First ever build (Budget gaming)

sbinney

Distinguished
Jan 23, 2010
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18,510
This will be my first ever build. I want to keep it under 850 NZD, and dont wont to buy things from over seas, i mainly just need advice on the build etc, and can hunt around for good prices in New Zealand. I dont have really any knowledge in components but i can get a friend to help me put it all together, hes just not up to date on current components. www.pricespy.co.nz is a really good NZ website which lists pretty much all retailers prices.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:next 1-4 weeks BUDGET RANGE: $850

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, hard drive, dvd rom

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:www.pricespy.co.nz,www.oczone.co.nz,www.pbtech.co.nz

PARTS PREFERENCES:dont have any

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe in the future


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MOTHERBOARD:MSI G31M3-LV2 G31
(http://www.oczone.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=45332)

PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500
(http://www.oczone.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=45332) (should i got AMD quad core??)

RAM: 2GB DDR2 800 DIMM, ill be running windows xp 32


VIDEO CARD: .Powercolor Radeon HD4870 1GB DVI HDMI 256bits PCIE (worth upgrading to 4890?)
http://www.oczone.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=40753

CASE: COOLER MASTER Elite 310 Blue Mid w/ Transparent Side.COOLER MASTER Elite 310 Blue Mid w/ Transparent Side

Cooling:no idea about cooling

Thansks
 
CPU - $105 One of the fastest AMD dual cores out there. I'd prefer to get you an Athlon II x3 425/435 chips, but I couldn't find it on the list.
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz Socket AM3 Box
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=437749

Mobo - $150 Has just about anything you want on a mobo!! Room for upgrades!!
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=434595

RAM - $178 One of the better sets that run at stock voltage (1.5v)!!
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC10666/1333MHz CL9 2x2GB
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=515204

GPU - $269 One of the fastest you can get at this price range!!
HIS Radeon HD5770 HDMI DisplayPort Dual-DVI 1GB
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=504870

Case/PSU combo - $181 comes with a quality 500w PSU, which is plenty!!
Antec Sonata III 500 (Black)
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=177980

Total ~$883!!! Obviously you can get some better deals in there, but I think the basic system is there for you to look at. I was trying to fit in the best GPU that you can afford (5770) and not skimp on too many parts eslewhere. I think that the 3 gHz dual core CPU will do quite fine for your gaming needs. Under this budget I couldn't fit in a quad core (Athlon II x4 620), but I think I got a good substitute for the $!!

Edit: I forgot to mention that the 5770 is the equivalent to a 4890 or there abouts. The 4870 you linked would be a good GPU too, so don't count it out. The 5770 has Directx 11 capability and Eyefinity (3 monitors at once), so I don't know if that is a concern for you or not. You could step down to a 5750 if you like, they appear to be about $40-50 less than the 5770.