$650 Light gaming build

Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
763
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Family and Friend PC(Mainly web browsing and some gaming)
2) What's your budget? $650 with tax and shipping
3) Where do you live? Maryland
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, PSU, Video Card, Power Supply, DVD drive, Monitor
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? keyboard, mouse, speakers, case
6) Will you be overclocking? If possible
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? 22" 1680x1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Sometime in week from now
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? Depending on the CPU core unlocking or overclocking, USB3.0 is a plus
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? win7 64bit

All prices include shipping

Ordered Already
$40.45- HDD Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB- ORDERED FROM EWIZ

Ram
$93.99 Adata 2x2gb DDR3

Motherboard
$89.99 GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 Amazon

Monitor
$124.99 Acer X203Hbd newegg

Case
$29.99 NZXT Gamma Amazon

GPU
$109.99 XFX HD4850 1gb Amazon

DVD/PSU Combo
$64.97 Lite-On DVD-RW+Corsair VX400 PSU

CPU
$99.00 AMD X4 635

Gaming will primarily be Half Life 2+expansions, TF2, UT2004, flash games. I would also like to stick to XFX, all PC failures I've had in the past were due to dead NVIDIA cards so I want one with a lifetime warranty this time. Any critiques, comments, or improvements can be made? I was thinking in exchange for overclocking I could use my old Lian Li case, get the $10 cheaper ram that doesn't have heat spreaders, get a cheaper motherboard, and possibly buy a more expensive Phenom II X4 or a better monitor. My only problem is the power supply bracket for the Lian Li case is missing.
 
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I'd change the following:

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138182
BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G $64.99

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9103809&cm_re=phenom_2-_-19-103-809-_-Product
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz $139.99

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193&Tpk=F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $98.99

So this way, for a little over $20 more, you get a Phenom x4 and G.Skill ram.
 
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Solid build, I see no flaws. Go for it!

Though, some might argue that G.Skill would be a better ram choice.

Seriously tho, solid, balanced build you got there.

The similarly priced G. Skill has lower customer reviews and isn't as compatible with motherboards in general as A-DATA.

I was thinking about dropping the ram to this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253

Is there any motherboard that is $15 cheaper that will get the job done? With that I can order a 22" LCD from Amazon for $150 and stay in budget. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be reusing the Lian Li case of mine due to missing parts.And am I right to assume DDR3 1333 will run a 333mhz FSB without overclocking the ram any?
 
The similarly priced G. Skill has lower customer reviews and isn't as compatible with motherboards in general as A-DATA.

I was thinking about dropping the ram to this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253

Is there any motherboard that is $15 cheaper that will get the job done? With that I can order a 22" LCD from Amazon for $150 and stay in budget. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be reusing the Lian Li case of mine due to missing parts.And am I right to assume DDR3 1333 will run a 333mhz FSB without overclocking the ram any?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138182
64.99
 
My only concern was the CPU possibly bottle necking the GPU, I know its bound to happen in old games and TF2 but it shouldn't happen in games like Far Cry 2, BF:BC2, and UT3 will it?
 
My only concern was the CPU possibly bottle necking the GPU, I know its bound to happen in old games and TF2 but it shouldn't happen in games like Far Cry 2, BF:BC2, and UT3 will it?

Your fine, the X3 440 and the 4850 are a great match.
 
I'd change the following:

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138182
BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G $64.99

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9103809&cm_re=phenom_2-_-19-103-809-_-Product
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz $139.99

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193&Tpk=F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $98.99

So this way, for a little over $20 more, you get a Phenom x4 and G.Skill ram.

That ram is $104, what justifies that over the $83 ram I linked earlier?
 
That ram is $104, what justifies that over the $83 ram I linked earlier?

The ram you linked earlier was $93 not $83 and for $10 more you get much better quality ram from a more reputable vendor. But honestly I wouldn't bother with the higher frequency for $10 more unless you plan on doing some heavy OC'ing.

This set would be fine:

$94 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333
 
The ram you linked earlier was $93 not $83 and for $10 more you get much better quality ram from a more reputable vendor.

Wrong, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253

Same brand, G. Skill. Same timing, warranty, and speed as the $93 stuff only lacks heatspreaders. I don't think I'll get much from overclocking with the stock HSF and a biostar motherboard anyhow.

Edit: Found all the missing parts for my Lian Li PC65B case in our guest room. That gives me enough room for the following

All prices include shipping

Ordered Already
$40.45- HDD Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB- ORDERED FROM EWIZ

Ram
$83.99 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Motherboard
$64.99 BIOSTAR A785G3 Newegg

Monitor
$150 ASUS VW224T 22" LCD Monitor Amazon

Case
FREE Lian Li PC65B

GPU
$109.99 XFX HD4850 1gb Amazon

DVD/PSU Combo
$64.97 Lite-On DVD-RW+Corsair VX400 PSU

CPU
$139.99 AMD Phenom II X4 945 Newegg

Total: $654.38



The new concern with this is the Phenom II eats a significant amount more power than the 635 and the power supply is only rated at 400watts(and output up to 450-480) combined with the power hungry HD4850 it becomes a little worrisome.
 
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Wrong, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253

Same brand, G. Skill. Same timing, warranty, and speed as the $93 stuff only lacks heatspreaders. I don't think I'll get much from overclocking with the stock HSF and a biostar motherboard anyhow.

The new concern with this is the Phenom II eats a significant amount more power than the 635 and the power supply is only rated at 400watts(and output up to 450-480) combined with the power hungry HD4850 it becomes a little worrisome.

I was referring to the ram you originally linked, never saw your second link, don't snap at me I'm just trying to help you. Stick with it if you want, the only difference is the heat-spreaders. The corsair 400cx is plenty for a 4850 and a phenom II but if you want more headroom then just go with what the above poster said and go with the neo eco 520w.
 
Replace the Corsair 400W with this Antec Neo Eco 520W, for $15 more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...371030&cm_re=antec_neo-_-17-371-030-_-Product

It ends up being $25 more because I lose the combo with the corsair supply(and the $20 mail in rebate which makes it $45 more).

But I might have to get it.

edit: How about this combo? Allows me to keep the price the same for an OCZ 600W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437550

Current Build:
$40.45 500GB Samsung F3 Harddrive
Free Lian Li Case
$150 ASUS VW224T from Amazon
$110 XFX ATI Radeon HD 4850 1 GB
$20 LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner
$105 OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP + BIOSTAR A785G3 combo
$222 AMD Phenom II X4 945 + A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB

Total: ~$647 shipped - $20MIR
Great ram, great processor, great PSU, great video card. Almost perfect besides the motherboard being Micro ATX :) I've tried working the combos to get a motherboard with 4 x ram slots or a XFX 5750 but I couldn't do it. I guess it isn't a major issue but to keep the system functional in the future it might need an extra stick and 2 memory slots is kind of restrictive.
 
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That OCZ is crap compared to the Antec Neo Eco 520W.

It's all about the amps man. (the Antec has 40 in a 12v rail, while the OCZ only has 25)

Just buy the Antec Neo and Biostar Mobo seperately.

The rest of your build looks good now.
 
Yes never go with OCZ. Pure garbage

I wouldn't exactly say OCZ is pure garbage, they just aren't high quality power supplies. I personally would never recommend them because for just a few $$ more you can get a much better quality psu.

That OCZ is crap compared to the Antec Neo Eco 520W.

It's all about the amps man. (the Antec has 40 in a 12v rail, while the OCZ only has 25)

Just buy the Antec Neo and Biostar Mobo seperately.

The rest of your build looks good now.

+1
 
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP
....... great PSU.....

No. As everyone here has said so far, that OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W is not that good of a PSU. Here's a review of its 700W brother:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/

It's all about the amps man. (the Antec has 40 in a 12v rail, while the OCZ only has 25)
The OCZ ModXStream 600W has 42A on the +12V rail. You just skipped the second +12V rail and ignored the total wattage available on the +12V rail, clearly shown in the PSU label.
 
You seem to be wanting to go your way on this. Its your money and your call. [H] will never recommend an OCZ PSU. sorry they are far from good quality and I personally would never put one in any of my builds or anyone elses.

lol shadow you beat me to it. lol
 
If you know all of the answers why are you asking us for help?

You can't condemn an entire company, different models perform differently and there seem to be a lot of users happy with the 600w OCZ as well as a thorough review backing it up.

I don't see the problem, yes the 700w is a terrible power supply and no one is arguing that.
 
Ok like I said earlier its your money and your ultimate decision. If you feel the OCZ will serve you then go for it. We are not going to argue all day over this. You asked for help & our Honest opinions and [H] gave you what you wanted.
 
Well right now the only things that will fit in my budget are the Corsair CX400 and the 600w OCZ.

If everyone is so convinced that the OCZ PSU is a suicide bomber in disguise than I guess I'm getting the corsair.
 
what is your total budget on a PSU that you can spend with shipping?

$45~ without a combo, the Lite on + VX400 saves me a little($7). Since the monitor costs $150 I'm essentially trying to build a rig for $500(sans the case).
 
Well, its either the Corsair 400W for $50, or the Antec Neo Eco 520W for $65.

That's how I see it.
 
Muh bad.

Forgot the shipping.

Still, those are the ONLY two PSU's I'd consider for this build.

Personally, I'd scrape together the extra dough and get the Antec Neo.

But, that's just me.
 
Nah, it's only 17A per rail.

You'd be better off with the Corsair 400W still.
 
Nah, it's only 17A per rail.

You'd be better off with the Corsair 400W still.

Why is having 3x17A rails bad?

"Each virtual rail, however, has its own over current protection (OCP) and that is why they are listed as individual rails even though they are all connected to the same place inside the power supply. From what the label says the over current protection is configured to shut down the power supply if you pull more than 18 A in any of the three rails (usually the over current protection circuit is set with a value a little bit higher than what is written on the label). At least in theory, as during our tests we pulled a lot more than 18 A on +12V1 rail and the power supply didn’t shut down (but let’s not get ahead of ourselves; more about this in the next page)."

They were able to simultaneously pull 28A from 12V1 and 20A from 12V2. Per the review they act as a single rail. This deal expires very soon so I don't know if I should jump on it(expires midnight pacific)

And from what I read the Neo Power manufacturer is Seasonic.
 
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The Neopower 500W is Seasonic made and does have more power on the +12V rail than the Corsair 400CX. However do note that the Neopower is close to 5 years old now. So while it's a Seasonic, it's an old Seasonic. So while horrorshow's 17A reasoning is baffling, he's right that you're better off with the newer Corsair 400CX.
 
The Neopower 500W is Seasonic made and does have more power on the +12V rail than the Corsair 400CX. However do note that the Neopower is close to 5 years old now. So while it's a Seasonic, it's an old Seasonic. So while horrorshow's 17A reasoning is baffling, he's right that you're better off with the newer Corsair 400CX.

Fair enough.

Guess I have to just sit it out and hope for a good deal to come along on something. Or I could downgrade back to a X4 635, grab the 520W Seasonic S12II from amazon for $70, and get a nicer MSI/Asus motherboard.
 
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As an aside, I would take the word of the regular posters here on [H] over Newegg any day of the week. I'm surprised you seem to put so much stock in those reviews.
 
As an aside, I would take the word of the regular posters here on [H] over Newegg any day of the week. I'm surprised you seem to put so much stock in those reviews.
What I do put stock in is Antec has far from the best track record themselves and ship a huge amount of DOA and supplies that die prematurely and have for as long as I can remember, as such I've never considered them as a company to be reliable and top of the line.

I've never felt totally comfortable with Antec and never will as they are too lax on QC especially on their lower end; But I bring up a OCZ supply which while isn't Corsair or Seasonic by any stretch had a review for the specific model and it tested very well in all regards but I got flamed to hell and back for taking into consideration professional testing over [H] hate towards OCZ. Yes I recognize OCZ makes some bad power supplies but the model in question was a solid design for a great price that at worst produced some AC ripple when under 100% load but was more than well within spec.

This build isn't for me, its for my grandmother who's old system died(8 year old dell's motherboard finally gave way) and wants something my younger cousins can game on when they visit her for the weekend(and of course she wants something to check her email and browse the web with). There is a reason I'm trying to be strict with the costs of everything because I don't have more to work with(anything over $650 is coming out of pocket, I'm a poor college student or else I would pay myself).
 
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ok take a look at this build, it should be more than adequate for the job,

Combo: AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz + ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 AMD 785G $137.98

Combo: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA + Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W $89.98

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $83.99 + fs

XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB $159.99 + $8 shipping

ASUS VW224T Black 22" $154.99 + $8 shipping

Total: $623.93

If you really don't want the antec psu ( dont agree with your reasoning because we recommend them all the time and cannot remember the last time anyone had a problem with them) try this instead,

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W $69.99

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA $18.99 + fs
new total with this adjustment would be $625.93
 
What I do put stock in is Antec has far from the best track record themselves and ship a huge amount of DOA and supplies that die prematurely and have for as long as I can remember, as such I've never considered them as a company to be reliable and top of the line.

I've never felt totally comfortable with Antec and never will as they are too lax on QC especially on their lower end; But I bring up a OCZ supply which while isn't Corsair or Seasonic by any stretch had a review for the specific model and it tested very well in all regards but I got flamed to hell and back for taking into consideration professional testing over [H] hate towards OCZ. Yes I recognize OCZ makes some bad power supplies but the model in question was a solid design for a great price that at worst produced some AC ripple when under 100% load but was more than well within spec.

I can see where you're coming from. It's not like you have to go with Antec. hossdaddy has provided a great Seasonic alternative that's the basis for the Antec Neo Eco 520C recommended earlier.

I do want to point out however that the Antec Neo Eco 520C has been tested properly:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=317192

Now before you say anything, Makalu (the poster of that thread) has been acknowledged as a reputable PSU tester in this extensive proper PSU review list:
http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/738097-psu-review-database.html

As you can see in the tear down, it's based on the same platform as the SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=185
 
I've never felt totally comfortable with Antec and never will as they are too lax on QC especially on their lower end; But I bring up a OCZ supply which while isn't Corsair or Seasonic by any stretch had a review for the specific model and it tested very well in all regards but I got flamed to hell and back for taking into consideration professional testing over [H] hate towards OCZ. Yes I recognize OCZ makes some bad power supplies but the model in question was a solid design for a great price that at worst produced some AC ripple when under 100% load but was more than well within spec.
What a nice young man, building for granny! :D

For the record, even regarding Antec, the Basiq and other low-enders are not recommended, here. I would say some brand loyalty exists, but it is mostly justified. Users here just want everyone to get the BEST value possible. That is likely why the OCZ is not greeted warmly. "Decent" as it may be, everyone here would rather go with a "great" power supply, as it is often the most important component in a system. I wasn't trying to insult you, bytheway, nor was anyone else, I don't think.

Best of luck!
 
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OP has argued with almost all of the suggestions, waste of a thread. Buy your own shit, its your money, but if you don't want advise, don't ask!
 
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