a 4300 (310 x 9 = 2.8ghz) without voltage tweaks. I believe I mistakenly said 350.....which is incorrect.  

310 FSB for a 4300 without voltage tweaks is about the upper limit. Beyond that you're looking at big jumps in volts. Not worth the potential temperature issues in my opinion for only a couple hundred mhz of speed. The 4300 is probably the most "effective" at around 2.6-2.8 without volt tweaks and cheap RAM. That's where its beauty lies. If you wanna push an OC higher, go for a 6xxx series chip, that's what they're designed for.

Yup, you can probably hit 450fsb no sweat on say an e6300, but that's a conroe with a lower multiplier, in the end, mhz wise, they'll end up similar, but only because the 6300 is multiplier limited where as the allendales usually stop a bit above 3ghz max on top air

AMD Overclocking

More or less on budget at $725 plus shipping. Almost as good of an overclocking combo as the Intel version, and you get a much better video card, while saving $50. Of course, you don't retain the upgradability of LGA 775...

Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane with Biostar Tforce 550 combo
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Centurion 534
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

G.Skill 2x1gb DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

X1950XT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Hiper 580W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Samsung 18x DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

Arctic Cooling Alpine 64
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


AMD Stock

About the same price as the AMD overclocking build, but you actually get a warranty for your processor. Probably about the same CPU performance as 3600+ Brisbane overclocked on stock voltage, but it has a worse video card. Overall, this system will probably perform the same as the Intel build un-overclocked, and for $50 cheaper.

Athlon 64 X2 4600+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Biostar Tforce 550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Centurion 534
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

G.Skill 2x1gb DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

X1950Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Hiper 580W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Samsung 18x DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...


Intel Overclocking and Stock

A little over-budget ($775 plus shipping), but that's what you get for going C2D. Too hard to get a solid, "faultless" gaming system at this price if you're set on LGA 775. But if you're willing to go a little overbudget and overclock, this is the best system you can build.

E4300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

MSI P6N SLI-FI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Kingston 2x1gb DDR2 667
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

X1950 Pro
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Shopping/ShoppingIt...

Hiper 580W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E1681...

Centurion 534
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Samsung 18X DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

It'd actually be really cool if you got one of that E4300 build and one of the 3600+ Brisbane build and then compared them on stock voltage overclocks and overall gaming performance to see which ends up netting better frames.

Define your rigs? Is the difference the CPU and MB or is it the whole build? The AMD build gets an 8800? We know who will win the overall game performance, 8800 Rule gaming!!

I don't see the reasoning behind getting an 8800 for MMORPG gaming.

MMORPGs hog ram up more than Vista does so I'd go with a 2GB Processor heavy build.

Intel Core 2 Duo Allendale E4300 $169

Biostar TForce 965PT $104.99

Kingston Value DDR2 667 $120

Western Digital 160GB SATA $53

NEC 18x DVD burner $30

EVGA 7900GS 256MB $155

Rosewill RP550-2 $55

Cooler Master Centurion 5 $50

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $22

Total : $759

Estimated performance: Will play any MMORPG you throw at it with max settings, absolutely no problem.

Can over-clock to 3.0 GHZ easily with stock ram settings and stock voltage. Added cooler will keep it below 40c temperatures at load. Every component is of high end quality.

The NVIDIA 7900GS will require mild over-clocking to put it at the performance of the 1950 Pro, but it can easily be done with the copper heat-sink EVGA provides with their KO cards.

Good luck

I agree, the other poster was talking Sanji's $500 AMD build. I guess I got confused, The 8800 starts at the $750 build level. Yes the 7600 or x1650 would be plenty for the OP uses.

Thank guys for all the suggestions. I'll look all this over when I get some time and try to put something together.  

I like it, but I have gone through two of those nec drives in less than a year, I recommend another brand, lite on and samsung have nice 20x drives for a similar price (plus the lite on has lightsribe if that means anythign to the op). NEC is supposed to be good, but I'm tired of having their drives go bad so quickly

I'll also have to nitpick at the mobo, pretty crappy one imo, but if the op is willing to put up with open box, here's a top of the line nvidia 600 based board for only $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
otherwise I would put this board over a biostar
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I'm also going to nitpick at the psu, but only because the 7900gs needs a 12v rail, and I don't trust the rosewill to supply enough stable/continous power (I know it says 18a, but it's just a kinda you know not to use thing from experince)

Well done fitting the budget though

Very nice list there Nameless, will handle mmorpg's just fine.

One change though: ditch that NEC optical. Don't spec them anymore in builds. Crap and LOUD. A better choice: Samsung SH-S182. Same price, ALOT quieter, and good build quality. I put them in all builds I do now for mid-range rigs. Very good optical.

I really dig Nameless' list....very good balance between CPU power and gaming performance for your needs OP.


Oh, and to give proper credit where credit is due......both Nameless' and AeroB's lists are both very similar variants of Sanji's Guide......great minds think alike  

Yeah I'd have to agree, just a few things I would have to nitpick on, otherwise for your everyday user, it's great, take a look at some of my modifications though


Yeah, I found that with my NEC drive, and it died in 3 months, what a rip off man, I'm deciding between a lite on drive and a samsung now, the lite on comes is 20xdvd write speeds, has lightscribe, and is sata (which is a lot better for p180 wire management as you know), while the samsung is $13 including shipping, but is slower and without lightscribe, any thoughts?

2gigs of ram is always the minimum, and I would think a high clocked 7600gt should do the job, but the op may want to look a bit into that 7900gs instead

I like my Samsung, but it's IDE. Can't get SATA opticals here cheap in Canuckland.

Depends on the budget. Samsung in a pinch for IDE, SATA if you can afford it  

They're both in my price range, which is what makes it hard to decide, I don't know whether I'm better off trying out lite on, which is known for okay quality that has lightscribe, sata, 20x write speeds, or should I go with a better brand that's cheaper, but has less pros to it (8x, no lightscribe, ide) but also is supposed to be quiet

You KNOW you're all about the horsepower and speed.   I'm about quality and balance for price.  

You know which one you're gonna get..........


8)

Yeah, that's true   But I try to get the best power for my money, so I'm guessing I should probably go for the samsung (which they also offer a $40 version with lightsribe, and is sata too, so I'm wondering if I should make up for the difference of the lite on and go for the better samsung, since as you say they are very quiet, which is a big deal for me)

Well, Samsung is better, fairly quiet (for a high-speed DVD drive, which aren't very silent anyways), quality brand, Lightscribe and SATA........I'd spend a bit more for that. If you're gonna blow your money on garbage, might as well spend just $20 more or whatever and get something good. Small cost for happiness   Just buy one less pizza/wing combo this month to cover the extra cost.

I'm out, don't wanna take this important thread too much more off-topic...I think it deserves to stay on topic, it's too good a thread  

Ok here is what I came up with.
Some of it is kind of a personal preference. I've had very good luck with MSI stuff as well as Nvidia chipsets/Vcards. But please critique.  

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$169

MSI P6N SLI-FI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$113

G.Skill 2x1gb DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$140

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$53

SAMSUNG SH-S183L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$40

EVGA 7900GS 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$155
-OR-
EVGA GeForce 7600GT 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...
$110

Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$55

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$50

ARCTIC COOLING FREEZER 7 PRO
http://www.svc.com/acfzp7.html <----This thing looks awesome. LoL
$22


Total $797 x2 = $1594

Im $94 over but I think I can handle that. Im not sure on the video, I thought I could spend a little more there but oh well. Could drop the burner and add $40 to the video budget because I can get by on what I have for the moment. What do you guys think?

Great specs, a bit overbudget but it's a heckuva system that handle just about anything you throw at it!!

Only one comment: Rosewill sucks. Cheap for a reason. Spending so much money......just drop another $50 on a good stable PSU. $50 isn't worth the risk of it crapping out and taking components with it. Too much risk in my opinion for $50....which only works out to less than 1% of total build cost. Less than 1% of total cost is a very wise investment in my opinion.

Other than PSU, great system.

Could save some more money by going with a non-SLI mobo.

I would bump the msi, I haven't had good overclocking experiences with those, as I said, take a look at the open box 650i plus by asus, I know there's risk to it, but it's $70 less and still a far better board than the msi one

Don't use that power supply, it's terrible. Like Skyguy said, Rosewill sucks. Pay another $25 to get the Hiper I listed and you'll be all set.

You listed a 7900GS--it's a good card, but you should be aware that the X1950 Pro will outperform it in almost every situation for the same price.

No, not hiper, they are pretty cool looking and modular, but their efficiency is crap compared to top names like enermax, silverstone, and especially pc power and cooling, just ask robsx2 about his pc power and cooling 750w silencer quad that he's running constantly an oc'd 6400, sli 8800gtxs, a top end mobo, and some other things I'm not quite sure about, but still, he never runs into any stability issues

That's what they are rated for, if you look at the reviews on them with oc'd systems, you'll see what I mean

Logain, I have no doubt your Rosewill is fine. The problem isn't that Rosewill isn't good per se, it's that you never know what you're getting.

Rosewill is Newegg's rebadged "no-name" power supply. They get shipments from whatever manufacturer, and stick a "Rosewill" sticker on it. So you never know if you're getting a good PSU or a crappy PSU. It's completely hit-and-miss. You roll the dice. You're lucky you got a good one. Next guy could get a bucket of junk, but they're all "Rosewill". Not sure if you guys are aware, but Rosewill is outsourced no-names.

So I'd rather not roll the dice for just $40 more or so. Peace of mind and quality system is worth that extra bit of money. If I'm gonna take a chance, I'd rather drop that $40 on RED on the roulette table.....my odds are better than what I MIGHT get with a Rosewill.  

Rosewill = roulette
OCZ, Seasonic, Thermaltake, FSP, Tagan, PCPW, Enermax = sure bet. At least you know what you're getting.

Don't for get pc power and cooling, and silverstone isn't a bad brand either, but those are about it, I wouldn't push a hiper in there like the other dewd said

What would you say about this one?

ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT ATX12V 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

How bad is it to have the fan in the PSU pointing down towards the CPU? Or is the airflow going the oppsite direction?

The reason to suggest Hiper is because it can be had for $80, and it's a stable, reliable PSU. If you want to spend $50 more, of course you can have a better power supply--but in a $750 build, that may not be an option (or a necessity).

The PSU fan is an intake fan, not an exhaust fan   Exhausts out the rear of the case. So it's supposed to point downward, otherwise it would be pressed tight against the top of the case and would overheat in no time flat.

Enermax Liberty.....excellent choice there.


AeroB has a good point.....he's trying to stick to the budget. I guess my point was that breaking the budget a bit might be a wise investment of money in order to ensure quality system stability. His suggestion of Hiper is a good balance between quality and budget. So it depends if you can spend the extra or not really.

No, trust me, the enermax soldevi suggested is far more stable adn worth the money