Need some help with budget build for MW2

[bgrthnu]

Hey guys,

I need some input on a build for a friend of mine. He is an avid modern warfare 2 Xbox online gamer and he is wanting to switch over to the pc for his modern warfare 2 gaming. We want to be able to play against each other.

Now, what I am looking for is a system built around the specifications for this game. I want to keep the price as low as possible ($500 or as far below as I can get) and still be able to run the game as smooth as possible with as much eye candy as possible (perhaps better looking than the Xbox 360 looks). We need to stay with a 32 bit processor because he has already purchased Windows 7 32bit. We DO NOT need a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. JUST the case, processor, motherboard, memory, power supply, video card. Heck, stock cooling will probably be just fine for what he is doing with it. I need for this system to be as potent as possible.

Is this "do-able?"

Thanks ahead of time! Let me know if I missed anything.

Josh

 

[MadAdmiral]

Not happening. To play FPSs at a good resolution, you need a $300 GPU (HD 5850). The lowest I could put together for the other parts is around $450 (with great quality and some future proofing).

You'd be better off buying another XBox.

Just to show what you'd need to play the game at a high resolution (like the 1080p the XBox plays at):

CPU/Mobo: X3 440 and Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 $160 after rebate
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 2x2 GB 1333 mhz CAS Latency 7 $100 after rebate
GPU: HD 5850 $300
HDD/PSU: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB and OCZ StealthXStream 700W $85 after rebate
Case: Coolermaster Elite $40
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $20

Total: $705. This build isn't that great as I had to use a lower quality PSU, lower quality case and slower RAM to try to lower the cost.

 

[bgrthnu]

Hey MadAdmiral,

Thanks for the quick reply. I was reading the March System Build article and noticed there were two Sapphire 4850s used in the $750 build. Each one cost $100. Do you think a single 4850 would run MW2 at a decent resolution? Surely two of these in crossfire would, but I'm not sure how much room that leaves for other components as far as cost goes.

J

 

[MadAdmiral]

That depends on what you call a decent resolution. We need to know the monitor's native resolution to really answer that. I would be hesitant to recommend them because the newer cards dwarf the older 48xx series in terms of performance, power efficiency and heat produced.

Two 4850s are weaker than the 5850, so they may struggle at 1920x1080 (otherwise known as 1080p, the resolution the XBox runs at). A single 4850 would be alright at 1600x resolutions, but you'd likely have to turn down the details.

Either way, it'd be a lot cheaper to buy another XBox 360...

 

[Shadow703793]

^ The 360 doesn't do gaming at 1080p. It renders it at 720p and upscale it.

 

[bgrthnu]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I purchased a $200 4890 that runs the game at the highest settings. So, doesn't that mean a card for a little less could run it at rather decent settings?

Just fishing for ideas!

 

[MadAdmiral]

That would be alright. However, if that $200 is still counted in the budget, you're still coming up about $200 above budget...