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$500-$700 pseudo-gaming/all-around build

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - $500-$700 pseudo-gaming/all-around build

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP - as soon as my list is finalized.

BUDGET RANGE: $500 - $700 for the just parts (preferably on the lower
side of the spectrum as I need to buy a monitor, keyboard, and desk
still).

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: General day-to-day use,
multitasking, MUST RUN Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 at a fairly good speed
when they come out, possible music production in the future, but will
upgrade for that if need be.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Going to buy a keyboard, monitor, and speakers, so
suggestions there are appreciated, but not required.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

PARTS PREFERENCES: Prefer to use AMD, but other than that, nothing particular.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe eventually SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Not likely

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080 (using this monitor that I've picked
out here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 824236067)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I have two possible builds designed with the help
of a friend already, so feel free to either critique and update those,
or start with something completely new. Also, if the September $625
build seems to fit my usage perfectly, feel free to suggest that.
Basically, I want to get the most value for my dollar, but also, if I
don't need some of the parts, most notably in the second build, then I
don't want to waste money on extra power I won't use.

I'm going to be running Windows 7 64-bit, so keep that in mind as well.

Finally, if anyone has any good suggestions for a wireless adapter
that will work with my apartment's Linksys WCG200, I am going to need
something like that as well.

Here are the two builds:

"Cheaper" build:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] er=8081389

Build 2: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] er=9762114

Add a reply

You can get an AM3/DDR3 build for about the same price.

Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129065 $84.95

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103688 $60.00

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128392 $79.99 - $10.00 MIR

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product $84.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 20f3%20500 $54.99

SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product $129.99

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151188 $31.99

Total - $526.90 - $10 MIR

Reply to shortstuff_mt

The recommended PSU for the HD5750 is 450. Is the PSU in the case a little underpowered with that build for the card?

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

The PSU was chosen based on budget and the fact that it will power the system. If you would like a little more headroom, consider these:

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $59.95

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $69.99 - $25 MIR

The 550W BFG GS PSU you picked isn't a good idea. The little red voltage switch on the back indicates it doesn't have active PFC.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

Dont choose a cheap option on the psu, its one of the most important parts, a cheap psu could lead to all your hardware getting fried. Ino from experience this is not a good thing!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to admin123

Are you implying that the PSU Shortstuff suggested is cheap or not? Should I go with that or not? Which PSU were you referring to as "cheap" Sorry for the confusion!

admin123 wrote :

Dont choose a cheap option on the psu, its one of the most important parts, a cheap psu could lead to all your hardware getting fried. Ino from experience this is not a good thing! http://tsutton.site90.net/imgs/signature_smiley1.jpg

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

maybe this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811517007

Reply to obsidian86

+1 to shortstuff's build with the OCZ PSU. I built a machine the the Antec 300 and it was perfect, and it gives fairly good cooling as well. As for the PSU, I think admin123 meant mostly in general and also to the PSU in your builds listed. Low quality PSU's are just a big faux pas all across the board.

Reply to mavanhel

Is that motherboard compatible with the CPU? The specs say it's only Phenom X3 or X4...sorry if I'm a little uneducated, but just trying to make sure everything I get is compatible.

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

Yes it is. I just recently built a machine with that board and the Athlon II. The best place to look up motherboard compatibility is the website of the manufacturer www.giga-byte.ca in this case. (I'd look it up for you but my internet is starting to crap out over here. Sorry)

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by mavanhel on 10-21-2009 at 08:27:22 PM

Reply to mavanhel

Great thanks--I'm going to go with ShortStuff's build then and go with the OCZ PSU I think.

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

One more question that remains unanswered--any recommendations for a wireless adapter to go with our Linksys WCG200?

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

mavanhel wrote :

I'm willing to take your word on it, but the website isn't very clear. Here (http://www.giga-byte.ca/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=3096) it has that it's compatible with AM3 processors, but then goes on to list only the X3 and X4.

Reply to AvocadoRivalry

Yes, the Athlon II X2 240 is supported by the GA-MA770T-UD3P starting with BIOS F2 which was released on 06/24/09. Look towards the bottom of the list.

http://www.gigabyte.us/Support/Mot [...] uctID=3096

http://www.gigabyte.us/Support/Mot [...] #anchor_os

Reply to shortstuff_mt

if u ask me building ur own comp isnt realy worth it only when u get into high end does it save u money cause all the time and risk that goes into it but idk thats just my opinion wait till black friday and go grab a dell

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

darksupreme wrote :

Why would you post this in a "Homebuilt Systems" forum? Dell is like a cuss word around here. You get a much better computer for your money if you build it yourself. OEM's cut corners anywhere they can. They use cheap power supplies and RAM. A cheap PSU is the #1 no-no if you want a stable computer.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt wrote :

You get a much better computer for your money if you build it yourself. OEM's cut corners anywhere they can. They use cheap power supplies and RAM. A cheap PSU is the #1 no-no if you want a stable computer.

------------------------------ How To Ask For Build Advice
Homebuilt PC Buying Guide
Reply to jbakerlent

mehh i just do like budget comp if ur gonna spend like 700-to 800 anyways depends if ur down to take the risk in build and stuff like that ya know if u are then save and get a $1000 budget comp so u can have nice stuffs and be atleast a little future proof

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

Wow, you need some help with forming a coherent sentence. You can build your own nice computer for $700 - $800, certainly better than a Dell. The build I put together above comes to less than $600 and uses quality components.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

if u build a comp for 600$ its not gonna last that long and ur putting alot of effort into it

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

It will last longer than the Dell, and is very upgradable.

Message edited by jbakerlent on 10-21-2009 at 11:20:37 PM

------------------------------ How To Ask For Build Advice
Homebuilt PC Buying Guide
Reply to jbakerlent

darksupreme wrote :

if u build a comp for 600$ its not gonna last that long and ur putting alot of effort into it

It doesn't take much effort to build a PC.

You could build a PC for $400 or $4k. And as long as you use quality parts, the system will be good for as long, if not longer than any OEM build. Retail PCs are meant to be disposable. They don't want them to last because they want customers to keep buying them.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ CM HAF 932 - 300GB Velociraptor
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
E8500 - Sapphire 1Gb 4850
4G DDR3 OCZ Reaper 1333
Reply to aford10

aford10 wrote :

It doesn't take much effort to build a PC.

+1

Building a computer is like playing with Lego's as long as you take your time and read the manual before hand. The connectors only plug in one way. Its' certainly not rocket science. I'll never buy an OEM computer again, no matter what the budget is.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

meh i guess since i do alot of high quality stuff ,i hate low budgets for comps , u never seem to get exactly what it is that your looking for if u ask me

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

~2 years ago, I offered to build a PC for my buddy, but he didn't want to wait. He went out and purchased a Dell for over $800. He's constantly complaining about how slow it is. I started looking at it. It has a friggin Athlon 5400 CPU, Vista 32 bit, and 1GB of RAM. What kinda crap is that?? 1GB of RAM for Vista?? A POS Athlon CPU!! All for just a tad over $800.

Oh yea, he got a shiny 19" monitor and a printer that's already dead. Not to mention I had to replace and upgrade the RAM.

Wohoo, go Dell

------------------------------ CM HAF 932 - 300GB Velociraptor
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
E8500 - Sapphire 1Gb 4850
4G DDR3 OCZ Reaper 1333
Reply to aford10

LMAO i take back what i said about dell here ill go huntin for some really good cheap *** for u bud just u wait

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

but i must say that kind of reminds me of my freind not going better and buying his parts from newegg and building it himslef and just going to cyberpowerpc and having them do it lol

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

darksupreme wrote :

LMAO i take back what i said about dell here ill go huntin for some really good cheap *** for u bud just u wait

Like I said, the build I posted above will do everything the OP wants the computer to do, and it comes in under his budget. It also uses quality components, which is more than you can say for an OEM computer.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

okay okay i give up u win

------------------------------ Glenn CO 4 u hoe
Reply to darksupreme

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