BEST Sub-$700 Gaming Rig

[UNiON_PlAYA_28]

BEST -$700 Gaming Rig?
Maybe not but close!!!
Rate it, will be building after Christmas because I'm only 15.


Case-Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
MB-ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
GPU-SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Memory-G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B - Retail
HD-Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Drive-LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS220-08 - Retail
OS-Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
PSU-PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
CPU-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADV60000DOBOX - Retail

Please rate on 1-5 scale. (5 Best, 1 Worst)
Total: $697.88 (W/O tax, shipping, etc.)
^^^^^- Thats before rebates too!

 

[vetona]

Im not a fan of the 4850's but yeah, looks nice.

 

[oicwutudidthar]

grab a 9800 gtx + over ze 4850

 

[megamanx00]

Looks good for under $700. I think that ASUS board is a little cramped though so I'd probably go with this instead

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-DS3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128081

but that's just a personal preference. That Asus board is good for budget builds. As for the CPU you could save a few bucks by going with a 5400 BE and overclocking it beyond 3.1GHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289

and the money you save from the CPU can be put towards a bigger Hard Driver. Good choice on the video card and everything else. While I'm not a fan of Power and Cooling PSUs myself, I guess it's not bad for the price and for your build. I give your build a 4.5

 

[effel]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11618288

Just made a few changes from your basic idea. Tried to keep with some of the things you wanted. It's $30 over 700 I know, that's not great, but if nothing else, there's $45 in rebates should you choose to do them. I'd take the Corsair over the PCP&C because you get a tad more wattage, and a 30 dollar rebate. You certainly aren't compromising on quality.

I own that Gigabyte motherboard myself, and it overclocks pretty nicely. It should handle that e5200 without any issues. I think the Intel route is a better bet. You can overclock it easily once you get a few extra bucks for a better heatsink. I'm fairly sure even this low-end 45nm intel will outperform that AMD chip.

Thoughts?

 

[shiv666]

get a board without igp...

 

[huron]

You can get a P45 in the same price range as a microATX board if you look around.

The build looks fine. I would spend the extra $20 or so and get the Western Digital 640GB HDD.

 

[UNiON_PlAYA_28]

Any more ratings/suggestions?

 

[BobfaceBilly]

+1 to effel's build, I would definitely suggest going the intel route.
depending on how to feel about rebates, here is much cheaper ram with MIR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

 

[UNiON_PlAYA_28]

id go intel if i wasnt so new, this is my fiirsst build