Budget Gaming System Approx. $650

[mcattack77]

Building a new rig with a price tag of $650 in mind. I game, but don't need the latest technology to run fps games(don't really care for them). More along the lines of rts, strategy games and the like. Should I drop down to the DDR2 version mobo to save some money? Not really sure how much performance gain I get from the DDR3 version(more overclocking headroom?).

I plan to overclock, shooting for 4ghz as dualcore, and if I am lucky will unlock and shoot for 3.5ghz. Looking to buy anywhere between now and the new year.


GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $124.99

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model $102.00

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail $36.61

Combo: $129.94

1)Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ... - Retail

2)Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Combo: $215.98

1)XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

2)G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard $74.99

Total: $684.51
Shipping: $10.35
Rebates: $25.00

Final: 669.86

Will add in a generic dvd drive for ~$20.00

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Those are all good choices for your budget. If you need to save some more, you could get this hard drive:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $54.99

What OS are you using?

 

[mcattack77]

Most likely using win 7, not including the cost in this build though.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I just wanted to make sure you were planning on using a 64-bit OS. Are you aware you can pre-order Windows 7 for $99? You can also get it for $30 if you're a student.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM $99.99

http://www.win741.com/