My 500$ System (Need HELP)

[jeremyx1307]

Hey there,
I am building a Super low cost gaming pc for about 500$ and would like to get some opinions,
The Hardware i picked is meant to be overclocked to match a 1000$+ (Non overclocked) System And run the latest games on Playable speed.

Not sure about the MOBO, anyone has any suggestions?

The Parts :

Mobo : GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX

Processor : Intel Dual-Core E2160

Video Card : MSI OC GeForce 8600GT 256MB

Ram : WINTEC AMPO 2GB DDR 800 (PC2 6400)

Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM

Case : COOLER MASTER Centurion 5

Power Supple : COOLER MASTER eXtreme RP-500

Total =

500$

 

[Madrox]

if you want to save more money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147064
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147077

About video, idk why anyone would pay money for a MSI VIDEO card, anyways 8600's are not GREAT gaming cards. they are if not already outdated, They will be in a few months.

Save up more money and get a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130038

 

[Madrox]

Honestly m8 i would say, save up another 500$ and build yourself a machine you could OC to the quality of a 1500-2000$ PC

The motherboard is ok
That memory is iffy
Processor is gonna need to be OC'ed to 3GHz to be useful, will be outdated very quick. also if your gonna OC the CPU your gonna need to invest in a better cooler than STOCK.

 

[jeremyx1307]

if you want to save more money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147064
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147077

About video, idk why anyone would pay money for a MSI VIDEO card, anyways 8600's are not GREAT gaming cards. they are if not already outdated, They will be in a few months.

Save up more money and get a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130038

The cases are only 20$ cheaper, The video card (8800 GTS) Is not useful for me, i am not a heavy gamer
I picked the 8600 GT because when overclocked it will last for a few years running the latest games which is enough for my self.

Honestly m8 i would say, save up another 500$ and build yourself a machine you could OC to the quality of a 1500-2000$ PC

The motherboard is ok
That memory is iffy
Processor is gonna need to be OC'ed to 3GHz to be useful, will be outdated very quick. also if your gonna OC the CPU your gonna need to invest in a better cooler than STOCK.

New hardware goes out all the time and anything you buy WILL be outdated eventually, I ask my self
Is there a point in buying the latest proccssor or video card ? No, Because a 500$ Machine will run the latest games on playable speed and quallity, Spending +500$ to get a few more fps or getting your computer to run a little faster aint worth it in my opinion.

 

[Gravemind123]

The processor is fine, the motherboard is good, stable and a decent overclocker, and you don't need a 3Ghz overclock to be useful, my stock E4400 runs games just fine, and that's only 2Ghz. For the video card, a 7900GS or X1950Pro are in the same price range as most 8600s and should offer better performance. The 7900GS is a great overclocker, and if you want to tweak it even more, very easy to voltmod. The X1950Pro is a stronger stock performer, but doesn't seem to have as good of overclocking results in general when compared to a 7900GS.

 

[maverick7]

The processor is fine, the motherboard is good, stable and a decent overclocker, and you don't need a 3Ghz overclock to be useful, my stock E4400 runs games just fine, and that's only 2Ghz. For the video card, a 7900GS or X1950Pro are in the same price range as most 8600s and should offer better performance. The 7900GS is a great overclocker, and if you want to tweak it even more, very easy to voltmod. The X1950Pro is a stronger stock performer, but doesn't seem to have as good of overclocking results in general when compared to a 7900GS.

QFT, i say go with a 1900 or whichever variant u can afford.

 

[lunyone]

Hey there,
I am building a Super low cost gaming pc for about 500$ and would like to get some opinions,
The Hardware i picked is meant to be overclocked to match a 1000$+ (Non overclocked) System And run the latest games on Playable speed.

Not sure about the MOBO, anyone has any suggestions?

The Parts :

Mobo : GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX

Processor : Intel Dual-Core E2160

Video Card : MSI OC GeForce 8600GT 256MB

Ram : WINTEC AMPO 2GB DDR 800 (PC2 6400)

Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM

Case : COOLER MASTER Centurion 5

Power Supple : COOLER MASTER eXtreme RP-500

Total =

500$

CPU looks good. I would get a different more up to date p35 mobo, so you can drop in Penryn chip in a year or so.
CPU - $80 shipped e2160
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23881

Mobo - $98 shipped - $20 MIR (if you trust MIR’s) = $78 Hard to beat at this price.
ABIT IP35-E INTEL P35 CHIPSET ATX FORM FACTOR 1xPCI-E(X16)/2xPCI-E(X1)/3xPCI/4xDDR2 W/SATA2,LAN(Gb),USB 2.0 & AUDIO
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23929

PSU - $60 shipped Hard to beat at this price
Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

Case - $40 shipped - $10 MIR = $30!! Can’t beat the quality and price on this one.
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119115

Any of these will do quite well, even for OC'ing
Memory - $102 shipped - $40 MIR = $62!! Solid performing CAS 4 DDR2
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

Memory - $110 shipped - $47 MIR = $63!! Good OC’ing RAM + CAS 4 too.
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

Memory - $93 shipped - $30 MIR = $63!! CAS 4 and good RAM
GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144062

HDD - $49 shipped Basic needs here, price point needed to fit budget
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231

GPU - $141 shipped Best Bang for the buck on DX 9, Also 7900gs would be good too.
SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102061

This would put you right at the ~$500 price range after MIR's. You could drop the DDR2 down to 1 gig (not recommended unless your on Windows XP), and save about $40 off of the price above. If you went the AMD way, you would probably save about $30-50 difference, but wouldn't be able to OC like the Intel chip can, so your decision.

My 2cp's

 

[Noya]

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-450w-power-supply/q/loc/101/205466485.html
Easily the best power supply for $65 shipped...I have one myself.

As others have commented, the 8600gt is kind of...weak. Don't expect it to run DX10 settings at playable frame-rates.
This x1950pro is a great deal at $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161060
Or a much better looking cooler for $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161092
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161088

Or the 8600GTS at $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127302
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122026

 

[lunyone]

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-450w-power-supply/q/loc/101/205466485.html
Easily the best power supply for $65 shipped...I have one myself.

I was going that way, but it's $75 shipped unless you get the google checkout. It's got good reviews and can handle a 8800gtx!! I think just last month there was a $10 or $20 MIR on that PSU, which would make it a better buy than the 430 Antec that I quoted above.

 

[tlmck]

I second the Corsair PSU, and the 2gb lunyone's 2gb RAM choices. I also offer up this MB option. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128062

It is a poor man's P35(P31), and will do Penryn also.