[SOLVED] Need help with Internet/light gaming PC ; $500-700 limit

[mroneeyedboh]

Hey guys Im looking to get rid of my current bigbox PC with a built one. I would like it to be update-able in the future if possible too. I do mostly internet browsing. At times I'll dabble with Gimp/photoshop and Im looking forward to play Diablo 3 when it comes out. My budget is 500-700.

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: 500-700

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Internet, gaming, photoshop

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I have a local microcenter, but I'll use Newegg, Amazon

Country:USA

Parts Preferences: No Pref, but being that Im not pushing this system hard... I'll side on the products that give the best value.

Overclocking: Do I need it?

SLI or Crossfire: Unsure on what this is

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: Id like to keep the stuff cool. I.e. Aftermarket CPU cooler, case fans, I dont want it loud though.

Few questions: Is ir worth it to have an external audio card? The GPU card doesnt have to be the best, just better than on-board and capable to run Diablo on medium if possible. Hell even high if not that much more. I do want RAM, say 16gbs... Its cheap now days and better to have more than not enough.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

 

[jmsellars1]

RAM - 8GB is more than enough. 16GB would just be a waste of money at this budget.

SOUND - Unless you have some kind of $500 speaker system, I wouldn't bother with a sound card.

GPU - Since you want a quiet PC and want to play at 1680x1050 and are not bothered about ultra high settings, I would consider a passively cooled card like the HD 7750. (It's a bit better than the HD 6770) I would imagine you would get high settings (if not ultra) on Diablo 3 and it would be super quiet.

Assuming you don't need an OS, this would be my choice:

Intel Core i3-2120
8GB Mushkin Enhanced Silverline
ASRock H67M (B3)
Sapphire Ultimate HD 7750 1GB
Crucial M4 64GB
Seagate Barracuda 500GB
SeaSonic SS-300ET 300W
Fractal Design Core 1000
LG DVD Burner

Total - $654.91


That should be very quiet since the loudest things in a case are usually the graphics card, hard drive or PSU. The GPU in here is passively cooled, the hard drive won't be spinning often since you have the SSD and Seasonic PSU's are renowned for being extremely reliable and quiet.

In terms of cooling, I would set it up so that the PSU pulls air from inside the case to help with airflow. This shouldn't be a problem for the PSU since I doubt it would get hot as the max power draw (for the whole system) shouldn't exceed 150W.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Thanks. Now let me ask you this. I have a 320gb HD now, and I barely have it filled over 150gb. Would it be better to just get a bigger SSD?

Also everywhere I look people are being told to wait it out for the new chips coming out soon. Sure I can wait too, but is it going to be worth the wait? Are prices going to drop on the old stuff?

 

[mroneeyedboh]

I didnt even notice there was a classifieds section here.

Are there any builds there that would work for me? here is one I seen

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/103367-8-gaming-computer-price-drop

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/103284-8-gaming-quad-core

 

[Wisecracker]

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Combo: $376

Sapphire Radeon HD 6850: $135 with code EMCNGHG75 before $15 rebate

With an OS, you have room for a 60GB SSD and CM CPU cooler in your $700 budget.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Thanks. Is that overclockable? But I dont think I would need that anyway. And that should perform fairly well, doing light gaming right?

what version of windows should I get?

 

[aznshinobi]

I disagree with the 965 in this situation. The AMD chips really lack performance vs Sandy Bridge especially in Photoshop work.

Check out my $650 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
The 6870 although 1 generation older is much better than the 7750. The i5 2400 is better than the i3 2100 (obviously) and much better than 965. Really though, you don't need 16GB of ram, I'm using 8GB of ram and I'm running PS5.5 smooth. I do huge Pano stitches and it runs just fine. Much faster than my old 955. It also edit in RAW all the time @ 18MP and no issues arrive so no problems with RAM. Plus the i5 2400 is only $150 at microcenter.

If you already have a 320GB you can just reuse that, not get the HDD in my build and allocate that $80 for one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226247
Best SSD for the price, gives you the newer SF-22xx controller and SATA 3 speeds.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Thanks azn. were those parts all bought from micro?

edit: I came across this build on the forums and its around 650

MB - ASUS makes a great board as does ASRock. This board over a comparable ASUS board was just for cost reasons. ASRock 970 Extreme 4 - $105
CPU - AMD FX-4100 - $110
GPU - At 1440x900 resolution you will be fine gaming with this card or an equivilant. XFX HD 6850 - $130 after MIR
MEM - Skip tall heat spreaders... G.SKILL Ares 8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 1.5v - $45
HD - Samsung F3 500GB - $85
OPTICAL - Samsung 22x DVD-RW - $17
PSU - Stick with Antec, Corsair, XFX or Seasonic. Corsair 750w - $95 after MIR
CASE - Cooler Master Elite 430 - $40 after MIR
CASE FANS - Rosewill 120mm 4-pack 40CFM @ 18dBA - $15


$643


If overclocking...
CPU Cooler - Hyper 212 EVO - $35

All I would need to buy would be the OS

 

[aznshinobi]

Not all the parts I suggest can be bought from Micro but the CPU and motherboard should be buyable @ microcenter. The Card too but I can't guarantee the pricing. I'd generally buy off Newegg and Amazon. But for like the CPU and MB I'd go to Micro and save a bit.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

One thing I noticed is that your builds dont account for OS or case ( under the 650 build price ) The one I listed above ( two posts up ) does have the case just no OS

 

[DelroyMonjo]

If you are doing more photo editing than gaming I would go with this because the Llano CPU has hyper threading. Also if you want to max out on editing add another 4GB RAM and get a larger HDD.

13:38 3/24/2012
AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX $149.99 free ship
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103962

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AM3+ 8-Core CPU, XFast LAN / USB, UEFI, C.C.R $84.99 free ship http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL $46.99 free ship http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
OCZ ZS Series 550W 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply
$20 promo gift card & 15% off w/ OCZPSU15, ends 3/27 $54.99 after MIR free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341047
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $85.99 free ship http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-222BB/BEBE - OEM $16.98 incl. shipping http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $49.99 after MIR free ship http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_sp=Cat_Computer_Cases-_-Spotlight-_-11-129-042
SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $169.99 -$10 MIR=$159.99
Window 7 Home Premium 64bit-OEM $99.99 free ship

Total: $$794.90 less $45 rebates=$749.90

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Okay cool, so 750 with an OS? not bad. Would the AMD still perform on Diablo 3? If so, what are the negative factors going towards the AMD versus the Intel?

 

[aznshinobi]

Terrible choice to go AMD. AMD chips lack their performance and @ the cost of Delroys build you might as well go with mine since after OS my build is pretty much the same price but less since I don't include MIRs yet.
FX-8120 vs i5 2400
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=363
Keep in mind, the i5 2400 matches up closely in Multi-thread benches and absolutely destroys the FX-8120 in Single thread and gaming.

If you say that I don't include OS the rest of the builds suggested on here don't either... I don't see why mines is an issue. You can always reuse your 320GB and not get a SSD or HDD and use that money for the OS.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

My apologies aznshinobi, I was thinking the AMD did better than that on rendering and multithreaded apps. Apparently not. So add $30 to my build to replace the CPU and a comparable MB for LGA1155 is about the same price.
I have a 2400 BTW as well as a 2500K.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Terrible choice to go AMD. AMD chips lack their performance and @ the cost of Delroys build you might as well go with mine since after OS my build is pretty much the same price but less since I don't include MIRs yet.
FX-8120 vs i5 2400
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=363
Keep in mind, the i5 2400 matches up closely in Multi-thread benches and absolutely destroys the FX-8120 in Single thread and gaming.

If you say that I don't include OS the rest of the builds suggested on here don't either... I don't see why mines is an issue. You can always reuse your 320GB and not get a SSD or HDD and use that money for the OS.

in the 3rd post or so I stated I needed an OS to be included. But okay true. Long story here. I bought a boxed PC to replace my laptop. This was before I knew about building your own PC. Now Im on that path, as you can read.

You're right I do have a HD with Win 7 on it. When I bought the PC it had Vista but I got a free upgrade CD with it to upgrade to Win 7. Couldnt I use that CD to load Win 7 on my new HD? If not, then cant I re-insert the upgrade CD and do a full wipe/reinstall fresh of Win 7 for the new build?


edited: Also from looking around page after page of builds I think this is what I need. The only real game I'd play would be Diablo3, on high settings if I could. Then internet browsing. Thats pretty much it. The amount of PS I do is small. And if Ive been doing it on this older PC fine, then this newer build should be leaps and bounds better than what I have now, right? So if I build it to play diablo nicely then internet browsing would be a snap..

 

[aznshinobi]

Yeah AMD has fallen far from the tree. The FX chips suck. No there is not pro you can even make for it. They perform worse than the Phenoms and Thubans and run with terrible efficiency.

 

[aznshinobi]

You can reuse the 320GB, if you install Windows 7 again you can format and wipe the drive and use it with the new comp. Unless you want to keep the hard drive info.

I mean the only thing I'm saying is that the builds posted don't have OS accounted for, not just mine. But if you need to keep, after OS, below $700 just don't get the HDD and reuse your 320GB or switch the i5 2400 with the i3 2100.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

I would suggest, though you say you like newegg, go to Microcenter, what you supposedly save on newegg will be eaten with shipping most likely, and with Microcenter, you've got the 30 day warranty to walk in with stuff if there's problems. Also, many times at least on AMD processors, Microcenter does a deal if you get a CPU, you get 40 bucks off the board. So that's more money saved.


On that Asrock board, Microcenter near me carries the same board for 89.99. FX 4100 is 99.99. In my cart with shipping, I can get that board and chip for 164.12 with tax. I will say stick to newegg for the OS and the video card, they seem to have better pricing on the OS and better selection of video cards.

So let's pretend you were going with the FX4100 and the above board.

164.12-cpu+board
130-6850(from newegg)
45-GSkill Memory from above
17-Samsung Optical drive above(or MC has LG drives for 15.99 when I bought one recently)
55-for case and fans mentioned above(The CM 430 looks good, I've got a Storm Scout personally, but you may also check out the Thermaltake V3 Black.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0323929

30 after rebate, still some high end features, but low price. If you did that instead of the 430 probably 45 for fans and case.

Figure an extra 20 bucks for taxes, without an OS you are at 421.12

Add 100 for the OS from newegg, and you are at 521.12. The FX4100 may not be the fastest chip out there, but rumor has it that guys are overclocking it to 4.5-4.6ghz. Realistically, you aren't going to break speed records, but that should game alright. If you overclock much, add maybe a Hyper 212 for another 30 bucks to put you at 550ish.

If you are thinking the FX4100 isn't enough, maybe opt for the FX8120 which in my cart at MC is 251.67, so 87.55 more. But if you did that, with what is above you are at 637.55 which is cheaper than the above build, I did leave out the hard drive, because you've already got the 320gb which will start you out. But at that, you are at a chip that is probably comparable to an i5, plus has an unlocked mulitiplier to overclock with, and you would have the Hyper 212 cooler to do it with. So yes, you would not have the fastest system on the block, but it should still throw down, and later when Piledriver comes out, you should be able to do a bios flash, drop in a new CPU and keep rolling.

*Edit--As for ram, yeah you can go 16gb if you want, but realistically, 8 is plenty. I mean really, guys I know that are big into photoshop editing and web design are telling me that 8 is plenty and the only time you need more is if you are doing stuff like that. With an 8 core and 1gb of ram per core, that system ought to set you up for a couple of years or so.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Alright thanks.

 

[aznshinobi]

^ If you go with the FX-4100 might as well go with the i3 2100 which is the same price @ MC. The reason? With Sandy Bridge you'll be able to actually upgrade and gain performance, with Bulldozer? Not the case. The FX-8120 is the best chip and performs by far worse than the cheaper i5 2400.

 

[Wisecracker]

Thanks. Is that overclockable? But I dont think I would need that anyway. And that should perform fairly well, doing light gaming right?

what version of windows should I get?

Yes. You should hit 4GHz without too much trouble. Investing $75 in an SSD is the way to go. Win7-64 with 2x2GB is a good place to start.

Intel Fans can't touch it regardless of all the bluster. The SSD (and more RAMs) will make a huge difference in PS.

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Combo: $376

Sapphire Radeon HD 6850: $135 with code EMCNGHG75 before $15 rebate

With an OS, you have room for a 60GB SSD and CM CPU cooler in your $700 budget.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

here is another build I came across

MOBO : ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157241
CPU : i3-2100 Sandy Bridge
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115078
RAM : G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231424
GPU : SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102908
PSU : Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power 80 PLUS Certified Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371016
DVD-RW : LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136240
CASE : COOLER MASTER Elite 341 MicroATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119193
OS : Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116986
TOTAL : $578.92 and 564$ after rebates + DIRT 3 free coupon.
In your budget fit even a 6870 video card and you can play everything you want at high setings.

And you can add this for around 30 more bucks

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102948

And thats everything I would need OS included. Would that play diablo 3 alright?

 

[Wisecracker]

I don't see a HDD or SSD.

 

[aznshinobi]

Yeah that build looks solid. I was suggesting for you to do that the entire time but I guess you didn't notice my poist.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Azn its nothing personal haha Im just looking all over.. I did miss it.

Like I said I think I need a Pc that can run diablo on high and whatever I need the Pc to do ( light PS and 99% internet browsing ) it can handle. So if I can run on an i3 chip okay, but if an i5 is better THAT much more better then okay, and so on... ya know what I mean?