-=Budget Gamer=-

[CheapGamer590]

I am going to build a budget gaming PC soon and want to know what you think about my proposed setup.
I expect to be able to play SC2 and Fallout 3 on high settings.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (within a week) BUDGET RANGE: (600-800)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (Gaming,Internet,Digital Media)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (newegg.com,tigerdirect.com) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (USA)

PARTS PREFERENCES: As long as it is cheap and reliable

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (1920x1080)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My proposed build

AMD Phennom X955 3.2GHz-----------------159
ASSUS m4a79XTD EVO ---------------------112
SAPPHIRE ATI 5770-------------------------165
-30 combo discount
CPU, MOBO, GPU, COMBO

SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD154UI 1.5TB-----88 w promo code

Antec Sonata III w 500 Watt PSU--100 w promo code
Is this a good case, is it lacking ventilation?

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)----108

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA----28

----------
Total 730

 

[cmcghee358]

If you give me about 15 minutes I can throw a more balanced build together

 

[cmcghee358]

If you need links to any of this lemmie know, but this is all easily found on newegg.com

quantity of item 1

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options22-152-181|hide options22-152-181)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info22-152-181.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
$54.99
select item 2 quantity of item 2

HIS iCooler V H585FNT1GDG Radeon HD 5850 Turbo 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...
Item #: N82E16814161332
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options14-161-332|hide options14-161-332)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info14-161-332.0.18)

1 year: $32.99
2 year: $54.99
$344.99
select item 3 quantity of item 3

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ...
Item #: N82E16817371015
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options17-371-015|hide options17-371-015)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info17-371-015.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
-$25.00 Instant
$99.99
$74.99
select item 4 quantity of item 4

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Item #: N82E16820231277
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy $109.99
select item 5 quantity of item 5

AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX630WFGIBOX
Item #: N82E16819103704
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options19-103-704|hide options19-103-704)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info19-103-704.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
$99.00
select item 6 quantity of item 6

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129066
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151188
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-151-18810|hide options27-151-18810)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-151-1881.0.18)

1 year: $6.99
2 year: $11.99
-$10.00 Instant
-$10.00 Combo
$95.98
$75.98
Subtotal: $759.94

 

[CheapGamer590]

Tack on about 100 for a motherboard and the budget gets a little out of hand.

Its seems like I was putting too much money in the processor... Thanks for the advice, I wasn't shure how much processing power my system needs
Would the 2.8 GHz processor likely be a bottleneck if I wanted to expand the upgrade the system in the future?

 

[cmcghee358]

Bah I knew I forogt something!! Crap

Athlon IIx4 @ 2.8 GHz is going to perform quite well, and you'll get a significant upgrade with the 5850.

 

[cmcghee358]

Sorry about forgetting the motherboard, you can probably get a good Gigabye AM3 mobo for around 79.99. I'll see what I can dig up and tweak to fit within your budget.

 

[cmcghee358]

quantity of item 1

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options22-152-181|hide options22-152-181)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info22-152-181.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
$54.99
select item 2 quantity of item 2

MSI 790X-G45 AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813130249
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options13-130-249|hide options13-130-249)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-130-249.0.18)

1 year: $9.99
2 year: $16.99
-$10.00 Instant
$99.99
$89.99
select item 3 quantity of item 3

XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150477
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy $309.99
select item 4 quantity of item 4

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ...
Item #: N82E16817371015
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options17-371-015|hide options17-371-015)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info17-371-015.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
-$25.00 Instant
$99.99
$74.99
select item 5 quantity of item 5

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Item #: N82E16820231277
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy $109.99
select item 6 quantity of item 6

AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX630WFGIBOX
Item #: N82E16819103704
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options19-103-704|hide options19-103-704)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info19-103-704.0.120)

1 year: $10.99
2 year: $18.99
$99.00
select item 7 quantity of item 7

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129066
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151188
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-151-18810|hide options27-151-18810)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-151-1881.0.18)

1 year: $6.99
2 year: $11.99
-$10.00 Instant
-$10.00 Combo
$95.98
$75.98
Subtotal: $814.93

 

[CheapGamer590]

After giving this careful consideration I have come to believe that the most cost effective system, given a 2 year time span for upgrading, would need to be crossfire capable so I could through in a second graphics card later on to boost my performance.

Does this logic seem reasonable or should I go about this some other way?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

But if you go that route, you have more into your power supply and mobo up front. And who knows what graphics cards will be like in a year.

Not too sure on msi, but check this barebones kit out--420 before rebate

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6046472&CatId=5291

5830 for 235

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5974543&CatId=3669

Add in a cooler and dvd drive and should be right at 700, then you have wiggle room to go up or down.



I posted this in another thread, but they've got this too--560 before rebate.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6142913&Sku=B69-0209

Throw the 5830 back on, add a dvd drive, should put you just above 800, but gives you a 6 core cpu...

 

[cmcghee358]

Did no one read the article on the 6 core CPUs? They perform WORSE than the 4 cores at higher clocks for gaming.

 

[CheapGamer590]

Yah, getting a 6 cored phenon is a waste of money, especially considering that an AMD Athlon can handle the graphics cards that are in my price range.

Looking at the GPU performance charts, a crossfire 5770 setup (has similar performance to a 5870 in many games) look quite attractive. This sort of setup would require a crossfire capable mother board and a capable power supply. How much power would be appropriate for a crossfired 5770's?

 

[ssmokeyy]

The build i would do is,

2 5770 XFX HD-577A-ZNFC 356.00

1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 79.99 free ship

1 AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 150.00

1 ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO/U3S6 AM3 AMD 785G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 120.00

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 99.99

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W 49.99 after rebate

= comes to 854 after shipping and rebate

Sweet computer set up and last for 2-3 years of fun.

 

[antisyzygy]

You know, for gaming all you need is a Tri-core processor. Just throw in an aftermarket CPU cooler and clock it up to 3.4 Ghz and you'll play any game well.


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$54.99

HIS H585F1GDG Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity

$319.99


OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-341-017

$99.99


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual

$109.99


GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor Model ADX440WFGIBOX

$209.98

Subtotal: $794.94

 

[CheapGamer590]

Thank You for all of the help you've provided. I am leaning towards doing the crossfire setup ssmokeyy suggested with modifications made for cheapness. The build time for this rig got extened by about 2 weeks (due to complications with getting a free copy of windows through my college) so I will have plenty of time look around for bargains on components.

 

[antisyzygy]

Thank You for all of the help you've provided. I am leaning towards doing the crossfire setup ssmokeyy suggested with modifications made for cheapness. The build time for this rig got extened by about 2 weeks (due to complications with getting a free copy of windows through my college) so I will have plenty of time look around for bargains on components.

That setup is close to what I have. It works great. I would seriously recommend you get a Samsung Spinpoint f3 however. Its actually cheaper than WD offerings, and its rated as one of the fastest 7200 rpm SATA drives available.

 

[CheapGamer590]

I am almost ready to order, but before I do I have 1 major question. Can an AMD Athlon 2 X3 @3Ghz handdle Crossfired 5770's?

 

[CheapGamer590]

Best answer selected by CheapGamer590.

 

[CheapGamer590]

Ultimately what I ended up getting was:

AMD Athlon 2 x3 @ 2.9Ghz 70

ASSUS M4A78T-E 125

GSKILL DDR3 PC 1600 110

ANTEC 300 |
ANTEC AE650 140

HIS radeon 5770 145

1TB seagate 70

Total 660+21 for shipping

 

[iloqin]

I think it really depends on the game, higher clock speeds are better for gaming than multiple cores as most games don't take advantage of multithreading. A few games do, like BBC2, WoW takes 2, but not more than that. With these affinity settings you can make some games spread out more through the cores.

When talking about the processor "holding" back your machine, if it's 3.0+ you should be fine.

I'd definitely look into overclocking. It's about 20-30 bux. Or spend the extra 20-30 bux for another 200-400htz of a processor.