First time builder looking to spend 400-500 dollars

[Apeirophobia]

I'd like to start out by saying I've never physically changed anything within a comp so I'm kind of scared about this but i hear its not hard and ill get a lot of support from the people on this site. As stated in the title i want to build a gaming comp that can run Lost Saga to its best potential ( sorry for the low budget let me know if this is impossible). I'd like to point my current computer Compaq Presario cq5700f PC AMD Anthlon II 170u processor premium 64 bit 2gb ddr3 system memory 500 GB HardDrive can run the game just fine. But what i want is a comp that can run this game on its highest quality and have great swap speed. Swap speed in this game is the most important thing to me i don't really care about the graphics to much but it would be nice if i could have those too. From what i can tell swap speed depends on a number of things like my connection i use to connect to the internet which is Comcast with Powerboost the fastest internet they provide. It also depends on the comp which is why i'm here and it depends on my distance from the server. i live in Georgia and the game server is in California with that stated i want to build a comp with those things in mind and get the best of what i can for what I'm spending. Also if anyone wouldn't mind checking into what i mean by swap speed because like i said this is the most important thing to me, I told you everything i know about it but i have a feeling there is more to it then i know.

Anyway sorry for the long intro like i said I'm new to building a comp and i want as much help as possible because as of right now it seems impossible in my head, but even so i still want to try it. I'm looking to spend 400-500 dollars and i hear the best place for parts is Newegg please correct me if I'm wrong. I know a good amount about computers just never looked in to building one. So if anyone could help me with this I'd greatly appreciate it to be honest i don't even know what all parts i need I'm that newbie so if someone could direct me there that would help if i don't find it first after i finish typing this. If you need more information about the swap speed thing( the main reason I'm doing this) just ask and ill show you or tell you the best i can.

I'd like to thank everyone who helps me in advance because I'm going to need help and a lot of it and I'm not afraid to ask questions.

 

[terryyounce]

Feel free to ask any questions you need too. But, first off, you need to order all of the parts you can from TigerDirect. They are consistently cheaper than newegg, and have very reliable parts. If you had a higher budget, perhaps i would recommend newegg, but you don't. If you need help building, you can message me and i will walk you through it. You can message me anyways and we can talk about parts if you'd like. I'm currently in school but i can help you in an hour or so, ill reply when i get back on.

 

[Onus]

I call BS. I have found Newegg's prices to be consistently better than TigerDirect's, especially on products of the same or better quality. Of course, both sites will have specials from time to time, but on an everyday basis, there is no comparison.
Do you already have an Operating System you can use? I'm thinking not, which essentially knocks $100 off your budget.
Does your current PC have a discrete graphics card, or is video provided by the motherboard?
Anyway, give me a few moments and I'll post a build...

 

[taternuts666]

Although it was a very nice offer for terryounce to offer to help you, make sure you take his advice on where to purchase your parts with a grain of salt. Compare prices between both Newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com. Make sure you look at whether or not there are mail-in rebates, compare shipping costs, and find out if you are charged sales tax (this depends on what state you are in). As far as reliability of parts goes, it does not matter which site you order from and they sell parts made by different manufacturers and essentially sell the same things.

Just don't rush into anything, compare prices, read reviews (I would reccommend reading expert and customer reviews) and continue to get advice from people here. Be careful when people give their opinion as opposed to the facts about the parts you pick.

 

[BlackHawk91]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=261222&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=3&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

 

[Onus]

Ok, here's a bottom-dollar build that should nonetheless do pretty well for you.

Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:Blackbone
Item #:N82E16811147023
$49.99 -$10.00 Instant $39.99
I've been happy will any Rosewill case I've bought, I think perhaps 7-8 different ones. Build quality is decent, and the included fan(s) is/are quiet and effective.

ASRock 880G PRO3 AM3+ AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:880G PRO3
Item #:N82E16813157243
$99.99 -$10.00 Instant $89.99
You can go cheaper here, but if you get an AM3+ board, you hold open the possibility of upgrading to Bulldozer later.

SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Model #:100287VGAL
Item #:N82E16814102871
$69.99 $69.99
If you've been happy with integrated video so far, you can even give this up at least temporarily, as the IGP on the motherboard is already better than what you have. Otherwise, this card is a bang/buck winner, able to handle just about any game, particular at lower resolution.

XIGMATEK NRP-PC Series ACXTNRP-PC402 400W ATX12V Ver.2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:ACXTNRP-PC402
Item #:N82E16817815007
$59.95 -$25.00 Instant $34.95
Hard to beat this price for an 80+ bronze PSU. I usually like the 380W Antec Earthwatts (another $10), but this one has gotten decent reviews.

AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX445WFGMBOX
Model #:ADX445WFGMBOX
Item #:N82E16819103872
$74.99 $74.99
Two cores just aren't cutting it too well for newer applications and games, especially when you consider all the background tasks most people run.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Item #:N82E16820231394
$25.99 $25.99
I've never had a problem with G.Skill RAM; no RMAs and no DOAs.

Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:ST500DM002
Item #:N82E16822148767
$44.99 $44.99
This is their new model, and I haven't seen any long term reliability data on it, but I haven't read a lot of complaints about it either. I'd buy one.

Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7261S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM
Model #:AD-7261S-0B
Item #:N82E16827118040
$21.99 $21.99
One optical drive is much like another. This one has Lightscribe.

Subtotal: $402.88

There will be some shipping, but this leaves almost enough for another copy of Windows if you need it.

 

[terryyounce]

yes, actually, the prices were much better for me because of instant savings on most things, and no tax for me (thats the main difference), but, by no means, buy anything without checking both sites (or others), or buy ANYTHING from Tiger that has a mail in rebate. They don't get very good reviews from those. From what jtt283 said, thats pretty much the best you can hope for from that budget, unfortunately.

 

[Apeirophobia]

Sorry for the late reply guys thx for the build post and ill definatly pm any of you when i do decide on what ill get , but im wondering if any of you looked into the game i mentioned in order to see what my needs are im not trying to order you around or anything but i want you to see what it is i want because that really is the main reason for me doing this, again thx for the replys and keep at em ill let you know as soon as i decide on what i choose

 

[cutebeans]

Sorry for the late reply guys thx for the build post and ill definatly pm any of you when i do decide on what ill get , but im wondering if any of you looked into the game i mentioned in order to see what my needs are im not trying to order you around or anything but i want you to see what it is i want because that really is the main reason for me doing this, again thx for the replys and keep at em ill let you know as soon as i decide on what i choose

http://lostsaga.ogplanet.com/en/help/faq.og

Is this the game you were talking about?

jtt283's build will definitely play the game at max.