Budget $500-$650 Gaming PC

[scotthudachek]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week

Budget Range: 500-650

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (Mostly Diablo 3), Surfing Web, Watching Movies

Parts Not Required: Monitor, Speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Amazon

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: No Preference

Overclocking: Maybe? Not sure what this means

SLI or Crossfire: Same as above

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

 

[scotthudachek]

anyone?

 

[7Ghost]

Flexible range of different builds.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8wTr (guaranteed max D3 on 1080p on this budget build)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8EH3
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8EHj

Benchmarks
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-5.html

No crossfire/SLI and overclocking on these builds.

 

[scotthudachek]

thanks for the reply!! very helpful!!!

 

[dudewitbow]

slot here for now, editing post for build

Hive 550 + Challenger case combo 100$
i3-2120+ asrock pro3gen3 213$
WD Caviar Blue + 24x Asus drive 80$
Sapphire HD 6870 170$
Corsair 2x4gb 1600 50$(alternatively you can use g.skill as well)

total w/o promos, 621.95

 

[quilciri]

If you live near a microcenter, you can build a pretty beastly system on $650.

$45 ($35 after mail in)
COOLER MASTER GX 450W RS450-ACAAD3-US 450W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171060

$170
i5 2500K
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

$30 ($20 after rebate)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

$55
ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

$24
Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148419

$200
SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

$18
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

$75
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

$30
Rosewill FBM-01 Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147123&Tpk=Rosewill%20FBM-01

Total $647 before rebates and shipping.

Good luck!

 

[dudewitbow]

If you live near a microcenter, you can build a pretty beastly system on $650.

$170
i5 2500K
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

$55
ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

one does not simply give an advice for an overclockable cpu on a mobo not designed for overclocking.

 

[quilciri]

one does not simply give an advice for an overclockable cpu on a mobo not designed for overclocking.

1. For $170, a 2500k is a steal whether you plan to overclock or not.

2. What are you talking about? That mobo has a 4-phase voltage regulator, with solid capacitors! That's the best you can get, even on a $300 motherboard. If that's not overclocking awesomeness, I don't know what is. It uses ASRock's UEFI BIOS, which lets you change the multiplier, ram timings, and all the overclocking settings you'd need, as well as AXTU tuning software, which even lets you drop voltage phases when the cpu is idle for higher efficiency. In addition to all that,

Supports Intel K-Series unlocked CPU

right in the motherboard's description.

Which part of that is not designed for overclocking?

...I have a sneaking suspicion I'm being trolled.

 

[bigcyco1]

NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:S210-001
Item #:N82E16811146075
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$39.99 $39.99


Update

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Model #:970 EXTREME3
Item #:N82E16813157280
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$94.99 -$10.00 Instant $84.99


Update

ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...
Model #:EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5
Item #:N82E16814121419
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card

$149.99 $149.99


Update

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:CMPSU-600CXV2
Item #:N82E16817139028
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card

$79.99 -$10.00 Instant $69.99


Update

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
Model #:HDZ965FBGMBOX
Item #:N82E16819103727
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$119.99 $119.99


Update

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Model #:F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Item #:N82E16820231277
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$29.99 $29.99


Update

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD2500AAKX
Item #:N82E16822136771
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$74.99 -$5.00 Instant $69.99


Update

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner SATA Model SH-222BB/BEBE

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner SATA Model SH-222BB/BEBE - OEM
Model #:SH-222BB/BEBE
Item #:N82E16827151244
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$16.99 $16.99
Subtotal: $581.92

 

[jmsellars1]

If you live near a microcenter, you can build a pretty beastly system on $650.

$45 ($35 after mail in)
COOLER MASTER GX 450W RS450-ACAAD3-US 450W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171060

$170
i5 2500K
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

$30 ($20 after rebate)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

$55
ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

$24
Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148419

$200
SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

$18
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

$75
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

$30
Rosewill FBM-01 Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147123&Tpk=Rosewill%20FBM-01

Total $647 before rebates and shipping.

Good luck!

450W is pushing it a bit for the HD 6950 and i5-2500k, also the PSU doesn't have enough PCI-e connectors. For that setup I would go for one of the 520W Seasonics ideally. A cheaper option would be something like the Corsair CX-500 or XFX Core 550W.

 

[quilciri]

450W is pushing it a bit for the HD 6950 and i5-2500k, also the PSU doesn't have enough PCI-e connectors. For that setup I would go for one of the 520W Seasonics ideally. A cheaper option would be something like the Corsair CX-500 or XFX Core 550W.

Great catch, thanks! This was modified from a $700 build I posted earlier with an hd 7850, which was easily covered by the PSU as far as wattage.

going a bit over budget, you could use

$60
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

which would bring the total to $662 before rebates & shipping.

or sticking strictly under budget:

Dropping the processor down to an i3 2100 and ditching the aftermarket cooler would give you room in the budget for a 7850. That combo would actually give you better game performance, with $50 left over you can bump the case up a couple notches and get 8 gb of RAM.

$90
i3 2100
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0359809

$250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609
XFX Double D FX-785A-CDFC Radeon HD 7850 2GB

$50
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

$47
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

With the mobo, PSU, hdd, and optical from my earlier post, that comes to $630 before rebates and shipping.