Hello Folks - I am completely new to this forum.

I need advice on building a n extreme budget PC that would let me play games like THE WITCHER, HL episode 2, HELLGATE, COD4, OVERLORD, STALKER. Now I would like to hold on to my sound card , CD/DVD drives, casing, PSU if possible. Processor, MB, memory and video card are the things that I will be changing. Unfortunately, my max budget is AUD$ 500! (australian dollars). I am tolerant to the 1024*768 res and do not always want blazing graphics. I also don't overclock. I just want another year of gaming from my new rig.

My current PC is like this:

1) Athlon 2.5 Ghz XP+
2) ASUS A78NX motherboard
3) I GB generic RAM
4)75 GB HDD
5) ASUS 6600GT 256 MB AGP card
6) Audigy LS
7) A generic 500W power supply
8) WIN XP sp2

Its not much but has given me 2-3 years of sporadic and decent gaming. (U guys r laughing by now - right?)
I am confused as to the realm of c2d, quad core, Intel or AMD (though I am personally soft towards AMD). I will b getting my stuff from chinese run shops in Australia, so 500 aussie should about cover my dementia. So guys, PLZ ADVISE! What should it be? INTEL or ATHLON? AGP or PCIE? Suggest the power supply; the memory and motherboard also.

Here's an available price list
=====================

PROCESSORS
-------------
E2140 / E2160
79 / 93
E4500 / E4600
148 / 169
E6550 / E6750 / E6850
205 / 228 / 325


AMD Athlon64 AM2 940pin CPU (Genuine Retail Box)
AM2 x2 4000+ / 4200+ / 4400+
80 / 90 / 104
AM2 x2 4800+ / 5000+
121 / 134
AM2 x2 5200+-2M /5600+-2M /6000+-2M
145/168/185


MEMORY
---------
512M-800 Generic-Retail
19
1G-800 Transcend-Retail /Apacer-Retail
30 / 30
1G-800 KINGMAX / A-DATA(Hynix) / Samsung
30/31/34
2G Kit-800 (2x1G) Apacer
78
2G Kit-800 (2x1G) A-DATA–Heat Spreader
83
1G DDR2 1066 PQA “HOT”“HOT”
45
512M-667 Generic/Kingston/Corsair/Samsung
27/30/30/30
1G-667 Generic/Transcend/Apacer/Samsung
30/30/30/34
1G-667 Kingston / Corsair
31 / 34
High Speed “A grade” Flash Memory
155
2G-667 A-DATA(Samsung) / Kingston
69 / 119
1G Kit-667(2x512M) Corsair /Kingston
60 / 60
2G Kit-667(2x1G) Kingston / Corsair
62 / 65
4G Kit-667 (2x2G) Kingston
245

AGP slot
--------

128M FX5200 Inno3D / Sparkle // 256M Sparkle 6200A
34 / 40 / 58
512M Inno3D 7300GT
89
256M 7600GS Inno3D // 512M 7600GS Inno3D
105 / 121

PCIE
-----

128MB 7200GS Generic / ASUS
33 / 45
256MB 7200GS ECS / 256MB 7300GS ECS
49 / 50
256MB ECS 7600GT // 512MB ECS 7600GS
109 // 75
256MB 8400GS ECS /Leadtek /Gigabyte /ASUS
49 / 58 / 58 / 58
256MB 8500GT Generic /ECS /G-B /Asus /Leadtek
92/92/92/92/99
512MB 8500GT Generic /Asus /Gigabyte /Leadtek
88 / 96 / 96 / 104
256MB 8600GT Gerneric /Gigabyte/Asus/Leadtek
122/135/135/135
512MB 8600GT Generic /Gigabyte /Asus /Leadtek
122/138/138/138
256M 8600GTS Generic /Leadtek /Asus /Gigabyte
194/202/202/202
320MB 8800GTS Generic /Gigabyte/Leadtek/ASUS
292/302/302/302
640M 8800GTS Generic/Leadtek /Gigabyte /ASUS
452/489/499/499
768MB 8800GTX Generic/Gigabyte/ASUS/Leadtek
649/687/687/702
768M 8800Ultra Generic /Leadtek /Gigabyte /ASUS
849/970/970/985


128M ASUS X1050
39
256M 2400XT Gecube / XpertVision
87 / 87
512M X2600Pro Generic / Gigabyte
93 / 128
512M X26600XT Generic
153


MOTHERBOARD
---------------

Gigabyte VM900M All-In-One
59
Gigabyte 945GCM-S2L/G31MX-S2 A-I-O
59 / 94
ASUS P5GC-MX/1333 (v3.02) All-In-One
61
ASUS P5KPL-VM All-In-One
94
Asus F3SV-136G T7500/2GB/200GB/15.4”/11G/VUltima
1999
ASUS P5KPL G31
99
ASUS P5K-SE
115
ASUS P5K 1394
145
ASUS P5K-E-WiFi
203
ASUS P5K Deluxe WIFI 1394
275
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi 1394
285
ASUS P5E-X38 / Striker Extreme
289 / 399
Gigabyte P31-S3L
99

G-B P35-S3L / P35-DS3L / P35-DS3
120/125/131
Gigabyte P35-DS3R / P35C-DS3R
157 / 165
Gigabyte P35-DS3P(Pro)
168
Gigabyte P35-DS4 / P35-DQ6
215 / 269
Gigabyte X38-DS5 / X38-DQ6
309 / 345

Ok people - I am in your able hands now. Laugh away and help me out!

Cheers!

I'd Get

Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad ---> E6850
2GB Memory minimum ---> Corsair Dominator 2GB 800mhz
Nvidia 8800 series ---> 8800GTX 768MB
500W Power Supply ---> Thermaletake Purepower 500W W0100RU
680I chipset mobo ---> Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6

1) Learn To OC :> Sorry to say it, but on your budget you will need to learn how to do it. It's not hard or dangerous to your system nor does it involve any extra costs for cooling, etc....

2) For the Cards Listed, the 8600GTS is the min. card you can get. The 1950pro is likely a better option but was not listed.

3) You will need 2gb of DDR2 RAM - Preferably DDR2800 (DDR2667 if Intel and not OCing.)

4) Get at least a 450w PSU & make sure its not garbage. See JonnyGuru.Com for quick lookup of PSUs.

5) AMD chips will give you better bang for the buck if not OCing, but none of the chips you can select will run all that great on clock in your price range.

Thank you very much for your input, NeouxBlu1. However, ur suggestions overshoot the budget. Also, availability becomes an issue.

Thanks again.

Thanks Zenmaster for ur insight.
I have never OC-ed. Any sites that can give me OC 101?
So, u r suggesting a PCIE card? What motherboard do u suggest?

You can find a great overclocking guide here: http://forums.legitreviews.com/pos [...] ide#p76941

You definitely need a PCI-E card, yes. Get an 8800GT if you can swing it. It outperforms the GTS and is cheaper.

You can find some decent prices on P35 motherboards...here is one example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059

Look into at least a tier 2 PSU like a Corsair HX520w or even the 550VX.

A fellow aussie, don't worry, I feel your pain. Prices here suck.

Remove the AGP cards (and AGP motherboards) from the list, there is NO reason you would get one in a new system, more expensive for the same card as a PCIe one, and limited range and upgradeability. Even harder to find is an AGP motherboard, which will disappear altogether soon I'd say, at least there will be no new ones.

I'd suggest:

CPU - E2160

Motherboard - P35-DS3L

Video card - Hard decision, but an x1950 pro is about the same price as the 2600XTs you listed ($150-160), and I have found 2600XTs nearly $40 cheaper in Australia.

Power supply (PSU) - Pretty hard to get decent cheap ones in aus, take a photo of the sticker on yours and we can see if you need to replace it or not. If need be, the corsair VX-450 is an excellent choice, there is no need for a HX-520 for a budget system like this.

RAM - Any 2gb set of the cheapest DDR2-800 you can find. DDR2-667 is only a bit cheaper, and if you do overclock, you will need higher quality stuf. You won't even be able to reach full DDR2-800 speeds if you run the RAM (jargon alert, look up those guides ) 1:1 with the FSB, and therefore you can buy cheap stuff and tighten the timings.

Without the PSU, getting under $500 is pretty easy. Once you throw in a PSU, you start making things difficult. I'd look at trying to get an x1950 pro if you can, but we need to see that power supply sticker.

Hope this helps

Thanks a lot frm the bottom of my heart, ibleet and randomizer.

ibleet: I am not to keen on overclocking and I truly don't want to. Mostly I am happy with games at 1024*768.

randomizer: wud the e2160 cut the games of today like COD4, mate? U r suggesting the radeon chipset gpu not nvidia? Let me get back on the PSU. I am using a 500W SHAW power supply that I got for 25$! Thanks on the motherboard choice. I quite did not get the RAM jargon bit :-)

So talk 2 u guys laters. Thanks again.

Guys one mor ething - wud I need 2 change the casing as well for the PCIE card and the PSU?

My $.02. Sell what you have. Take that money add to what you have then build a Socket 775 system with PCI-E GPU, and DDR2 Ram. Only thing I would keep is your XP copy, case, and CD/DVD drives. You should be able to have a nice system, that will be upgradable for some time.

First off I'd go Intel right now. For gaming save money on the CPU to get a better video card. I'd get the Core Duo 2100 series around $75. If you want better the Q66xx series quad cores are what I'd take. They are great for only under $300. Gaming video card is a breeze....the GeForce 8800GT. I'd get 2GB of RAM. The cheapest DDR2-800 that is name brand and lifetime warranty. OCZ, Corsair, Geil, etc... Can be had for under $100. Harddrive I'd go for a Seagate 400GB or so SATA2. Seagate has the best warranty and quality drive. Get a SATA DVD-RW. Pioneer is good. Power supply, get a good Modular one....the Corsair 550W is not bad and was going for $69 with mail in rebate. Look at modulars 550-650W and choose by brand and price. DOn't go for a no name brand. Silverstone, Antec, Corsair, Enermax, etc.... they all make good PSU. Case doesn't matter...it's jsut a place to screw all the peices together. But the Antec 900 gamer's case is nice. Also the SIlverstone HTPC cases are good and can be rack mounted. Get what you like in a case and buy the PSU seperate so you don't end up with garbage. Last thing is Motherboard. Abit is the only brand I consider. Best warranty, support, web page, etc.... After 20 years I will still only use Abit and have been since their first board in 1998. The IP35E is a good board at a great price. No need for a sound card with an ultra budget system...use onboard sound for now. Good luck. I hope this gives you some guidance.

I would go for if less than $500... from umart.com.au

Foxconn GF8600GTS 256M - $180
AMD AM2 6000+ - $185
2G Generic DDR2-800 RAM - $58
Albatron KM61S-AM2 Mobo - $69

Keep all your other existing parts, Your case will most likely be ok and your PSU will probably be ok for this setup, however with $8 spare change & you might get $50-$100 selling your old parts....you can get a new PSU if you have too

Thanks 2 every1. So far I am only decided on the motherB which is
ASUS p35-DS3L @ 125$AUD.
2G generic DDR2 800 RAM

COnfused abt processor and PCIE card.

Chickenfillet - any ideas where I can sell off my old parts?

Thanx!

Xanadu, you could sell on ebay...

check this build -> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] tist-parts

That reminds me. If you are using a PATA (fat ribbon cable) hard drive and cd/dvd-rom drive, then you have a problem. Most (if not all) new motherboards only have one PATA port, meaning both would need to be on the same cable. Bad bad bad bad bad. The whole channel will be slowed down because of the hopelessly slow technology that is optical drives. This will decrease hard drive performance. This is the predicament I'm in at the moment. Of course, if either your optical or hard drive (or both) is SATA , then theres no problem at all.

Now, the E2160, although not a performance chip, will obliterate your XP. The very fact that it has two cores (and all recent and new games are multi-threaded) will mean it is leagues ahead. A quad is just too expensive and already digs over half way through your budget. Since this is a budget build, the processor is not as important, you want to save your money for a card, and there aren't any really good ones until you reach the $130-150 mark.

The 8600GTS, although now trading blows with the x1950 pro, is more expensive. The 2600XT is about as low as I'd go for a gaming build, and is usually a bit behind the previously mentioned cards, though it can get very close in some games.

The suggestion to sell your old parts is good, though I'm not sure how much you'd get.

Really do need to know how much power that PSU can provide, and it's not an easy thing to find on the net. Being a 500W PSU means nothing, and I'm not going to go into more jargon about combined 12V rails, it would be easier if you posted a photo of the label

@gondo: Dude, there is no way all that is going to come under $500. And mail-in rebates? If you find an Aussie store that does mail-in rebates you let me know k?

WOE is me randomizer ...

And to think I don't want CRYSIS; just the latest releases of THE WITCHER, COD4, OVERLORD, HELLGATE HL epi2 @ a decent res (not over 1024*768). And no overclocking too.

I mayb able to squeeze in an 8600 GTS or GT - which do u suggest?

With the ram, MB, processor and a 8600 GT or GTS - my pricing comes close to 500$. I cud mayb put in a PSU. But the the new predicament - is daunting!

AAARGGGHHHH!

E2160 processor overclocked. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/c [...] e2160.html
X1950 pro PCIe vid card if available.
2gb Kit Kingston or Corsair DDR2 800
Gigabyte P35 DS3L
Corsair 450vx power supply if available.

The above vid card assumes you will be keeping Windows XP. No DX10 card needed for XP.

That's another issue - DX 9 card or a DX 10 card?

ok -

ASUS p35 D3SL
2G DDR2 800 RAM
DX9 card - PCIE 8600GTS (GTS or GT guys?); the 8800 GTS is too expensive!
Shud I stick to the e2160? I seriously cannot overclock!

Let me get back 2 u on the existing PSU and the PATA issue. At the moment I am out of the city. So, when I am back, I will holler at u guys.
I hope the PATA issue doesn't hold true 4 me. That wud mean HDD change!

CRUUUD!