Need help building a gaming computer

[oscillococcinum]

Hi, I'm trying to build a cheap-ish gaming computer and want a little advice.

I'm currently looking at:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 8G Kit 1333
Video Card: Nvidia GTX560
PSU: Corsair CX500
Case : Unsure, possibly Antec 300, anything decent for a cheap price really...

Any suggestions on whether that build sounds reasonable would be greatly appreciated.

Are there any areas I could downgrade to make it a little cheaper??

Thanks!

 

[fsliqbal]

two things ,
try to go with i5 2500 (non-k), very little price difference , its the fastest i5, its better. and the mobo should have p67 , as u r on a budget , h67 would b wayy better than a h61..

if budget is tight , u could opt for AMD's 6850, 6870 or 69xx , amd is a litle cheaper with same specs

 

[oscillococcinum]

Thanks for the reply, my main concern is making it a little cheaper though...

The i5 2500 is an extra $17 where I am, so no big deal, what is the best area to save a little money though?

 

[FinneousPJ]

Hi, I'm trying to build a cheap-ish gaming computer and want a little advice.

I'm currently looking at:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 8G Kit 1333
Video Card: Nvidia GTX560
PSU: Corsair CX500
Case : Unsure, possibly Antec 300, anything decent for a cheap price really...

Any suggestions on whether that build sounds reasonable would be greatly appreciated.

Are there any areas I could downgrade to make it a little cheaper??

Thanks!

Memory is the first thing I'd downgrade. Going to 4GB is not going to affect gaming performance. Slower memory won't affect it much either. The AMD 6870 is pretty similar to the GTX 560, you should look for deals on either. The 460/6850 aren't far behind either. You could make due with a smaller PSU - Antec EarthWatts 380 comes to mind.

 

[oscillococcinum]

Thanks for that, I know the extra memory isn't really important but 8GB will cost me $42, as opposed to $31 for 4GB, so not a major difference.

Is it a better idea to downgrade the cpu, or the video card and and PSU?

Keeping in mind I mainly want it for gaming...

 

[FinneousPJ]

I guess you could go with a lower i5. How much do you need to save?

 

[oscillococcinum]

I've shifted things around a little, this is what I'm looking at now:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 4G Kit 1333
Video Card: ATI Radeon 6850
PSU: Corsair CX439
Case : Antec 300

Does this look doable?

I've stepped down to a cheaper video card and power supply, is that a good idea or should I be changing to a cheaper cpu instead?

 

[oscillococcinum]

A lower i5 will only really save me about $10.
If I don't go to a lower video card, I really need to look at an i3 or AMD...

 

[incutt]

I think it'll be better to determine what your price range is and list the prices of all your components. You will clearly see what you can and cannot do.

 

[oscillococcinum]

I was originally looking at :

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 ($202)
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3 ($79)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 8G Kit 1333 ($48)
Video Card: Nvidia GTX560 ($199)
PSU: Corsair CX500 ($77)
Case : Antec 300 ($59)

Total: $664

If I drop back to this:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 ($202)
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3 ($79)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 4G Kit 1333 ($31)
Video Card: ATI Radeon 6850 ($159)
PSU: Corsair CX430 ($58)
Case : Antec 300 ($59)

Total: $588

I'm hoping to put it together for about $550, I can probably manage $588 if I was to stick with that though.

 

[Wisecracker]

If you need to save some cash you should snag an i3-2100, and put the money toward a better motherboard, video and PSU. Or ...

Gigabyte GA-880GMA-USB3 AM3+ SATA 6Gb/s USB 3: $93 before $10 rebate

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $27

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition: $130

NZXT Source ATX Mid Tower Computer Case: $40 before $20 rebate


That's $290 - $30 = $260 before your video card and PSU.

That's got HD6950 all over it ...

 

[gkorjax]

Pardon me, but I feel this has to be said...

You don't live in the U.S. and are perhaps near a microcenter? You can get an i5 2500k for 179.99

 

[oscillococcinum]

Thanks for the responses, but no, I'm not in the U.S.

That is why I was hesitant in listing prices to begin with, my main question was really if the hardware I have chosen goes well together, and if I was to downgrade, am I better off downgrading the video card/PSU, or the CPU.

I understand an i5 2500k CPU is better, I know a 6950 video card is better, and I know there are better motherboards out there, however, all of these things will cost me more money, and I am trying to save some money.

I think the situation is really this:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 ($202)
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M-LE-USB3 ($79)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws-X 4G Kit 1333 ($31)
Video Card: ATI Radeon 6850 ($159)
PSU: Corsair CX430 ($58)
Case : Antec 300 ($59)

Total: $588

For a gaming computer, does that look ok, or am I better off getting a better video card/PSU, and possibly getting an AMD CPU or an i3?

 

[Wisecracker]

The issue you have is your mobo is really a dead end. You would be better off with an i3 and better mobo, or an AMD rig.

And, if possible, a 500w or greater PSU with clean power would give you some 'breathing room' for over-clocking your GPU (and CPU, in the case of AMD).

Can you list some possible other intel mobos we can consider, or give us a link to a website ??

 

[oscillococcinum]

Best answer selected by oscillococcinum.