~$500 budget gaming

[strikex2]

Hey all,

I'm trying to put together a system primarily for gaming and HD playback.

Approximate Purchase Date: Now till blackfriday
Budget Range: around 500 USD after rebate (not including shipping or monster)
System Usage: StarCraft 2, 1080P playback, MatLab, and the regular school stuff (word, excel, etc)
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, case,
Preferred Wesite(s) for Parts: any website is fine (newegg, tigerdirect, etc...)
Country of Origin USA
Overclocking: no
SLI or Crossfire: no
Monitor Resolution: Will probably pick up a 21 to 24" on blackfriday, pending on sales...(not included in 500 price limit)
Additional Comments: Can I get by without an optical drive? Can probably install OS via flash and games via downloadable clients. I would like to cut back as much as possible, so if there is anything that can be cutback without hindering performance too much, please do tell!

This is what I got so far


ASRock H61M/U3S3 - 69.99
i3-2100 - 124.99
GTX460 - 124.99
Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W - 33.99
Kingston 8G Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB - 24.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - 79.99
SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner 22X- 17.99

Current total $476.93 USD

I know some of the rebates are ending soon and the hhd is current OOS but I don't have to get everything at this very moment and I'm also hoping to catch more deals as bf nears.

Thanks all!

 

[Outlander_04]

The psu you have listed is junk . The little red switch on the back to change the voltage is a sure sign of that
This Corsair instead
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

 

[jmsellars1]

Don't know if you can install W7 via USB, think you can with XP though.

I think you could get by with a cheaper HDD and a single 4GB stick of RAM for the moment, you would lose virtually nothing in terms of performance. Otherwise, that system looks great except for the PSU only has 1 x PCI-e connector, you will need 2. Most 500W PSU's should have those connectors.

 

[jmsellars1]

The psu you have listed is junk . The little red switch on the back to change the voltage is a sure sign of that
This Corsair instead
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

That also has 1 x PCI-e connector, GTX 460 1GB has 2 I think. Mine does anyway.

 

[RaptorHunter]

The psu you have listed is junk . The little red switch on the back to change the voltage is a sure sign of that
This Corsair instead
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

Why is a switch bad? Do you take your gaming computer out of the country a lot. :lol:

 

[strikex2]

thanks for the replies! Will the current mobo, the ASRock H61M/U3S3 (LGA1155), be compatible with the Ivy Bridge in the future?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

Why is a switch bad? Do you take your gaming computer out of the country a lot. :lol:

Modern, high quality PSUs can determine 110-120v (US) vs 240v (Europe) automatically and adjust.

 

[RaptorHunter]

Modern, high quality PSUs can determine 110-120v (US) vs 240v (Europe) automatically and adjust.

so it can save you 5 seconds of time in finding the switch and switching it. whoop de doo.

 

[jmsellars1]

It's more of an indication of quality rather than the switch itself being a bad thing. Almost like how something of a higher price indicates higher quality despite it having no effect whatsoever.

@strikex2 Ivy bridge will have the 1155 socket but you won't be able to use a PCI-e 3.0 GPU.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

ones without the switch have automatic voltage regulation. it ALSO means less voltage variation under load and heat.

 

[cutebeans]

so it can save you 5 seconds of time in finding the switch and switching it. whoop de doo.

He's a PRO you should listen to him lol.

 

[rex000]

Here's my build from a month ago or so:

ASUS M4A78LT-M LE MOTHERBOARD - $55 (after $10 rebate)
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4A78LTM_LE/

AMD PHENOM II X4 840 @ 3.2GHz QUAD-CORE CPU - $100
http://www.amd.com/us/products/pricing/Pages/desktop-phenom.aspx

XFX 9600 GSO 512MB DDR3 GPU - $15 (after $30 rebate)
http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/graphiccards/9series/9600GSO.aspx

CORSAIR XMS3 1600MHz DDR3 8GB RAM - $40 (after $40 rebate)
http://www.corsair.com/cmx8gx3m2a1600c9.html

CORSAIR CX430W V2 80PLUS POWER SUPPLY - $40
http://www.corsair.com/power-supply-units/builder-series/builder-series-cx430-v2-80plus-certified-power-supply.html

NZXT CLASSIC GAMMA CASE - $25 (after $10 rebate)
http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/classic_series/gamma

WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR GREEN 750GB SATA 6 Gb/s HDD - $45
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=120

SAMSUNG 22x ODD - $20
http://www.samsung.com/ca/consumer/office/optical-disk-drives/optical-disk-drives/SH-222AB/BEBE/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&returnurl=

Total: $430 (with $90 rebate) = $340


You have a much larger budget, so you should most likely get a better GPU (GTX 460/560) or how about an AMD 6850 (only ~$130). It also usually only requires ONE PCI-E connector so that PSU is JUST enough to power the system.
Note: I went with a WD Caviar GREEN to save power drainage, so I can allocate it to a more powerful GPU in the near future.
***(This guy used an 6870 on a Antec Earthwatts 430W too.)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-overclock-graphics-card,3032.html

You can easily upgrade the PSU to something much more powerful for ALL your needs and for upgrades. I've seen quality PSUs really cheap after I bought mine... (Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, etc.)

Hope this gives you an idea of what's out there at least. Everything I bought, has seen a price drop already... so you're in luck!

Still, I have a feeling you're going to stick with Intel.

 

[rex000]

I just read that you have a case, and are trying to get by without an ODD.

I personally installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit using a USB. So it's not a problem... but after that... it does become a little crippling. For $20... it's nice (not a waste) to have.

I haven't punched in the numbers, but I think you could move up to the i5-2500K. That would be a step in the right direction. For gaming AND whatever else there is to do on a computer.

Hope this helps.

 

[Outlander_04]

Why is a switch bad? Do you take your gaming computer out of the country a lot. :lol:

That little red switch to change the voltage says the psu is an old inefficient design with no electronic adjustment of the voltage output
It might run , but its going to be a far less stable computer when used with modern processors which require precise voltages .


So why is being a moron bad?
It just is

 

[RaptorHunter]

your just being a dick. I have a 530W PSU with a switch on the back that's been running like a champ for years.

 

[cutebeans]

your just being a dick. I have a 530W PSU with a switch on the back that's been running like a champ for years.

Wow, what's your problem. He's just stating the truth. Don't be ignorant. The word you used best describes you.

 

[Outlander_04]

your just being a dick. I have a 530W PSU with a switch on the back that's been running like a champ for years.

My point exactly .
Good enough for an old computer , but not for a new 32 nm processor , or a graphics card that will pull a lot of current

 

[strikex2]

Best answer selected by strikex2.