Budget Gaming rig help

[Zivilyn81]

I'm looking to build a new rig, nothing very fancy, mainly something that can run WoW/EQ2 smoothly. I've come across a couple hundred bucks and I need help in buying what'd be best for me. Bear in mind I'm nowhere near as comp-savvy as most here, just looking for guidance.

Current Setup (old old pc, but it gets the job done so far)
- P4 2.4
- 2.5gigs RAM
- x1950PRO 512 AGP (can return for a PCI card)
- 530w psu
- Motherboard (no clue)
- 24' FHD2400 LCD

From what I can gather my PSU and Monitor are both fine, and my HDD is still okay so I can hold off upgrading that for now. I'm pretty sure any Core2Duo/MB combo will be better than what I have, so I ask what would be a good but cheap MB/CPU/RAM combo to pick up? Would that 3pc combo run me more than, say 200$? I don't plan on playing any new MMO's and my PS3 keeps my console gaming locked down.

 

[Domllama]

TO Run Wow I don't think you will need a really intensive PC, I have a HTPC that runs wow perfectly with a Athlon XP 2500+, 1GB ram, ATI 9800 AIW PRO, if this is one of the games you will be most dedicated to I would say a simple setup of this choice would work great for you..but might want to start with a 775 mobo, lower end CPU chip that is upgradeable later to C2D, ddr2 ram & PCI-E graphics..you can get most lower-mid end parts cheap that will play WoW perfectly and still give you room for upgrading later when you come across more money. All I am i saying is dont limit yourself to PCI>AGP; Good Luck with your build!

 

[Dangman]

- What do you mean by "(can return for a PCI card)"? Do you mean that you can trade or return it for the PCI-E version of the x1950Pro or equivalent PCI-E video card?
- What 530W PSU do you have? Not all 530W PSUs are the same you know.
- Will you be overclocking?
- Is your hard drive PATA or SATA?
- What is your exact budget?

No it won't run you past $200 if your mobo needs are simple:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 CPU - $60
Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G Intel P35 Motherboard - $75
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $44
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Total: $179 plus tax and shipping

However the above setup will require you to drop your current AGP video card and go with a PCI-E video card. So you're looking at another $100+ if you can't exchange that x1950Pro AGP for a PCI-E version