Gaming life altering help needed

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Twinky27

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Apr 10, 2010
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Hey guys. my birthday was yesterday (yes i share the day with 4/20) and i racked up $620 AUD. now i was thinking of buying a cheap gaming computer, as i have recently been gaming off my bootcamped Mac. My mac has an intel core 2 duo 2.8Ghz, with an ATI radeon 2600 pro.

i figured i may as well buy a cheapo computer, as one, its gotta be better than this rig, two, i can upgrade in future (cant with mac) and thirdly, i dont want to infect my main work computer with viruses by using windows.

if you guys could help by either linking helpful websites (australian or can ship to australia) or creating a list of parts i could use, with links. sorry im not very tech savvy, so i really need your help.

Thanks guys.
Twink.
 
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Lmeow

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Well, I think that you'd need all the parts considering that you can't take any parts from your Mac, apart from the keyboard and screen. So, taking this from MSY, the only Aus. computer store I'd know:

http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

AMD Phenom II X2 550 - $102
Gigabyte 770TA-UD3 - $114
G.Skill NT DDR3 4GB 1333MHz - $125
Gainward GTS 250 - $125

All I got so far. All you need is a case, HDD and PSU.
 
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EnderYeah

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I'm thinking about it. I came up with a similar build recently (~$680 USD), so Ill try to help you out based off my experience.

how big of a hdd will you need? Do you need an operating system?

I didnt plan on overclocking initially, but i went with it and ive had mixed results (unlocked 4th core on a athlon ii x3 440, but having trouble finding stability at a <10% OC). Still, I would def consider it, if I were you.
 
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EnderYeah

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I think $620 AUD is abuot $575 USD. My prices are in USD.

Here is what I have so far:

CPU - Athlon II X2 245 - $61
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 4850 - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150482
*CPU/GPU Combo - $169*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.365631

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 AM3 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX- $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128438&cm_re=usb_3.0-_-13-128-438-_-Product

RAM - A-DATA Gaming Series 2GB DDR3 1600 - $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211450

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black - $50 - $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
PSU - CZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W - $90 - $25MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018
*Case/PSU Combo - $120 - $35MIR*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.362538

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB- $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
DVD Burner - $25 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333

Total: $568 USD + Shipping / $618 AUD + Shipping
Total After MIR (Mail-In Rebates): $533 USD + Shipping / $685 AUD + Shipping

Note that this is just a general build. I would get someone with a little more knowledge to verify it will all work well together. Also, keep on the look out for deals.

The CPU fits your budget and should be able to handle whatever you are planning on throwing at it. I'm not sure, but i think you may be able to unlock disabled cores on the Athlon II's, giving it the potential to be a X3 or x4. I unlocked my Athlon II X3 440's 4th core easily.
Video Card is the same, not top of the line, but it should be able to handle everything you will play because you are playing on a small monitor. When you upgrade the monitor, you can add another 4850 in crossfire. I have two 4850 512mb cards running in crossfire and it can handle everything I play at max/near max settings. Keep an eye out for deals on these cards. I got both of mine for $85 and have seen them as low as $75 in the past month (512mb version).
Motherboard is a little expensive, but you said you wanted to be able to upgrade in the future. It has USB 3.0 and Sata 6.0, so you wont need to buy a new motherboard in the future to get those features. It also supports crossfire, so you can add another card to the system later. If you want to bring the price of the rig down, this might be a good place to go a little cheaper, but not too much! Btw, I chose an Asus board for my build, and I kinda wish I had went Gigabyte.
RAM, i only have 1 stick of 2GB ddr3. I think 2 X 2GB would be better, obviously, but i was trying to keep you under budget. You could probably get away with only having 2GB of ram for a while until you can afford more.
Power Supply is not the best, but its cheap and powerful and has good reviews. Case looks solid, havent used it before tho.
 
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Swink

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thanks guys. i may be able to muster up $700USD but isnt the rig above good enough for now? just bought windows 7 but have installed it onto 3 conputers already. can i put it on this new one? i dont feel confident in oc'ing cos im not very computer savvy. thoughts?
 
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Swink

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hey guys. as you may have read, I'm looking at buying a cheap from about $600-$900 purely for gaming. how's this rig:
Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115207- $150

HDD AND CASE:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.379583-$130

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145285-$120

MOBO/GFX COMBO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.366014-$354

So how's that guys? all up it comes to $754. i think i can use an old 50cm tv for a monitor...but because im in Aus i have to go through this site that makes me pay 5% more. that means it comes to $792. my main thing is that i want to upgrade it in future...but not too soon. i have $660 ready to go..(bday) so i need to save a little.

is this worth it?
 
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Swink

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Hey guys.
I'm really eager to buy a cheap gaming rig, as ive been gaming off a bootcamped mac and while there has been no issue; one, its not that great a rig, and two, its not upgradable in future. ive recently gotten around $670 for my bday (4-20 (hitlers bday and national pot smoking day ...how lucky am i)

This seems like as good a time as any to start saving, as the mountain wont seem that hard to climb. I'm australian and all prices will be in australian when posted by me, but if its easier for you, just post in USD.

This is the issue.newegg dont ship to aus, and they have the best prices. also, easter and christmas have come and gone, and so has my bday. im too young to have a job, im not working for my parents as they give me 20 bucks a week.

So with that in mind, i put my budget to around $600-$1000. i say this because if i wait till, say, xmas, there's just gonna be more stuff that i wanna buy. more temptations, and better comp parts. the sooner i buy the better, although im willing to wait a couple of months if i really have to.

My main reason is so that i can have a dedicated work comp (mac) and a dedicated gaming comp (PC) that i CAN UPRADE.

what i ask of you is this. If you can, post some links to some aus sites or american ones that ship to aus, with links to parts that you think are good.

I have basic idea of what i want.
An ATI gfx, along the lines of a 5770.
An intel cpu, like a core 2 quad would be great.
And ariound 2gbs of ram.

If needed, i will assemble it myself if it is drastically cheaper.

Thanks so much!
 
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Swink

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:closer the better. when i can muster up rest of money ($400AUD)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: mouse, speakers, maybe monitor, maybe OS.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: australian or ships to australia

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type intel cpu, ati gfx card

OVERCLOCKING: no SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: no clue.....(i have an old 50 cm tv, that i remember reading acts as a monitor.)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: just a good gaming pc that can be upgraded as said above :D
 
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Alvin Smith

Alvin Smith

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How much do you plan to save/spend, total ? AU$?

AMD builds a better "rig-per-dollar" ... IntEL can be very pricey but the Socket 1156 chip-to-get, is the Core i7-750 ... The gamer's OC chip of choice (if you have $$$).

What exact game titles are you now playing? ... In future?

What categories do you play, now, or expect to be playing, in future?

If you open your mind to AMD, we can do you righteous, but I hear that parts are more difficult to source, in OzLand.

= Alvin =


 
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Swink

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yeah ozland is pretty sucky when it comes to that. bloody koalas.
anyway, not planning on OC'ing. i can open my mind to amd i spose. just general games. once i get my computer im planning to convert to pc gaming, so basically all pc games. atm i only own civ4, killing floor, and of course crysis.9(oh and AoM-best rts ever imo)
i just want a decent computer that can help me jump into the pc market, allowing me to play med-high graphics, that i wont have to upgrade for about a year. if you need to, post an amd build. :)
 
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Alvin Smith

Alvin Smith

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Ok ... best fps gaming rig for about $1K (AUS).

Can you get ASUS, GIGABYTE or MSI boards with AM3 socket and 790/890 chipset?

AMD "owns" that budget space ... InTEL can't even touch your (fps) budget.

I think you can afford a 5850 ... we should at least try to build around that ... If absolutely necessary, then, a 5770, to start with.

Sorry, but I REALLY think you are going to need 4GB of RAM, for Win7.

Any value techs feel like doing this guy a generic ball-park build ?

= Al =
 
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