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V. cheap PC built to play old/soome recent games

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - V. cheap PC built to play old/soome recent games

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Hi,

I'm looking at building a very cheap system to play older PC games, as well as some more recent ones if possible. I already have a Macbook that takes care of my work-related computing, so this PC is basically games only. Here are some details of what I'm after:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week
BUDGET RANGE: Cheap, less than $450
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg
PARTS PREFERENCES: Not fussed, I tend to put more emphasis on user reviews for parts.
OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768

I have come up with a decent-looking system on newegg, but I would like to hear your thoughts on compatibility/possible improvements/"balance" of parts (by which I mean, is the balance of CPU vs GPU vs Mobo vs PSU etc. decent). Here is the list so far:

MSI R4670-2D1G/D3 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #:N82E16814127399
$66.99 after rebate

LG Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DH16NS10
Item #:N82E16827136159
$15.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 2.7GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor
Item #:N82E16819103300
$59.99

Foxconn A74MX-K Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813186151
$39.99 after rebate

or

ECS GF8100VM-M3 AM2+ NVIDIA GeForce 8100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #:N82E16813135234
$44.99 after rebate


Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817153052
$39.99 after rebate

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive OEM
Item #:N82E16822136075
$41.99

Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820220335
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
$31.99 after rebate

Rosewill R101-P-BK Black Computer Case
Item #:N82E16811147112
$24.99

I also need to add an OEM version of XP, which will be around $80 (home) or $130 (pro).

Edit: I have changed out the GPU from the original post. I would also like comments on the similarities/differences between the two mobos (in bold). Only one supports PCIe 2.0, and I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes.... Also, what are the North/South bridge stats, and why does one mobo have both, but the other only 1?! Thanks!


Message edited by r7stuart on 05-17-2009 at 10:05:35 PM
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Thanks for the tips! Any more appreciated


Message edited by r7stuart on 05-17-2009 at 08:25:46 PM
Reply to r7stuart

See original post - has now been updated. Thanks.

Reply to r7stuart

This would be ideal, if it's in range for you. The 770 chipset would support more future upgrades. The processor is at least a little bit faster.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.186946

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