Help with my pc build

[paulscotti5]

Hello everyone!

The Story: (You can skip it if you want, but there's some technical stuff in it too)

Recently I received a small amount of cash ($535) and I made a deal, in wich I traded a microSD card of 8gb for a desktop (LOL). Well, when I removed the cover to see If I had made a good deal or not, I found myself with:


1- am2+ mobo(http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=387#spec),

2-an old amd sempron,

3- 2 HDD of 320 gb each, one was unplugged, so I assume it's not working,

4- Other bunch of useless stuff ( wifi pci card, a non-working fan, PSU with 230W, etc).


My New Build:

After realizing that I had made a regular deal, I considered the following option:

Save everything that I can, wich would be the hard drives and the case, (maybe the wifi card), and build a new gaming computer with 535 bucks.
The build I tought is the following:

1- A Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS mobo

2- An Amd Phenom II x4 x965 (not going to OC, I won't pay for a heatsink, and I don't trust the stock one)

3-XFX AMD Radeon HD7770 1024MB GDDR5 Black Edition (The ghost thermal edition)

4- 4 gb 1600 mhz ram

5- A 500 W coolermaster PSU


I wish to play new games, but I'm used to lag ( I currently have a laptop with 2 gb ram, pentium dual core 1,8 ghz, and intel gma x3100 128mb , so you'll probably understand my suffering)

So, what do you say? Any recomendations? (Please don't exceed the 535$)

Thank you in advance

 

[usbgtx550]

Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116781

Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148498

MSI Z77A-G41 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130653

Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

HIS IceQ X H785QN2G2M Radeon HD 7850 2GB $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161405

Total $531

Changes: Switched from amd to intel i5, i5 is proven to be best cpu you would need for gaming, just threw in any random motherboard that seemed good (could possibly cut down on this do to lack of need for overclocking).
The 7850 is a good match for the i5 and is significantly better than the 7770.
I have a preference to antec, their products have simply worked for me.

 

[johnsonjohnson]

After the promo code, this faster i5 can be had for $180

Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506

Alternative PSU choice for $40 after promo code and rebate:

XFX Core Edition PRO550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

You can shop around for an even cheaper motherboard with the features you want like a B75 motherboard. Just make sure it has 4 memory slot if you decide to go with 4GB (2 x 2GB) initially and want to add more later.

 

[usbgtx550]

Also, do you need a copy of windows or is all of this purely for hardware?

 

[DeusAres]

Try this...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $511.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-23 01:22 EST-0500)

Were you able to salvage the optical drive from that older build? Or did it even have one? If so, then you can use that instead of having to buy a new one.

This is what I would get. It'll easily get you ultra settings at comfortable frame rates. This build also offers an amazing upgrade path. Once you've acquired the funds, you can easily swap out the i3 3220 for a far more powerful i5 3570k chip. Or if you're needs demand it, you can get the i7 3770k.