Gaming build, ~$600

[Dexter007]

Looking to get an idea of a custom built gaming PC vs. pre-built for my brothers-in-law.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
--> Gaming, web browsing, basic MS Office applications

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
--> Trying to stick to $600 out the door if possible

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
--> Columbus, OH - Microcenter nearby; also have Amazon Prime account

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
--> Case, CPU, RAM, MB, Vid Card, Hard Drive - the basic parts for a new build

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
--> possibly re-using optical drive from old system; need to check connection type - also re-use a ~500GB hard drive from old system for additional storage; mouse and keyboard

6) Will you be overclocking?
--> No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
--> Don't know the exact size or resolution of their monitor, but I'm positive the resolution is nothing above 1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
--> ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
--> USB 3.0 would be nice

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
--> Would need OS; preferably Windows 7, but if 8 would be cheaper then that's fine.

 

[Dangman]

Please find out if that DVD burner is SATA or IDE. Guessing you need a new PSU as well? Also, how old is that 500GB hard drive?

 

[Lunas]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1325333 461.99

combo from newegg get parts from amazon if cheaper...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061 case 34.99

496.98 amd apu based machine gives them a amd 8670d gpu and a quad core 4.1 ghz can handle any game out now the mobo has slots for the addition of a stronger video card later but it should do well as is.

Only things left are os monitor dvd and hard drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416710 not much cheaper than this 139.99 windows 7 pro...oem needs mobo or ram or cpu in cart to get from newegg

you can tweak the price down considerably by dropping the psu to a lower wattage cheaper unit and you could drop the processor i recommend staying in the a8-a10 family ram could also be tweaked even cheaper...

 

[Dexter007]

The DVD drive is SATA so we'll re-use. The hard drive is also SATA. Not sure what brand. I guess my plan was to buy a ~1TB drive and partition it into OS and storage and then just add the ~500GB drive as additional storage.

 

[Dangman]

The reason I brought up the HDD is because if you drop the HDD requirement, you can easily fit in a quad-core Intel:
$250 - Intel Core i5-4670K CPU + AsRock H87M Pro4 mATX Motherboard
$29 - Crucial Ballistix BLT4G3D1608ET3LX0 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$120 - Sapphire 11210-00-20G Radeon HD 7790 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$18 - Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$40 - Corsair 430CX V2 430W PSU
$91 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
-----
Total: $591 shipped plus tax.

Yes it is a bit lop-sided towards the CPU but it would allow you to upgrade the PC however you like without worrying about whether or not the CPU can keep up.

But if that 500GB drive you have now is really old and/or a very slow model, then a new drive would be a good idea. With that said what games is your friend planning on playing? What's the likelihood of him being able to afford upgrades for the PC within the next 1-3 years? Or is this basically buy it, set it, and forget it kind of deal?

 

[Dexter007]

Are there any Intel CPU/MB combos for a bit less that would allow for budget allocation in other areas, such as for a new hard drive? If the budget had to be pushed up to 650 or possibly 700 it would probably be worth it.

Also, I've used nvidia for a while now...just for curiosity's sake, what would the 7790 compare to from nvidia?

Thanks for the help so far. I appreciate it.

 

[Lunas]

Are there any Intel CPU/MB combos for a bit less that would allow for budget allocation in other areas, such as for a new hard drive? If the budget had to be pushed up to 650 or possibly 700 it would probably be worth it.

Also, I've used nvidia for a while now...just for curiosity's sake, what would the 7790 compare to from nvidia?

Thanks for the help so far. I appreciate it.

No that is the point amd has they are cheaper than intel. You might be able to bump it down to an i3 or a old used i5 but then amd might close the performance gap.

As for my bundle you could go to an a10-5800 then you could crossfire with the apu and a 7000 series card.

 

[Dangman]

Are there any Intel CPU/MB combos for a bit less that would allow for budget allocation in other areas, such as for a new hard drive?

Microcenter still has the Core i3 3245 and Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H or Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H for about ~$190 combo. That will still outperform most AMD setups in games.

Also, I've used nvidia for a while now...just for curiosity's sake, what would the 7790 compare to from nvidia?

The HD 7790 is somewhere in between the $130 GTX 650 TI and the $150 GTX 650 TI Boost depending on the game.