$600 Gaming Build (Need advice)

red8953 · Nov 27, 2011

Hello everyone! I've been trying to put together my own build for a new gaming computer for a while now, and I think I'll finally be able to make a purchase soon. This is going to be my first time building my own computer, so I'm pretty excited.

Right now, I'm in need of your feedback on what I've put together so far, and if there's anything you think I should add or change. I'm not too concerned with making it a top of the notch gaming pc, just one that will let me play games like WoW, Sims 3, and other recent titles, as well as a few newer games at high-max settings.

Edit:
AMD Build: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25251488

Intel Build: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17821632

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next few weeks. (Possibly towards the end of this week)

Budget Range: Around $600-$700, the lower the better.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming.

Parts Not Required: Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, or speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: Making an AMD build, but open to Intel.

Overclocking: No.

SLI or Crossfire: No.

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900

Thanks in advance for your help guys!

toneekay · Nov 27, 2011

That looks like a legit build right there, but have you thought about spending a little more cash and getting a better power supply and a little stronger video card? Something along the lines of these:

- Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

- SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

It'll only push your original total an extra $62 or so...

kd0frg · Nov 27, 2011

red8953 :

Heres my recommendation, it may work with g.skill RAM has always been solid for me as well as corsair. I also have a IDE hitachi deskstar hard drive still running to this day, its 60gb.

ok here we go

DVD/CDRW : Samsung

Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar 750gb

3D Video: Radeon 6850

RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (4gbx2)DDR3 1333

Operating System: Windows 7 Home

Case/PSU: Rosewill GEAR X3 Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W COMBO

CPU/Motherboard: AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE w/ ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard COMBO

Total cost: $649.91

i think you would be happier with this build, add another $20 if you want the rose will usb enclosure, but subtract 8 or 9 dollars if you switch back to the g.skill ram you had in your wishlist

red8953 · Nov 27, 2011

To both of you, I had thought about the 6850 and might still even consider it. I just figured I would go with the 6770 to save some money since I have a pretty small monitor. My concern about upgrading to the 6850 is if the PSU I currently have picked out will be enough for it? And also, kd0frg, that harddrive looks very nice, but I'm iffy about whether to use it or not.

If anyone else is familar with that brand, or hdd in particular, and also anymore feedback is appreciated!

rshim · Nov 27, 2011

if u are a student u can purchase the os from microsoft for $40

andrewcarr · Nov 27, 2011

Hitachi is the most reliable hard drive brand out there and I would have no problem putting on of them in my computer. The only reason one isn't in my build was because before the flood they cost about $20 more than the WD drives I got.

zooted · Nov 27, 2011

red8953 :

Right now the prices for hdd's are outrageous considering the flood problems in Thailand. So I would jump on any deal you can. Hitachi is not a bad company.

You only need a quality 400w psu for a 6850 as the powerdraw is not much higher than then 6770. You can even run it well on the antec 380w earthwatts. Which is on sale for $30

red8953 · Nov 27, 2011

So I updated my list. I decided to replace the 6770 with the 6850 and the WD HDD with the Hitachi one since you guys say they're good. I also replaced the Asus DVD/CD with the Samsung one. So now my total is down a couple dollars, with an even better gpu.

I'm still open to any suggestions, and would love to see if anyone thinks I should change anything else in my build.

zooted · Nov 27, 2011

Its a good budget build. The 6850 will come in handy even with 1400x900 down the road when games become more graphically demanding.

red8953 · Nov 27, 2011

I thought so too. Plus, if I ever decide to upgrade to a bigger monitor later the 6850 will be much better at a higher resolution.

red8953 · Nov 27, 2011

And if anyone else has any suggestions, feel free!

red8953 · Nov 28, 2011

I'm still not too sure about the motherboard; if anyone has any other good options that aren't too much more I'd love to know. I don't plan on crossfire and I'm not too picky about the type of usb/sata etc.

karma831 · Nov 28, 2011

Intel alternative

red8953 · Nov 29, 2011

Thanks for the intel build, but I might need to look into it more. Not very familiar with intel. Also, I updated a few things in my list, the hdd and the ram. The hdd I had before the prices went up (it seems to be on "sale" now) and the ram, I'm not too sure about.

andrewcarr · Nov 29, 2011

I wouldn't go with the i3 processor because the Phenom ll X4 955 can be overclocked in the future and achieve higher performance on par in some cases to i5 and the phenom is better in threaded workloads.

red8953 · Nov 29, 2011

I was thinking pretty much the same thing Andrew, the phenom would be good for gaming, but also great at multitasking.

andrewcarr · Nov 29, 2011

Yep I would go for the phenom because it can match the i3 and beat it sometimes while it is better to upgrade in the future (for free that is because you can overclock). For the intel system you would have to get an i5 processor for $220. If you get a CPU cooler which you can get for like $9.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233081
although you then need thermal paste for another $13
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

red8953 · Nov 29, 2011

Okay, so I was talking with some people and managed to come up with an intel build that is cheaper. That is, if I reuse my old 320GB HDD (Samsung HD321KJ ATA) until the prices go down and I buy a new one. Here's a link to the build: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17821632

I'm still not sure which to go with, although I think I might be leaning towards the Intel build. Again, I'm not really interested in overclocking, and my budget is still around $600-$700, the lower the better.

toneekay · Nov 29, 2011

Bump that video card up to an HD 6870 or GTX 560 and your build will be SOLID.

andrewcarr · Nov 29, 2011

That is now a good build but if possible put a little more money into it. For example the processor i5-2500K although you don't plan to overclock you may want the option in the future. As stated a more powerful graphics card. Also consider a motherboard that supports 4 dims of memory and can run SLI/CF for the future. Lastly to save money I would get this PSU because its cheaper and is modular.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
or for the same price get this more powerful PSU that is modular and could support future upgrades
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

andrewcarr · Nov 29, 2011

And pick up one of these mouses they are cheaper and I own and like the red one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826664015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826664021
If you need a keyboard go with one of these the keystroke is very nice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109077

red8953 · Nov 29, 2011

I think the best I can do now is update the card to a 6850 again. For the overclocking stuff, I think when I have more money/experience building I'll look into that. For now I just want a system that will play my games on high to ultra for a few years.

toneekay · Nov 29, 2011

If you want to play games on high/ultra for a few years, I would go back to the AMD platform you started with to free up cash to spend on a better video card. Sure the processor plays an important role in it all, but if you want that high/ultra setting, a 5770/6770 or 6850 isn't going to cut it for that long. At the very least, I would be looking at something along the lines of a 6870... Some can be had for as little as $170-180 and would make a very noticeable difference in performance between the itself and the 6850.

Go back to AMD platform, pick a processor with a decently high stock clock (since you're not overclocking), and try to squeeze a 6870 in your build. If your budget is STRICT and the 6850 is all you can afford, then so be it... as long as it's not a 5770/6770.

toneekay · Nov 29, 2011

Microsoft Windows 7 ($80)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Rosewill RX35-AT-SU ($20)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182155

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 ($45)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz ($120)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ ($93)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 ($44)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s ($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

PowerColor AX6870 1GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 ($160)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131378

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 ($72)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

This is a list of parts that I put together just now... That means the holiday deals and what not may or may not be included in the prices. However, in this build you'll have a high clocked processor which should NOT bottleneck anything in your system, a decent 6870 video card, and a power supply strong enough to power it all.

I just noticed I forgot the cd/dvd drive... oh well.......... This build WILL push your budget to it's limit coming in at $694 (shipping and everything included in prices already). I'll put together another list later for you that won't cost as much (pretty much a lower cpu/mobo/ram combo).

toneekay · Nov 29, 2011

Sub these in and it should bring your total down to $629.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz ($125)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

BIOSTAR A880G+ ($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138283

PNY Optima 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) ($32)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178333

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 ($47)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

$600 Gaming Build (Need advice)

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