Reccomendations on homebuilt gaming for $500 or less.

[sponge11790]

I am looking to build a mid-high class gaming rig.
My end goal: To play flight simulator X with nearly all graphic options maxed out, and on 3 monitors.
The budget does not include:
> Keyboard, Mouse, Monitors, etc.
> Case
> PSU (unless I need a better one. I have a 500 watt ATX right now.)

I'd like to stick to intel CPU's, and I'd like to have at least 3.2 gHz (perhaps dual core?).
4 GB's RAM is preferred.
Oh yeah, and feel free to make any suggestions that might be a little out of the price range.... I am a big eBay shopper.
Any/all Help will be much appreciated. I just want to be sure everything is compatible and powerful. Thanks.

 

[spentshells]

on that budget forget intel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.381927

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145198

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131328

about 513 plus shipping

 

[sponge11790]

Ok. So if I COULD go with intel... what recommendations would you have there?

 

[capt_taco]

Ok. So if I COULD go with intel... what recommendations would you have there?

Listen to the man -- if you go with Intel, it's going to be hard to find a decent quad-core without paying close to $300 for the CPU alone. One of these is probably what I'd get if I was forced to buy Intel:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.369414
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.369471

... but keep in mind, you're going to be stuck with a dead-end socket, an outgoing CPU technology, and probably DDR2 memory. Or if you go with the cheapest i5 options, you're stuck with a dual-core instead of a quad-core. The option already suggested above gets you DDR3, USB 3.0 and SATA III, and you're on the newest AM3 socket so you can upgrade to a six-core if you want later on -- which is basically the equivalent of the current i7 chips, but for less money.

There really is NOTHING WRONG with AMD processors. There's nothing fundamentally different about the way they operate, and you shouldn't rule them out. With Intel, you're basically paying a 40% premium for the name alone over a similarly-powered AMD processor. You're not going to find an Intel CPU without a cheaper AMD equivalent unless you get into the super top-end $500-and-up processors. Not worth it, IMO.

 

[capt_taco]

oh, also ... I would be somewhat worried about a 3-monitor setup on a single 5770, especially a 5770 with only 512MB. I do not have firsthand experience with that particular configuration, but that seems like a lot of pixels and it could start chugging. For super-high resolutions, I'd say the 5850 is a better choice for the video card if you can afford it.

 

[spentshells]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131327


same price after rebate you are right about 3 monitors but who is going to
run 3 monitors on a 500 setup

after re reading your request...you are dreaming... although fsx is more cpu intensive

 

[sponge11790]

What about the possibilities of running more than one graphics card? Would that hurt anything or is it even possible?

 

[jbakerlent]

Playing FSX across three monitors on high settings will require one hell of a CPU and setup in general. I think at this point you really need to fill out the build advice form in my signature, as well as revise your rather lofty goals to fit within your budget.

 

[capt_taco]

What about the possibilities of running more than one graphics card? Would that hurt anything or is it even possible?

Yes, you can crossfire two video cards of the same model (technically, you can even use three or four, but you get hugely diminished returns after the second card). In the range we're talking about, two 5770s would be roughly equivalent to a single 5850, and also about the same cost.

If you're building from scratch, you're just about always better off getting a single card instead of two if the price and performance are the same. The two cards are invariably going to generate more heat, put a bigger strain on your power supply, and sometimes cause technical issues, since crossfire/SLI isn't perfect.

I have heard of people running 3-monitor Eyefinity setups with crossfired 5770s, but not so much a single 5770, and it still takes some technical know-how. I'd say 5850/70 are better options for that. They're more expensive, but if you could bump up your budget for a second 5770, you could afford a single 58xx card instead.

 

[spentshells]

yeah 500 bucks you guys .... not possible

 

[tainted_peak]

^ wrong.

This all depends what resolutions which everyone seems to have overlooked......

First off this is assuming your PSU wont suffice, and you'll be recycling your old DDR2 memory.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103726 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157180 $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102878 $214
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $26

total = ~~~$459

You don't need a Quad core just a triple clocked high anywhere in the 3-3.5ghz+ range will suffice.

This is not assuming rebates or shipping, not condoning buying these products just wanted to show you can build a system of that caliber on the cheap.

Come back with another $100-200 so you can buy quality parts and better gfx cards

 

[spentshells]

total price is not 500 that's what it says in the title
the # you provided is not 500 but 535 so unless by writing wrong
you mean RIGHT...you are clearly mistaken

 

[sponge11790]

Best answer selected by sponge11790.

 

[tainted_peak]

total price is not 500 that's what it says in the title
the # you provided is not 500 but 535 so unless by writing wrong
you mean RIGHT...you are clearly mistaken

It says $500 or less in title, I switched the crossfire 5770 for a 5380, I realized two seconds after I posted the prices have fluctuated since I've last looked, so yes it now makes me even more right sitting at 459 with rebates. It's possible to build this rig but your sacrificing quality parts.

Wasting your time with intel with buying a lga 775, you can buy a similar P X4 for less and overclock it much better. Intel is just not worth buying unless your looking to spend $400+ for a core i5 or i7 CPU mobo alone.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey