[New Build] Budget Gaming (less than $600) Cyberpower vs Buyxg

[Dejii]

Hey all,

First time posting so not sure exactly where to put this topic but I've decided on buying a PC instead of building one as I only have a monitor, mouse, and speakers and thus need a lot of the other stuff that people don't usually include in their list. So to cut to the chase, I've made these two list:

BuyXg ~ $587
CAS: Apevia X-Dreamer 3 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Side-Panel Window & Temperature Display [-6] (Black Color with Black Ring & Blue LED Fan)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-760 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1156
MOTHERBOARD: MSI H55M-E23 Intel H55 Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 mATX w/ Onboard Graphics, HDMI, DVI, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA-II, 1 Gen 2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB GDDR3 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)

FAN: Intel LGA1156 Certified CPU Fan & Heatsink
POWERSUPPLY: 500 Watts - Standard Case Power Supply

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

SERVICE: Standard Warranty: 1-Year Limited Warranty Plus Life-Time Technical Support



Cyber Power ~ $588
CAS: Thermaltake V3 Black Mid-Tower Case
CPU: Intel® Core™ i3-2100 3.10 GHz 3M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155
MOTHERBOARD: Biostar H61MH Intel H61 Chipset DDR3 mATX Mainboard w/ Onboard Video, HDMI, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB 2.0, SATA-II, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [B3 Stepping]
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB GDDR3 16X PCIe Video Card [+51] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
HDD: 500GB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)

FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
POWERSUPPLY: 500 Watts - Standard Case Power Supply

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None

KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
FREEBIE_CU1: FREE Game - Shogun 2 Limited Edition Coupon: Total War [+0]
FREEBIE_CU2: FREE! PCI Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+0]

SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

I feel like the Buyxg buy is better due to the true quad core vs dual core w/ hyperthreading but it seems as though Cyperpower is more represented on these forums. Is there something I'm missing as in reputation or quality? Also is there anything I should be concerned about with the above builds? I tried to go as cheap as possible and prices include shipping...

It'd be great if I could get a response today as the Buyxg deals ends tonight! Thanks!

 

[mosox]

What's your monitor resolution? Do you want to game on this PC?

 

[Dejii]

Max monitor resolution is 1920X1080 (Asus VH236). Yea I want to game on it.

 

[mosox]

The video card is most important for gaming not the CPU

# AS: Apevia X-Dreamer 3 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Side-Panel Window & Temperature Display [-5] (Black Color with Black Ring & Blue LED Fan)
# CASUPGRADE: None
# CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
# CD2: None
# CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 955 Black Edition Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
# CS_FAN: Default case fans
# FA_HDD: None
# FAN: AMD ATHLON64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK [-20]
# FLASHMEDIA: None
# FREEGAME_VC02: None
# GLASSES: None
# HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-22] (Single Hard Drive)
# HDD2: None
# IEEE_CARD: None
# KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
# MB_ADDON: None
# MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
# MONITOR: None
# MONITOR2: None
# MONITOR3: None
# MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4A87TD/USB3 AMD 870 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Core Unlocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB 3.0, SATA-III RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe x4, 1 PCIe X1 & 3 PCI
# MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
# MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
# NCSW: None
# NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
# OS: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
# POWERSUPPLY: 500 Watts - Standard Case Power Supply [+22]
# RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
# SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
# SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
# SPEAKERS: None
# TEMP: None
# TVRC: None
# USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
# USBFLASH: None
# USBHD: None
# USBX: None
# VC_PHYSX: None
# VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+77] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
# VIDEO2: None
# VIDEO3: None
# WNC: None
# _PRICE: (+661)

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/AMD_Quad_Core_Configurator/

This one is better:

Apevia X-Cruiser 2 Mid-Tower Case w/ Side-Panel Window & MultiMeter Display
AMD Phenom™II X4 955 Black Edition Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
FREE! 4GB USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive [+0]
GigaByte GA-870A-UD3 AMD 870/SB850 chipset DDR3 Ultra Durable™3 Socket AM3 ATX
4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory
AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card
600 Watts - XtremeGear Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive
120 Watt Stereo Speakers
Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

$676

http://www.buyxg.com/system/AMD_Phenom_Custom_Builder/detail

Remove the speajers if you have that already. If the price is too high drop the CPU to the Athlon II X4.

 

[Dejii]

Thanks for taking the time to pull that up.

I think I'm going to go for building a computer now! Looking around these forums have me sort of excited to do so. And I think I'm going to stick to a core i3-2100 (maybe a core i5-2400 if I find the extra money) with a sapphire radeon hd 5850 combo. While gaming is definitely a priority, I'm not trying to run everything at max settings.

From a perspective point of view, I'm upgrading from my old laptop 1.4 Ghz intel celeron M w/ integrated graphics ...It won't take a lot to please me for my first desktop. Thanks again!

 

[mosox]

Good choice. An i-5 2400 would be nice. If you wait until the beginning of June the prices will likely drop due to the release of new AMD CPUs.

 

[geofelt]

For a budget gamer, the 2100 is a fine choice. It beats any amd, including the 6 core X6-1075T:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859-10.html

For gaming, the graphics card is all important, particularly as the resolutions get greater, like 1920 x 1080.
Plan on getting the best graphics card that your budget will allow. Here is some current thinking on that:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935.html

The 5770 is probably a good choice. . One should cost $100-$120.

You will not need an expensive 1155 motherboard. They start at $65 or so, and a H61 based motherboard will be fine.
You might even consider using the integrated graphics at first so you can better assess your needs for a graphics card. Don't plan on great gaming, but it will be better than on a laptop. Use the time to evaluate graphics cards and to shop around.

Ram is cheap, I like 8gb, but 4gb should do for now. Get the cheapest 4gb kit that is supported by your motherboard. The memory controller on sandy bridge is very good at keeping the cpu fed with ram data. It makes very little difference what speed or latency the ram is. No need to spend more on fancy heat spreaders either. I would get a single stick of 4gb ram, even though it will operate in single channel mode @ $39: The advantage is you preserve an 8gb upgrade if your motherboard has only two ram slots.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231423

If you are uncomfortable with single channel, the 2 x 2gb kit is the same price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231394

The 8gb(2 x 4gb) kit is $80:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422



The Antec 300 is a good inexpensive gaming case. I like that it has washable front intake air filters. $60 + free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

The 5770 needs a 450w psu and a 6 pin pci-e connector.
Corsair has been good in the past. This newer 500w unit is $45 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Get a largish 7200 rpm hard drive. The larger ones will be faster. Samsung 1tb is supposed to be good @$65 . I like wd also.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

The stock cpu cooler will be fine.

For the keyboard and mouse, I suggest you first go to a local store and handle them personally. You can select the ones that feel most comfortable to you.

Windows-7 home premium is fine. If you are a student, look into academic pricing.

Lastly, take the time to download, and read, cover to cover the manuals for your case and motherboard. Many questions will be answered.

By building it yourself, you will save on the oem builder's profit, and get exactly the parts and quality you want.
But... the experience will be priceless!

---------good luck-----------



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