Need advice on 250$ gaming pc

[farcryo]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this week


BUDGET RANGE: 210 - 300 USD


SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (EVE Online -System requirements-), designing (Photoshop CS5)


PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, hard disk, CD/DVD rom


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com


COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Egypt


PARTS PREFERENCES:
I need to know which build is better (I'm getting CPU + Mobo + RAM + Power Supply and maybe Graphic card)

AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz
Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Kingston 2 GB DDR3 1600

AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz
Gigabyte MA78LMT-S2 -can't find it on newegg-
Kingston 2 GB DDR3 1333
GIGABYTE GV-R467ZL-1GI Radeon HD 4670


OVERCLOCKING: Maybe


CROSSFIRE: Maybe


MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768


ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I need a good build that will last for long time, If the Asus Mobo will support more CPUs in the future "140W CPUs" that would be better than a motherboard that will not support such coming things in the future

 

[batuchka]

The 2nd one would give you reasonable frames on 1280 x 1024 high/medium while the 1st one, relying on the IGP you have to turn down to 1024 x 768 low If like everywhere else, look at the AthlonII X3 line as they fall in cheaper than Callistos

 

[Ubrales]

This is a tough nut to crack! The parts you have picked will eat up all of your budget. Do you have a case to install these parts?

For Crossfire/SLI you need two identical cards.

Re-consider your budget.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm now i'm wondering if TS merely uses Egg for h/w ideas as he is Egyptian? Or does he have a way/contact with a USA address so rebates work, etc?

 

[tb boy]

Athlon x2 250 CPU + Biostar A770E AM3 Motherboard Combo $89.99
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM $84.99
Biostar HD 4670 512MB Graphics Card $62.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W PSU $49.99 ($29.99 after mail-in rebate)
NZXT Gamma Classic Series Case $29.99

Total: $317.95 ($297.95 after mail-in rebate)

Seems like a solid build that's within your price limit after rebates. Only problem is I can't be 100% sure that the RAM is compatible with the motherboard as for some reason gigabyte doesn't have a supported memory list for that particular model.

 

[tb boy]

The problem is the board has a 95W cap, so upgrading wont be as easy. Also, Id get the Sapphire 5670, which is cheaper after MIR.

By the time he wants to upgrade I doubt any components from a $300 PC will be worthwile reusing. It's low spec by todays standards, it's just a cpu+mobo for $90 was too good a deal when you're trying to spec a $300 pc. You could go with either 4670. They both have good reviews, the Biostar is $3 more expensive but doesn't require the hassle of mail-in rebates & has a higher memory clock (2000MHz vs 1600MHz).

As another suggestion, it could be worth saving another $25 & getting the 5670 which has DX11 compatibility & shows about a %25-30 increase of performance.

 

[farcryo]

I have the case, the hard disk, the monitor, etc. only upgrading CPU, Motherboard and RAM.

batuchka : I'm actually feeling the second one would be better, um is the Athlon II X3 is better than Phenom II X2 ?, for the price of Phenom II X2 I can get an Athlon II X4, but I'm not sure if it will be better ?

Ubrales : Yup I have everything else, so my budget is all for mainly CPU, Mobo, RAM, and a little for the power supply, as I need identical cards for the Crossfire so no need for it then.

Timop : Um, I can't really buy from newegg, I'm using it to show the prices because in Egypt they're around the same, and I'm not in USA, but really thanks for showing me the offers =). as for those Mobos I bought, you know what's the cap for the the gigabyte one ? how many W ?. As for the Sapphire 5670 thanks a lot for mention that out, I found it's only 10$ more here in Egypt than the 4670.

tb boy : the motherboard actually doesn't support the DDR2 =( ,, I think all AM3 motherboards use only DDR3 ?, while the AM2+ uses DDR2, I'm not sure though. as for your last replay I didn't understand it well, but I can get higher things for 300$ as I'm buying 2 GB ram, not buying a case, not buying 30$ power supply "in Egypt power supplies are around um, 12$, not sure how come !!", btw I need a 400W power supply for the 4670 and the 5670 ?



Didn't expect to have such nice replays, thanks alot everyone =)

 

[tb boy]

I have the case, the hard disk, the monitor, etc. only upgrading CPU, Motherboard and RAM.

batuchka : I'm actually feeling the second one would be better, um is the Athlon II X3 is better than Phenom II X2 ?, for the price of Phenom II X2 I can get an Athlon II X4, but I'm not sure if it will be better ?

Ubrales : Yup I have everything else, so my budget is all for mainly CPU, Mobo, RAM, and a little for the power supply, as I need identical cards for the Crossfire so no need for it then.

Timop : Um, I can't really buy from newegg, I'm using it to show the prices because in Egypt they're around the same, and I'm not in USA, but really thanks for showing me the offers =). as for those Mobos I bought, you know what's the cap for the the gigabyte one ? how many W ?. As for the Sapphire 5670 thanks a lot for mention that out, I found it's only 10$ more here in Egypt than the 4670.

tb boy : the motherboard actually doesn't support the DDR2 =( ,, I think all AM3 motherboards use only DDR3 ?, while the AM2+ uses DDR2, I'm not sure though. as for your last replay I didn't understand it well, but I can get higher things for 300$ as I'm buying 2 GB ram, not buying a case, not buying 30$ power supply "in Egypt power supplies are around um, 12$, not sure how come !!", btw I need a 400W power supply for the 4670 and the 5670 ?



Didn't expect to have such nice replays, thanks alot everyone =)

Earlier AM3 boards such as this one are DDR2 only, you can see that if you looks at its specifications on newegg.

I wouldn't trust a cheap power supply. You can get a 430W for $12 on newegg aswell but they're the fastest way to destroy your components as they can't support a gaming pc (not enough voltage on the 12v rails? I don't know a lot about power supplies) & could possibly explode. You really should get a trusted make such as Antec or Corsair & preferably one with an 80+ effeciency award.

 

[tb boy]

You're right on this, native AM3 board only support DDR3, but most AM2+ boards supports AM3 CPUs, so manufacturers renamed then after the release of AM3 CPUs into AM3/AM2+ boards, which is DDR2 capable. CHeck the specs.

Also, dont buy a cheap PSU, remember if a cheap PSU fails, theres a possibility of taking out the Mobo and CPU. Get at least a decent one from an reputable manufacturer like FSP/OCZ/Sparkle/Tuniq/Thermaltake/Silverstone/Antec/Topower.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know they rebranded the AM2+, I guess it makes sense thought seeing as they're all backwards compatible.

Now that's both of us telling him about the PSU, let's just hope he takes note.

Here's a new build without the case & 2GB of RAM (may I ask why you only want 2GB?):



Upgraded the CPU to an Athlon X3 440 & the graphics to a 5670, $310 after rebates.

 

[farcryo]

Yeah I'm not going to buy a cheap power supply anymore xD

Is Hec a trusted power supply ? it seems to be the only high priced one I can find in Egypt =(

Buying a high priced SPU decides it to be the 1st build, as I can't afford a graphic card + power supply it will be over the money I have.

2 GB RAM is because it's enough for me for now and I can buy more later, 4 GB right now would cost me about 50$ more, which would be better for a power supply for example, the money I have is really tight I know :/

You guys show me really amazing offers and builds, the last one is great I wish I can buy it, but the thing is what I have in the main post "those motherboards specially" are the only 760G-785G motherboards in Egypt, there's no MSI, no BIOSTAR, nothing other than Gigabyte "the 760G will be hard to find" and the ASUS 785G EVO "this one is more available", the market here kinda way too much sucks =P so that's pretty much the choices I have as the market focuses on only few exact parts and floods every shop with it. I should have said that earlier sorry :/

Well enough of "Egypt today" xD ,, if I can afford a good power supply with both builds which should I go for ? considering that I care more for being able to upgrade it more than caring for how good is it now -like a motherboard that can support 2011 AMD processors, the bulldozer or something like that, is better for me-

 

[fastx21]

This is a tough nut to crack! The parts you have picked will eat up all of your budget. Do you have a case to install these parts?

For Crossfire/SLI you need two identical cards.

Re-consider your budget.

Agreed. Seriously though. My windows sitting right now is hovering around 1.7 gbs use of ram. So 2GB is bottle necking you right off the bat. Realistically you should have double your budget.


I know it's easier said then done but $250 + gaming are oxymorons.

 

[farcryo]

http://www.arabhardware.net/forum/showthread.php?t=158112

Here you can find a good catalog, go little down the Arabic writing and you will find the rest in English, the prices are in Egyptian pounds, to make it in dollars its :

1 EGP = 0.17 USD
1 USD = 5.6 EGP

fastx21, that's windows 7 ?, I don't really open a lot of programs in the background, and I'll upgrade 2 GB more rams within 3 months, that's of the budget problem is the ram, but if it's the rest, I might just cancel the upgrading idea now till I have more money :/

 

[fastx21]

youll need add "PC" after gaming, as $250 + gaming = Xbox 360.

And only if you want something that's guaranteed to RROD on you .

Farcryo don't get me wrong I'm not trying to bash you, just that $250 really is hard to do for a gaming build. Just right now with a few things running I'm closer to 1.9 GBs of ram use. I know gaming will push that well over 2GB and will start bleeding over to that page file. And yes it's windows 7,

Honestly the lowest I'd consider is like an antec 300, a 500 gb drive, rana 440 + some $80 board, ddr3 4gb, a decent 500w psu and a 5770. That basically totals to like $500-550. Again I know it's not east to just come up with more money and I certainly know the feeling but it's better to do it right then build a sub-par system for $250 that won't do what you want and will get outdated the second you open those boxes.

 

[farcryo]

lol I can't believe that I didn't notice if I'm buying a graphic card I don't need a motherboard that has a built in GFX xD

the 1st build is really nice, I'll go with the motherboard, the ram, the power supply, the GFX card, and I think a phenom II X2 550 if I managed to get 150 EGP more, Timop you've been so helpful thank you way too much =), just one last question, you recommend Phenom II X2 550, or Athlon II X4 ?

 

[farcryo]

fastx21, yea I agree with you for the gaming build, though the only game I play isn't as strong as today's games,

http://support.eveonline.com/Pages/KB/Article.aspx?id=124

It needs a simple pc anything I'd get would be good for it I guess ?, I mean I'm not playing TOO strong games, mm I guess the title is kinda wrong, my pc is 512 MB ram, 2.6 CPU single core, no GFX card -you might wonder how is my pc even working-, so I really need upgrading, I can wait if 250$ really sucks, but if it will get me something that can last for 3 years or so, even if it's outdated compared to the high end stuff, it will be fine with me.


Timop I'll get the Athlon X3 then, unless I found a good batch which seems to always successfully unlock on the phenom II x2, cuz that would deserve taking the chance even if it didn't unlock xD

 

[farcryo]

the Athlon X3 unlocks to X4 or unlocks Cashe ?

mm my monitor is 17" at 1024×768

 

[farcryo]

Yup as I can barely work on photoshop CS3 now it will be much different xD ,, Thanks a lot Timop

Thanks everyone, my 1st time here but it's really great!