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Gaming Build $500

M

monkey_slap

Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
780
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
FFXIV (from beta details very GPU intensive)
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (lots of realism mods)
BF:BC2
Diablo ]I[
I don't play games incredibly often, but when I do I like for them to look/feel pretty snazzy.
Photoshop
Video Encoding
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$500 w/out S&H or tax, maybe a little wiggle room
3) Where do you live?
Cincinnati, OH (MC 10 minutes away)
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.
HDD, GPU, memory, CD/DVD
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Phenom X6 1055t, Antec 520W PSU, Antec 200s, MSI mobo
6) Will you be overclocking?
For FFXIV eventually
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
23" Asus 1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Buying pieces as deals pop up throughout the month. My birthday is mid-September. I'll be out of the country throughout Sept so I wanted to return home to the remaining pieces of my build. I know it's not the best way to go about it, stretching out my purchases, but I really only have August to buy parts because when I land on Sept 19 I'd like everything ready to go.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I could toy with the idea of using Crossfire in the future, but honestly its not a necessity.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64 bit
 
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That $500 budget will not be enough to cover the costs of a mobo + RAM for that Core i7 930 in addition to a GPU sufficient enough for 1920x1080. Then the HDD and case is also needed. So basically: $500 won't do.

So unless you can increase your budget to $1000 total (including CPU), you're better off with an AMD or possible Core i5 setup for $700 (assuming that the $200 "spent"/"reserved" on the Core i7 930 has been released)
 
Shoot. I was kind of afraid of that.

Basically about $300 of parts will come from gifts, and I will have to make up the rest. It would be doable, but hard for me to pony up $700 (currently paying for my private pilot's license).

There is the possibility of getting a couple things used (though I don't like the idea). I've seen plenty of the sub $700 AMD builds, and they do look solid. I'm just afraid of upgrade potential. And seeing as the 930 is so "cheap", it's hard to justify passing that up.

I was going to try to bank on deals popping up within the next month, but you sound pretty certain that I wont be able to squeeze this within my limits.

Updated budget for a little more cushion.
 
I would go with the 955 instead of the 965 (cheaper), or even the 945 but the 955 is easier to overclock. The 1055t is good but might be a bit too high for your price range.

That being said.. that 1055t + MSI 785G-E53 AM3 785G ATX Motherboard for $210 is a really good deal.

Then I would grab:
$89 - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

$56 - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB

$150 - SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB

$70 - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
---------
Total: $365 + $209 for cpu/mobo = $574, so $74 over. Danny could give you his list of cases, might be able to get one that's cheaper. Also factor in that PSU that you are getting. If not the Corsair 400CX should suffice but thats another $50.
 
I upped the budget to $600, so that build looks pretty solid. I did a little tinkering of my own and found a few things I had questions about:

CORSAIR XMS3 4gb (2x2gb) DDR3 1600 $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145263
I'm not too familiar with modern mobos, would that MSI be better off w/ 1333 or 1600?

I also found this combo with the PSU I plan on getting
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.458433
Thoughts on that case? Not sure if combos are available with a Shellshocker, but worth speculating :D

Now I'm all antsy and this build looks a lot cheaper than I originally planned it to be. Almost tempted to just buy it all and ask for cash :p
 
monkey_slap said:
I upped the budget to $600, so that build looks pretty solid. I did a little tinkering of my own and found a few things I had questions about:

CORSAIR XMS3 4gb (2x2gb) DDR3 1600 $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145263
I'm not too familiar with modern mobos, would that MSI be better off w/ 1333 or 1600?

I also found this combo with the PSU I plan on getting
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.458433
Thoughts on that case? Not sure if combos are available with a Shellshocker, but worth speculating :D

Now I'm all antsy and this build looks a lot cheaper than I originally planned it to be. Almost tempted to just buy it all and ask for cash :p
Click to expand...

Well that ram is decent, AFTER rebate. I don't trust rebates, sorry, and I never plan a build budget around them. Plus its only $4 more WITHOUT rebate for the g.skill. The DDR3-1600 will downclock to 1333 when you put it in anyways, and unless you are planning on doing some serious overclocking you should just stick with the 1333.

The Antec 300 is a great case, but I always suggest the 690 II because for the money it's just a really feature rich case. That being said, the 300 is still a great case with great airflow and I have built with it many many times.
 
Thank you very much. I didn't know that it'd downclock. I'll stick w/ the memory you recommended.

I just checked out the 690 II, it looks great. Lots of airflow, fantastic looks, and TONS of features. Only gripe is that it only comes with 2 fans, but I can work around that and just order a couple more.

I did leave out the CD drive, because it's kind of a no-brainer, but I stumbled upon this combo. I'm not sure about the PSU or the case really. It is the most-reviewed case on Newegg, so I assume it's got to be pretty solid.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.465837

edit: w/ the case you linked, it would still be about $40 less. Great recommendation thank you!
 
As an owner of the 900 I would say there are much better cases out there for the money. Since you are on a budget I would just stick with the Antec 300. It only comes with 2 fans as well, same as the 690 II (basic), but it is still plenty of airflow, and it is so easy to add fans in either case that you could always grab a couple cheap yate loon's and pop those suckers in there to get more cooling powa.
 
So i have the above PSU and case, and just bought a 1055t and MSI mobo here
http://www.microcenter.com/specials...aign=E0883 eNews 20100803&utm_source=ACT_BYO&
(the standard ATX mobo that uses DDR3)

Two questions:

What is the best graphics card i can get with that Antec 520W PSU, mobo, and CPU for use on a 23" 1920x1080 monitor? Haven't spent much, figure i can go big where it counts.

Also, will it matter if i get 1600 or 1333 memory?

Updated parts needed in OP

Edit: saw a deal on a used 5870 for $275, but that would be overkill wouldn't it?
 
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You could as high as the HD 5870 with that PSU as long you don't do any overclocking. But the HD 5850 is still a good enough if you want to OC the CPU. For 1920x1080, a HD 5870 is not overkill.

Doesn't matter if you get 1600 or 1333 RAM.
 
you can wreck with a 5850 or a 5870. with a 5850 you can do a little overclocking but with a 5870 i wouldnt attempt it. I would prolly go with a 5870 over a 5850 and not overclock but that is just me. a 5870 is a better performer
 
For my budget's sake, I ended up going with a 5830. $200 wasn't too shabby. Here is the final setup and prices:

Antec 200s Mid Tower & Antec Neo Eco 520W PSU - Combo $50 (AMIR) Newegg Shellshocker Combo
Asus CD/DVD Burner - $20 Newegg
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $60 Newegg Shellshocker
Patriot G Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 - $73 (AMIR) Newegg
Sapphire 5830 - $199 Newegg
MSI 785G-E53 AM3 785G Mobo & Phenom II X6 1055t - $209 (AMIR) Microcenter Combo
CM Hyper 212 - $30 Microcenter
+ $17 Tax

Total: $658

$58 over what I wanted to spend, but the Fan/HS was a last minute addition, and tax wasn't added in, which combined are $47.

I know I wanted to wait and get gifts, but screw it, I'll get a 2nd monitor or something. I'd rather get my rig in one piece.
 
+1 agreed! nothing worse than staring at new parts, waiting to do a rebuild. post pics when done!
 
Will do :) got a canon XSi several months ago, so you bet ill be going hog wild on pics.

Already played with the HS. This thing is massive! I plan on OCing the 1055t for sure since its stock performance benchmarks aren't amazing. It should scale quite well though.

Side note, is AMDs overdrive, or whatever its called, software help you OC? Or is it just a monitoring tool. If it doesn't OC, is OCing a Phenom much different frpm OCing a normal CPU? Its been years since vie owned a desktop, so any guides would be a HUGE help. Though, I'm sure ill find them on my own, just wondering if there are any current OC bibles.
 
Built and running flawlessly! I was worried when Win7 was reading that I had an unknown processor running at 802mhz, but a quick BIOS update fixed that! Haha.

Found some comprehensive guides to OCing the 1055t, so going to be doing that this weekend. It is running a little loud however. Just at idle the fans are pretty noticeable. Not sure if it's the case or the fans (Antec 200s). Maybe I need to do a little tinkering before buying quieter fans :(

I'll post pics tonight!
 
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