Decent Gaming for $704 starting from scratch? +GPU advice

budgie_84

August 23, 2011 8:05:47 PM

Approximate Purchase Date: next few days
Budget Range: $700 AR
System Usage from Most to Least Important: casual gaming (Civ 5, SC2 on at least medium graphics) and surfing--also this build if for my low tech brother so stability is important
Parts Not Required: need everything
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, microcenter a couple hours away
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type: 2 previous builds with intel/nvidia so it's sort of my default, but have an open mind
Overclocking: doubtful
SLI or Crossfire: no
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Especially uncertain about the GPU in this build, and wondering if I could get medium graphics on Civ 5 and SC2 with a much cheaper build, thanks for your time

Antec TWO HUNDRED S Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -- $30 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Intel Core i3-2105 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W -- $125 ($99 for a 2100 if I go to microcenter)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard -- $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

XFX HD-667X-ZAF3 Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 - $80 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS - $54
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HANNspree By Hanns-G HF225DPB Black 21.5" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Logitech K120 Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard - $15
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Logitech G400 Black 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Gaming Mouse - $39
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $85 w/promo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total AR = $704

More about : decent gaming 704 starting scratch gpu advice

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squilly827

August 23, 2011 8:14:04 PM

For the graphics card, I suggest you go with a Radeon HD 5770. That's the budget card I used to use and it was a nice card. As for the motherboard and PSU, make sure they're compatible with each other. And if you wanted, Newegg had a promotion for a Corsair 750W TK750 power supply for $100 which would be a huge step up from the one you're looking at. And as for the mouse, just get a Microsoft Sidewinder for roughly the same price. Everything else looks good.

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aznshinobi

August 23, 2011 8:20:29 PM

Check out my $550 ($525-$575) build.
Switch the PSU in my build, that'll save $10 or $20 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Then Get your promo windows and your selected monitor. You should have a much better system overall IMO.

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budgie_84

August 24, 2011 2:00:08 PM

squilly827 said:

For the graphics card, I suggest you go with a Radeon HD 5770. That's the budget card I used to use and it was a nice card. As for the motherboard and PSU, make sure they're compatible with each other. And if you wanted, Newegg had a promotion for a Corsair 750W TK750 power supply for $100 which would be a huge step up from the one you're looking at. And as for the mouse, just get a Microsoft Sidewinder for roughly the same price. Everything else looks good.

How can I tell if a motherboard and PSU are compatible? I didn't even realize that could be an issue. I think 750 may be overkill for this one, but I'll run a calculator to make sure. Also, it looks like Newegg is out of Sidewinders, but I've always had good luck with logitech anyway. Thanks

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budgie_84

August 24, 2011 2:08:58 PM

aznshinobi said:

Check out my $550 ($525-$575) build.
Switch the PSU in my build, that'll save $10 or $20 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Then Get your promo windows and your selected monitor. You should have a much better system overall IMO.

Thanks azn, that's a ton of info. I'm gonna have to keep mulling over the GPU--I haven't found benchmarks yet for SC2 and Civ 5 on some of those newer cards.

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aznshinobi

August 24, 2011 2:13:21 PM

6790 is great at the price. It sucks that SC2 isn't used as a bench often, but the fact is it's not exactly a demanding game. A 5850 (equivalent to the 6850) can run Ultra at 1680x1050 which is my current resolution.
http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performan...
With that said, from Ultra to High and Medium settings, you're not going to notice a big difference in quality. So the 6790 would be sufficient.

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