Budget Gaming $500 system...opinions

Overall good build, however, I would try to stretch budget a bit for a 4850. It think it would have much better longevity that way.

I thought about that but his budget is $500 and the cheapest 4850 comes in at $60 more than 4670, putting us over budget. I could get a 4830 in there for only $10 more if it were worth the expense?

I'm sure in 8-9 months if he is unhappy he could pick up a 4870 for the additional expense.

Hmm ok
$507.93
$30 MIR
$18.76 Shipping
$496.69

Cute and light mATX casing but 4 x 120mm capable!
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/pr [...] ct_id=2876

The 4830 is only a few dollars more with rebate.

batuchka, I like that setup...I didn't think a Phenom II would fit in the budget. Thanks!

IMO, the problem with a 430W is that he may not even be able to power a 4870 with it so. If he wants a box he cannot upgrade at all, might as well get a console :-/.

This build is $499. You could OC the cpu ~2.8Ghz w/ the stock cooler. This is a great video card for gaming.

cpu - 73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116072
board - 53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128357
video card - 162
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102802
RAM - 41
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227267
case - 55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119068
psu - 40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153052
HD - 75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136320

That PSU is garbage.

Ok, here's an Intel build. It comes in slightly under budget. Comments with the parts:

MSI R4830-T2D512 Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
Model #:R4830-T2D512
Item #:N82E16814127420
$99.99 -$5.00 Instant $94.99
The original spec called for light gaming. I was tempted to put a 4670 here, but thought the difference in cost too slight. If more room in the budget is wanted elsewhere, this is the first thing that might be cut, maybe even down to a 4650.

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:EA500
Item #:N82E16817371007
$89.99 -$20.00 Instant $69.99
This PSU will handle a 4870 later, if desired. If that potential weren't there, this could be an Earthwatts 380.

A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K - Retail
Model #:ADQVE1B16K
Item #:N82E16820211188
$39.99 $39.99
Runs on the JEDEC standard 1.8v. I've used these sticks without issue, but don't recall if I overclocked them. I don't think so, but the 1.8v should provide some headroom.

Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:R222-P-BK
Item #:N82E16811147095
$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99
I've used at least 3 different models of Rosewill's bottom-dollar cases (whichever was cheapest at the time!) and all have been reasonable. See the latest $625 SBM article for their concerns about cooling these cases, but they didn't add the front 120mm fan. There's room in the budget to add one if you plan to OC this rig.

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:GA-EP43-UD3L
Item #:N82E16813128380
$84.99 $84.99
Won't allow Crossfire later, but this board should be solid. Not cramped like a micro.

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200 - Retail
Model #:BX80571E5200
Item #:N82E16819116072
$72.99 $72.99
Will outperform similarly priced AMD when overclocked. This is another spot where an upgrade would help this build, depending on future needs.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:ST3250410AS
Item #:N82E16822148262
$54.99 $54.99
Why not a WD Black here??? Budget, that's why. There's another $25 there to go that way if you like.

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-08 - Retail
Model #:iHAS120-08
Item #:N82E16827106264
$25.99 $25.99
Pretty standard. The Retail version includes software. Add another few dollars here if you want Lightscribe.

Subtotal: $468.92 (not including shipping, or if you live in a state where Newegg has a facility, extortion).

So there it is. Not counting shipping, there's a little bit of wiggle left for a number of possible upgrades.

People are running 8800's and 9800's on that psu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817171028 $34.99
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-460-PMSR-A3 460W ATX12V V2.3 Power Supply - Retail

Specs

+3.3V@22A,+5V@25A,+12V1@18A,
+12V2@18A,-12V@0.5A,+5VSB@2.5A

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/550/10

The Coolermaster 460 isn't a bad entry-level PSU, but it is only capable of 430W.

eroc, those might be great choices, but there's a pretty tight budget.

Thanks for the Intel builds to everyone. I gave him the option of the Phenom II 720 build or the E5200 builds...of course overclocking both.

Eroc, that 4870 is a little much for this build but thanks for pointing it out I think it just gave me a reason to upgrade my video card