500$ Budget PC

[JustJustin]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly it'll be internet browsing and light gaming. My brother wants to get into playing some more Computer games, mostly FPS's and Sims 3.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Looking to spend around 500-600 Dollars, shipping included.

3) Where do you live?
Oregon

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, RAM, Case, PSU, Video Card, HDD, and CD Drive.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Have peripherals and 1680x1050 Monitor.

6) Will you be overclocking?
If it's worth it.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
23" 1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a month, If it would be worth it, we can wait longer.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
Nothing beyond the basics

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Win7 64-bit

I'm a fairly big computer guy and have been leaning towards a gtx460 for this build, but I understand that might be a bit overkill for the resolution. My brother mostly plays console games, but a couple of PC games like bad company 2 and Metro have caught his eye. Sims 3 for both him and my little sister. They probably will think medium settings look great so things like 4x AA probably won't be noticed. I was also thinking about a tri-core amd to keep the price down and maybe have a shot at a 4th core.

 

[450]

Wait just a few weeks more for Sandy Bridge to come out, prices on older parts will probably go down.

 

[JustJustin]

Alright, it seems that my family doesn't want to wait any longer so I'm going to ask for what we can do right now. Right now I'm going to try to keep the build around 300-350$ and get a video card later.

$16 - LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

$30 - HEC Blitz Case w/ HARDOCP1222B Promo Code

$50 - WD 5000AAKS HDD

$50 - Antec NEO ECO 620W PS w/ EMCZNNT26 Promo

$65 - G.Skill 6GB RAM w/ Promo EMCZNNT43

$129 - Athlon X3 3.2GHZ Rana + Biostar TA880GB+ Mobo

$2 Shipping

342$ Total

I went for the 620 Watt because I think we might go for a 460GTX and I just want to make sure we have enough room for it, it's probably a little overkill so if there's something cheaper and good enough, please let me know. I went for the 6gigs of ram to help future-proof a little since this computer will probably be in use 5-7 years at least. I'm hoping to unlock the 4th core on the processor too. Let me know if you think anythings too much or if I can get something cheaper. I know TD has the same HDD for less, but I would like to try to order from one place. I wouldn't mind ordering separate from Amazon though, I have a prime membership there.

 

[JustJustin]

Also bump

 

[E4g1e]

Alright, it seems that my family doesn't want to wait any longer so I'm going to ask for what we can do right now. Right now I'm going to try to keep the build around 300-350$ and get a video card later.

$16 - LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

$30 - HEC Blitz Case w/ HARDOCP1222B Promo Code

$50 - WD 5000AAKS HDD

$50 - Antec NEO ECO 620W PS w/ EMCZNNT26 Promo

$65 - G.Skill 6GB RAM w/ Promo EMCZNNT43

$129 - Athlon X3 3.2GHZ Rana + Biostar TA880GB+ Mobo

$2 Shipping

342$ Total

I went for the 620 Watt because I think we might go for a 460GTX and I just want to make sure we have enough room for it, it's probably a little overkill so if there's something cheaper and good enough, please let me know. I went for the 6gigs of ram to help future-proof a little since this computer will probably be in use 5-7 years at least. I'm hoping to unlock the 4th core on the processor too. Let me know if you think anythings too much or if I can get something cheaper. I know TD has the same HDD for less, but I would like to try to order from one place. I wouldn't mind ordering separate from Amazon though, I have a prime membership there.

First off, you bought the wrong memory kit for that CPU. All current AMD CPUs of the consumer/enthusiast class have only dual-channel memory controllers that often do not work well with three sticks of RAM. Sometimes, you may get a system that does not even POST at all if three sticks of RAM are installed (these systems only work with one, two or four sticks of RAM). Other times, it could woirk with three sticks - but the entire memory controller might be forced to run entirely in single-channel mode at lower speeds and looser (higher) latencies. AMD, unlike Intel, does not officially support the Flex memory mode.

Second, you may want to purchase one additional 120mm case fan (this is for any future faster CPU that you might want to upgrade to). That case comes with a 120mm front fan and a 120mm top fan - but no rear fan at all whatsoever (the rear fan can be purchased at extra cost).

 

[JustJustin]

First off, you bought the wrong memory kit for that CPU. All current AMD CPUs of the consumer/enthusiast class have only dual-channel memory controllers that often do not work well with three sticks of RAM. Sometimes, you may get a system that does not even POST at all if three sticks of RAM are installed (these systems only work with one, two or four sticks of RAM). Other times, it could woirk with three sticks - but the entire memory controller might be forced to run entirely in single-channel mode at lower speeds and looser (higher) latencies. AMD, unlike Intel, does not officially support the Flex memory mode.

Second, you may want to purchase one additional 120mm case fan (this is for any future faster CPU that you might want to upgrade to). That case comes with a 120mm front fan and a 120mm top fan - but no rear fan at all whatsoever (the rear fan can be purchased at extra cost).

Thanks for the info about the RAM, I thought that I would just lose dual channel speeds on one of the channels. I'll replace it with $48 - 2x 2GB G.Skill DDR3 1333 Ram

As for the extra fan, I wouldn't mind dropping a little for one if you think it's really necessary, it's kinda hard to find cases for that much with even 2 fans.