$500 Gaming Build + NEED EVERYTHING!

[qmalik]

Hey Guys,

A friend of mine has $500 and wants to play Age of Conan when it comes out. He asked me to build him a PC with $500...but he needs everything (monitor, keyboard, sound card, speakers, mice, etc.)! Can u guys help me out...this budget is tight for everything...but possible imo.

What I am thinking so far:

8800GTS 512 mb = $170
4gb ram = $65
e2180 = $70
Mobo = $50
Case = $50

hmm.....help me out here...links?

 

[englandr753]

Are you reusing some other items?

Operating system? Windows XP?

Go for 1 or 2 gigs of memory. 25-30 for 1g, 40-50 for 2g.

Keyboard, mouse, monitor?

You need a power supply. You can cut it with a 50.00 psu but be careful what you select. You need to find good brands with a rebate and free shipping.

Id go with a cheaper video card. Ive seen the 9600GT for 129.99.

Tell us what you are reusing, if you have an operating system already. If you need literally everything then you will need to cut down to bare minimums on the parts you have listed.

Let us know and we can give you a more educated and helpful answer...

 

[leo2kp]

What OS? Also, use onboard sound. More suggestions once you tell us what OS he'll be running.

 

[qmalik]

the only thing my friend has is Vista OS (he can also get XP)...that is it...he has been using a laptop for a while, and realizes Age of Conan can not work on it.

OS = Vista or XP...he has both.

he has nothing else as of now... (>.<)

He just wants the best gaming experience he can get for $500...so i think a small HD, onboard sound - sound good.

 

[roadrunner197069]

LOL forget about it. $500 for a tower sure. Not for everything, especially not for AOC. Tell him to mow some lawns and get about 3-400 more dollars.

 

[qmalik]

LOL forget about it. $500 for a tower sure. Not for everything, especially not for AOC. Tell him to mow some lawns and get about 3-400 more dollars.

it should be possible..the only real issue is the monitor...sooo...tower + monitor = $500...everything else cost like nothing.

 

[nickc07]

I am going to make a pretty bold statement. **Putting on flame suit** I dont think it can be done.

You need to post the specs for Age of Conan. I myself will be playing it but cant think of the specs needed. Something like 2GB ram, 30GB hard drive space, 7600GT or better, C2D 2.0GHz.


The need of a monitor really kills him IMO. It might almost be better to look for a dell or something similar then add in a GFX card.

I am going to look everything up on newegg now but good luck.

 

[qmalik]

AoC Specs

Minimum configuration (1024x768, detail reduced)

* OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista
* Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3Ghz or equivalent
* RAM: 1GB
* Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better
* Video memory: 128MB
* DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive
* HARD DRIVE SPACE: 30GB

Recommended configuration (Up to 1280X960, most features on)

* OS: Windows XP SP 2 or Windows Vista
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent
* RAM: 2048MB Dual Channel DDR2
* Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or equivalent
* Video memory: 512MB
* DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive
* HARD DRIVE SPACE: 30GB

PS: He just told me he is going to *try* to get a free monitor from a friend...he hasn't asked yet...nor sure if he can get it.

 

[nickc07]

Ok I am sticking with my statement. It CANNOT be done with new parts. If he wants to find an old used CRT monitor for like $20 from a thift store maybe. The cheapest monitor I could find was a 17" CRT for $90 but shipping is like $29 on those.

Try looking at sites like Dell, Gateway, eMachine, etc.... I know these PCs are complete CRAP!!! but thats the only way he might be able to pull this off.

 

[qmalik]

alrighty....for now...lets pretend its $500 tower only....since he thinks he can get the rest for free from a friends....so best gaming pc for $500? comments/suggestions/ideas?

 

[WR2]

8800GTS 512 is wishful thinking on that budget.
E2160 $68
GigaByte GA-P31 S3G $65
SuperTalent 2GB DDR2 800 RAM $40
WD 120GB HD $46
LiteOn SATA DVD-ROM $18
XFX 8800GS 384MB $100 after $30 rebate
Enermax Vostok case & 400W PSU $45 (after $25 rebate)
Samsung 920NW 19" WS LCD $170 after $30 rebate

Thats $552 without keyboard/mouse/speakers.

 

[aziraphale]

PC for 500$; get a Dell.
Gaming PC for 500$; Can't be done, unless you buy a used one off ebay and consider playing games that are 2 years old... Sorry.

 

[nickc07]

Ok this is what I just came up with not perfect but you can make some adjustments:

Mobo - $50 there are about 20-30 different ones you cane pick on newegg. Just make sure its 775, PCIEx16, DDR2 800
Case - $25 again just pick one. He wont be able to get a nice case on a small budget.
PSU - $50 dont feel like researching because you need to make sure you have quality power. Quality > Quantity.
CPU - $68 E2160
GPU - $180 8800GT 512MB
Ram - $46 OCZ 2GB DDR2 800 CAS 4
HD - $35 80GB
DVD - $35 pick brand you like.

Total $489

 

[nickc07]

One other quick thought.

Why has you friend decided just now to play this game? Its been in the making for a long time and most people knew the requirements were going to be high. He shouldve planned better to have more money for the PC.

BUT!!!!!

He can always donate plasma for money.....
Now that everyone is done laughing I am serious. Most places give you about $25 for donating can take 30 minutes - 2 hours depending on wait. You can donate every 2 days unlike giving blood that is once every 6 weeks. With 12 days before release he should be able to get another $150 towards that PC.

 

[leo2kp]

Best case scenario, he will be barely scraping by on "recommended" performance for $500. He'll probably have to tone down the graphics a bit but it should be ok.

ATOP AT-AP103WBB Black SGCC steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$39.99

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $47.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$69.99

EVGA 512-P3-N861-AR GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
$149.99

Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
$64.99

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM
$21.99

GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop $40.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model
$66.00


Subtotal: $501.93



AMD rig but you can try to OC it to 3GHz. Use XP with 2GB RAM, use onboard sound, and get a free monitor. Should be good to go.

 

[englandr753]

Remember, we are going on the ULTRA cheap!! Some of these prices have rebates and that will bring him down closer to his target price afterwards. So he needs to be prepared to spend a little more to save. He also needs to ask for an advance on his allowance for the difference.


CPU: 67.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116036

Motherboard: 58.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128076

Power Supply: 50.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153028

Case: 37.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147086

Memory: 24.00 (2 x 1G)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

DVD Burner: 35.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156

Hard Drive: 55.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136226

CPU Cooler:18.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835101012

Keyboard: 13.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823174010

Mouse: 11.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826193002


Video Card: 99.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3592053&Sku=P450-8826

Monitor: 20.00
I would go to the local good will and get a flat crt monitor for 20.00 to make do until he can get more money for a decent monitor. Take a power cable with you to test before you buy!

Total including shipping but excluding rebates: 488.00
There were a lot of good rebates to mail back in so it will probably be around 750.00 payout and you will get the difference back in 6-8 weeks.

You can trim a little fat off what I suggested but it will likely be lesser quality and slower system.

Going with the cheapest everything will lead to problems and higher cost down the road to replace what goes bad and what else it takes with it...

 

[leo2kp]

Some people can't afford to spend $700 or even $900 off the bat. I'm guessing he has $500 and no more than that.

 

[sciggy]

Do you live near a fry's? They commonly do mobo+cpu combos for real cheap. Had one in the paper with a C2D 6550 + ECS mobo for ~$160. Right there in the range as a few other builds here for a mobo and cpu. Would be worth looking at. The rest is going to have to be bare bones, and just upgrade the video card later on down the line because you'd have a decent setup otherwise.

tigerdirect has a few good barebones kits http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...tails.asp?EdpNo=3825382&body=MAIN#detailspecs throw a decent video card in there and you are set with a pretty good system(or deal with onboard graphics) its not the same as putting it all together yourself, but it would work.

 

[leo2kp]

And I forgot to add a DVD-RW...psh.

 

[englandr753]

I know some people cant afford to spend extra to save on the rebates. This is an option he can look at and if theres any way he can make it happen then he will get a much better system than a dell for gaming and a much more dependable system than buying the items that only cost 500.00 up front.

This would be the least recommended way to do it IMO. You still have good brand core components that the system depends on to run. Not the best case, keyboard or mouse but it works until he can get some spare change to upgrade later.

IF he has the OS then this would be very doable...

Got it down to 525.00 after rebates, shipping and including the thrift store crt monitor.

 

[englandr753]

Trimmed down to 488.00 after rebates & shipping.

 

[bushmastertd]

Here is what i came up with. This is not kick a$$ by any means but you wanted 500.00, so here it is....

DVD Burner 23.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106079

Case 34.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811164004

Hard Drive 44.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136225

Monitor 89.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009140

Mobo 44.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138052

Video Card 54.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130025

Speakers 9.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121127

Keyboard/mouse 13.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126017

RAM 44.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

CPU 59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103239

SHIPPING to my area (Dont know where you are) 67.47

Grand total: $490.37

Now this is by no means a hot rod.... sort of a pinto by gamer standards but should get teh job done. And remember it will be a gamble on teh PSU

 

[frickindan]

This is something I was just researching on my own and came across this post, so I figured I'd respond with what I cam up with. Everything i have listed here is from newegg.com. All but two items have free shipping right now as well. I hate paying for shipping so that did factor in to some of my choices, but not many really. There is also a $30 mail in rebate on the video card, so that'll help a little, but the final price doesn't take that $30 off.

I went with the antec case here because first off I have had no problems with any of the antec cases I've done builds with and I know antec makes good psu's. This case comes with the Antec EarthWatts 500 psu which is 80+ certified as well. That psu alone is $90 on newegg. I have worked with older models of this case as well and it's not bad at all. I'm also an nvidia fan so that's why I went with the 8600GT which should be able to handle that game fairly well. If you wanted to go a little better with the graphics, I'd say to go with an EVGA 8800GTS that newegg has for $150 with a $30 mail in rebate taking it down to $120.

Here is the link to all of the items listed below. https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...ishListNumber=6462925&WishListTitle=Budget+PC



Budget PC

1 Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - $129.95

1 MSI P6NGM-L LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce7050 / nForce610i Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$49.99

1 EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Mail-in Rebate $30.00 After rebate price $49.99
$79.99

1 Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2180 - Retail
$71.99

1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $44.99

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$64.99

1 Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM
$21.99

1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DH-20A4H-06 - OEM
$29.99

Subtotal: $493.88 +$14.01 shipping = $507.89

 

[englandr753]

Thats good info but you need to post links to the items (copy and paste) so they can click and go directly to them. Manually finding them wont be easy for everyone and most likely wont happen.

Go get the thrift store monitor, add 20.00. I take it the cpu is boxed and comes with a cpu cooler? I think but I thought Id ask anyway.


Use the hard drive I found:

Hard Drive: 55.00 (active link above)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136226

That would make it 497.89, target aquired.

I still recommend my first suggestion if theres any way you can talk someone to help pay the difference and wait for the rebate checks to come back. You need a better video card if you are going to play games and be satisfied, IMO. This will "work" and will get you within your budget without going over so the decision is yours, or your buddies.

 

[qmalik]

wow awesome guys! not bad at all....some really nice builds here for $500...im going to look into all the parts you all found and see what i come up with. ill post back later..a lil buzy right now.

keep the ideas/builds coming! need to find some amazing deals ^^