Please help come up with the best possible 500-700$ gaming solution :(

[joker577]

Hey everyone,

A few months ago my dell xps m1730's motherboard went out... the part is around $275 plus however much labor I go anywhere but after throwing all the money into a 4 year old laptop I talked my parents into letting me just get parts online and building them from there. My main sole purposes of the computer are strictly gaming and to not worry for years to come (BF3, etc.) I've been out of the loop with electronics so long since I haven't needed to be but the processor I'm possibly looking at is the amd phenom II x6 1100T BE
Thanks,
Brandon

 

[joker577]

Hey everyone,

A few months ago my dell xps m1730's motherboard went out... the part is around $275 plus however much labor I go anywhere but after throwing all the money into a 4 year old laptop I talked my parents into letting me just get parts online and building them from there. My main sole purposes of the computer are strictly gaming and to not worry for years to come (BF3, etc.) I've been out of the loop with electronics so long since I haven't needed to be but the processor I'm possibly looking at is the amd phenom II x6 1100T BE
Thanks,
Brandon

 

[ps3hacker12]

if you could fill this out it would really help us in giving you advice:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261222-13-build-advice

but heres a rig that i put together, its Crossfire/SLI ready, and will out perform the 1100T by quite a bit:

i5-2500K:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MSI P67A-G45 (B3):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582

4gb 1600Mhz G-Skill ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231427

Antec 300 case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Antec EarthWatts EA-650W PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
or this would be a good choice too for $10 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014

the samsung F3 1TB (HDD):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20f3

DVD-RW drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136216

and the ATI 6850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516

adds up to $735.38 , but you can cut down on depending on your needs.

Windows 7 64bit (if you need it): (another $100)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Optionals:
cooler master hyper 212+ CPU cooler: ($25)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

OCZ Solid 3 60gb SSD (boot drive $95):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227728

1100T vs 2500K:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=288

 

[gkay09]

Fill this and paste it here,...
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[joker577]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 weeks

Budget Range: 500-750$

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, gaming, some more gaming, and school work
Parts Not Required: Possibly OS and tower/power supply ( 430w gaming tower for 80$ on new egg right now)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Cheapest possible prices online

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: Whatever is going to get me the biggest bang for my buck, after having my dell xps m1730 motherboard go out I want to invest in something that will satisfy gaming wise for years

Overclocking: no
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200

 

[addison]

Don't list parts if you don't even know his budget.

 

[ps3hacker12]

so for those needs, id reccommend:

i5-2400:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

Biostar H67 mobo (Crossfire support at x16/x4):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138308

or this mobo would be a better mobo at a higher cost: (Crossfire and SLI at x16/8 and its full ATX so better cooling)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582

as before, this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
or this would do well too for $10 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014

a samsung F3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20f3

DVD-RW drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136216

and the ATI 6850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516

which comes to $613.44 not including the case/OS/speakers/mouse/keyboard/monitor.

oops forgot 4gb 1600Mhz G-Skill ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231427

which brings the total to $650.43

i think the case/PSU combo your looking at is probably the antec 300 case+CX430 PSU, the CX430 will probably cut it very close, but the 650W PSUs ive reccommended will allow you to add another 6850 in the future if you need it.

 

[ps3hacker12]

Don't list parts if you don't even know his budget.

the budget is in the title... '$500-700'. and hes opened another thread.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This next topics has been merged by Mousemonkey
■ Please help come up with the best possible 500-700$ gaming solution
■ New build 500-750$

 

[addison]

I wouldn't get a biostar, I'm trusty with ASUS or GIGABYTE. CPU is fine, though he could save much more with a AM3 CPU and get good performance still, a 460 is about the same performance as the 6850. My next post will be my build for him...

 

[addison]

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131654 (free shipping)

89.99


RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445 79.99

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 59.99

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500182 159.99



CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 59.95



HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148321 79.99

OS: Windows 7 home 64bit (OEM) 99.99 on tiger direct

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921 104.99 (free shipping) This is a good decent cpu and do all your needs, you can't over clock it sadly but still it has a pretty high clock, the also is the 845 for 5 more dollars but you could OC in bios using the stock and save only 5$ not really much of a difference.

Total 754.87$ Excluding shipping and there might be free shipping for all these items and save alot, I know tiger direct does. Also mail in rebate for many of them so get those backs and get your hard earned cash back
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 19.99

 

[joker577]

I believe what I'm going to go with is:
intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073 $210 but 15$ off with promo code


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020 75$ after rebate

MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138319 100$

DVD/CD RW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 20$

8 gig
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=cyq8tfb0r782 55$

radeon 6850 which i can go dual later
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516 129$


how do you guys feel about this case?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121096 40$

hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 40$


that leaves me with just getting the OS and is still under 650$

 

[addison]

You don't need 8 gb ram.... you could get a 5770 and get good performance it is a great card.

 

[joker577]

it's as cheap as 4 gb so i might as well have it for the future so to speak, and mostly the cpu and graphics card are most important to me in this so that's why i figured go with the 6850 and i can add another later since the MOBO is crossfire enabled

 

[Soma42]

I believe what I'm going to go with is:

CPU - Good, might consider the 2500k since the overclocking potential is amazing and it just takes a multiplier change.

PSU - Good brand, decent price, but here are cheaper power supplies out there and unless you want to Crossfire/SLI later 650W is more than you need. Here's a 600W for $50 after MIR:

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply

or for crossfire later, here is a comparable and cheaper PSU:

Antec HCG-750 750W - $70 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1vqvgv2dgiulj

MOBO - Biostar isn't on par with ASUS or Gigabyte. It may be a good board, but just based off reputation I would get this instead:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68P-DS3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard -$109

DVD/CD RW - It's a DVD drive...

RAM - Here's a better 8GB kit, has better timings and is about the same price. I don't think you'll need 8GB in the near future, but it's not much more expensive so why not. Also, make sure you get 64 bit windows if you are getting this much ram, 4GB is borderline waste in 32bit.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500)

GPU - If gaming is all you care about I would get something more than a 6850. At 1600x1200 it will still struggle with a few titles. I would get a 6870 or a GTX560ti at the minimum and then crossfire/SLI if you still need it. Single card solutions are always way easier.

XFX HD 6870 - $190 ($160 after MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1nuzyq3cj2ys8

CASE - Not a bad case, but it's mostly a personal preference and depends on what you are going to stick in it. I'm partial to this one and I think I'lll get it for my next build:

Rosewill CHALLENGER - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153&Tpk=rosewill%20challenger

HDD - The black series by WD is the faster and there are smaller hard drives than the one I listed if you want something cheaper, but definitely get a Black version over the blue.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB - $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283

I'll let you do the math, but it should come out close to what you had before if not a little bit more.

 

[joker577]

I know you said ASUS or Gigabyte, but do you see any money savers on here worth checking out?
http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=intel+i5+2500k&start=0&cn=Motherboard+Combos

 

[Soma42]

I know you said ASUS or Gigabyte, but do you see any money savers on here worth checking out?
http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=intel+i5+2500k&start=0&cn=Motherboard+Combos

The $357 ASUS board and the 2500k is a good combo, but it's more expensive than the gigabyte + 2500. If budget is a big concern then don't worry the 2500 will be plenty and the $15 off promo is decent savings.

Also, ignore the RAM I linked I must have been too tired last night. The other G-Skill kit you picked out is what you want. 1333 is the minimum.

I was suggesting the Z68 because I think the performance is worth a little bit more, but if aren't going to overclock check out the H67 chipset. It is much cheaper and will give you similar performance, but doesn't allow for overclocking.

H67, P67, and Z68 – Which one is right for you?


Here's a Gigabyte board, it's micro-ATX, but it might be all you need. Has crossfire, but only has 2 DIMMS for RAM, which should be a problem and no PCI slot, so if you have an older sound card it won't work.

$90
GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

No crossfire, only 2 DIMMs, Micro-ATX.

$75 after MIR
MSI H67MA-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Just look them over to make sure you're not missing anything, but they should do you fine. Nothing wrong with micro-ATX, but you don't get as many features at ATX boards (# of USB ports, SATA, etc.).

 

[Soma42]

Also, if you're price shopping Amazon and TigerDirect are two other sites worth looking at. They have some good deals sometimes.

And if you live near a microcenter then just buy everything there

 

[joker577]

Is 650w cutting it too close if I'm wanting to add another ati 6870 later?

 

[addison]

I love tiger direct they have discount's on so many things you could save much more then buying from newegg, take a look at it.

 

[joker577]

most of their prices i've checked are the same if not more

 

[addison]

Tiger gets A LOT of rebates and mail in rebates go to a local compusa they are ran by Tiger.

 

[ps3hacker12]

Is 650w cutting it too close if I'm wanting to add another ati 6870 later?

no its not, you would be fine.

As for Biostar, many people may not like them because they are pretty new to the mobo industry (about 1 and a half years old or so) but all the Biostar boards that ive ordered (H67, some AM2+ boards) have been fine, and they gave me a BIOS upgrade for my AM2+ to allow an upgrade to an AM3 just like most other companies too.

 

[mazchazo]

Check slickdeals.net

They have cheap ripjaws 8GB RAM. They tell you promo codes and coupon codes for newegg to get discounts. I also saw gtx 560 ti for 170-180 dollars! Can't get better than that. Check that site for promo and coupon codes for newegg.

Use "NEWCUSTOMER10" code in newegg for 10 dollars off of your first purchase, if you make a new account with newegg.

 

[addison]

I don't click on things that sound like a virus....