Gaming PC for $500

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klunuts

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Okay, so some of you may have seen my last post about my gaming PC for $300... Well, after conversing with my mother for some time, now another $200 has popped into the picture. So with $500 I can obviously build a much better computer. As before, I already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc...

This is what I have picked out so far:

Intel e7400 - $110
ASUS P5QL/EPU - $80
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 800 RAM - $52
Same HDD as before (320GB, 7200rpm) - $50
Total: $292

That leaves ~$208 for a GPU and a PSU. Any suggestions? Or anybody think they have a better set up?
 
Solution
theholylancer
hmmm why can't ya use the ram from before?

is the old machine going to be reused or something?

2 Gb is more than enough imo for xp + games, if you want vista/7 then 4 may be needed, and then buying DDR2 ram now seems like a kinda of a waste unless mobo prices forces you to do so..

imo, use the 2 gb ddr2 you have now, and spend that 50 dollars on a PSU like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

and then 208 for a GPU...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150360

4890............... may be over kill for 1024*768 by a WIDE margin....


btw these prices are pre tax and shipping, so maybe that 4890 becomes a 4870 instead or go with a lesser brand than XFX with lifetime warranty, and...
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theholylancer

theholylancer

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hmmm why can't ya use the ram from before?

is the old machine going to be reused or something?

2 Gb is more than enough imo for xp + games, if you want vista/7 then 4 may be needed, and then buying DDR2 ram now seems like a kinda of a waste unless mobo prices forces you to do so..

imo, use the 2 gb ddr2 you have now, and spend that 50 dollars on a PSU like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

and then 208 for a GPU...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150360

4890............... may be over kill for 1024*768 by a WIDE margin....


btw these prices are pre tax and shipping, so maybe that 4890 becomes a 4870 instead or go with a lesser brand than XFX with lifetime warranty, and 500w goes to 430 W earthwatts

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-cards-charts-2009-high-quality/Left4Dead,1329.html
note that the 4890 just nuked the 260 out of the sky, there are times when the 260 out plays the 4890, but only by a small margin. look at the FC2 max setting at 1920*1200 and you can see that they are almost equal

and also note that that test was 1920*1200 at 8AA 16 AF VHQ in L4D, in 1024 * 768..............................
 
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obsidian86

obsidian86

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•CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDX545WFGIBOX - Retail
•MOBO: Foxconn A76ML-K AM3 Ready / AM2+ / AM2 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
•RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
•HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
•PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS420X 420W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
•GPU: SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
•DVD: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
•Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
This build will allow you to play games at mid. to max. settings at a monitor resolution of 1440x900 or less. comes too $495
 
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klunuts

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@theholylancer

it's not that i CAN'T use my old RAM, it's just I thought it would be better to buy brand new RAM running at a faster speed anyway.

and yeah, i'm thinking the 4890 would be slight overkill for my monitor hahaha, so maybe i'll go with a 4870...

would you recommend the gtx 260 or the 4870? i'm gonna go look at some benchmarks...
 
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klunuts

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thanks, but i don't need the case or ODD, i already have those..
 
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theholylancer

theholylancer

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i recommend you wait and see what 5800 has in store, with Windows 7 and Dx11 just around the corner, unless you want to buy now (which I think you do), you should wait for it

apparently (don't quote this, just rumors and rumblings), the new 5870 single card has the performance of a 4870 X2!!!


if they do turn out to be lemons, at least 4800 cards should be cheaper to get (one would think)
 
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theholylancer

theholylancer

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looks nice, and the antec one is SLI and CF certified, not that it matters to you atm lol, just an option for reuse a few years down the road.


also in a month eh...

i'd wait and snap up deals then. new Dx11 cards may even be out by then rofl
 
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