Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Advice on budget gaming system
Ask the community Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
fleener   09-10-2008 at 02:12:59 AM

Long time reader, first time poster

I'm in the process of building a new computer. This is my second build, so any advice would be appreciated. It will mostly be used for gaming (Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, and some older games). I do plan on overclocking a bit, but nothing too serious.

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit (Already Own)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower (Already Own)
CPU: Core 3 Duo E8400
Motherboard: Asus P5Q intel p45 chipset https://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusear [...] ia=BA25039
Memory: Corsair Dominator 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066Mhz
Graphics Card: XFX Geforce 8800GT 512MB Zalman edition (Already Own)
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-750TX
CPU Fans: Either the Asus V-60 or Arctic Freezer 7 pro
DVD Drives: 2x Lite-on 20x dvd-r SATA (Already Own)
Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB 7200 SATA hard drive (Already Own)

Since I'm really only purchasing a new mobo, cpu, psu, and memory, the total comes out to about ~$550 after rebates.

Do you guys think that this setup will last me a while? Will I get pretty good fps in a lot of the newer games?

The memory may be overkill, but right now it's only $110 after rebate, which is pretty cheap for high end memory.

I put down 2 CPU fans because I originally wanted the Arctic Freezer 7 pro, but then I thought I may buy the motherboard and cpu from mwave, and have them assemble/test it. So I figured I would buy the CPU fan from mwave also so they could assemble it, but they didn't have the Arctic Freezer 7 pro. After looking on mwave, the Asus V-60 seemed nice for the price, and had good reviews.

I'd appreciate any help or comments I can get. If you have any questions or need any links, just ask. Thank you.


Message edited by fleener on 09-10-2008 at 02:14:15 AM
Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
dirtmountain   09-10-2008 at 02:34:56 AM
- 0 +

Way overkill on the power supply, any good 450w-500w (Corsair, Antec, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ) would be fine for that system. I'd suggest any good DDR2 800 RAM 1.8v
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewpro [...] DDR2+Value
Get the E8500 for $189
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Skusear [...] ia=BA24502

Reply to dirtmountain
modode   09-10-2008 at 04:42:12 AM
- 0 +

Your gaming framerates with that system will depend on what size monitor/resolution you try to play, and with what game/settings.

My guess is with a 22'' or smaller monitor, your framerates would be acceptable with almost all games (certainly the ones you mentioned) on high to max settings.

Agree the PSU is overkill (though a nice unit).

Not a fan of that dominator RAM. The heatsinks get in the way, and the voltage can cause boot problems initially with a lot of mobos. Prefer this (a screaming bargain given the specs):
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731

Reply to modode
billin30   09-10-2008 at 05:05:52 AM
- 0 +

Just a thought, but you could go with an nvidia board and then pick up another 8800 GT and SLI it up. Lot of people talk down on the nvidia boards, but I have the XFX 680i LT board and I have had no problems with it. I even replaced the Northbridge fan with a heatsink, and I did not do it gently either, and the thing pulled through just fine. Boots fast, OC my Q6600 to 3.0 and runs my SLI nicely.

Get some 800 Mhz RAM from OCZ, I think those platinum ones are good, I have the SLI ones. I have those OCed a bit too, to like 860 or something like that.

Now you can get a better board like the regular 680i or the 7xxi boards and they are probably good too. Just find one comparable to the price of that ASUS board.

If you SLI, the PSU is excellent, otherwise get that 610W PCP&C one and it will keep ya covered. Good CPU too, OC it and yer golden.

------------------------------ Intel Q6600 @ 3.0 GHz, Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7, NZXT Apollo, OCZ GameXStream 850W PSU, 8800GTS 512 SLI, XFX 680i LT SLI, 4 GB OCZ SLI 5-5-5-15-2T, Seagate Barracuda 250 GB, WD 640 GB, Windows 7 Pro 64
 Reply to billin30
fleener   09-10-2008 at 05:31:45 AM
- 0 +

Thanks for all the quick responses.

I have 2 19" LCD monitors, both at 1280 x 1024. And I usually game at the same resolution.

I had SLI before I purchased the 8800gt, and didn't like it. The performance was nice, but I use dual monitors, and without doing some pretty big tweaks, I couldn't use both monitors while SLI was running.

Currently I have the Antec Neo Power 500w power supply. Do you think that will power the system well enough after overclocking a bit? Just worried because of all the case fans, and then overclocking it.

And yea I'll look into different ram. I just saw the dominator ram was on sale and had a $40 rebate included, making it just above $100.

Reply to fleener
megamanx00   09-10-2008 at 06:03:46 AM
- 0 +

Yeah that Antec power supply will more than cover it. You shouldn't need to upgrade it until you get a more power hungry card like an nVidia 280 or a Radeon 4870X2. Good choice on the mother board, that Linux boot is a cool feature :sol: I'd rather just install linux though, SuSE 11 is what I use on my linux system. 4GB of RAM is not overkill for a 64-bit system since you will be using all that RAM sooner than you think.

Personally I say go with a 770X based board and an AMD Athlon 5600+ or Phenom 9550 on a budget build.

------------------------------ Playing X-Men Origins: Wolverine Athlon 64 X2 5000+ @3.24 Brisbane | GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 | 4GB Mushkin DDR2 1066 | Plextor 760A| 2x 3850 512M CF| WD 1TB Black| Fortron Blue Storm II 500W | APEVIA X-Dreamer Black | Win XP Pro & Vista Buisness 32bit
 Reply to megamanx00
INSPECTOR71   09-10-2008 at 06:51:16 PM
- 0 +

I would go with the amd athlon 6000 windsor, I just built my new computer a few weeks ago with it and i am getting solid speed of 3.300 ghz and the cpu is only around $110 dollars. Cant go wrong......great product, price, and reviews also. May even be cheaper now haven't check the price in a few weeks.


Message edited by INSPECTOR71 on 09-10-2008 at 06:52:49 PM
Reply to INSPECTOR71
Wanker79   09-10-2008 at 10:11:58 PM
- 0 +

If the E8400 fits in the budget, definitely don't drop down to the x2 5600+ or even the X2 6000+. Dollar for dollar, the 6000+ is a better performance/price ratio, but the E8400 is without a doubt a faster processor. I'd only recommend AMD builds for fairly tight budgets (which your's doesn't seem to be).

I'm starting to feel like a whore for recommending that mushkin 2x2GB 5-4-4-12@1.8V DDR2 800 RAM (already mentioned by modode), but for the price you really can't ask for anything better.

Reply to Wanker79
Silver Home Brew badge shortstuff_mt   09-10-2008 at 11:26:59 PM
- 0 +

I would definitely stick with the E8400. If you start to go over budget, the E7200 is only $120 and would be far better than anything AMD currently offers.

I don't have anything against AMD. I really hope they come out with some products that can compete soon so I can support them. The sad fact is that right now they just plain can't compete in the mid/high end arena.

**Puts on anti-flame suit**

Reply to shortstuff_mt
Wanker79   09-11-2008 at 03:16:17 PM
- 0 +

Actually, the difference between the E7200 and the X2 6000+ is about 15% in performance and 30% in cost. So that's a much tougher decision (unless your going to OC, of course).

Reply to Wanker79
Silver Home Brew badge shortstuff_mt   09-11-2008 at 05:23:33 PM
- 0 +

That's true. Of course with the amazing overclocking overhead built into pretty much every new Intel chip, it's hard to NOT overclock them. My lowly E6420 has been running at 3.2GHz for almost a year and a half with no problems at all. It sure is a fun time to be a computer enthusiast! :)

Reply to shortstuff_mt
fleener   09-12-2008 at 12:51:59 AM
- 0 +

I think I'm going to go with the E8500, and drop to 800Mhz ddr-2 memory. The mushkin recommended above looks good, and the price is great. Anyone not agree with this memory for a gaming machine, or have other suggestions?

Thanks for all the responses by the way.

Reply to fleener
Silver Home Brew badge shortstuff_mt   09-12-2008 at 04:29:52 PM
- 0 +

The Mushkin RAM linked above is great - low price, tight timings, and low voltage. The E8500 is a great chip too. Nice choices.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Advice on budget gaming system
Go to:

There are 1121 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.447 seconds
Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel
Sponsored links
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Related Topics
See all relatives topics
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them