So i'm planning on spending some money on possibly a new pc to play games on since my laptop isnt really cutting it anymore. Any opinions on the best build i could get for about $550? i realize thats real cheap, but I'm just wondering. I also already have a monitor, mouse and keyboard. Thanks!
Budget Game PC
- Thread starter MyKeyG
- Start date
th3_ory
Honorable
- Jul 22, 2012
- 298
- 0
- 10,810
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Total: $539.90
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Total: $539.90
th3_ory
Honorable
- Jul 22, 2012
- 298
- 0
- 10,810
Intel Option:
Motherboard: BIOSTAR B75MU3+ LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $60
PCIE 3.0 (One 16x port)
USB 3.0 Header
32GB memory
VGA, DVI, and HDMI
CPU:Intel i3-2100 $120
AMD Option
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 AM3: $67
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.4GHz socket AM3 - good overclocking: $120
GPU: HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB - $160 or $130 with rebate
Ram: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - PC3 12800 $50
PSU: LEPA B550-SA 550W 80+ bronze - $60
Case: NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK: $35
HDD:Seagate Barracuda ST250DM000 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb - $70
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $17
$550
Motherboard: BIOSTAR B75MU3+ LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $60
PCIE 3.0 (One 16x port)
USB 3.0 Header
32GB memory
VGA, DVI, and HDMI
CPU:Intel i3-2100 $120
AMD Option
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 AM3: $67
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.4GHz socket AM3 - good overclocking: $120
GPU: HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB - $160 or $130 with rebate
Ram: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - PC3 12800 $50
PSU: LEPA B550-SA 550W 80+ bronze - $60
Case: NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK: $35
HDD:Seagate Barracuda ST250DM000 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb - $70
CD/DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $17
$550
lunyone
Splendid
- Feb 22, 2006
- 6,517
- 0
- 26,960
Intel version:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Pentium G870 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($84.62 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.51 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.48 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $536.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:31 EDT-0400)
* CPU is good for gaming with the 7850, but will start to be limited if you upgrade the GPU too much more.
* Mobo is Z77 chipset, so you can OC your next CPU (if you decide to upgrade it down the line), otherwise for about $10-20 less a B75 based mobo would work.
* RAM is good for the $. It's 1600 mHz, CAS 9 timings, & runs on stock voltage of 1.5v!!
* GPU is a good one for the $ and perfect for the CPU selected. The i3 3220 is another option, but it is about 35-45 more.
* Case is one of the better ones for the $. Has plenty of room for just about any GPU out on the market!
* PSU is plenty for your needs. If you want to upgrade the GPU later you will be limited to 1 x PCI-e power connector, but I wouldn't worry about that too much in this price range.
AMD version:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.51 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.48 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $544.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:40 EDT-0400)
* CPU is good for gaming and is a Quad core, which will benefit you a bit when multi-tasking, assuming the program/app takes advantage of more cores.
* Mobo is good for what it's made for. I would probably spend a bit more for a 990FX based mobo, so I have a bit more upgrade path, but the 970 based mobo's are good affordable options too so don't discount them too much.
Both systems are good well rounded setups. If you prefer one over the other, we can tailor your requests a bit more. Prices vary from day to day, but you should be able to see what were trying to build here.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Pentium G870 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($84.62 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.51 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.48 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $536.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:31 EDT-0400)
* CPU is good for gaming with the 7850, but will start to be limited if you upgrade the GPU too much more.
* Mobo is Z77 chipset, so you can OC your next CPU (if you decide to upgrade it down the line), otherwise for about $10-20 less a B75 based mobo would work.
* RAM is good for the $. It's 1600 mHz, CAS 9 timings, & runs on stock voltage of 1.5v!!
* GPU is a good one for the $ and perfect for the CPU selected. The i3 3220 is another option, but it is about 35-45 more.
* Case is one of the better ones for the $. Has plenty of room for just about any GPU out on the market!
* PSU is plenty for your needs. If you want to upgrade the GPU later you will be limited to 1 x PCI-e power connector, but I wouldn't worry about that too much in this price range.
AMD version:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.51 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.48 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $544.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:40 EDT-0400)
* CPU is good for gaming and is a Quad core, which will benefit you a bit when multi-tasking, assuming the program/app takes advantage of more cores.
* Mobo is good for what it's made for. I would probably spend a bit more for a 990FX based mobo, so I have a bit more upgrade path, but the 970 based mobo's are good affordable options too so don't discount them too much.
Both systems are good well rounded setups. If you prefer one over the other, we can tailor your requests a bit more. Prices vary from day to day, but you should be able to see what were trying to build here.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $507.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:44 EDT-0400)
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $507.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-10 22:44 EDT-0400)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.20 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($104.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $526.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 19:11 EDT-0400)
Best I could do that still gives nice performance for the price.
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.20 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($104.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $526.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 19:11 EDT-0400)
Best I could do that still gives nice performance for the price.
masterman467
Honorable
- Oct 17, 2012
- 286
- 0
- 10,790
masterman467
Honorable
- Oct 17, 2012
- 286
- 0
- 10,790
Once you get through that startup screen its like win7 but without the start button. there are many mods to make it look exactly like win7, but whats the point of paying 30 bucks more for somthing thats exactly the same?
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jrys
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jrys/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jrys/benchmarks/
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $615.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 12:42 EDT-0400)
this is what i have gathered as a decent build so far.. and 8 and 7 are the same price, at least where i'm looking.
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jrys/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jrys/benchmarks/
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $615.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 12:42 EDT-0400)
this is what i have gathered as a decent build so far.. and 8 and 7 are the same price, at least where i'm looking.
lunyone
Splendid
- Feb 22, 2006
- 6,517
- 0
- 26,960
Here's the option w/DVD burner and OS:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.72 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.65 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.17 @ Amazon)
Total: $612.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 21:54 EDT-0400)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.72 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.65 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.17 @ Amazon)
Total: $612.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 21:54 EDT-0400)
lunyone
Splendid
- Feb 22, 2006
- 6,517
- 0
- 26,960
I would personally limit how many vendors your buying from. It can be a bit difficult to follow all of the return policies from several different places. I personally have had very good service w/Amazon and Newegg, so that are the ones that I'd recommend doing business with.
Alright I'll see what i can do about narrowing down vendors. Also i definitely like your most recent option for a mobo.
I really appreciate all the help you guys! But one more question: I want to make sure this will out perform my laptop. I know one of the best things about a desktop is that you can upgrade various parts of it. Here are my laptop's specs:
-CPU : intel i7-2630QM @ 2.0GHz
-(no idea about mobo)
-Memory: 8gig
- Storage: 650gig
-video: onboard intel HD graphics 3000
-os: Win7
thanks again everyone!
I really appreciate all the help you guys! But one more question: I want to make sure this will out perform my laptop. I know one of the best things about a desktop is that you can upgrade various parts of it. Here are my laptop's specs:
-CPU : intel i7-2630QM @ 2.0GHz
-(no idea about mobo)
-Memory: 8gig
- Storage: 650gig
-video: onboard intel HD graphics 3000
-os: Win7
thanks again everyone!
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