Ok trying to build a $500 computer with old parts

[pandastew]

Hello,

So I bought a CPU a while ago (1 year ago?) and didn't get to even finish building it and now that I want to start again, my part is pretty much dated. (I know, bad investment to go buy computer parts without using them right away)

My questions are:

What is a good $500ish computer that I can make with these parts

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
SanDisk SSD 240GB G25

I am mainly asking for if there is a good updated parts that I can build around what I have other than what was published last year

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-overclock-graphics-card,3032.html

 

[battlefieldhazard]

well all together like a mobo, case, pcu and dvd rom or a whole thing like monitor mouse and video card

 

[pandastew]

Ok let me rephrase my question. For Budget gaming PC, what MoBo goes perfectly with this dated CPU at a reasonable price (sub $100)

 

[C12Friedman]

If you want on-board video, the GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard might be a good choice
If you have a video card and don't care about on-board graphics then the ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard may work although it is full ATX size so that may be a factor

 

[roza95]

if you are going to game do not use onboard video as it'll suck here are my suggestions
Asus M5A78L it is an am3+ socket but your phenom will fit it and there is the ability to stick a piledriver or steamroller in it at a later date.
get a radeon hd 7850 and any psu that give's 600W will do and any dvd drive doesnt matter and for case i recommend a cit vantage case i have one it has brilliant air flow and find a cheap custom cpu cooler as the stock one's suck.

 

[pandastew]

BIOSTAR A880GZ

what's your opinion on this motherboard

 

[payturr]

Meh. I'd go with ASRock Extreme4 970. That board is alright but Biostar isn't the best. ASRock is considered to be part of the big 4 of PCB builders.

 

[pandastew]

the thing is I'm in delicate balance of performance and price

and the difference between Biostar and the Extreme4 is $50, while to Extreme3 is $30. still worth the extra bucks to go Asrock?

 

[payturr]

Well the ASRock board I reccomended is 100$. That leaves you with 400$ for a CPU cooler, a decent case, RAM, a PSU, and an optical drive (if you need one). Thats plenty, but not much for a good graphics - you may either need a board with onboard graphics, or buy a cheap graphics card - something like a Radeon 7770. Thats about 150$. That, a 100$ motherboard, 40$ RAM, 60$ case, 60$ PSU. That leaves you with 90$ for a cooler and optical drive!

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Systems by Mousemonkey