BestConfigs - Budget AMD-Based Gaming PC

[jpishgar]

We're updating the Tom's Hardware BestConfigs and are opening the field to user recommendations! Post the best configuration you can put together for the following build category and our editorial team will pick 5 recommendations in each category to put to a public vote. The top-ranking build will go on to become one of Tom's Hardware's BestConfigs, and you'll get the credit for having put together a brilliant build with special notice in the feature article.

Post your entries to this thread for the category of Budget AMD-Based Gaming PC, stay under $1,000 and be sure to list the following components-

Processor:
Motherboard:
RAM:
Graphics Card:
Hard Drive:
Case:
Power Supply:
DVD Burner:

Good luck, and may the best builds win!

 

[hunter315]

Is this your way of not needing to design your SBM machines anymore?

Here is my selection for a 1k AMD gaming build
AMD 955 $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=amd_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

Samsung F3 1TB $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=F3%201tb

Gskill Eco 2x2GB 1600MHz CL7 $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321

XFX 5850 $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

HAF 922 $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

Lite-on DVD burner $18
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Antec TP-750 Blue $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022&cm_re=TP-750-_-17-371-022-_-Product

Total $974 before $14 in shipping

 

[dndhatcher]

Is this your way of not needing to design your SBM machines anymore?

Last time they did this there were hundreds of comments with "suggested changes" to put it mildly. It a great idea to ask for examples and fun for us also.


Here is my AMD bargain gaming build:

Phenom IIx4 955 ($150)

ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321

Zotac 460 768MB ($190)
Zotac 460 768MB ($190) <thats two at x16/x16 SLI>
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500168

Samsung F3 500GB ($55)

Antec 300 Illusion ($70)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

DVD Burner ($18)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

SeaSonic SS-650HT 650W SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ($80)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151091

If my math is right that comes up to $992 without tax/shipping or using any combo deals. For raw gaming performance I think its going to be hard to beat at this price point.

 

[rebus_forever]

where do i get an athlon II 955?, or is that a quip at them having the same architecture as the phenom?

 

[TheDuke]

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

Motherboard:ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198

RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Case: NZXT LEXA S LEXS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

DVD Burner: LITE-ON Black 24X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

edit: @dndhatcher : I'll just put in a bigger case. Easier than modding. Also put in a slightly cheaper set of memory to get the price in line.

now at $987.92 before tax and shipping

 

[dndhatcher]

Duke, I think you better include a dremel in your parts list. No way will a 5870 fit in that little case without some "modding".

 

[vixiv]

Processor:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Motherboard:
ASUS M4A89GTD Pro
RAM:
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB DDR3 1333
Graphics Card:
EVGA GTX460 1GB
Hard Drive:
Samsung Spinpoint F4 320GB
Case:
Cooler Master CM690II Advanced
Power Supply:
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
DVD Burner:
Lite On Blu-Ray Burner

The Egg is showing me a total of $957.92 before shipping or any discount codes someone might have. A CPU cooler would probably put the cost over the $1000 budget, but it wasn't listed in the criteria.

 

[jrb427]

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
$17.99

Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 500W Power Supply
$69.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$54.99

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
$59.99

MSI R5830 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
$199.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
$92.99

AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX440WFGIBOX
$74.99

Subtotal: $570.93

 

[camarokm]

Duke, I think you better include a dremel in your parts list. No way will a 5870 fit in that little case without some "modding".

remember that case the power suply is on the bottom it will slide in just fine

 

[dndhatcher]

remember that case the power suply is on the bottom it will slide in just fine

The PSU has nothing to do with it. The card is too long from rear to front. It will hit the HDD rails, maybe need as much as an inch more space than the first case had. The second case is a full 2 inches deeper and will likely be fine.

 

[JohnA]

ASUS M4A88TD-VA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard 120

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 150

A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 89

HIS IceQ Radeon HD 5770 1GB 165

WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3 110

Antec Three Hundred 70

OCZ Fatal1ty 550W 65

Sony Burner 22

Total about 800 with shipping

1000 seemed a little high for a budget build. I started with the 5770, believing it to be the best value a "gamer" would consider good for current and near future games. I built the rest around it, future proofing with a Crossfire MB with USB 3, a quad core that doesn't take a heavy hit on non-threaded apps, cheapest quality ddr3 1600, and a fast hard drive greater than 1 TB (because I've never had a hard drive too big or too fast)

In reality, I think we should reconsider lowering the budget system to 600 or so, and add a mid system around 1000.

 

[thesmokingman14]

The fact that it sports 2 GTX 460s is what's going to put it over the top....I'm surprised one one person in both budget categories chose this....IT IS A GAMING PC AFTER ALL!!! (Nice choice, BTW)

Here is my AMD bargain gaming build:

Phenom IIx4 955 ($150)

ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321

Zotac 460 768MB ($190)
Zotac 460 768MB ($190) <thats two at x16/x16 SLI>
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500168

Samsung F3 500GB ($55)

Antec 300 Illusion ($70)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

DVD Burner ($18)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W Continuous, 80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, SLI Ready, Power Supply ($75)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182191

If my math is right that comes up to $987 without tax/shipping or using any combo deals. For raw gaming performance I think its going to be hard to beat at this price point.[/quotemsg]

 

[enzo matrix]

I was going to say that "budget" shouldn't be that expensive, but then I realized that there was no build option between "budget" and "high end" so everyone is treating "budget" as if it were "mid end".

on a side note, I recommend "budget" be seriously lowered in price and "mid end" be added at the current "budget" price.

 

[CBaca]

My contribution.

Phenom II X4 955 ($154.99)
Processor

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard ($113.99)
Motherboard

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout ($79.99)
Case

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ($89.99)
RAM

XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply ($99.99)
Power Supply

XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 ($279.99)
GPU

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD Writer ($19.99)
DVD

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM ($74.99)
HDD

Total = $913.92

 

[zxcvbnm44]

My so called "Budget build" (which is not really very budget) is graphics heavy. It has a 3.0GHz Phenom II X4 and 2 X GTX 460.

You could substitute the 945 here with a 955 or 965 but it would cost $35 or $46 dollars more (or $15 and $26 no combo), respectively. This is due to the loss of the combo deal on the Mobo and CPU.

Processor:
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz
+$139.99

Or upgrade if price allows (if we can use combos/MIRs to our advantage):
+$154.99 AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE 3.2GHz
+$165.99 AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 790X ATX
+$113.99

RAM:
A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
+$88.99

Graphics:
2 X ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1GB
+$439.98 ($219.99 ea.)

Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
+$74.99

Case:
Antec Three Hundred
+$59.95

Power Supply:
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W
+$99.99

DVD Burner:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner
+$18.99

Sub-total = $1036.87

-$20.00 combo
-$30.00 combo
-$20.00 MIR
-$20.00 MIR

Total = $946.87

Total (NO MIRs) = $986.87
Total (NO COMBOs) = $996.87

Additional CPU upgrade
(Option) +$35.00 (955)
(Option) +$46.00 (965)

Total (965) = $992.87

Hope I haven't overcomplicated things...

 

[ScrewySqrl]

s far as I'm concerned, $1000 is a big budget for AMD. a REAL Budget gamer is $600-800

 

[berkeleyboi]

Here's my extreme budget build that I made by abusing mail in rebates and Bing cash back.

Processor: AMD Athlon II x3 440 - $74.99 ($62.51 after BCB)
Motherboard: MSI 870A-G54 - $99.99 ($74.79 after rebate and BCB)
RAM: Corsair Corsair XMS 4GB 1333MHz CL9 DDR3 - $99.99 ($62.99 after rebate and BCB)
Graphics Card and Power Supply Combo: XFX GS250XYDFC GeForce GTS 250 512MB and XFX P1-650X-CAG9 650W $184.00 ($101 after rebate and BCB)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM $74.95 ($36.55 after rebate and BCB)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $48.66 ($33.66 after rebate)
DVD Burner: LG Black 24X DVD+R $19.99

Total Price: $391.49

 

[4ILY45]

Here's what i got:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 ($154.00)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-790XTA-UD4 ($119.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128416


RAM: Patriot G Series ‘Sector 5’ Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ($89.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220435


Graphics: XFX HD-585X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 ($285.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150494


Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB ($74.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433


Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black ($69.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119215


Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ($109.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006


DVD Burner: Lite-On 24X iHAS124 ($17.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289


Total w/o shipping: $922.92 (with mail in rebates: $877.22)

Cart: http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=view

 

[egowhip69]

ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$89.99

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
$139.99

OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
$83.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.95

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified ...
$79.99

XFX HD-583X-ZAFV Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
$209.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
$42.99

Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
$18.99

LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray Reader SATA Model iHOS104-06 - OEM
$49.99

Total of $ $775.87 before tax and shipping...

Now that extra ~$225

I'd think if this was a true total build, you'd also have to pop another $100 for OEM windows home premium. But as that wasn't in the criteria, we could double the video card for some Crossfired goodness! Or if you don't play games that are graphic intensive, I'd put that into a 80 gig SSD boot drive. And even then you'd have the option to crossfire later if needed.

I know this is a gaming system, but as everyone uses their rigs for other things, hook it up to your flat screen as a second monitor, and with the Blu-ray drive included, now it's your bedroom entertainment system too! (for only $50, who could pass that up?)

 

[xurwin]

Processor/powersupply: athlon rana x3 440/ocz modxtreme 700watts
Motherboard:Asus crosshair IV formula
RAM: gskill ripjaws 4gb cl7 1600
Graphics Card: ati 5870
Hard Drive: samsung f3 1tb
Case: coolmaster haff 922
DVD Burner: cheap sata dvd drive(sony optriac)

total:$996.91

 

[egowhip69]

And cause I couldn't resist... for those of you that think $1000 is a bit high for a "budget machine", especially one that isn't a FULL system, here's for an entry gamer on the cheap:

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.95

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80
$59.99

AMD Phenom II X3 740 Black Edition Heka 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop
$88.99

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm Ceramic CPU Cooler
$29.99

ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$74.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$42.99

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model
$77.99

GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
$124.99

LG 22X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH22NS40 - OEM
$17.99

Total before tax and shipping: $577.87

For under $600, thats a fairly mean little system. Especially since all the articles seem to show that going 4 cores over 3 produces little if no gain in most games. It's using last gen GPU, but for that price, I'll take it. I've built several systems using pretty close to this exact setup for friends and family, and never heard complaints.

Throw in win 7 home premium OEM for $100, a decent 1080p monitor (22 inch or so) for $180, and use that last ~$100 for a decent mouse, keyboard and speakers / headphones and you have a FULL system for under $1000 (course before tax, shipping, blah, blah, blah...)

 

[gkay09]

CPU - X4 955

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128441

RAM - Mushkin 4GB DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226092

Video card - 2x HD 5770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873

PSU - Corsair 750TX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

CASE - Antec 300 Illusion/ CM HAF 922

HDD - Samsung F3 500GB/ 1TB

DVD - Lite-ON/ ASUS DVD

The reason why I chose the 890FX is that you can go Quad-fire or 3-way CrossfireX, and in many cases, 3x HD 5770s perform as good as 2x HD 5850...

Or Get this mobo - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX and HD 5850 instead of 2x HD 5770s, allowing for a second HD 5850s in Crossfire later on...

 

[dEAne]

Processor:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA 790FXTA UD5
RAM:
G.SKill F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH
Graphics Card:
Sapphire HD 5770 1gb128bit ddr5 Vapor X
Hard Drive:
WDC Caviar Black 640gb/64mb (WD6402AAEX)
WDC Caviar Green 2tb/64mb (WD20EARS)
Case:
Cooler Master CM Storm Sniper
Power Supply:
Corsair (HX750) 750watts HX
DVD Burner:
Lite On Blu Ray Burner

I am quite satisfied with this set up - I have tried with failure and success with different parts but I have learned a lot. I use this rig for gaming, video editing and over clocking, it did not fail me.

 

[guanyu210379]

hmmm seing the X4 955 inside almost of each system, I don't really think those are really budget build.
The limit USD1000 only for the PC (not included monitor, etc.) is also a bit too much for budget built.

I agree with those who used X3 and HD5770 as budget built base.
Antec 300 is also the correct choice.
SLI/Xfire is definitely out for budget build.
Samsung F3 500GB or 1TB is again correct.
No one pick an SSD to the system is also correct, SSD is only meant for power built.

 

[Foxnin]

This might be pushing the budget just abit >_>;

Processor: Phenom II 965 [172.99]
Motherboard: MSI 790FX-GD70 [168.99 or 148.99 after rebate]
RAM: Corsair XMS3 TW3X4G1333C9AG 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM [79.99]
Graphics Card: 2x Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 [159.99]
Hard Drive: Kingston SSDNow 64GB [119.99]
Case: Black Thermaltake V3 ATX Mid Tower [47.99]
Power Supply: Ultra LSP (Lifetime Series Pro) 750W ATX [79.99]
DVD Burner: Black Sony Optiarc AD-7260S [17.99]