$800 budget gaming rig

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Konstantinnovation

Gawd
Joined
Jun 25, 2001
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677
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Light gaming rig.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$800
3) Where do you live?
NYC
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
mobo/proc/ram/case/psu/hdd/dvdr/video card/monitor/keyboard/speakers
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Logitech Mouse from another build. Maybe use a 8800GTS... (and cutting 60$ off budget)
6) Will you be overclocking?
NO... sadly =(
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
19~21" or so.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Would like to place order within a few days.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
onboard NIC, onboard sound
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64bit.


I suppose this has to be an AMD build because of the budget... but am open to suggestions.

I would prefer to go with a 4870 ($100 @ newegg after rebate) but if the budget does not allow, then the 8800GTS would be used instead @$60

The mobo/proc/ram is really what I am wondering about... I came up with this, but am not 100% sure about the processor/mobo combo.

This is my draft:

$79.99 -15rebate ASUS M4A77TD AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

$85.99 AMD Phenom II X2 550 Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

$77.99 GeIL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GV34GB1333C9DC

$134.99 -30rebate ASUS EAH4870/2DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16

$19.99 LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24LS50 LightScribe Support - OEM

$29.99 Rosewill FB-01 Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with 1x 80mm Fan

$54.99 Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000CSRTL 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard

$159.99 Acer X223WDbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

$39.99 COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-500-PCAR-A3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power

$27.99 Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM

$9.99 Rosewill RK-800G Black 104 Normal Keys PS/2 Wired Gaming Keyboard

Parts: $721.89
shipping: $28.64

Total : $744.53 -45 in rebates.
 
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There are several things that you made the wrong choices on:

First off, the PSU. It really can't do the full 500W under realistic operating temperatures. In fact, it can barely do 350W under these conditions.

Second, your choice of a Green hard drive: You picked one of the very first generations of the 500GB Green, which will never perform as well as the slowest of today's designs.

Third, your choice of a case. Modern CPUs require multiple 120mm or 140mm fans in the case just to be cooled adequately. Your choice of a case can only accommodate two 80mm fans (one front and one rear - the rear one is preinstalled) and one 120mm side fan (neither the front fan nor the side fan is included with that case; you'd have to buy them separately). As stock, the cooling performance would be woefully inadequate given today's hotter-running CPUs - not to mention that the 80mm fans will always be significantly louder and noisier than 120mm or 140mm fans for any given level of airflow (and thus cooling performance). In fact, with only a single 80mm fan, that fan might have to produce deafeningly loud output noise level (more than 80 dBA) just to even cool adequately. Combine that with the barely-adequate stock CPU fan and you might very well end up with a system that could burn out on you due to overheating even at idle.

I'll leave it up to others to criticize the other components.
 
To add to E4g1e's on the money post:
- Get this PSU instead of that shit Coolermaster PSU:
$50 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU

- Get this significantly faster hard drive instead:
$55 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Case wise, spend the extra cash for this significantly better case instead:
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case

- For $10 more, you can get the same performance but at lower heat production and power consumption with this video card:
$145 - Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card

However if you insist on the HD 4870, you're gonna have to up the PSU a bit considering the HD 4870's higher power consumption:
$65 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

- Do you happen to live near a Microcenter?
 
Yeah... this is why I don't normally build cheap things. I would never know how cheap is TOO cheap.

1. The 4770 has a 30$ rebate, making it 40$ cheaper total. That is a big chunk for the same performance. The heat can't be that bad, its not a fermi. :)
2. The case only has 1x 120mm fan in the back and a side vent but no other fan slots? I have a spare 120mm fan if that could be mounted it would be a plus. (I wasnt thinking about fans before)


I do have access to a microcenter, why?

Looking at some of their prices.

Anyone have comments on the monitor? I was aiming at 1680x1050 so games could run at native and not be too high res.

Switched Case to: APEX Vortex 3620 SGCC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case [2x120mm fans 1 rear, 1 front]
Switched PSU+HDD as per suggestions

754-45 mail in. (because HDD had a 15$ coupon!)

Thats an improvement for 10$ I'd say. 709 is fine. Other suggestions appreciated.
 
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sickpuppy said:
1. The 4770 has a 30$ rebate, making it 40$ cheaper total. That is a big chunk for the same performance. The heat can't be that bad, its not a fermi. :)
Click to expand...

You meant the 4870. The 4770 is a lesser card in the same GPU generation. At any rate, what money you save with the purchase of that 4870 would be more than offset by the increased power consumption. As such, you will need a 550-watt or higher PSU (assuming that the 550W recommendation is based on using a "mediocre" quality PSU).

sickpuppy said:
2. The case only has 1x 120mm fan in the back and a side vent but no other fan slots? I have a spare 120mm fan if that could be mounted it would be a plus. (I wasnt thinking about fans before)
Click to expand...

There is a provision in the front of that Elite 335 case to accommodate a 120mm fan. Thus, the case can accommodate two 120mm fans (but only one fan is included with the case).
 
I have spare fans... thats not an issue.
4770 was a typo. 4870 indeed.

OK Lets try this... split order

microcenter:

AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor Boxed
$89.99

MSI 785G-E53 AM3 785G ATX Motherboard
$29.99 -20rebate

OCZ Technology Gold Series XTC Cooler 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) Dual Channel Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules)
$89.99 -20rebate

Cooler Master Elite 335 ATX Mid-Tower Case
$44.99

Logitech Speaker System Z313
$49.99-10rebate

25TAX ><

330 - 50 rebates = 280


Newegg:

LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24LS50 LightScribe Support - OEM
$19.99


Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal $49.99

Acer X223WDbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
$159.99

ASUS EAH4870/2DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
$134.99-30 rebate


Rosewill RK-800G Black 104 Normal Keys PS/2 Wired Gaming Keyboard
$9.99

Antec Neo 520C
$59.99

Sub Total: $430 - 30 rebate =400

Grand Total:
680 after rebates... with better speakers/case

Switched The PSU for the Antec and added the processor which didnt copy/paste originally.

At 680$ this is going to make a little girl very happy when she is headshotting zombies.
 
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That particular BFG is not that good of a PSU. It's only rated at 25C and at peak load. Basically meaning that realistically you're looking at a 400W PSU. So in other words, not worth buying, especially considering that you're still going with the HD 4870 1GB. As such, the Antec Neo Eco 520C that I recommended earlier is still your best bet.

Also, you didn't mention what CPU you were getting?
 
Ok, Edited the post. I am thinking this is going to work rather well.

I am so glad my cousin lives near a microcenter and can pick up the parts =)

The combo really helped keep it in the budget.
 
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