$350-400 mobo, cpu, gpu, psu, casual gaming combo?

[jblorenz]

Hello,

I am trying to build a new computer for about $400. I am only a causal gamer; mainly totw series and my old computer has reached its limit. The last one I had my friend built about 5 years ago and most of the components aren't worth keeping. I have been overwhelmed by all the options in looking for a new mobo, cpu, and gpu. I will keep my old tower and replace the hard drive and cd drive later. What is the best combo for a new mobo, cpu, gpu, and psu?

right now i am looking at:

ASUS Socket AM3/AMD 880G/USB3.0/Hybrid CrossFireX/A&V&GbE/Micro ATX Motherboard s M4A88T-M/USB3 or

GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

4 to 8 GB of Ram

Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz AM3 125W

and for gpu:

SAPPHIRE HD 6750 1GB DDR3

and don't know what power supply yet

 

[o1die]

If you can shop at newegg, get on their email list. They also have combo packages almost every weekday for $200-300 as a shellshocker special. With a budget like yours, you can't be too picky. You'll need some leftover for a windows copy. Try craigslist for that.

 

[13thmonkey]

what do you want to do with it, and at what resolution?

 

[jblorenz]

what do you want to do with it, and at what resolution?

just looking to upgrade and casual gaming and watch blue ray on it

 

[13thmonkey]

OK, that last bit might make it interesting. Do you have a HDCP compliant monitor? else you'll be watching blueray at std dev, only HDMI/DP is capable of HDCP connections.

What do you mean by casual gaming. I'm trying to make sure we understand what you want, so that you aren't disappointed by the outcome, or unknowningly oversold on the capabilities of the system.

 

[jblorenz]

I really appreciate that because i am a bit over my head. Yes, my monitor is HDCP compliant. Casual gaming means not really an enthusiast, but occasionally plays games like Starcraft 2 or Total War series. From playing these I realized my system is just out of date and needs to be replaced. Basically, I wanted something with decent capabilities in speed, graphics, and power, but I don't need anything over the top.

 

[deceneu]

http://apps.facebook.com/tomsbuilder/8925

my idea for a casual gaming machine

 

[jblorenz]

OK, that last bit might make it interesting. Do you have a HDCP compliant monitor? else you'll be watching blueray at std dev, only HDMI/DP is capable of HDCP connections.

What do you mean by casual gaming. I'm trying to make sure we understand what you want, so that you aren't disappointed by the outcome, or unknowningly oversold on the capabilities of the system.

I really appreciate that because i am a bit over my head. Yes, my monitor is HDCP compliant. Casual gaming means not really an enthusiast, but occasionally plays games like Starcraft 2 or Total War series. From playing these I realized my system is just out of date and needs to be replaced. Basically, I wanted something with decent capabilities in speed, graphics, and power, but I don't need anything over the top.

 

[13thmonkey]

Its obviously a budget build, I'm going to let someone else take over, as I more mainstream than budget, perhaps an AMD A8? and I believe that it can work with an additional ATI card, check out teh A6-A8 reviews from a few months ago?

 

[13thmonkey]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/amd-a8-3850-llano,review-32222.html

For low res gaming, or high res low quality then that'll be not too bad in my opinion. To get a decent gaming experience you need a 560Ti, or maybe 6850, both about £150/$150, which puts an enormous dent in your budget. This will get you gaming, i'm not going to look at the US sites, I'm sure you can do that for yourself. Just get lots of good RAM and a decent brand PSU. And then in a few months time if you need it, buy the 6670 which is the best upgrade you can give it, whilst still using the A8's built in processor.

 

[jblorenz]

Best answer selected by jblorenz.