Low Budget- Heroes of Newerth

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Strier

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May 29, 2011
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Pretty much, I'm looking to buy/build a PC for the first time... I really miss playing HoN and I've decided to dish out a bit of money for web browsing/flash games but most importantly optimized for Heroes of Newerth. I would love to be able to play D3 with a decent FPS as well.. but that would just be a bonus. Since this is a few months in advance, I wouldn't mind stretching the budget a bit in anticipation for price drops...

Approximate Purchase Date: 2-3 months

Budget Range: ~400 (maybe a 150 buffer)+ monitor/keyboard

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing, Music Storage

Parts Not Required:

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Your Discretion

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Your Discretion

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: I prefer 1280x1024

Additional Comments: I would like to maximize for these specs at least!

System specs for HoN
Windows

Minimum:
Processor - 2.2GHz Pentium 4 / AMD 2400+ or faster
RAM - 1GB of RAM
Video Card - GeForce 5 and ATI 9800 w/ 128 MB VRAM
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Network Connection Required

Recommended:
Processor - 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo / AMD 3500+ or faster
RAM - 1.5GB or higher
Video Card - 256MB Geforce 7800+ or Radeon X1900+
Network Connection Required (Broadband)
 
Solution
Onus
Here's a build:

Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer ...
Model #:CPC-T45UC-U01
Item #:N82E16811815004
$39.99 -$10.00 Instant $29.99
I don't care for Coolermaster cases; nice designs but the ones I bought always had minor quality issues.

ASRock 880GM-LE AM3 AMD 880G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:880GM-LE
Item #:N82E16813157199
$59.99 $59.99
I had a couple of older Biostar boards fail, but no ASRock, and I like their features.

SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:100287VGAL
Item #:N82E16814102871
$69.99...
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cmcghee358

cmcghee358

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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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Here's a build:

Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer ...
Model #:CPC-T45UC-U01
Item #:N82E16811815004
$39.99 -$10.00 Instant $29.99
I don't care for Coolermaster cases; nice designs but the ones I bought always had minor quality issues.

ASRock 880GM-LE AM3 AMD 880G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:880GM-LE
Item #:N82E16813157199
$59.99 $59.99
I had a couple of older Biostar boards fail, but no ASRock, and I like their features.

SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:100287VGAL
Item #:N82E16814102871
$69.99 $69.99
Stronger than the HD6570, and at this price? Grab!

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Model #:EA-380D Green
Item #:N82E16817371033
$59.99 -$20.00 Instant $39.99
Has been my "goto" PSU for basic builds for years. Solid, reliable, and efficient.

AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
Model #:ADX450WFGMBOX
Item #:N82E16819103886
$79.99 $79.99
A lot of power for cheap.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Model #:F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Item #:N82E16820231396
$39.99 $39.99
I've had good luck with G.Skill RAM; probably only 12-16 sticks, but none DOA and no RMAs.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:ST3500418AS
Item #:N82E16822148395
$44.99 $44.99
Since you mentioned music storage, you may want a bigger one, or two drives, but it looks like you'll have room in your budget.

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
Model #:iHAS424-98
Item #:N82E16827106335
$24.99 $24.99
Meh. In my experience, one optical drive is much like another. This one has Lightscribe.

Subtotal: $389.92
 
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Solution
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Strier

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Is there any noticeable performance change is I up the budget to about 450-500? Or is this already far beyond the recommended specs? I'm more of a software guy :(
 
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S

Strier

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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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If you increase your budget another $100...hmmm...
I'd probably get a Phenom II X4 955 for another $40 (and may be even cheaper soon), and get a HD5770 like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447 for only $105, but it also has a $30 MIR if you play that game and win; so it could be another $35, or maybe only $5 more. Then you can get a larger and/or additional hard drive if your music collection needs it, OR to use to back up your system (never a bad idea). None of those changes would necessitate a larger PSU.

Edit: At $500, you're actually getting into the i3-2100 range, which is generally a stronger performer. Anandtech is down right now, or I'd cite their benchmarks to show it. It would be a tough call though, as you might have to get a lower quality mobo.
 
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S

Strier

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I hear that it would be better to stretch past the i3 and get an i5?...

So my real question is how the 385 build matches up with Phenom IIx4/5770 build.
Would i see a large difference in performance or does the 385 build peak out for the specs they asked for?

Edit: you get best answer after this. you've been awesome help!
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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89,965
Well, I'd go for the stronger build; the video card at least. Especially if you ever increase your resolution, you'll see benefits from the stronger card.
The i5 would be very nice, but then you're really in the $700+ range at a minimum, and realistically, closer to $800-$850. Such a build, to be balanced, would also contain an even stronger video card, and would need a bigger PSU.

Edit: Glad to help. Choosing the parts is half the fun of a new build.
 
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S

Strier

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Putting them together and letting it rip is definitely the other half. Thanks a lot and I'll give you an update when it's up and running. I'll name it the JTT-283.
 
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