Cheapo Gaming Build

Ok, trying to find a a way to build a cheapo gaming ring that will handle all modern games, not necessarily at max settings.

Only in consideration are CPU + Mobo + Ram + Video Card.

CPU: MD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz $75

Mobo:MSI 760GM-E51 AM3 AMD 760G $70

Ram: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $106

GPU: XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 $145

total comes to about $400


you think this would make a powerful little machine?

Yeah that looks like it would last you awhile but you should probably buy something around a 5750 or add 20 bucks and buy a 5770. You lose some power but gain dx11 support.

I'm not sure whether a 5770 would really be good enough to play many games with DX11. DX11 seems to cut the frame rates in half compared to DX10. Plus, DX11 games won't get too abundant for awhile, so I would just stick with the 4870.

thanks guys.
Now how would the above build compare against this old build, will it be a HUGE leap? or barely better?

CPU: C2D 4400 (2ghz)

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965

Ram: 3GB DDR2

GPU: nvidia 8800 GTS 320mb

*sigh* I see so many people upgrading from Core 2 machines. I can't believe that people upgrade that fast(I upgrade every 4-5 years! ).
I like my way better because when I switched to an I7 from a P4 plus the video card and newer hard drive, it really made the computer feel like it had awesome speed.

Your new computer should give you a significant boost, the new card should be at least 2X more powerful/faster. Since you're getting a Tri-core CPU that will also help with the extra core being used as well.

AMD Phenom II 550? unlock?

There's some merit to that line of reasoning, up to the point of buying a new C2D. At some point I think it becomes worth the premium to get a mobo with newer features like USB 3.0, SATA/6Gb/sec, even eSATA. Those can be added with a PCI card, but that's more money into an aging platform instead of put toward something new. Just be aware that after spending $150 on that "new" (used) CPU, you've hit the end of the road. On the other hand, if/when the Athlon II X3 pulls up lame, there will be a more powerful CPU available to replace it. Also, it seems to me that buying a used CPU is a risky proposition. If you can trust the source, it can be a much cheaper way to go, at least for now, but buying new seems a lot safer.

That's another of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't," or "pay now, or pay later" choices. As prices adjust however, DDR3 is going to keep getting cheaper relative to DDR2 (even if both go up). His 3GB is enough today, but I'd sooner bet that in a year or two, he'll want more. At that time, DDR3 will undoubtedly be the better choice. It costs more up front to switch, but in the long run that's what I would do if I could afford it. That's just my opinion though; like sometimes it's worth paying the interest on a credit card, and sometimes it isn't.

I've been studying enough benchmarks lately to be confident that a Q6600 will not "crush" an Athlon II X3 even if it is superior in many things; even a low-end CPU these days is powerful enough to offer a pretty decent gaming experience.

yeah put the Q6600 even to just 3GHZ and it will put space between itself and the 3GHZ AMD tricore @ 3.6 the Q6600 will absolutely beat it by a sizable amount even when overclocked to the same levels unfortunately impossible with his current MOBO

but I will agree VGA is whats going to make the difference. Id just upgrade the cpu and vga but i'm cheap.

jtt283 has no idea wtf he's talking about. The board IS suitable for crossfire but it will be a bit hampered by the x16 and x4. However, the 2 HD 4850's on this board will be more powerful than the single HD 4870, I don't care what jtt283 says. Tweaktown had a little something to say about it:
"Last on our hit list are the expansion slots. ASRock has managed to get around the lack of Crossfire support that the AMD 770 chipset lacks by using the same tactics that Intel P35 chipsets used to get Crossfire working, a 16/4 configuration. There are two PCIe x16 slots on the board, green and orange. The green one is connected to the AMD 770 Northbridge and has a constant 16 lanes running to it, whilst the orange slot is a x4 electrically connected slot to 4 of the 6 lanes the SB710 supports. This gives the board Crossfire support, but lacks the full speed that even an 8/8 setup would give." - Source: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2 [...] ndex3.html
Now quite honestly, I don't care if the crossfire is a bit slower than standard because this board is $10 cheaper than the MSI and the AMD 770 chipset is superior to the 760G that you chose. It has two crossfire slots and the simple fact is that 2xHD 4850 > 1xHD 4870 even using this design. Remember, the HD 4850 and HD 4870 both have the RV770 GPU, the HD 4850 is weaker but not by more than 20%. Therefore, at worst, 2 would be about 160% the power of a 4870 while at best, 180%. I'll use worst-case scenario to take into account the scaling loss and the x16/x4 hinderance. Hell, I'll even again cut the now 60% power advantage in half. Therefore, all I've done here is increase your gaming power by at least 30% for all of $4. I think it's a pretty good setup regardless of what the uninformed might say. I've been building PC's since I was 12 years old and I'm now 34. They can argue but they won't win. I make sure I check everything before I make a statement unlike some people.

I'd go with his original build rather then the 770 16x-4x.