Budget Gaming build

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sarbanesoxley

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: The sooner the better, My old computer crapped out on me, and I'm going through withdrawal.

BUDGET RANGE: $700 (possibly 800), depending on what the price/performance ratio would be

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Gaming.... general computer uses.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS, Case and PSU (*possibly*), Monitor, keyboard/mouse, speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, (open to other good suggestions however)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: n/a

OVERCLOCKING: maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I think 1650 x1080, using a 22" Acer lcd.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Ease of setup to an extent would be nice, this is my first time assembling a computer, although I've tinkered with my old desktop quite a bit due to (I think) hardware problems. Basically if the part is super extremely awesome but has a 90% chance to implode if an unskilled person attempts to install it, I think i'd like to avoid it.

My greatest fear is getting the parts, assembling them, rejoicing, but then having copious amounts of sparks explode out of my computer.

I also would like it to be upgradeable for awhile, so as I'm not shoved into a deadend that'll be nice for now but trail off rapidly.


Now on to the parts I've been interested in so far,

Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131392

Chose this because it had AM3 socket and 2 PCIe 2.0 x16 slots. (also, I gauged alot of the parts of rating/number of reviews)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

3.2ghz wasn't much more expensive than the 3.0ghz.

Video Card: XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150482

Was originally going to go with, well damn, I can't find it on newegg at the moment, it was a little blue guy cooled with IceQ, last time I checked $94 on newegg. Oh well.

Anyways, a friend of a friend recommended the linked card over the other one.

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189

Chose the ram because of the 1333, which meant I didn't *have* to o.c. it (at least that's what I got from reading on it)

HDD:: I'm undecided on getting a HDD, the friend mentioned before recommended a smaller drive for the OS/playing and an external (which I have already) to back up and store things.

As for the case and PSU, I have another buddy who has offered to sell me an Alienware case, but it's at his friends house and he hasn't been able to get in touch with him (etc). So I've been unable to actually see the case and which parts it has in it. So it's entirely possible I may need to grab a case/PSU/optical drive too.

So thanks for reading, I'm much obliged, I'm a newbie, so I feel a little odd asking for advice without having contributed anything to the forums, but I doubt my less-educated opinions on computer builds would be very beneficial.

If there's anything I left out, just holler and I'll add it in.

edit: I have not purchased any parts.
 
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neoletrix

neoletrix

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If no hard drive, this is VERY good. Personally I don't like ATI, but they seem to be all the rage right now.

800p.png


Note the free shipping
 
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Nesto1000

Nesto1000

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Another intel fanboy....
AMD is just as good as Intel with reagard to gaming...
If you're going to do a heavy word prepossessing and stuff of that nature then the i5 would be a better choice. Otherwise, stick wise stick with AMD because with the saved money you could upgrade to a better GFX card, which in this case could make or break your system for gaming...

For a GPU, I suggest a Radeon 5000 series GPU. For about $40 more, you can get a Radeon 5770.

I would get an 80GB HDD (or any speedy HDD like the one samdsox suggested) for the OS and games with an extra 1TB HDD for all your files.

Everything else seems fine for now...
Just update us on the case and PSU
 
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neoletrix

neoletrix

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Yes I agree, stick wise stick with AMD??

Also, I already suggested a 5000 series GPU if you took about .01 seconds to see the picture I attached. a 5770 is a viable choice if you don't feel like spending 300+ on a video card. Personally I would suggest until the new Nvidia cards come out, but don't listen to me, im just a "fanboy"
 
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sarbanesoxley

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So, coming out of left field, how would my potential setup compare to the recommended "budget" gaming systems in this thread
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/269162-31-recommended-builds-usage

If I don't really have much to gain by choosing each part myself, I'd be interested in just going with the basic cookiecutter framework of the Budget systems and possibly adding a little bit.

And thanks for answering, I appreciate the quick replies. :]
 
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Nesto1000

Nesto1000

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I meant stick with AMD, it was a typo...

If he spends and extra $30 for and i5, he's not going to see the difference if he's mostly going to be gaming. He could in turn use those $30 for and SSD drive, a better GPU, even better RAM which will all further enhance his gaming experience.
Plus if he still hasn't posted if he needed to buy a Case and PSU, or if he was going to use the friends Alienware case or PSU. If it turns out that he's not able to receive those parts, it's going to add up even more to his hardware costs.

Btw the fermi cards are already out...
If he wants one of them, then just put that sucker on auto-notify and hope he gets it in time...
 
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Nesto1000

Nesto1000

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2n9bu9.jpg

Just $5 over your budget...
If your budget turns out to be $700, he can just swap the SSD with another 80GB HDD or something similar...
Also remember that a Case and PSU are extra just in case you don't get the Alienware case and PSU
 
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Nesto1000

Nesto1000

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Oh snap!
Put the wrong CPU on there....
Just add $80 to the price and that should be the price with the Phenom II X4 955

The SSD can always be taken off, the main reason people get SSDs for gaming are the faster loading times...
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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You might want to read this article about the value of a processor in a modest gaming build. It compares X4-965, i7-870. i3-530, and x3-720 in stock and overclocked configurations, along with a 5850 vga card. The net of it was that there was no significant difference in performance among them.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i3-gaming,2588-13.html

The i3-530, mobo, and ram cost $350, and the 5850 was $320.

On a budget, it seems like a smart build to me.
 
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ScoobyJooby-Jew

ScoobyJooby-Jew

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my build came in at 792, less with rebates. I like it. You could switch from a phenom to an athlon to save money. And the high end 4K series are still good cards. Well I think so anyways. I also like carburetors and drum brakes . my mobo is the only thing that I didnt think out well enough. No USB 3.0. And if your buddy hooks you up with a psu and case, thats an additional 135 off. hell thats enough to bump up to a 5850
 
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Nesto1000

Nesto1000

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Typical intel fanboy...
Sure intel is better, but are you really going to see the diffrence when gaming??
As long as you're getting about 30 fps or better, you're not going to notice any differences...
This guy is trying to save money here because he's on a budget, he doesn't have the money to spend on i5's and fermi cards when AMD and ATI look the same when playing a game...
If he had the budget, I would be i7 and fermi all the way (well maybe not fermi), but you know what I mean.
As long as he dosen't play crysis, he should be fine, don't know bout crysis 2 tho...

Edit:
ScoobyJooby-Jew, I belive that if his friend hooks him up with a Case and PSU, then he's going to save more than $130 :)
 
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