PC for post 2006 games

look on newegg (www.newegg.com) make a list and check back with us here to see if everything is compatible before you buy.

Do you have any components that you can reuse currently? Also, do you already have an OS, meaning this is hardware only for $500. Also, how firm is that $500. I its a little over, is that cool?

I would shoot a little higher than the 8800GT.

Yea, I already have an os and cd/dvd rom drives and monitors.
Is there any "in between" of the 8800gt and something that would extremely favor games like Oblivion?

I'd recommend the 4770 (which is on par if not a little better than the 8800gt in performance and price) considering it is the new technology and whatnot. The 4770 should be plenty for Oblivion unless you are running at super high resolutions. If you want to step it up a bit, then go for the 4850 or even 4870 (or nvidia, whatever tickles your fancy). And to answer one of your questions... stick with dual core to save money since your on a tight budget. Spend more on GPU since it sounds like its mostly a gaming machine.

on a really tight budget:
e5200 with 4770..
p35 mobo

not so tight:
e7400 with 4850..
p43 mobo

 

This is what I've got so far:

GPU:
4770 512MB 128-bit on a PCIE 2.0 Platform (is PCIE 2. even compatible with P35's...I wasn't sure...)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU:
2.5GHz Dual Core with 2MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HD:
640GBs of space with 7200RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

MB:
Can't seem to find one under 75 with a four star rating...
Take a look...do any of these look good to you>?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...


And are there any suggestions on memory..do you think 2GBs of DDR2 is enough (have you seen any good deals)?
something like this?(if its compatible with the MB that is... ):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

And how about power supply and case...any deals you've seen? BTW I prefer newegg...tigerdirect is ok too though..and I guess I need a sound card...network card..and a better heatsink (Like the Freezer 7 Pro maybe?)>>
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
especially if I consider oc'ing.

Yes, the GPU is compatible with P35.

This hard drive is only $5 more, is made by WD, and is much faster.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

2GB is usually enough. If you are using Vista you may want to considering 4GB.

I use the Freezer 7 Pro and it works fine for me and my E8400@4.0ghz, there are better ones though.

And as for the sound and network card. Do you mean wireless network? Sound; motherboards come with integrated sound nowadays, unless you are looking for higher quality.

OK, thanks for the HD reccommendation.

What are some better heatsinks?

No, integrated sound and networking should work fine...

All I need is a case reccommendation...
I want something cool (again overclocking) and that has room for upgrades...under 100$

Oh, and how about a power supply>?

And about the mobo again....what is a good P35 for oc'ing under 75$ (if possible)....?


Thank you so much!

Poor 8800GT...fame lasted 2 weeks and BAM! Its all over...move over here comes the 9800 series cards LOL  

and then the 4770 just owned it in CF for a bit more.

^
Welcome to the real world Neo. haha.

Lol...

But yea, if you could answer my last question... 

$40 Case Coolermaster 330
$60 PSU ($40 after $20 MIR) Thermaltake PurePower 500w
$80 motherboard Gigabyte P45(the P45 is way better than the P35, don't totally cheap on a mobo)
$32 cooler AC Freezer 7 Pro
$75 HD WD Caviar BLACK 640GB (32MB cache and $5 more, but FASTER)

Sound and Network will be built on the motherboard.

So add your other item:
$103 HIS 4770
$70 e5200 CPU
$30 G.Skill DDR2 800 3GB

$490 TOTAL


DONE!

Your awesome. Will let you know how it goes with the Oc'ing and everything...maybe I can prove you can game on a budget!

And to top it all off...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

 

Here's a combo to save you $10:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... (E5200 & GA-EP43-UD3L for $139.98)

Spend the $10 saved on a nice 4GB set of RAM.

G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $49.99

Thermaltake PSU's don't impress me. This 400W Corsair unit has more Amps on the 12v rail and will power your system just fine.

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $49.99 - $10 MIR

Be sure to check for combos on all your hardware. For example, you can get a free SATA cable with your HD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Sweet all UNDER 520$ with S & H.

Now for the OC'ing....

THE FINAL ULTIMATE UNDER 500$ GAMING BUILD:


$50 Corsair CMPSU-400W

$40 Case Coolermaster 330

$140 Motherboard Gigabyte P45

+Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200 - Retail (Overclocked to 3.5GHz)

$32 Cooler AC Freezer 7 Pro

$75 HD WD Caviar BLACK 640GB (32MB cache and $5 more, but FASTER)

+ESATA cable

$103 HIS 4770 (Overclocked to +20% performance)

$47 G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB)

$487 TOTAL Overclocked for one great budget gaming machine.

Please Lock this thread. (and rename it to Gaming Rig under 500$)  

Thermaltake has make PSU for a LONG time. They have a much broader range of PSU models than Corsair. You just have to make sure you pick the correct one for your needs. They are GREAT PSU's. I chose the 500 Purepower because it is sort of the main stream model and had a good balance of wattage and power handling.

I wouldn't worry too much about low-end PSU's. Although i have to agree with jay, they do have some good PSU's. Corsair is goo too and 400W should get you where you need to be in gaming ^_^

Sure Thermaltake makes SOME decent PSU units. The fact that they have a broader range of models certainly doesn't make them a great choice. The majority of their PSU's are over-rated garbage. Corsair, on the other hand, hasn't made a low quality PSU yet. Corsair under-rates their PSU's, unlike Thermaltake. Like I said, the 400CX has more Amps on the 12v rail. I would pick a Corsair over a Thermaltake any day. Just because a company has made PSU's for a long time doesn't make them any good.

True, Look at BFG, their PSU's are getting really good reviews.
I think it depends on your purpose. Thermaltake makes a broad range of PSU's for every market. It leaves alot open for the OEM and system builder side. A 650W PSU with lower amperage that costs less is more appetizing to a system builder than the higher end Pure Power models. But if they stick with Thermaltake as their manufacturer of PSU's they have a wide variety. I think Corsair caters more toward the enthusiast side. If you are building a higher end gaming machine, you aren't going to be looking at the lower model Thermaltakes, or shouldn't be at least. Plus Corsair is new to the game and didn't start off making PSU's like Thermaltake, obviously they aren't going to have a large array of options. Give it a few years or making good PSU's.

ummm...I just need something I can OC 4 cores with.