[New Build] $600 Budget Gaming System

So it's been a few years and now its time to upgrade to something better than my old grandpa system (It's SCARY"... you don't even wanna know)

My budget is "really" tight... I really need to keep the whole deal including taxes and shipping at $600 or less...

I used to know all the ins and outs back in "the day" lol... but its been awhile and I'm hoping that all you nice knowledgeable folks will help an old geezer out.

This system will be used mostly for gaming... I know I can't expect too much for $600 but I really want to maximize what I'm getting for my money... this needs to be the screamin eagle of $600 systems.... I need a "Full" system including anything I might need for assembly like thermal compound or whatever... so... here it is

Approximate Purchase Date: this week


Budget Range: 600 Before Rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or really anywhere as long as its a reputable site and I can get everything at one place


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: No preference... just the highest end I can get for my money.... best for current and hopefully future gaming

Overclocking: No or doubtful.... don't know too much about it and it always made me nervous about overheating etc.... advice ???


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: N/A


Additional Comments: Guess I should mention... I will need Windows7 to go with it too...Thanks SOOOOOO MUCH for all the incoming help and advice !!!


Edit : Wife says its bedtime lol... so I won't be able to reply to anything till morning but thanks for any and all advice I get and I'll see you all tomorrow morning !

I'm putting together a build this month with an even tighter budget than yours (600 INCLUDING monitor). I think its pretty good bang for the buck:


Power Supply CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$38.24
Case RAIDMAX Skyline ATX-948WS Black / Silver SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$39.99
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
$124.99
GPU SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$149.99
Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-S2P AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$44.00
Memory Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G
$29.99
DVD ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$24.99
Monitor ASUS VH236H Black 23" Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers
$159.99
Before Rebate $612.18
After Rebate $567.18



There are some mail in rebates (20 on the PSU, 15 on the GPU, 10 on the memory, and 20 on the monitor.) The graphics card and processor are currently pricey but im sure they will drop at some point during black friday month so i am waiting to snatch those up.


should run all new games smoothly on medium and most on high settings @ 1920x1080.

Thanks for the advice sirion25... here's what I have come up with so far for myself :

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151233

RAIDMAX Tornado ATX-238WR Black / Red SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811156226


Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - 109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136769

BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - 54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138179

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX - 159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125353

LOGISYS Computer PS480X2 480W ATX12V Power Supply Dual Fan - 16.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817170024

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT - 41.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231422

AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX - 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103894


TOTAL = 582.92 + 20.45 shipping


if anyone can offer any advice on how to improve on this without raising the price then please feel free to advise me... thx