$500 Gaming PC

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thymanbearpig

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Aug 7, 2011
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Approximate Purchase Date: Within ~2 days.


Budget Range: $500 with shipping, strict budget.


System Usage from Most to Least Important: (BF:BC2, GTA IV, Source, Crysis 2 (Dx10), Shift 2, Fallout NV,)Gaming, surfing the web.


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


Preferred Website for Parts: Newegg.com, Amazon.com


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: AMD Quad Core, 500GB Hard Drive minimum.


Overclocking: No, but might after a few months.


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: 1280x720, 1368x768, 1440x900, and a little of 1920x1080 (For 1080, I don't need to max out the games, just smooth FPS with ~high settings).

So far, I'm confident on getting these items.
MD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148418

I was thinking about these items too.
Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 7200 RPM - $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283

HIS Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $160($1 Shipping, with Dirt 3 and Shogun 2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161348

Additional Comments: I have my 8400GS hooked up to 26" monitor using DVI to HDMI cable.
I'm currently running on this.
P4 2.66GHz
1.5GB RAM
8400GS 512VRAM
The only games I can run on this are CSS at 1336x768 with FPS CFG, and TF2 at 800x600 with FPS CFG, and AVG FPS on TF2 is 18FPS.
 
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wintermint

wintermint

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No for HDD you should place your money ($60) on Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM.

CPU: Phenom II x4 955 $120

MOBO: ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

RAM: Crucial Ballistix $25

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 $60 [switch to this really]

GPU: HD 6850 $160 [according to you]

Case: Rosewill Challenger $50 [has lots of fans preinstalled]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153&Tpk=Rosewill%20Challenger

PSU: Corsair CX500W V2 $40 after $20 MIR [V2 quality dropped, fine for 1 GPU]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

OPTICAL: Any $20 cd/dvd burner will work just fine.

This is actually over the $500 budget you suggested. You may have to buy an AM3 mobo instead for $70-80 and save $20 there. Other changes is to get a cheaper case. Here are some suggestions:

Biostar $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138283
MSI $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130594

NZXT Beta Series $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146055

This will save you $50 haha.
 
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gammerx

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He said no CF/SLI so get that 500w. That is a little bit over $500 though. I would try to go for an i3-2100 for $120 and a cheap h61 board for like $60. If you ever want to change to a bulldozer CPU, none of the am3+ mobos (good ones) are under $100 so just an idea...

Maybe get like a 940 or something so you can save a few $
 
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thymanbearpig

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Yea, I found on other builds everyone is using the Spinpoint F3, but your build comes out to around $595. I found the 6850 to be too expensive and I think the 6770 will do. Here's the build I plan to buy, please tell if anything is wrong, or not compatible, and if it should work for my needs.
BIOSTAR A770E3 - $55
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM - $60
LITE-ON DVD Burner - $24
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb - $120
Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB - $25
Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Certified - $50
COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP - $46
PowerColor AX6770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 - $120

Comes out to exactly $499.98. The only thing that worries me is the 6770, and I was wondering about the i3-2100.
 
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gammerx

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There really is not much you can do. If you want anything good you gotta be willing to spend more. I personally would try to find a better mobo just so it doesn't crap out on you. The 6770 should do fine if you don't plan on maxing at 1900x1200. Maybe add a little bit more $ for a better mobo?
 
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gammerx

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Biostar is on the low end of motherboards. Also it is am3 which means you can't upgrade to bulldozer in the future if you wanted to. Probably doesn't have a friendly BIOS or anything either.

Do you live near a microcenter?
 
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aznwings

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Jun 13, 2011
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Might I suggest the Corsair 430W? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&Tpk=corsair%20430w

It's a little cheaper than the Rosewill and is more reliable. It should be enough to run your computer just fine. If you want more assurance, I am currently using a Phenom II x4 955 BE with a Sapphire 6770 with the Corsair 430W (Also, Newegg's PSU calculator says that 432W is needed for a PII X4 w/ the 6770 but that is an overestimate).

If you intend to stay on lower resolutions, the 6770 should do you just fine. I'm running on a 1280x1024 monitor and I max out Crysis 2 and The Witcher 2 with playable FPS (Don't know how to check exact FPS without external programs.).
 
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thymanbearpig

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Well since my last post, I've been having a hard time choosing to go with the i3-2100 or Phenom II X4 955. I'm leaning towards the i3-2100 now though. Here's the build that I've got in mind right now. (The price for the Barracuda is now $60, but the Spinpoint dropped to $50.)
ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 - $60
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM - $50
SAMSUNG DVD Burner - $19
Intel i3-2100 - $125
Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB - $25
Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Certified - $50
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series - $41

With the i3-2100 and the 1155 motherboard, I get $130 left for the video card, so I think I'll stay with the 6770. But if I go with the Phenom II X4, I get $140 to spend on video card, and I can get a used 6850 on Amazon for $141. I'll be ok with the 6770 if it can play with either of these CPUs with meduim settings,high textures at 1080p. I'll be playing at 1368x768 about 95% of the time and I think the 6850 is a little overkill, and doesn't have warranty too.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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i3 2100 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078
Asrock H61M/U3S3 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236
Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3 1333 $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148418
Samsung F3 1TB $50
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001U3S5S0
Xigmatek 400w $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815007&Tpk=400w%20xigmatek
Lite-On drive $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
NZXT Beta $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146055
Asus DirectCu 550 Ti $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121435
Total: $499 Before rebates.

Better than the 6770, the 6770 is just rebranded 5770.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_550_Ti_Direct_Cu/7.html
 
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