super tight budget gaming rig?

EricFX1984

[H]ard|Gawd
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May 21, 2010
Messages
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming web browsing and movies

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$400-500 pre tax

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Near overland park, ks... near microcenter

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Cpu, motherboard, ram hard drive, graphics card, case, power supply

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
20" Samsung lcd, blu ray reader. Maybe a case temporarily

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yep

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the C?
Within 1 month

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard
video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Raid would be nice... sata 6th/s. Onboard video to run other monitors maybe?


0) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
 
I am planning to buy mostly from microcenter... they have a few things that caught my intetest...

550ti 1gb refurbished for $75. But now that seems to be sold out

Maybe a 650?

I am considering a cheap processor maybe a celeron or pentium socket 1055 or and amd am3+ since microcenter can give me a free motherboard with purchase of any am3+ processor

Maybe a cheap ssd?

I can always upgrade the motherboard and cpu later
 
FX6350 for cpu then otherwise I would say FM2 build and skip the gpu for now.

Though hyper 212 cooler ~$30
Graphics wise Radeon R260x or 7850 or 650Ti boost
8gb ram minimum I use Gskill 1600 speed
whatever motherboard I prefer Asus or MSI
Power Supply a GOOD 450w minimum though 550 is probably a better idea something like a Corsair TXV2.
 
Please answer question 10.

I am planning to buy mostly from microcenter... they have a few things that caught my intetest...

550ti 1gb refurbished for $75. But now that seems to be sold out
Shitty deal.
Maybe a 650?
Only if it's cheaper than the HD 7770.
I am considering a cheap processor maybe a celeron or pentium socket 1055 or and amd am3+ since microcenter can give me a free motherboard with purchase of any am3+ processor
Actually some of those mobos are only free after rebates. In addition, some of those mobos are also not very good motherboards.
Maybe a cheap ssd?
With your budget, that would be a terrible idea. The $90 to $100 for a good SSD can be better spent elsewhere in a $500 system
I can always upgrade the motherboard and cpu later
It's more cost-effective now to get the best CPU and mobo you can afford to upgrade those two parts later on.
 
Ok here is the plan so far...

Amd fx6300 $90

Or

AMd fx6350 $130

Or

Amd fx8320. $150



Asus m5a78l-m lx plus $0 with cpu purchase and $10 MIR

Or

Gigabyte ga-78lmt-sp2 $0 with cpu purchase and $10 MIR



Samsung 120gb evo 840 ssd. $90


Radeon hd 7770. $100


Crucial 8gb 1600 ballistic single stick. (Add another later?) $67

Crucial 16gb 1600 2x8 ballistix tactical OP $130

Crucial 4x2 1600 ballistix sport kit. $70


Maybe a western digital 1tb blue drive. $60


So i need to narrow this down. And figure out a case and power supply...
 
yes the OS cost $ as well unless you have a copy to reuse so this definitely has to be factored into the cost.

FX6350 or 8350 though I am almost 100% sure you can get it cheaper online, obviously the 8350 is the better performer however the 6350 is a great performer for its price though if this specific place you are shopping at has the 6350-8320-8350 all only $20 more for each bump it would be well worth looking at some reviews of them, something like say BF4 will use them all equally well so it makes next to no difference so the 6350 would have better value/$

get a hyper 212+ cooler to go with it $30 this will help make sure it keeps nice and cool and much quieter then the stock cooler hyper 212 is 158mm tall most decent cases can fit it just fine.

Asus board

SSD good choice

GPU 650Ti, or Radeon 7850 I would say this is something it would be worth the extra cost to go with the Radeon 7850 over the 7770(even the 7790 or R7-260x would be perfect choices for more then capable "budget" builds actually) as they do have that extra level of performance for not a huge increase in cost (on average)

Gskill or whatever I do not know anyone elses experience with memory but the very large sticks can cause compat issues with quite a few boards, so maybe 4x4gb sticks(or 2 sets of 2x4 basically) instead of 2x8gb sticks? Also you do not want to go 1 single stick as it will not be running dual channel which is well worth having.

I would go RipJaw X or the mentioned Crucial Ballistic sport 2x4gb and if the 1866 isn't that much more $ go with that there are games/apps that can use the extra speed as can the FX chips. I know memory prices have went up quite a bit since I got my kit, I bought my 1866 Gskill GBXL kit for like $54 when I bought it I believe last time I looked they were $65 vs the 1600 was $58.

harddrive-ssd and other choices are fine, another top mention as well is Sandisk Ultra plus for the low cost or 840 Pro for just wicked speed to get the most performance for the $ spent period at this point.

Case wise is a tough one there is many great cases out there, cougar makes some decent ones, but for a lower cost build, Source 210 Elite is a great choice.

Power supply is also a tough one, I pay extra for modular power supplies myself they are worth the extra cost in my books having built many systems its much easier to keep them clean for airflow and dust collection with modular.

Anyways best of luck, 8gb memory is more then ample at this point given what parts you will be using, I would like I said splurge a touch to get the more powerful cards there is a noticeable performance increase going from the 7770 to the 7790/260x and from them to the 650Ti/Tiboost or Radeon 7850, I am WAY more partial to Radeon as there is many games and many developers working towards making games optimized for AMD stuff for the next while.
 
Second time: Please answer question 10.

Sorry I am on a cell phone... thought I answered that

I will be reusing windows 7 64 bit home premium that I had on my last ssystem that bit the dust due to water being dumped in the case by a toddler
 
Ok here is the plan so far...

Amd fx6300 $90

Or

AMd fx6350 $130

Or

Amd fx8320. $150
I'm pretty sure you meant the AMD FX4300 for the first CPU. Anyway, the minimum CPU I would recommend is the FX6350. However I would highly recommend getting the FX8350 if possible as it's gonna be your best bet for future games.


Asus m5a78l-m lx plus $0 with cpu purchase and $10 MIR

Or

Gigabyte ga-78lmt-sp2 $0 with cpu purchase and $10 MIR
Do note that you won't be able to get the full transfer speeds out of your SSD with these older AMD motherboards. Not to mention that both are pretty crappy overclockers. Between the two, I'd go with the Asus. Though if you can, I'd spend the extra money for the MSI 970A-G46 for the better overclocking performance, better SSD performance, and just better quality.

Samsung 120gb evo 840 ssd. $90

Radeon hd 7770. $100
Both good choices for the money.

Crucial 8gb 1600 ballistic single stick. (Add another later?) $67

Crucial 16gb 1600 2x8 ballistix tactical OP $130

Crucial 4x2 1600 ballistix sport kit. $70
The first RAM set is your best bet since it fits your budget and can actually fit your motherboard choices (both of your mobo choices only have two RAM slots). The second RAM set is worth it if you can increase your budget. With rising RAM prices, now would be a pretty good time to get as much RAM as possible. The last set is only worth it if you have the right 4 DIMM motherboard and if it's $20 cheaper.

Maybe a western digital 1tb blue drive. $60
Go for the Seagate 1TB instead since it's a faster drive.

So i need to narrow this down. And figure out a case and power supply...

I recommend these two budget parts:
$45 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
 
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I'm pretty sure you meant the AMD FX4300 for the first CPU. Anyway, the minimum CPU I would recommend is the FX6350. However I would highly recommend getting the FX8350 if possible as it's gonna be your best bet for future games.


i meant the 6300 actually. I think I will go with the slower speed 8 core


Do note that you won't be able to get the full transfer speeds out of your SSD with these older AMD motherboards. Not to mention that both are pretty crappy overclockers. Between the two, I'd go with the Asus. Though if you can, I'd spend the extra money for the MSI 970A-G46 for the better overclocking performance, better SSD performance, and just better quality.


good to know. Seems like the msi is the best chouce


Both good choices for the money.


The first RAM set is your best bet since it fits your budget and can actually fit your motherboard choices (both of your mobo choices only have two RAM slots). The second RAM set is worth it if you can increase your budget. With rising RAM prices, now would be a pretty good time to get as much RAM as possible. The last set is only worth it if you have the right 4 DIMM motherboard and if it's $20 cheaper.



Go for the Seagate 1TB instead since it's a faster drive.


Good to know



I recommend these two budget parts:
$45 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you

Its been so long since I built a new rig

I'm pretty sure you meant the AMD FX4300 for the first CPU. Anyway, the minimum CPU I would recommend is the FX6350. However I would highly recommend getting the FX8350 if possible as it's gonna be your best bet for future games.


i meant the 6300 actually. I think I will go with the slower speed 8 core


Do note that you won't be able to get the full transfer speeds out of your SSD with these older AMD motherboards. Not to mention that both are pretty crappy overclockers. Between the two, I'd go with the Asus. Though if you can, I'd spend the extra money for the MSI 970A-G46 for the better overclocking performance, better SSD performance, and just better quality.


good to know. Seems like the msi is the best chouce


Both good choices for the money.


The first RAM set is your best bet since it fits your budget and can actually fit your motherboard choices (both of your mobo choices only have two RAM slots). The second RAM set is worth it if you can increase your budget. With rising RAM prices, now would be a pretty good time to get as much RAM as possible. The last set is only worth it if you have the right 4 DIMM motherboard and if it's $20 cheaper.



Go for the Seagate 1TB instead since it's a faster drive.


Good to know



I recommend these two budget parts:
$45 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I just found my old heatsink... a Xigmatek s1283, with a Delta AFB1212H(dual ball 120mm, PWM, 90cfm when at full tilt...) even has a nice lapped base

Think this will cool an 8 core cpu?
 
I just found my old heatsink... a Xigmatek s1283, with a Delta AFB1212H(dual ball 120mm, PWM, 90cfm when at full tilt...) even has a nice lapped base

Think this will cool an 8 core cpu?

If you still have the AMD brackets for it, yes.
 
>€20 Random cheap case
>€70 Athlon II X4 750K (four cores, overclock to 4.2 - 4.5Ghz if you won the sillicon lottery, doesn't bottleneck a highly overclocked 7850)
>€45 asrock board
>€135 MSI 2GB HD7850 OC edition (overclock to at least 1100mhz core, I got two in crossfire running at 1260Mhz on the core perfectly stable so I know they can do this, i'm the current single and dual HD7850 recordholder on 3DMark, they perform close to stock 7950 if you squeeze them hard.
>€30 Corsair 350W PSU
>€50 2X2GB Kingston 1600Mhz
>€55 Seagate 1TB 7200rpm HDD

Don't think it's possible to build a better machine for €400 / $500. And most coming games will benefit from those 4 cores on that cpu - rather than the slightly faster and more expensive dualcore i3

Fairly confident it'll max just about everything with decent FPS at 1080p. Hook it up to your TV and enjoy your "next gen" console killer for same price.

*edit : All this on newegg with a 500W Antec PSU and a dvd-drive was actually just $440. USA = cheaper
 
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