300-400$ PC advice

J

Jospeh

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 29, 2008
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Hi, I need to build a PC for 300-400$ (gaming). This does not include monitor or peripherals but it does need a case/power supply. I was thinking of using a HD4850 card and using an AMD CPU ( X2 series). But aside from that I don't really know. I haven't done any lower end builds. Share some advice, thanks.
 
A gaming rig for $300-$400? When the HD4850 alone costs around $150-$200?

Which games are you planning on playing? Which monitor/resolution are you using?
 
Lol. CPU, RAM, Graphics card = $300-$500

So you're missing case, PSU, Motherboard, HDD, CD ROM. That's if you're not overclocking. Then you need case fans and a third party HSF.
 
Here's something to consider. It'll be slightly over your budget once you factor in shipping and/or taxes, but I didn't want to cut too many corners.

$82 - Antec NSK4480B case with Earthwatts 380W PSU (free shipping)
$65 - Foxconn A78AX-S (~$9 S/H)
$88 - AMD X2 5000+ & G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2 800 bundle (free shipping on both)
$50 - Seagate 7200.10 250GB SATA/300 HDD (free shipping)
$26 - Asus DRW-2014S1T SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
$85 - PNY 9600GT (free shipping)
=====
$396 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
 
 
Don't count the savings from mail-in rebates, as you have to pay the full before-rebate price up front.

The Antec EA650 currently costs $60, and it gives you more power for less than the after-rebate price of the OCZ PSU.

If you want "immediate savings" on the RAM, you may want to consider picking up the A-DATA 2x2GB DDR2 800 kit, which works just as well as the other brands.
 
Since everybody else did a cheap AMD build. Here is my take on a 400 dollar Intel build.

Intel E2180 2.0ghz Dual Core CPU - 69.99

Asus G31 Micro ATX motherboard - 52.99

A-Data 2x1gb DDR2 800 Ram - 32.99

Antec EA380 Earthwatts 380w PSU - 29.99

PNY 9600GT 512mb GFX card - 84.99

Western Digital 500gb SATA 3.0gb/s HDD - 64.99

Cooler Master Centurion 541 Micro ATX Mid Tower Case - 49.99

Lite-ON DVD Burner - 21.99

TOTAL: 407.92

Now, you could cut about 50$ from that build by going with a cheaper case and a much smaller HDD, but I like to spend a bit on a nice case since I have to look at it all of the time.

 
 
Misfates build is good except for the psu and the gpu, raidmax psu is a poor buy to say the least. The psu is one spot where you need to make sure that you pick something decent.

Also, the gpu even though its current it doesnt have much balls, I would still get the 9600gt.
 
Wow, I haven't checked AMD prices in a while.

Still running my s939 3500+ Venice @ 2.4 that I bought for $246 in '05!

T------T
 
crazyjeeper said:
Since everybody else did a cheap AMD build. Here is my take on a 400 dollar Intel build. ...
Click to expand...

It can get even cheaper if you're near a Fry's... Replace the CPU/Mobo with an E2200 + ECS board combo for $80 total. ;) Or for only slightly less than $120 (E2180 + Asus G31), you can get the E7200 + ECS GF7050VT-M combo for $110... much better CPU and a board that can do a slight OC on the chip. ;)
 
All from Newegg.
AMD athlon x2 BE 2400 2.3ghz + antec 300 $74.94
OCZ OCZ500MXSP 500W + OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 $104.99
HIS 4670 ICEQ $99.99, $79.99 after MIR
BIOSTAR A740G $59.99
WD3200AAKS 320GB $59.99
You could use your current OS on your current Hard drive and use that hard drive as the boot drive:D

Price before taxes and shipping:
$399.90, $379.90 After MIR.
 
Ok so I posted my question here http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1356912
and was directed to this thread.

My question now is how much of an increase am I really going to see from my current system, by going to something suggested here in this thread? Will I be able to run my games "maxed out"? I would really be interested to hear from someone that has done an upgrade like this from something like my current rig. Or someone that has knowledge of the differnce I might see.
bear in mind I sometimes dip as low as 17-25 fps in TF2 on low settings...and average 30-65 fps in BF2 as a measuring stick.
 
Hedge said:
My question now is how much of an increase am I really going to see from my current system, by going to something suggested here in this thread? Will I be able to run my games "maxed out"?
Click to expand...

Yes you'll see a substantial increase in performance over your current setup with any of the $400 builds here. As for maxed out, for BF2, COD4 and TF2 you should be able to max out the settings at least 1280x1024. Though with BF2 you can crank up the resolution a little higher since it's an old game.

Just don't use Misfate's setup since it has a pretty crappy PSU.
 
I agree with DannuBui, at the resolution of 1280x1024 or 1440x900 these builds will do nicely. Except of course the poor psu in Misfates low end psu.
 
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