$850 or less casual gaming/general purpose machine

[cent3nnial]

Approximate Purchase Date: Before Christmas

Budget Range: Less than $850 after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Internet, programming (Linux compatibility), casual gaming.

Parts Not Required: Don't need a keyboard, mouse, speakers... only peripheral I *do* need really is a monitor.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: No preference, though I want a case that feels sturdy.

Overclocking: Probably not

SLI or Crossfire: No preference.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (23-24")

Additional Comments: I'm in the process of selling my laptop to build a desktop that I can play some games on (Skyrim, D3 eventually...), but hoping to keep the budget relatively low. These were my thoughts:

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz -- $259
ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard -- $199
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 -- $50
Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W ATX12V -- $99
ASUS VH236H Black 23" Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers -- $179
COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case -- $50
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner -- $21
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) -- $114

Anywhere I can take the price down? Cheaper mobo?

 

[Combat Wombat]

Use a I5 2nd Gen... Battlefield 3 is more cpu hungry that Skyrim and battlefield rubn awesome on high settings, The cpu/mobo is an overkill.

 

[cutebeans]

Don't get an i7-250. It's pretty old tech and not worth the price

Get the i5-2500k $215 <--- Cheaper but BETTER by a ton.
Asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 <--- Great mobo for only $125 can SLI or Crossfire too!

You don't even have a Graphics card how are you supposed to play anything.

 

[cent3nnial]

Use a I5 2nd Gen... Battlefield 3 is more cpu hungry that Skyrim and battlefield rubn awesome on high settings, The cpu/mobo is an overkill.

That's a good point. My only hesitation (albeit a silly one) is that would mean a downgrade from my laptop, which had an i7. What if I switched the cpu/mobo/psu to:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard -- $104
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor -- $215
Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-650 650W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design -- $79

?? Does that sound good? I'm fairly sure everything is still compatible but you guys probably know better than I do.

EDIT: thanks for the suggestion cutebeans. How does the mobo I posted compare? It's cheaper.. and I'm ashamed to say that I dont know what SLI/Crossfire are.

Also, I dont know *anything* about graphics cards. What's a good one that's worth the price for my needs? What should I look out for/avoid?

 

[striker410]

Hey there! Welcome to the forums.

WOAH there buddy! You don't need to be using X58 in this price range. That's a dead processor line. Try this build instead!

CPU: Intel i5-2500k $215 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Mobo: ASRock Gen3 Extreme3 $125 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
RAM: G.Skill 8GB 1600MHz $44 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Case: Coolermaster HAF 912 $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
GPU: XFX 6950 1GB $230 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523
PSU: Lepa 500W PSU $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817494002

Add whatever SSD, HDD, and screen you want. Don't forget a DVD drive!

 

[cent3nnial]

Hey there! Welcome to the forums.

WOAH there buddy! You don't need to be using X58 in this price range. That's a dead processor line. Try this build instead!

CPU: Intel i5-2500k $215 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Mobo: ASRock Gen3 Extreme3 $125 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
RAM: G.Skill 8GB 1600MHz $44 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Case: Coolermaster HAF 912 $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
GPU: XFX 6950 1GB $230 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523
PSU: Lepa 500W PSU $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817494002

Add whatever SSD, HDD, and screen you want. Don't forget a DVD drive!

Thanks! That cheap PSU worries me a little bit, but the rest looks great. [strike]I'm going to buy a used Radeon HD 6950 2GB from a friend $40, so that will save me a good chunk of cash.[/strike] ackk, lies. It's a different Radeon HD, in the 4000 series. Don't remember the number. 4860?

 

[cutebeans]

Must be a 4850 which is still pretty good.

 

[striker410]

Eh, the 4850 is ok at best. the 4870 is equal to a 5770, so not a TERRIBLE deal. They can be found for $80 easily, so $40 mighhhtt be pushing it. Still, snatch it up!

 

[cutebeans]

I think his friend is giving it to him. :O

 

[cent3nnial]

I'm a her, but yeah. I think he'll sell it for $35-$40, so not free.

 

[cutebeans]

If it's a 4870 then it's pretty good.

 

[cent3nnial]

And if it's a 4850?

 

[cutebeans]

I dunno. An i5-2500k setup with a 4850 is kinda sad.

What kind of casual games do you play? You know a cheap llano build might be good for you.

 

[cent3nnial]

Honestly, I've been using Linux builds exclusively for the past few years. I'm trying to get back into gaming--Very excited for Skyrim, D3, and a few other older games... none of which *need* a good setup, but I don't want to buy something that will be too outdated for future needs in just a year or two.

I'll look into getting a better card. That's always something I can upgrade easily in the future, though. I'd rather keep it on the cheaper (but easily upgradable) end now and upgrade as I see fit.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Since your budget's as high as 850 you could easily get an 6850 which is the best value in the mid range. Here you can check how Skyrim performs: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/skyrim-performance-benchmark,review-32318.html Being an RPG I figure the 40 FPS minimum of the 6850 is quite playable at maximum settings.

 

[cutebeans]

It would be better if you she got an 6950 with a phenom II x4 than a i5-2500k with a 6850.

 

[striker410]

I agree with cutebeans. A Phenom II and a 6950 would probably be the best bet.

 

[Evan20x]

Regarding the GPU from your friend, if you do end up buying it that is, please find out the exact model of it. That will be helpful information so we can further help you with your build.

 

[redsunrises]

I dunno. An i5-2500k setup with a 4850 is kinda sad.

What kind of casual games do you play? You know a cheap llano build might be good for you.

+1

 

[cent3nnial]

It is a 4850. I think I am going to buy it *for now* and plan to upgrade in the next 6 months or so when I have more money. I am pretty set on the i5, and I have no objections to buying a better card in the future. I simply can't afford it right now.

 

[striker410]

ok, that sounds alright. Beware you won't be getting DX11 or very impressive framerates.

Save up $200 and grab yourself a 6950 in the future. They have excellent bang for buck!