$500 Budget Gaming Rig

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MrCasual

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Jun 20, 2011
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Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: $500 USD after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, internet

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Just want the best price.

Country of Origin: Good 'ol US of A

Parts Preferences: i3 CPU

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: No better than 1680x1050

Additional Comments: First PC build for me though I will have help from my brother and cousin who both have plenty experience combined.
 
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Outlander_04

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You can mix and match parts . If you dont like that case [ or any other component], or another one is discounted then by all means use it

Some shopping around on newegg and you can find combo deals that will get you good discounts too.

I think that motherboard they used was so bad it wasnt worth using .. but they were building a system to a price .

I mentioned that article because I think its a good baseline for the kind of computer you are going to build , and it gives you an idea of the kind of performance you can expect . And it is a good gamer for the price
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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You could save some money.
Get this build I have in my siggy.
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Saves you $50 and it'll run games pretty well (6550D). Plus it's a solid CPU, also in the future when the drivers are perfected, you'll be able to Crossfire the APU with a dedicated card of the lower end and that'll perform quite well. Currently only Metro 2033 takes advantage of that CF with the APU. So not a good thing to do ATM but later it'll be good.

A8-3850 review: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a8-3850-llano,2975.html
 
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z_4

z_4

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Here's a Sandy Bridge Based Solution :

CPU & Motherboard: $175-i3-2100 & Biostar H61MH (Great processor & decent motherboard lacks USB 3.0 & SATA 6GB/s)

RAM: $35- Gskill NS (2X2GB)

Power Supply: $45- Corsair Builder Series CX430 (Decent 80 Plus certified power)

Graphic Card: $175- Sapphire Radeon 6870

HDD: $40- Seagate Barracuda 500GB( or Samsung Spinpoint 1TB for $55)

Case: $35- Sentey Black

Optical Drive: $19- LiteOn

Total (Excluding Rebates) : 524 USD

Rebates: 30 USD

If you need Sata 6GB/s & USB support you will have to increase your budget by another $25(cheapest motherboard Asrock H61 worth $70).

Here's a review of Radeon 6870.
 
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Outlander_04

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Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078

ASRock H61M-GE LGA 1155 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157256
Better motherboard with more connectors and 4 RAM slots

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) $32
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145278

Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148701

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=kc25xsa3lker

MSI R6850 Cyclone PE Radeon HD 6850 1GB $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127576

$467

And you need a case .

I'd pay a little extra for a basic , but quality , case like the Antec 300 which has excellent cooling

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Total is $526.50

PS Need a DVD too so add $19
 
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Solution
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MrCasual

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Ok, well i think I have it now
CPU & Motherboard: $175-i3-2100 & Biostar H61MH
RAM: $35- Gskill NS (2X2GB)
Power Supply: $45- Corsair Builder Series CX430
Case: $35- Sentey Black
GPU: $150 Sapphire HD Radeon 6850

So basically everything fron z_4's post except the GPU. I know i didn't include the optical drive but I'm sure i can scavenge one.
Total comes to $471 after rebates

 
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addison

addison

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This gpu is GREAT I have the XFX verison and love it, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102941&cm_re=ati_5770-_-14-102-941-_-Product

Though if you want something less expensive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102865&cm_re=ati_5750-_-14-102-865-_-Product will do your games just fine, best to over clock it

CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product


If you get one of those GPU you'll be very happy for whay you picked, and theat 430watt will run either of them fine. Also what about windows or what ever your going to use for a Operating System.
 
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MrCasual

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Ok, so for GPU I'm having trouble deciding. It's between these three:

Sapphire Radeon HD 6850
Sapphire Radeon HD 5850... If I could find one since Newegg has them out of stock
Or the Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 for $25 more than the 6850 (after the 6850 rebate)

What's everyones opinion on their pros/cons?
Do you think any of these pared with the i3 could play skryim/bf3 at least on medium settings?

Addison, I'll be running windows 7.
 
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MrCasual

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So what's good about the GTX 460? I looked up some comparison real quick and it seems as though it trades blows with the HD 6850 but if I spent $15 more I could get a 6870 which would be better than either one.
 
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MrCasual

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Alright, well I found a GTX 560 Ti for $100 and picked that up since it goes for $230 normally. Major impulse buy but I knew it was better than anything else i was discussing. Since I'm getting that and saving ~$50-$75 would I need a different PSU? Should I get a better HDD? Or what.
 
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wenqi

wenqi

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for a 560ti i would have at least 550w (IMO 430w isn't enough) and if you plan on SLI then at least 750w, IMO stick to brands like corsair, antec and seasonic, if you want to opt for a different brand, check it out first on sites like jonnyguru, you might get lucky and find out its a re branded seasonic PSU. if you want a nicer HDD, go for the samsubg spinpoint F3, its the best HDD in terms of value.
 
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MrCasual

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z_4

z_4

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Here's a PSU that you may consider :
$55- Antec Neo ECO 520C

Here's a link that will give you an idea of the power consumption of GTX 560Ti
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-ti-upsetting-the-250-market/16
 
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wenqi

wenqi

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yeah good point... i recommended the TP-750 off the top of my head without having a look, is that a re-branded PSU? can't seem to find a review for it, and it isn't modular is it? i THINK the TP-750 is semi-modular but i'm not sure... anyway, good find
 
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