$500 gaming PC

[nonewsgoodnews]

As the title says I'm looking to build a $500 gaming pc.
Its not for me but my girlfriends brother. I will need everything but a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

What would you guys get for $500 (doesn't have to be exactly so if you got something for 550 or whatever thats fine)

I have a build in mind but I'm curious to see what some of you come up with. Oh and I want to use newegg only if possible.

 

[nonewsgoodnews]

I dont need OS so don't factor that in.

 

[MothMusic]

As the title says I'm looking to build a $500 gaming pc.
Its not for me but my girlfriends brother. I will need everything but a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

What would you guys get for $500 (doesn't have to be exactly so if you got something for 550 or whatever thats fine)

I have a build in mind but I'm curious to see what some of you come up with. Oh and I want to use newegg only if possible.

Try this:

AMD Athlon II X3 425 Rana 2.7GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103726
$77

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
$55

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
$70 -After rebate

A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333G (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1333GB2G8-AG - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410
$89

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$55 -Freeshipping


SAPPHIRE 100277HDMI Radeon HD 4770 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102853
$99 -Freeshipping


OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
$45 -After rebates


LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276
$20 -Freeshipping


Total = $510 -After rebates

 

[batuchka]

$505 AR Superior $$/frames ratio

 

[MothMusic]

$505 AR Superior $$/frames ratio
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/hipm.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/tf2_1920_1200.gif
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/ut3_1680_1050.gif
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/fear_1680_1050.gif

I dunno. Isn't the 4770 stonger than a 250?

And my mobo and case is way better. There solid platforms to upgrade on. That cheap Rosewill case and Asrock mobo are pretty mediocre. Its wiser to buy a pc that is ready to upgrade for the future than buy in the short term and get a mediocre pc that has no future. That is why I went with the setup I did.

Plus that hdd is terriable, slow and small. The one I picked smashes that.

Batuchka you should know all this!

 

[batuchka]

Nope once u turn up 1680 x 1050 AA/AF the gap becomes bigger Neither case nor HDD makes up for lack of frames in games i'm afraid That case also is 2 x 120mm capable so that is the reason i specifically picked it out Best hit the best GPU for budget rigs for the best gaming experience hehe

 

[MothMusic]

Nope once u turn up 1680 x 1050 AA/AF the gap becomes bigger Neither case nor HDD makes up for lack of frames in games i'm afraid

Yea but when he needs to upgrade he has good platform to do it on. And simply turn off AA/AF for better performance!

 

[batuchka]

Building castles in the air in my experience for budget rigs will result in poorer performance for the $$ just my $0.02 ^^ Best way is get the best performance your $$ can buy *now*

 

[MothMusic]

As the title says I'm looking to build a $500 gaming pc.
Its not for me but my girlfriends brother. I will need everything but a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

What would you guys get for $500 (doesn't have to be exactly so if you got something for 550 or whatever thats fine)

I have a build in mind but I'm curious to see what some of you come up with. Oh and I want to use newegg only if possible.

If you can stretch the budget, try this:

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706
$99 -Freeshipping

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
$55

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
$70 -After rebate

A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333G (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1333GB2G8-AG - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410
$89

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$55 -Freeshipping


SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-864-_-Product
$165 -Freeshipping


OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
$45 -After rebates


LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276
$20 -Freeshipping


Total = $599 -After rebates

 

[MothMusic]

Building castles in the air in my experience for budget rigs will result in poorer performance for the $$ just my $0.02 ^^

Thats a good thing were not building castles!

Now like I said, build a pc that does what you want it to do now, and if he needs the extra firepower in the future, he can just get a new gpu for cheap!

 

[MothMusic]

As the title says I'm looking to build a $500 gaming pc.
Its not for me but my girlfriends brother. I will need everything but a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

What would you guys get for $500 (doesn't have to be exactly so if you got something for 550 or whatever thats fine)

I have a build in mind but I'm curious to see what some of you come up with. Oh and I want to use newegg only if possible.

Which one of us are you going to go with?

 

[nonewsgoodnews]

No clue, I was looking at the Athlon II X3.
I have the Phenom II X3 710 in my pc and it performs really well, so I'm confidant that it will work for what I want.

I might shoot for batuchka's image post with a different case. (I have big hands. Micro ATX is just a headache to work in.)

 

[MothMusic]

No clue, I was looking at the Athlon II X3.
I have the Phenom II X3 710 in my pc and it performs really well, so I'm confidant that it will work for what I want.

I might shoot for batuchka's image post with a different case. (I have big hands. Micro ATX is just a headache to work in.)

Cool! But just give me 10 mins, I'm going to post another build...

 

[nonewsgoodnews]

Ok, I'm not ordering until monday anyway.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm if you want ATX case then i go with Gigabyte 770T-UD3P with that GTS 250 ^^

 

[MothMusic]

*Waves white flag*
Now that I think about it your right Batuchka. If someone only wants to spend a little bit of money, then sqeezing out the highest performance for the clients needs is more important than making the pc ready for future upgrades. I'll incorporate your wisdom into my budget configurations, thanks for the info! YOU WIN!

This build is just a concept. I really wanted your opinion Batuchka, I don't think I've seen anything like it. Yea I know I'm going to get dinged for DDR2 memory..


AMD Athlon II X3 425 Rana 2.7GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W
Triple-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103726
$77


Broadway Com Corp Sonic Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -
Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811162045
$30


GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342
$50


PQI TURBO 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual
Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PQI26400-4GDB - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141366
$80


Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3250318AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148451
$40 -Freeshipping


ECS Black Series NBGTX260-896MX-F GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3
PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Over Clock
Version) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?

Item=N82E16814134077&cm_re=gtx_260-_-14-134-077-_-Product
$170


OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready
Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
$45 -After rebates


SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B
- OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031
$19


Total = $511 -After rebates

So what do you think? Any issues with this configuration?

 

[batuchka]

No your original build is fine with just a slight top up for a GTS 250 Then it is TS call if it would be ok budget wise hehe One could go with a CM Elite 310 for casing as well
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4950634&CatId=32
worked with plenty of these and clients kinda like it hehe

 

[MothMusic]

No your original build is fine with just a slight top up for a GTS 250 Then it is TS call if it would be ok budget wise hehe

Thanks!

But what about the concept build? A GTX 260 pc at that price is amazing.

 

[MothMusic]

No your original build is fine with just a slight top up for a GTS 250 Then it is TS call if it would be ok budget wise hehe One could go with a CM Elite 310 for casing as well
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4950634&CatId=32
worked with plenty of these and clients kinda like it hehe

That is a good choice. Its just I'm not a big fan of Tigerdirect, thats all.

What about swapping the case from the concept build, and adding the cooler master instead? Or is that pc no good to begin with?

 

[batuchka]

Yes not bad but casing might have issue with 10.5" cards and also

(Note) If you install AMD AM2+ CPU on AM2 motherbord, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0(5200MHz) to HT1.0(2000 MT/s) spec; however, the frequency of AM2+ CPU will not be impacted. Please refer "CPU Support List" for more information.

It is not a true AM2+ mobo and is on PCIex16 gen 1.0
http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=2813

$80 for DDR2 is kindda steep these days hehe

 

[MothMusic]

Yes not bad but casing might have issue with 10.5" cards and also

(Note) If you install AMD AM2+ CPU on AM2 motherbord, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0(5200MHz) to HT1.0(2000 MT/s) spec; however, the frequency of AM2+ CPU will not be impacted. Please refer "CPU Support List" for more information.

It is not a true AM2+ mobo and is on PCIex16 gen 1.0
http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=2813

$80 for DDR2 is kindda steep these days hehe

I see, so that mobo wouldn't support the Athlon II then.

What about this mobo instead?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157160
$55

And 3 sticks of this ram here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231085
$69

The GTX 260 build: $505

 

[batuchka]

Best go with at AM3/DDR3 build for me ^^ If DDR2 was far cheaper then maybe not but at current pricing...
Also 3 stick is no can do as that board u picked out has 2 DIMM slots for RAM

 

[MothMusic]

Best go with at AM3/DDR3 build for me ^^ If DDR2 was far cheaper then maybe not but at current pricing...

Yea that makes sense, but ddr3 boards cost more and I was trying to fit a GTX 260 under a $500 budget.

But what do you think of the GTX 260 build? Is it a solid games machine, or a lame duck?

 

[batuchka]

If you could get a decent board, a casing which houses 10.5" GPUs w/o problems and decent airflow then out of the box its a good idea

 

[MothMusic]

If you could get a decent board, a casing which houses 10.5" GPUs w/o problems and decent airflow then out of the box its a good idea

I see, thank you.

About my original build what about switching the 4770 with your 250, and switching the Antec 300 with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147125 , a sort of poor mans Antec 300, but with almost as good cooling and expandability?