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First Gaming PC for Stepson

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Oct 29, 2000
Messages
42,409
Hey all, I am marrying into a family with a couple of boys, and I figured building a new PC together with the 12 year old may be a good bonding opportunity.

Here is what I am thinking for a system:

Mobo: Several Options 39.99
Processor Athlon II X2 60
RAM DDR3 2GB 1333 51.99
Case/Power several ATX options 32.99
Vidcard GTX460 189.99
DVD writer Several Options 17.99
HD 7200rpm 160gb/several 38.99

subtotal 431.94

Monitor lcd 17" 1280x1024 114.99


total
546.93


This is a little more expensive than I had in mind. Any suggestions on areas I can save?



Much appreciated
 
The one big change you could make is by switching out the GTX 460 for the HD 5770, especially for the resolution that you plan on using. But aside from finding a few NewEgg combo deals and/or buying some of your parts used, there's little else that you could do to cut costs overall.

However, be careful about the power supply that you end up buying. Many of the low-end PSUs available today, despite being 80 Plus certified, can't handle the full load they're rated for. At a bare minimum, look at the Antec Earthwatts EA380-D, Antec NEO ECO 400C, or Corsair VX400 (they each can handle your proposed system plus an HD 5770, but not one running a GTX 460).
 
Perilous said:
Here you go:

Huge CPU, MOBO, RAM, Case, PSU, Hard Drive, DVD Burner Combo 339.99 Save 54.94 over buying individually and you get an 800gb Hard Drive and 4gb ram.

Sapphire 5770 144.99 - 129.99 After Rebate

Total 484.98 plus Shipping and 469.98 after rebate
Click to expand...

That does look like a pretty good package! I like sticking with the AM3 socket, as it is very upgradeable!

I'll have to look into that one.

I was hoping to stay with an Nvidia board however, as I am more familliar with them. I know AMD/ATI make some really good products, I just seem to always come back to Nvidia ones.

Maybe I'll look at an older Gefoce 2xx series board instead of the 5770.
 
Buy used parts here and there, and the newegg combo deals.

Craigslist is another good place to look., and occasionally Fry's has things on sale for a good deal.

If youre patient i wouldnt be surprised if you could shave off sixty bucks by deal hunting, and a hundread bucks or so by buying used.
 
Cat1yst said:
Buy used parts here and there, and the newegg combo deals.

Craigslist is another good place to look., and occasionally Fry's has things on sale for a good deal.

If youre patient i wouldnt be surprised if you could shave off sixty bucks by deal hunting, and a hundread bucks or so by buying used.
Click to expand...

Good point. Thank you for the suggestions.

I definitely want to save money, but at the same time I don't want it to be to the point where he gets discouraged cause the frame rates are too low.

I want to give him a taste of building his own system, and maybe he'll be interested in future upgrades! Thats one of the reasons I chose the AM3 socket, cause you can start relatively low and go all the way up to the six core monster with it.
 
If you're really deadset on going with an Nvidia card, you could save a little and go with a GTS 250 or even an older (but still plenty powerful for that resolution) 9800/8800. Heck, I'm running 1920 x 1080 resolution on a 9800gt and I can still max out Battlefield Bad Company 2 with no AA/AF. For your proposed resolution, I doubt there will be many games that will be hard for a G92 chip to keep up with.
 
Cschill1290 said:
If you're really deadset on going with an Nvidia card, you could save a little and go with a GTS 250 or even an older (but still plenty powerful for that resolution) 9800/8800. Heck, I'm running 1920 x 1080 resolution on a 9800gt and I can still max out Battlefield Bad Company 2 with no AA/AF. For your proposed resolution, I doubt there will be many games that will be hard for a G92 chip to keep up with.
Click to expand...

How do you think it would handle Metro 2033 at 1280x1024? :p

He saw it on my rig at 1920x1200 and got very excited...
 
In my experience Craigslist is a horrible place for computer parts. People there tend to either charge too much or don't know what they are selling. The FS/FT section here on the [H]ard forum is another place to look though. Good deals and generally honest sellers.
 
Don't worry about skimping a little bit on the video card with that processor and 17" monitor. It will be fine, just try to get DX11.

I assume you have KBD, mouse, speakers/HP, and most importantly, an unused Windows license. Otherwise plan on another $150~ish. Personally, I'd double the RAM too.
 
tcraig_4096 said:
Don't worry about skimping a little bit on the video card with that processor and 17" monitor. It will be fine, just try to get DX11.

I assume you have KBD, mouse, speakers/HP, and most importantly, an unused Windows license. Otherwise plan on another $150~ish. Personally, I'd double the RAM too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have a few options for windows licenses. I ahve a boat load of old XP licenses I could use, or I have two Vista licenses, one Home and one Business.

Question though. The Home Vista license is an OEM key off of a pre-built dell machine I am using as a linux server. Is it legit to use this key for another bmachine I've built?

The Vista Business key is from my Vista I bought when they were offering the free Windwos 7 upgrade upon launch. Would this Vista license still be active, even though I have used the Win 7 upgrade?

Love your old-school sig, btw :p

Appreciate all the help.
 
Perilous said:
Huge CPU, MOBO, RAM, Case, PSU, Hard Drive, DVD Burner Combo 339.99 Save 54.94 over buying individually and you get an 800gb Hard Drive and 4gb ram.
Click to expand...

I would not get this setup at all. Yes you're saving $55 but you can significantly better quality PC for only $55 more:
$102 - AMD Athlon II X2 245 CPU + Biostar TA785G3HD AMD 785G mATX Motherboard
$81 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$145 - Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$50 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU
$45 - Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z ATX Case
---
Total: $478 plus tax and shipping

Key differences between the above setup and that combo link:
- Significantly better quality PSU
- Significantly better case
- Significantly faster hard drive
- A bit more of a future upgrade path since it's AM3 and uses DDR3 RAM.


Zarathustra[H];1036091673 said:
Question though. The Home Vista license is an OEM key off of a pre-built dell machine I am using as a linux server. Is it legit to use this key for another bmachine I've built?

The Vista Business key is from my Vista I bought when they were offering the free Windwos 7 upgrade upon launch. Would this Vista license still be active, even though I have used the Win 7 upgrade?
.
Click to expand...
Technically not legit.

Not sure.
 
Zarathustra[H];1036090743 said:
How do you think it would handle Metro 2033 at 1280x1024? :p

He saw it on my rig at 1920x1200 and got very excited...
Click to expand...

I honestly couldn't tell you first hand, I've never played it before. Although if you search google, there's a few results of gameplay videos on the 9800gt. I would assume it would be able to handle it quite well at that low of a resolution, even if you had to turn off the AA/AF.
 
I've seen quite a few used GTX 260's going for $125 in the For Sale forum lately. If you're stuck on Nvidia that is...otherwise, the HD 5770 is a solid recommendation to save some cash. Danny Bui's link showing the Sapphire has a rebate(as mentioned above), it's $129.99 shipped. + a Free copy of Tango Down.

<click here>

I will mention, I'm also using the G. Skill he recommends. Good stuff. Very solid sticks.

Overall I agreed with tiraides recommendations as well. I'm running a few of those 380w Antec EarthWatts units. Their downside is the 80mm fan, but they're not all that loud..and they do run very efficient. Might not be enough power for a GTX 260 though, my rig was running in the mid 300's when I was using one. The 5770, more than enough. I see the EarthWatts on sale every few weeks for 29.99 shipped at the Egg or SuperBiiz. They also have a 430w model.

Metro looks great in DX9 as well!

Good luck on the build,

Liquid Cool
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The keys question is tricky, and to be honest I'm not sure. I would bet your XP key will work easily if you install the same version, but the Vista one might be more troublesome, or maybe easier depending (not sure there). I'd put 7 on any new rig if you have a license for it, but otherwise I'd run Vista 64 over XP any day for a gaming rig with lots of licenses laying around.

Thanks for the sig dig it was my first (non family) rig when I was 17 in 1997.
 
tcraig_4096 said:
The keys question is tricky, and to be honest I'm not sure. I would bet your XP key will work easily if you install the same version, but the Vista one might be more troublesome, or maybe easier depending (not sure there). I'd put 7 on any new rig if you have a license for it, but otherwise I'd run Vista 64 over XP any day for a gaming rig with lots of licenses laying around.

Thanks for the sig dig it was my first (non family) rig when I was 17 in 1997.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the help!

Hehe! I should put some of my old builds down there for shits and giggles. My first overclock was in '91 when I was 11 on my 286. My first own build was in 1994 when I put together a 486sx25 from spare parts that I was able to get donated to the cause. Nothing like computing on a seriously tight budget :p

Yeah, I have three or four XP keys that I KNOW are good laying around, but I'd rather use something newer. (I even have a XP 64bit editiion key that I know is good, but that probably is not a good choice for a gaming rig)

The Vista ones as I explained could go either way. I'll have to try them. I'd rather not have to buy Windows again...
 
Zarathustra[H];1036094274 said:
I appreciate the help!

Hehe! I should put some of my old builds down there for shits and giggles. My first overclock was in '91 when I was 11 on my 286. My first own build was in 1994 when I put together a 486sx25 from spare parts that I was able to get donated to the cause. Nothing like computing on a seriously tight budget :p

Yeah, I have three or four XP keys that I KNOW are good laying around, but I'd rather use something newer. (I even have a XP 64bit editiion key that I know is good, but that probably is not a good choice for a gaming rig)

The Vista ones as I explained could go either way. I'll have to try them. I'd rather not have to buy Windows again...
Click to expand...

I Would use that xp 64 bit for now & then if you guys feel its not good enough later then get 7.. But honestly I wouldnt mess with vista on that system.
 
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