Challenge: a decent cheap system for short term gaming!

alb2009

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Nov 18, 2009
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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Before this month (i.e. b4 nov ends) BUDGET RANGE: $360-390 (short term use, see additional info)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Internet browsing and intensive downloading,Light gaming (i dont have to run crysis at 40+ fps, i just want to play games like Batman AA nd GTA4 at 30+ FPS), LOTS of movies and music, MS Office

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: i dont live in the us so no newwgg.com for me! :( COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Bangladesh (South Asian country)

PARTS PREFERENCES: So here it is, feel free to share ur opinions as I'm really confusd about what to choose

Should i get >>>

MOTHERBOARD: an ASUS G31 based Mobo OR a Gigabyte G41 based mobo or an asus P43 based mobo?

CPU: an intel Pentium dual core e6500 or a intel core 2 duo E7500 (both are 2.93Ghz but the Core2Duo has 1MB greater L2 cache and has a FSB of 1066 compared to the Dual core's 800) ?

HARD-DISK: a 320GB Western Digital or a 320GB Samsung ? (both SATA)

GPU: A 512mb DDR3 HD 4650 or a 512MB GDDR3 HD 4670 or a 1GB DDR3 HD 4670 ???? (all 3 sapphire)

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RAM: Getting a 2GB DDR2 800 ram for starters. :s

POWER SUPPLY: WILL 450W DO FOR ALL THESE????

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Got a 17inch Samsung LCD now, might get a 20" or a 22" monitor IF I CAN later (present max. resolution: 1024x768)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: VERY IMP!

*Living in Asia, the products here are more xpensive after they arrive due to taxes. Bt the diff. is not too much.($15 - $30)

*Also dont tell me to get an AMD-based PC as tech support for AMD is laughable here in my country and the processors are so damn hard to find! (still cant find the x4 230!)

*Ill be using this system for medium to heavy gaming for the next 6-7 MONTHS ONLY then ill b getting a new laptop. After i get a decent laptop this system will only be used for multimedia and internet purposes, very very light gaming so dont recommend a gfx card over $90.
 
^ For that resolution, invest less on CPU and more on graphics card...

CPU - E6500, even the E6300 would do... and it should be able to overclock easy to 3-3.2GHz at stock as most of the Wolfdale CPUs are...and the stock cooler might be enough for 3-3.2GHz...Or buy a cheap CPU cooler like the CM TX3, which should help you reach 3.4+GHz..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064

Graphics card - The HD 4850 would be an overkill for your resolution, but is a better buy...But just make sure you get a decent-good quality 400W PSU as this would be more important...

Rest is fine...
 
He would go with a "dead-end" S775 because A) this machine doesn't need an upgrade path, as it is scheduled from the outset for replacement, and B) he has a very tight budget, and these parts should be pretty cheap.
Hmmm, I doubt our "Black Friday" (day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season) exists in Bangladesh, but if it does you may see some price breaks then.
I usually don't, but I'm even going to disagree with GKay on this one. At the stated resolution, and with the stated game (GTAIV), plus some of the other uses (including those which will persist), a more powerful CPU will be of more benefit in this system than a faster GPU. Particularly if you don't need all visual settings maxed, a 4670 would be a nice choice if it means you can get a faster CPU, or a better cooler for overclocking. As nice as the bang/buck on the 4850 is, it appears that even another $20-$25 may bust the budget.
As to the PSU, this is not the place to go as cheap as possible. Cheap PSUs are overrated garbage that will die violently, often taking other parts with them. I don't know what is available to you, but a PSU with an 80+ certification will have at least been able to produce 100% of its labeled wattage, although it will be at cooler than normal temperatures. Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, and Enermax are among the better brands.
 

alb2009

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Nov 18, 2009
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Thank you all for your insightful responses! :D jtt283....u TOTALLY understood what im actually aiming for....i wnt be using this PC for gaming after 6 to 7 months...so then the core2duo and the gfx card wud be more den enough to see movies nd browse the net...i guess.

Bt i may change my mind in the end nd give in to buying an hd 4830.......just maybe! Nd unfortunatly deres no black friday here....bt hopefully ill b in the US next yr and get all those door breaker deals u get!

In my original post i mentioned some alternates to my motherboard, GPU, CPU nd HDD. My question is that what wud be the best combination of components from the aforementioned alternates?

Nd any other close alternatives that u find those fit my budget of $400 would also be appreciated!!!!! (once again i gotta tell u that AMD processors arr REALLLLY rare here, i dnt know if intel actually has the time to come here nd bribe the shops bt nevertheless.....i just cant seem to find the AMD processors i want) :mad:
 
@jtt283 you are correct about the GTA IV...I just totally overlooked the fact that the GTA IV is equally dependent on the CPU as well as the GPU...
But given the options(Only intel), dont you think buying a slower CPU like the E6300 which is a wolfdale core, it can overclock high with a cheapo CPU cooler, which might reduce the CPU bottleneck, thus giving more money towards the faster graphics card...but then again like you pointed out the cost of the 80+ PSUs would be an issue...Seems like a deadlock...

@alb2009 If only you had AMD availablity in your country, you wouldn't have this issue at all...
And as for the graphics card, check out the 9600GT low powered cards...they are slightly more powerful than the HD 4670(Even more in the Batman game) and these also wont require PCIe power connector...