dtNYC

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Dec 4, 2008
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Hey guys - ordered these parts after much research.... Most likley going to upgrade the processor to a phenom in the future and upgrade the vid card and memory -- but everything was based on price and best bang for your buck.... comments welcome and any ideas for future upgrades are welcome...

I am a moderate gamer and this rig was designed for CS:S, America's Army, SWG etc... I currently use a a laptop for gaming with the following setup: Intel Core Duo 1.60ghz, 2gb ram and a 256 mb nvidia 8600m GT ( I get ok FPS on most CS:S/HL era games - no less than 35 fps with high settings... as for AA about 70 FPS.. but any newer games crysis/AoC - not so good :) )

DISCLAIMER: I had a super tight budget and could not go over $430 :)

so here we go... the $427 gaming PC:


* Rosewill Conqueror RPS-01-WB500P Triple 120mm Fans Steel ATX Mid tower Computer Case with 500W Power Supply - Retail $109.99

* AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103210
Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $62.99

*SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM $24.99


*SAPPHIRE 100236L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - $54.99

* JetWay HA07 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $94.99

* Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $54.99

* OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SR4GK - $49.99
Subtotal $427.93
 

mtyermom

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Jun 1, 2007
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Biggest problem I see, beyond the Rosewill case and PSU :non: , is why are you getting a motherboard with onboard video if you are also buying a video card?

Malveaux makes excellent recommendations, but I would chose an ati 4850 video card.
 

dtNYC

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Dec 4, 2008
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Yeah that was the plan - And some of the components I picked were based on multiple reviews, research and their reliability (my perception of reliability :) )... I really like some of the case/mobo/PSU combos recommended - but alas it is too late - already purchased...

However, everything is upgradeable (and for $427 - its still not that bad :) )... so the next two upgrades I will be doing is the PSU and video card.... I was planning on doing hybrid crossfire.. but now I am seeing that the 3650 cant do that - so for an extra $50 - I might pick up a second 3650 and crossfire them....

Or I may wait a couple of months, save up, and get one of the more high-end card (SLI or Xfire rig) with a great PSU ... but as of now I might just pick up a 2nd 3650 (with only about 50 bucks more to spend right now on this, I think that may be my best option - any other recommendations that would fit that price range?
 

ohiou_grad_06

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I think major mistakes at this budget are you are spending too much on the PSU and case.

PSU maybe this compucase PSU...yeah, not the greatest, but cheap, 2 12v+ rails one at 19 amps, the other at 20. Might do as good as the rosewill psu. Maybe better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339009

Case, how about this 50 dollar Rosewill?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147099

Free shipping on both items. There is 30 bucks saved. Plus shipping cost.



Also think you are spending too much on the motherboard. I mean yes it's nice to have a great mobo, but dude, you are cutting yourself too short on graphics for a gamer pc.

Get something like this Foxconn for 53 bucks. Which should allow you to add a quad core phenom later.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186143

So there is 70 bucks you saved? Now dump the 3650 video card, that leaves you a budget for a video card of 135 correct?

Check it out...

ATI Radeon 4830 for 115 which should thrash the other setup you want to do. Even leaves you a little extra to look to antec or someone else for a better psu than what I suggested earlier.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803



Remember this is a budget, but ultimately, it's a gaming rig. You have a limited amount. I would personally go with cheap reliable board, good processor and psu, cheapish case, and the best video card I could afford. That's how you will get the best gaming experience for your budget.

Btw, people talking about the rosewill psu, check the ratings vs the cheapy psu I showed you earlier, the sad part is the cheaper one is rated better if the numbers shown are true....