$500 Gaming PC - Please advise

[DrInfested]

I am currently building a new gaming PC for my brother. I'm going for something around $600 including OS. The computer doesn't have to be very powerful, he will be playing games like Source games, Stalker: Clear Sky, Starcraft 2, and things like that. I have never built my own computer, but I have plenty of experience in repairing computers, replacing components and all that.

I basically just need some of you computer building vets to review my components, and please tell me if I am using something that isn't the best for my money, or if there's any other component that might cost a bit more, but would be much better.


Approximate Purchase Date: Today or tomorrow.

Budget Range: $500 (not including OS) Before Rebate.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching movies, online movie streaming.

Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, but I will buy where it is cheaper regardless.

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: ATI for the video card, I don't care for the other components.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Neither me nor my brother have any desire to watch Blu-Ray movies, so don't bother suggesting one. Also, reliability is key!


Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower w/ Fans

Motherboard: ASRock M3A770DE

Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 4850 1GB

Power Supply: Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2SB 500W

CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz

RAM: A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB DDR3 1600

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM

CD/DVD Drive: LITE-ON Black 24X



Thanks to anyone who can help me. I just want to be sure I make a nice decently powerful machine that my brother can have fun with compared to his current 867Mhz G4 PowerMac.

 

[Guest]

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1

COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119201
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$39.99
1

ASRock 890GM PRO3 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$42.00 Instant


$134.99
$92.99
1

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


$69.99
1

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
Item #: N82E16819103871
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy


$99.99
1

XFX HD-577X-ZMF3 Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150501
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ...
Item #: N82E16817207007
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
-$35.00 Combo
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate


$254.98
$189.98
Subtotal: $492.94

 

[batuchka]

$494AR

 

[DrInfested]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Especially all the combo deals. I didn't realize how much I could save using combo deals! I bought the parts today, and I double checked compatibility and all so it should be good.

Thanks!

 

[3dXGanja]

if i were u i would go straight for a Phenom X4 + HD56xx series
i dont know about that mobo...i wold go for Asus if u want speed or Gigabyte if u want endurance!

my personal oppinion!!

 

[batuchka]

Negative on cutting down GPU to a HD 56xx


The Game Rundown: Finding CPU/GPU Bottlenecks, Part 2
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/game-performance-bottleneck,2738-16.html

Conclusion: A Trend Toward 3+ Cores

The average optimal number of CPU cores suggested by the test results is 2.75, showing a clear trend towards at least three CPU cores.The question of whether the CPU or GPU is most important is easily answered. If you don't have a multi-core CPU, then upgrade it. If you have a dual-core CPU at around 3 GHz, then invest your money into a graphics card, as most games are GPU-limited. This is not something that will change with new DirectX 11 games.

 

[batuchka]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Especially all the combo deals. I didn't realize how much I could save using combo deals! I bought the parts today, and I double checked compatibility and all so it should be good.

Thanks!

Yep glad all went well and u are welcomed

 

[DrInfested]

Best answer selected by DrInfested.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar