Will this build run it?

[trustno1702]

m getting ready to order my parts to build my first gaming rig. Looking to order on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Im building on a budget. I would like to build a rig that can run Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 when it comes out. My current budget is about $450, I have a monitor, mouse/keyboard, HDD and optical drive from my older PC that I would like to use in my new one.

This is kind of the build I was thinking about. But if anyone has any other upgrades/ideas that could help me out im all ears. Keep in mind that the optical drive that I have right now is a Sony DVD RW DRU-840A and I have a Samsung HD160JJ/P 160 gig 7200 RPM HDD. So any MOBO would need to be compatible with these aswell.

Went with a dual core because from what ive heard for gaming its better to have the individual cores faster and not many games take advantage of the triple and quad cores...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.782548
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.791359.13-157-176
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150542
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Grand total is $449.47 after shipping. Will this run Starcraft 2 at a decent frame rate?


Again this is my first time building my own PC so any advice or ideas you guys have to offer are more than welcome. Thanks.

 

[hapkido]

CPU + RAM: Intel Pentium G620 + Team Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 $91.98 - I'd prefer a Sandy Bridge i3, but it won't fit in your budget. Quad cores are desirable for gaming, but I'm not recommending AMD processors right now as Intel out performs them at every price point.
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 6770 $109.99 - 6770s are cheap enough that you shouldn't get anything less. They are way faster than cards $20 cheaper.
Mobo: MSI H61M-P21 $59.99 - This platform gives you the option to upgrade to a Sandy Bridge i5 down the road if needed.
Case: NZXT Source 210 $31.99 w/ promo code EMCYTZT1000
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 80+ $39.99
DVD: LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner $16.99 - It's cheaper to buy a SATA drive than an IDE compatible mobo.

Total: $350.93 including $0 shipping, but not including $40 mail-in-rebates and $15 gift card.

That leaves you $100 for Windows 7.

 

[Outlander_04]

I'd look at the Llano A8-3850
A75 FM1 motherboard
2 x 2 gig of 1600MHz [or faster] ram
You may not need a graphics card , depending on your resolution , but could add one later if you wished
http://www.techspot.com/review/418-amd-a8-3850-apu/page11.html

I didnt click all the OP's links . The regor x2 will be a poor choice . The intel G620 fits the same catagory IMO

If your DVD and hard drive use SATA connectors they will be fine . If they are IDE with the old style 40 wire ribbon cable then you will not be able to fins a new motherboard they work with

 

[hapkido]

I'd look at the Llano A8-3850

No desktop users should be looking at any AMD processors right now.

 

[trustno1702]

CPU + RAM: Intel Pentium G620 + Team Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 $91.98 - I'd prefer a Sandy Bridge i3, but it won't fit in your budget. Quad cores are desirable for gaming, but I'm not recommending AMD processors right now as Intel out performs them at every price point.
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 6770 $109.99 - 6770s are cheap enough that you shouldn't get anything less. They are way faster than cards $20 cheaper.
Mobo: MSI H61M-P21 $59.99 - This platform gives you the option to upgrade to a Sandy Bridge i5 down the road if needed.
Case: NZXT Source 210 $31.99 w/ promo code EMCYTZT1000
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 80+ $39.99
DVD: LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner $16.99 - It's cheaper to buy a SATA drive than an IDE compatible mobo.

Total: $350.93 including $0 shipping, but not including $40 mail-in-rebates and $15 gift card.

That leaves you $100 for Windows 7.

Hmmm, I like the ability to upgrade down the road... How will this run the likes of SC2?

 

[hapkido]

Hmmm, I like the ability to upgrade down the road... How will this run the likes of SC2?

PC Recommended Specifications:

Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better

You'd exceed that by a fair margin, but I don't play SC2, so I don't know if you could play max settings or anything. I'd be surprised if it didn't play every game on the market, though. The Intel dual-core I linked is going to be a lot faster than the AMD dual-core you linked. I think it will be slower (total processing power, not core vs core or clock vs clock) than an AMD Phenom II x4, but if you could fit on in your budget, I'd suggest the Intel i3-2120 instead anyway. It's a budget processor, but probably the best budget processor out there right now.

 

[trustno1702]

What about the G840 over the g620?

Any other MOBO's on the cheap side that offer better OC options then the Micro ATX you have listed?

 

[hapkido]

What about the G840 over the g620?

Any other MOBO's on the cheap side that offer better OC options then the Micro ATX you have listed?

It's $15 extra (21.4% increase in cost) for only 200Mhz (7.7% more clock speed). g620 is probably the best buy in that price range. If you have $50 extra budget, step up to i3-2120. It's $50 more than the g620 ($35 more than g840), but is 700Mhz faster and has hyper-threading (2 physical cores + 2 logical cores).

Overclocking is going to be off the table with your budget. You can get micro-ATX boards that can overclock, but they need to be p67 or z68 chipset. Those chipsets are more expensive (~$120 and up). On top of that, you need an unlocked CPU like i5-2500k (~$220 and up) to get any noticeable benefits.

If you can squeeze an extra $100 into your budget, or perhaps reuse an old OS for a while, I could put together a more capable gamer for you.

 

[Outlander_04]

No desktop users should be looking at any AMD processors right now.

AMD cant touch intels top end cpu's but they often are the best value options at more moderate prices .
The Llano build would game well enough , and perform better every where than the G620 build suggested here .

There is no reason to dismiss good value and adequate performance

 

[trustno1702]

One last question. With the case you provided here, I noticed it only comes with 1 stock fan. Will that be enough?

 

[Outlander_04]

One last question. With the case you provided here, I noticed it only comes with 1 stock fan. Will that be enough?

Here is the starcraft performance of the G620 intel WITH A TOP END GRAPHICS CARD that is much more powerful than the unit in that suggested build above .
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/pentium-g850-g840-g620_4.html#sect0
34.4 FPS running at 1650 x 1080 resolution is barely playable .

The AMD Llano A8 3850 out performs that without even needing a graphics card , and you can add some AMD graphics cards that will crossfire with the onboard and give exceptional performance at a good price

The AMD will also out perform the G620 in almost every non gaming task , and because its a quadcore it will suffer fewer slow downs when windows is running back ground tasks during game play

 

[trustno1702]

Anything like that showing the performance of the Llano? Im not exactly a computer wiz, But I know a little bit about games and frame rate. I wouldint say that 34 FPS is unplayable.

Im open to any build, just dont want to make a mistake and invest in something thats not gonna last me at least a year or two...

 

[Outlander_04]

In my first post . Llano performance with and without a graphics card

 

[trustno1702]

I also noticed that the Llano is quite a bit more cost wise then the G620, Would it not be a option to go with this build. Then about 6-7 months from now upgrade to the Sandy bridge i5 when im in a slightly better position financially?

 

[trustno1702]

Doing some research on the Llano has me intrigued... Argh im so torn on what to do!!!

I want to get as much bang for my buck as possible. So if buy a better CPU that will run SC2 and then buying a GPU down the line is an option then that might be something for me to look into...

How would this look?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.778193


plus my case/PSU/Optics drive/memory/os

 

[hapkido]

Doing some research on the Llano has me intrigued... Argh im so torn on what to do!!!

I want to get as much bang for my buck as possible. So if buy a better CPU that will run SC2 and then buying a GPU down the line is an option then that might be something for me to look into...

How would this look?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.778193


plus my case/PSU/Optics drive/memory/os

That's almost your entire budget...

The onboard GPU on that AMD chip is better than the onboard GPU on the Intel chips, but who cares? It's still not great for gaming and you can get a discrete card anyway. If you can re-use your OS for a while, I can probably fit an i3 and a 6850 into your budget, and that will stomp all over that AMD platform.

It's your money, but I would whole-heartily advise against buying any AMD APU/CPUs for a desktop gaming PC. They are not good buys.

 

[trustno1702]

I would have liked to reuse my OS on my current PC. Its XP but I actually really like XP. Problem is ive been back a forth with dell and MS about it and because of the OEM version im pretty much *** out of luck with my current OS...

If you know a way that I can reuse my current product key for my XP then im all ears. But as far as I know its not possible.

 

[hapkido]

I would have liked to reuse my OS on my current PC. Its XP but I actually really like XP. Problem is ive been back a forth with dell and MS about it and because of the OEM version im pretty much *** out of luck with my current OS...

If you know a way that I can reuse my current product key for my XP then im all ears. But as far as I know its not possible.

With XP, if you have the product key, I don't see any reason why you can't re-install it on another machine.

 

[trustno1702]

With XP, if you have the product key, I don't see any reason why you can't re-install it on another machine.

I was under the impression that the "dell" version of XP was an OEM version, And that you cant use an OEM version on another MOBO. Is this incorrect?

 

[hapkido]

I was under the impression that the "dell" version of XP was an OEM version, And that you cant use an OEM version on another MOBO. Is this incorrect?

I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't work. I had a dell laptop I'm using the windows xp key from for on my media pc right now. The key should activate regardless of the hardware, as long as you have a windows install disc and not a dell recovery disc. But I can't say 100% that it will work, so maybe do a search and see if you can get a definite answer from people who recently tried.

 

[Outlander_04]

I also noticed that the Llano is quite a bit more cost wise then the

 

[Outlander_04]

I also noticed that the Llano is quite a bit more cost wise then the G620, Would it not be a option to go with this build. Then about 6-7 months from now upgrade to the Sandy bridge i5 when im in a slightly better position financially?

If you read the Llano article you see when they add a top end graphics card , and run graphically intensive games there is very little advantage to using an i5 . The Llano should last longer than a few months . Just add a basic card to create crossfire[ dual graphics ] , or run any top end card when your budget allows

The MB in your link does not have a dvi connector . Only use it if your monitor has an HDMI connector

 

[trustno1702]

I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't work. I had a dell laptop I'm using the windows xp key from for on my media pc right now. The key should activate regardless of the hardware, as long as you have a windows install disc and not a dell recovery disc. But I can't say 100% that it will work, so maybe do a search and see if you can get a definite answer from people who recently tried.

Ive done alot of research on it.

Its all a mixed bag. Some people say that all you have to do is install and enter keys "sometimes call ms to have them activate it".

Other half of the people say that the OEM version of Windows will only allow you to add a new MOBO if its of the exact same type as the one you are replacing....

The only thing that EVERYONE agrees on is that if you call MS tech support they will only give you the run around and tell you that a new MOBO is considered a new PC. There for they cant reactivate the key for you...