First time building a budget gaming pc around $400-500

[screamzack]

Approximate Purchase Date: within the next month
Budget Range: $400ish preferred (not over $500) and that is before rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, movies, surfing the web

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor (using my 22 inch hd samsung tv)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, amazon, tigerdirect

Country: im from Texas, in the US.

Parts Preferences: i would prefer an Intel cpu with a motherboard thats easily upgradable. the graphics card must have an hdmi output.

Overclocking: possibly, if necessary

SLI or Crossfire: same as overclocking

Monitor Resolution: i believe 1,920 x 1,080 is the highest my tv will support.

Additional Comments: 4gb+ ram needed. id like to be able to run newer games at medium quality if possible. this is my first time building a custom pc. the ultimate goal is to build a decent machine that i can still upgrade to not a high end pc, but great pc.


this is what ive put together myself from reading other articles:

CPU: $75 Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G630

Motherboard: $80 BIOSTAR H77MU3 LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM: $25 Patriot Gamer 2 Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGD34G1333ELK

PSU: $33 Coolmax M-500B 500W Eps Power Supply with 5 Sata Connectors ATX12V & EPS12V

Video Card: $68 Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 1 GB GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 DVI/HDMI/VGA SLI Ready Graphics Card, 25SGF6HX1RUV

HDD: $100 Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Case: $35 HEC 63R3BB Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - OEM

CD/DVD Drive: $15 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


total (rounded) price: $431


anyone with suggestions to improve this build without raising the price too much? also if ive messed something up or im missing something, feel free to let me know. i am a first timer here for knowledge.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Hi,

here's a bit more oomph for a similar price. Faster CPU, faster GPU by a 1000 miles. Non-green HDD although smaller. Quality PSU and a better case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Scorpio Black 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.21 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 371 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V Power Supply ($26.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $383.13
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-22 07:34 EDT-0400)

That's $453 before rebates.

 

[screamzack]

do you think it would be better to go ahead and start with an i3 processor? or would that processor be better til i could upgrade past i3?

and thanks for your input, its appreciated and noted.

but i read in another thread that the Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 was equal to the Radeon HD 6770. (not that im calling you a liar, im here to learn)

 

[FinneousPJ]

It's not equal but maybe I did exaggerate a bit :lol: The 6770 is more powerful.

 

[george1992uk]

I'd try and go with an i3 to start, that's my plan for the system i plan to build. If you pick a suitable z77 mobo as well then you can upgrade easier in future. That's what i was recommended to do on here.

 

[screamzack]

Anyone else have ideas to make this better? I'm desperately in need of a new rig, and I want it to be the best bang for my buck.

 

[screamzack]

ive been messing around with pcpartpicker and came up with this. seems like the best i can do with my money. i decided to buy everything except the video card, im going to hold off on that until i can afford something good.

in other words, im working on putting up a working, functional pc. then adding on the upgrades to make it a good gaming rig.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($122.66 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex Plus 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.18 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Logisys 550W ATX12V Power Supply ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $266.80
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-23 11:51 EDT-0400)

again, im more than willing to take advice.

i really need help picking a good video card to save up for. hoping to get a card that can handle majority of new games on high settings.

another concern is that motherboard, i read good reviews on it and it has a $30 rebate that makes it out to $25. but is it worth buying?

 

[z_4]

Here's a build d with i3-2120 and a more powerful GPU like 6850. Have a look:

PSU & HDD: $103- WD Cavier Blue 500GB & CM GX450

CPU & Optical Drive: $133- i3-2120 & ASUS

Motherboard: $50- Biostar H61

RAM: $23- GSKill NS 4GB

GPU: $145- XFX Radeon 6850

Case: $30- Rosewill

Total(Excluding Rebates): 484 USD

Rebates: $35

If you have say $25 extra get a radeon 6870. It's more powerful. It will be sufficient for your gaming needs.

 

[screamzack]

radeon 6870 it is.

and i suppose ill have to go with the 2x2 ram as well, unless i hold off and buy the 2x4 ram later.

my problem is, i dont want to buy a new rig and it be garbage. i know my price range is low... but im thinking about buying it piece by piece with each paycheck so the budget isnt so tight. that being said, it will still be "cheap" and i highly doubt it will even reach the $800 limit after its fully completed (before further upgrades).


ill start buying parts for this build tomorrow. thats the plan anyways.

 

[FinneousPJ]

You will waste money buying it piece by piece. Just buy what you can now and be done with it for a year or two OR save up until you can buy what you really want. Be sensible

 

[screamzack]

I'm far from rich. But Im determined to get this thing done. It will be enjoyable for me.

As long as its better than a prebuilt PC, it's good to go.

 

[screamzack]

You will waste money buying it piece by piece. Just buy what you can now and be done with it for a year or two OR save up until you can buy what you really want. Be sensible

i came to my senses and decided to listen to you.

since im getting a bonus from my job next week, ill be buying the rig all together in 2 weeks.. minus the video card, which i plan on getting the radeon 6870 2 weeks after that.

a lot can happen in 2 weeks, so im waiting for price drops and etc. until i actually pick the final build. pretty sure the i3 2100 will be the cpu though.

 

[screamzack]

Best answer selected by screamzack.

 

[Galaxamus]

Check this one out http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YkNVLk