Building an Intel Gaming System $450-$600

[piopitron]

I am wanting to build a new PC from scratch, I have built some in the past but never from the floor up. I do have a budget of about $500, but I have room to wiggle plus or minus $100 preferably the closer to $500 the better.

I have some parts in mind, but am open to any and all suggestions:

Intel Core i3
Nvidia Geforce GTX 550 Ti
8GB Ram
at LEAST 600W PSU
1 TB HDD
(none of this is necessary, this was just what I have come up with so far, I have always preferred Intel and Nvidia, not saying they are the best)

I am not sure about what mobo I should get, whether ATX or Micro ATX is that important or not. I know I should probably get 4 memory slots, but its not a priority. I was planning on ordering from tigerdirect, but now NewEgg.com seems a lot better. I've been told to go with Asus Mobos, but I could care less of the brand. I will need a case too, but I can get one for around $35-$50 on newegg.

So, please give me ideas, suggestions, complaints, or even to tell me I am an idiot. Any and all help is appreciated.

P.S. I was also looking at CyberPowerPC.com, but I WANT, nay I NEED to save money...the less I spend the better and the happier the wife is.

P.S.S. This will be mostly for gaming/school.

 

[Outlander_04]

newegg.com

 

[piopitron]

newegg.com

meaning?

 

[Outlander_04]

Meaning you can find all the parts you have mentioned and compare prices with a little bit of your own effort

 

[dhe95]

you don't need a 600W psu for an i3 and 550ti

 

[piopitron]

Meaning you can find all the parts you have mentioned and compare prices with a little bit of your own effort

I know I can find all the parts on there, thats why I said I found these parts on newegg...I am asking for advice on if its a good idea or if you read the whole post...information on mobos,etc. Im not asking to find something I already found, but to comment on what I have found

 

[morgoth780]

don't get a 550ti...get a gtx 460 instead, cause those are, ironically, much better.
and don't get a 600w psu, more like 500w, cause for ~$50 you won't get an sli or cfx capable board

 

[4745454b]

I agree about the GTX460. 550TI isn't as good, and they are around the same price. I'm not up on Intel boards so I can't help you there. I now suggest that you get 8GBs of ram. 4GBs of DDR3 is usually around $35, while 8GBs is $50. As for the CPU, try to get the 2400 at least. You might want to switch to AMD if you can't squeeze that in.

 

[piopitron]

I agree about the GTX460. 550TI isn't as good, and they are around the same price. I'm not up on Intel boards so I can't help you there. I now suggest that you get 8GBs of ram. 4GBs of DDR3 is usually around $35, while 8GBs is $50. As for the CPU, try to get the 2400 at least. You might want to switch to AMD if you can't squeeze that in.

I've always though Intel was much better, please school me on this. Cause I think I could get an equal AMD system cheaper...maybe not.

Give me some more information on AMD if you wouldn't mind, what would I need to change in my build to switch over...how does the AMD Phenom x4 compare to the intel i3...what about mobos? and cost? etc.... im clueless as I have always dealt with intel

 

[morgoth780]

well, when you get into the tighter budget ranges, amd builds are better, cause you'll have more cash for a graphics card. And since almost all games are much more dependent on the gpu, it'll perform better in games, but worse in just general processing tasks.

 

[piopitron]

I want it to be a good all around computer, but I don't do a whole lot of multitasking...I definitely want it to be able to play most current games on full graphics though.

 

[captaincharisma]

are you saying you want to play the current games on max settings? because i think that will be pretty hard to do with a core i3 CPU

does anyone else know if the i3 would be too weak for todays games at max settings?

 

[piopitron]

I can play most games today on my old pentium 4 oced with a good videocard...

 

[themog]

Do a google search "i3 for gaming" and you'll find a lot of useful info. As far as Intel Vs. Amd that's an apples vs oranges question. If it was me I would probably go with an I3, you probably won't get a much more for your money on the AMD side, but feel free to prove me wrong. As far as atx vs micro there again I don't really think it matters, just get something that fits your budget, just keep in mind that micro atx usually has less slots for expansion such as more video cards and sounds cards and the such. As far as brands Asus and Gigabyte seem to be the best, heard good things about MSI and asrock. I would probably get a board with four ram slots.

 

[piopitron]

Do a google search "i3 for gaming" and you'll find a lot of useful info. As far as Intel Vs. Amd that's an apples vs oranges question. If it was me I would probably go with an I3, you probably won't get a much more for your money on the AMD side, but feel free to prove me wrong. As far as atx vs micro there again I don't really think it matters, just get something that fits your budget, just keep in mind that micro atx usually has less slots for expansion such as more video cards and sounds cards and the such. As far as brands Asus and Gigabyte seem to be the best, heard good things about MSI and asrock. I would probably get a board with four ram slots.

thanks for the input

 

[morgoth780]

thanks for the input

i'd go with the i3, especially since I currently game on an i3 530, and I get tons of lag, but that's just cause my graphics card bottlenecks my cpu so badly(I have a 9500gt)

but i3-2100 should do quite well for gaming

 

[cutebeans]

I'd go for an FX-4100 and AM3+ motherboard.

 

[4745454b]

Do you have a link showing the 4100 beating the SB based I3s?

 

[themog]

If it were me I would get this psu

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-151-094&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

as for the video card, I think any 550ti or 460 would work well for you. I've had good luck with EVGA cards, but go over to newegg and look at the reviews on the various cards.

 

[morgoth780]

If it were me I would get this psu

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-151-094&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

as for the video card, I think any 550ti or 460 would work well for you. I've had good luck with EVGA cards, but go over to newegg and look at the reviews on the various cards.

the 460 is by far a better choice over the 550ti or even the 560(non-ti), since it has better performance than the 550ti, and the non-ti 560 is essentially an oc'ed 460

 

[piopitron]

I think ive vgot it figured out

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17673785 is my build for now

 

[cutebeans]

It's no public.