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$400-$500 Gaming Computer

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Hi guys, I would like some advice on building a 400-500 dollar Gaming Computer. I would prefer having the computer around 400 dollars but I am willing to go up to 500. I am from Canada, so please take that into account when looking at online stores.

This is what I got so far:

AMD Bulldozer FX-4100 Quad Core Processor 3.6GHZ Socket AM3+ 95W Retail Box link ~ $115.64

Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-500CXV2 500W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan *3 Year Wrty* link ~ $49.69

Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS W/ Fan Controller & Temp Display link ~ $49.14

Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P AMD760G mATX AM3 AM3+ 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 1PCI DDR3 SATA2 DVI GBLAN Motherboard link ~ $61.15

LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM link ~ $19.69

G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 Memory link ~ $39.85

XFX Radeon HD 6850 Fansink 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI Display Port HDMI PCI-E Video Card link ~ $119.99

I can't find a reasonably priced hard drive. I know this is due to the Thailand floodings, but does anyone know when the prices are expected to go down again? I would greatly appreciate it if someone can point me to a good deal that would fit in my budget. It would be awesome if someone can find me a 500GB hard drive. I am also open to an SSD or a hybrid.

This computer will primarily serve as a programming computer with dual monitors. However, I would also like to be able to play modern games at the same time. I am poor and this is going to be coming out of my scholarship so I don't want to make any mistakes on this. The reason I am going for a $400 - $500 budget is because I want something that I can hand down to my siblings two to three years from now and still be relevant. So, in other words, a little bit of future proofing. I understand that $400 - $500 is a really low budget for the things that I expect to get but it really is just what I can afford. I still have to buy 2 monitors, so my budget for the PC is locked at $500 max. I repeat, I am from Canada, so please take that into account when looking at online stores.

I am open to a build that is entirely different. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

More about : 400 500 gaming computer

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Outlander_04 said:
A suggested change : move to a mb with a 970 series chip set . There is an Asrock at $85 .
Its the latest generation of hardware and supports all the features of the FX 4100

Can you provide a link please? I can't seem to find one at that price. Thanks!

Outlander_04 said:
The one cutebeans has listed is capable of running two graphics cards and has internal headers for front USB3 ports Its also $110

This one is $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

You can save $15 on RAM . Gaming builds only need 2 x2 gig . More than that wont improve performance in any noticeable way


http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681....

You Americans have it good, lol. I am only 10 hours away from the US-Canada border and the price difference is HUGE! I like that mobo, although it still is $140 CAD.

I agree with the RAM, I will change it to 4GB and save $15.

cutebeans said:
No. The Phenom II x 4 is better.


I heard that the problem right now is the software, not the FX chips. Is this true? Because from what I understand, it seems that with the new architecture, I will be getting better performance down the road when the software catches up with the new technology. I want this build to be relevant two years from now (think Clarkdale i3-based PCs). I can wait for the software updates if this is true. I am leaning towards future-proofing more than current performance.

Best solution

Gaming Expert

If you go with intel then I think there are advantages in going with a quad core .
The dual core intels make good benchmarks in gaming but in the real world they get beaten by the phenom . Being able to execute 4 real threads at one time is a huge advantage .
If you are not overclocking then

i5 2400
mb with a Z68 chip set [ or if you MUST go budget then H61 or H67]
2 x2 gig of RAM

Outlander_04 said:
If you go with intel then I think there are advantages in going with a quad core .
The dual core intels make good benchmarks in gaming but in the real world they get beaten by the phenom . Being able to execute 4 real threads at one time is a huge advantage .
If you are not overclocking then

i5 2400
mb with a Z68 chip set [ or if you MUST go budget then H61 or H67]
2 x2 gig of RAM


Which one should I get?
Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-500CXV2 500W ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan *3 Year Wrty*

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60329&vpn=CM...

or

http://source.ncix.com/lpt/12_days_of_black_friday/inde...

It doesn't show up yet, but this one is on sale for $30 CAD.

OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W ATX12V 24PIN Active PFC 80PLUS ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=53966&promoid=1146


It seems like the OCZ is an old model from last year while the Corsair is from this year.
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