500-600 dollar Starcraft 2 Build

i3 2120 + dvd burner
Asrock h61
4gb ddr3
corsair cx430
HIS 6870
WD CB 320gb
NZXT Source 210

$541.92 ($511.92 after rebates.)

+1 to what sellar said, more performance and low power consumption. you can even ditch the case and just place it on the table should still work >.<

scIIis quite cpu hungry so a i5 2400 would be awesome for it

Thanks for the advice!

Would the H67 Chipset hold me back in any way? I don't really intent to over clock.

I like jmsellars1 build for Starcraft, as it is a Quadcore and SC like the quadcore :-) the Video card is also spot on for the OP's stated needs.

the only limitations I see are the PSU, while it ok for the build, there isn't any expansion room for GPU's. I would put a the corsair CX 430 in its place or stay with the OP's original Antec BP550 pick.

if the OP could find a few more $ in the budget I would get a better/Faster HDD.
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

for upgradeability I would go for a Z68 MB. this will also add $ to the budget

My build:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
$19.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
NZXT Source 210 Elite Black Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim
Item #: N82E16811146078
$49.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152181
$84.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
SAPPHIRE 11202-00-20G Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Item #: N82E16814102969
$109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139026
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$44.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML4GX3M2A1600C9
$29.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157252
$109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics
Item #: N82E16819115074
$189.99
---------
$639.92 +$10.45 shipping and there is a MIR for $20

swapping the Z68 mb for a H61 MB brings it in to the $600 budget range.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Ok, I do not plan on upgrading this PC. So I figure H61 is fine. This will be used for SC2 only.

Thank you for all your help. I hope all of these parts will work together!  

My last concern is that the GPU is 3.0 PCI express and the Mobo is 2.0 PCI express. Also, I hope the power supply has all of the correct cables.


1
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817139026
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$49.99
$44.99

1
NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Case
Item #:N82E16811146075
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$39.99

1
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
19.99

1
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750 11202-00-20G Video Card
Item #:N82E16814102969
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$109.99

1
CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820233187
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$29.99

1
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822152181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$89.99
$84.99

1
ASRock H61M/U3S3 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813157236
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$74.99
$69.99

1
Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115074
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$189.99

If you don't want to upgrade the system, I'd go for the Seasonic PSU. It is likely to be better quality.

Is 300W enough? I did a PSU calculation that put me mid 200's. I suppose it has all the cables I would need? Thanks for the input!

Why are you getting a 7750?. You can easily max out sc2 within your budget. I had sc2 running on ultimate at 1080p on my 6850. The AMD 7000 series is overpriced anyways.

Don't worry about it. PCIe revisions just increase bandwidth. Even a PCIe 1.1 x16 slot can power the vast majority of cards (dual GPU cards being a notable exception) today without throttling them.

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price


Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118067
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$17.99


Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm ...
Item #: N82E16811147153
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$59.99
$54.99


GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX ...
Item #: N82E16814125353
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99
$139.99


CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139027
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$69.99
$59.99


Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH
Item #: N82E16820220570
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$44.99
1

Patriot Signature Series 8GB Micro SDHC Flash Card w/ Adapter Model PSF8GMCSDHC43P
Item #: N82E16820220523
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$7.99 Saving
$7.99
$0.00


GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128538
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$15.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$109.99
$94.99


Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
Item #: N82E16819115076
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$179.99


Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD-F120GB3A-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820233206
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$10.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$159.99
$149.99
Subtotal: $742.92 -108.99( mail in rebate and promo off) = $633 little over budget  

That system will handle starcraft at high not med plus for $25 more you can get 2500k
so 650 you give you really nice gaming rig...ask your grandma for some $$$ tell her it is for school as well lol

I wouldn't call the HD 7000 series bad value, the HD 7750 gives performance a bit better than the HD 6770 and consumes a lot less power at around the same price.

Would any of yalls build able to play like perfect world, jade dynasty, 9dragons, suns online...in max setting??? or sims 3, battlefield, skyrim, in mid settings or low??

perfect world, jade dynasty, 9dragons, suns online: not sure about these, as no one bench marks for them, but for sims 3, battlefield, skyrim, in mid settings or low, maxinexus' system build would because of the HD6850 for sure. the HD 7750 builds would most likely be ok also at medium settings.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7770-7750...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7770-7750...

I like maxinexus' build, but I try not to do builds based on rebates. they're a crap shoot at best.  

Do you have any build that would be able to run those games at high?...maybe under 1k?

post your requirements in a new thread. fill out this form.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advic...

here is my mid-game build its $988 before shipping and $50 MIR has a 240GB SSD, i5 2500k, 560Ti.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx...
you can save some money on the build if you need to by switching from the SSD to a mechanical HDD and from the 560Ti to a HD 6870 and still get good results.

Best answer selected by zymogenheat.