Homebuilt low end gaming rig

[hbags]

Hello,

I'm looking at building my first PC at home and I would like to build a gaming rig on a low budget. It doesn't have to be top end or anything, but I am in serious need of an upgrade. Right now I have an AMD Athalon single core, a Nvidia 9500 GT video card and an old MB that I can't upgrade to even dual core---almost anything is a major step up at this point.

There is a huge deal going on at tigerdirect.ca today for $200 and I'm wondering if the base components are any good for a gaming PC.

ECS IC780M-A Motherboard (4 slots for 8GB RAM to equal 32GB on W7 64bit, SATA connection)
AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core 2.4 Ghz
2GB DDR2 RAM (Patriot)
Seagate 500GB Hard drive
Raygo ATX Mid-Tower Case with a 450W Power Supply
And an aluminium CPU fan (yay?)

To finish my build and bring it under $400 before shipping and taxes I would add:

EVGA GeForce GTX 460 1GB GDDR5 Video Card on sale for 129.97
Samsung TS-H663B DVDRW Drive for 34.97
Another 2GB DDR2 RAM (Corsair) for 34.97

I already have an HD monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and Windows seven. Is this good enough to run the newest games, even if it's not at the top settings? I suppose I could add more RAM if its necessary.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mdd1963]

I would forego the temptation to build any DDR2 based rig, or, any AMD based rig for that matter. If budget limited, look for an older socket 1156/i3-540 combo; the GTX460 is a solid card to build around.

 

[hbags]

Well, I do have more money to spend, up to about 700$ including taxes and shipping. I just thought I'd ask about this cheaper deal I saw. After all, why pay more if you don't have to?

Anyway, an updated build, based on what I was thinking before I saw the deal on TigerDirect:

ASUS P8H61-M LGA 1155 Motherboard for 84.99
Intel i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1 GHz for 189.99
2x2GB Corsair DDR3 RAM for 52.49
1TB Seagate Barracuda HD for 54.99
LITE 24x DVD Burner for 25.99
EVGA GTX 460 1GB Video Card for 129.97
Raidmax Smiodon ATX Case with 500W PSU for 85.99

So that equals, before shipping and taxes, 569.42.

I should mention that the MB, CPU, HD and Case are part of a discount deal--so they come together. I already bought the Video Card before the sale finished: decision based on my own reasearch and mdd1963's helpful suggestion. I am not particularly interested in overclocking or anything so that's not an issue for me.

Again, practically anything on the market today is a huge upgrade on my current AMD single-core processor and my computer is so old that I can't really salvage it for scraps because it's pre SATA etc.

Thanks!

 

[striker410]

DO NOT BUY IT. The deal looks good and it is, except for that PSU. it will most likely NOT run your graphics card (the gtx 460 requires 2 6pin pci cables), which will mean you'll have to blow another $60 on a replacement PSU. I would instead check out newegg deals.
Also, if you look at the reviews on that case/PSU combo, the first 30 reviews are all 1 star.
I cannot stress enough what a waste of money that case and PSU is.

 

[striker410]

If you can afford it, I'd recommend something like this
HAF 912: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912
ASRock Extreme4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229&cm_re=asrock_extreme4-_-13-157-229-_-Product
i5-2500k: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product
Modxstream 500w PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&Tpk=modxstream%20500
G.Skill 2x2 1333MHz ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231438&cm_re=gskill_4gb-_-20-231-438-_-Product
Spinpoint f3 1tb: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304551153&sr=8-1
DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
If you cannot afford it/dont want to spend it, let us know, we can help you out with a cheaper solution.
Take into account that Tigerdirect has shipping AND tax depending on where you live.

 

[hbags]

Ooohhh, Thank you!

I thought all the reviews looked good. Of course after reading them many of them say they like the case but scrapped the PSU. I guess I need to read more.

I know the i5 2500k is a better processor, but the i52400 is thirty dollars cheaper on Newegg.ca and I don't think I need the extra preformance.

Okay, another question, should I scrounge up the money and go with a 650W PSU, just to be safe/in case I one day decide to blow my money on something like a Blue-Ray drive or something else extra?

 

[hbags]

..like this one?

Corsair 650W Enthusiast Series http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

...or this cheaper one?

ANTEC 650W Earthwatts http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

 

[striker410]

^ that antec one will do fine. And as for the case, it looks OK, but if you have to spend the money on a new psu, you should just get another deal since buying another PSU negates the savings on the combo.
You can use the build I recommended above but swap the processor out, or I can help you out if it's still to expensive, find some cheaper parts.

 

[hbags]

I'll probably do an amalgamation of the two sets, with the cheaper H61-style motherboard and the nice case you suggested with a 650W PSU. Since I'm not going to be doing any SLI or Crossfire I won't need the extra PCI Express slot. (The Prices tend to be a little higher on the Canadian sites as well).

Then I'll finally be able to have a computer that can play cutscenes from a video game I bought nearly a year ago. (Yeah, I know it was stupid that I didn't check the minimum requirements).

Now that I have the proper parts in mind I'll know what to do when I order, which'll be a week or so from now. I'll make final decisions about a specific DVD drive and RAM based on prices then, something might go on sale after all!

Thanks for your help!

 

[hbags]

Best answer selected by hbags.

 

[striker410]

No problem man! be sure to let me know how it works out.