low/mid range gaming build need advice!

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mekanikal

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 3, 2005
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iv been thinking about building a new gaming cpu to replace my old one its starting to get pretty outdated. heres my current setup. amd athlon 64 3500+, evga 6800gt, 1 gig corsair xms ram, 500gb wd sata hd, and all the other stuff that really doesnt matter.. so im gonna use my old current comp for my htpc. im thinking of spending anywhere from 400-800ish on this new build. heres my needs/wants a dual core system obviously, at least 4 gigs of ram, and i want to be able to play a few of the new games coming out, some of the new mmos and left for dead with good fps and maybe something that can handle crysis on medium settings if i have time. so iv been looking around on newegg and heres two builds iv come up with a higher end and a low end. also im not sure how big of a power supply i will need. the lower end build is missing a hd because i already have a 300gb wd sata in my older comp that i recently bought so i can use that one to save some money. also i dont need a monitor i have a 22inch samsung widescreen lcd, or a soundcard i have plenty of them, or mouse keyboard etc. so if you can, let me know what you think. thanks

side note: this is the first research iv done into dual core systems, my current rig has suited me well for the past 5ish years so i havent really kept up to date on current stuff, so if this build is just completely crap let me know haha..

BUILD 1 (Higher End) $775.91

link to whole list:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=13827687

individual components one by one (in case list doesnt work for you guys)

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134582

ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131324

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103272

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EACS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136151

RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-730SS 730W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Modular LED Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036


BUILD 2 $480.93

link to whole list:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=13827767

individual components one by one (in case list doesnt work for you guys)

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134582

ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131324

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103272

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

EVGA 512-P3-N976-AR GeForce 9800 GT Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130377

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077

Rosewill RP500-2 500W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182016
 
You would/could do much better with an $800 build.

Here's my take:

$245 - Intel E8400 & Asus P5Q Pro combo (free shipping on both & $15 mail-in rebate on motherboard)
$42 - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & Socket 775 Bolt-Thru kit (free shipping & $10 mail-in rebate on CPU cooler)
$45 - G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1000 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$25 - Samsung SH-S223F (free shipping)
$70 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB HDD (free shipping)
$220 - EVGA GTX 260 (192SP) (free shipping & free copy of FarCry 2)
$60 - Antec Solo ATX mid-tower case (free shipping)
$80 - Cooler Master Real Power Pro 650W PSU (free shipping & $30 mail-in rebate)
=====
$787 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

The above build has plenty of power for today's games and can be easily overclocked later to extend its longevity (or, until a quad core processor becomes necessary). While your build was good for a first-time effort, Intel is the better choice in terms of overall performance.

However, not all of you choices were bad. I "kept" the optical drive and the video card the same. The GTX 260 can play most games well at your monitor's resolution (though I make no guarantees on Crysis).

Cases are a largely subjective matter. I hate the cooling capabilities of the Centurion 5, so I swapped it out for the Antec Solo. If you prefer something similar to that, I suggest that you instead look at the Centurion 590.

Both of your power supply choices were bad, so I replaced them for a better quality power supply. The Real Power Pro 650W is a better choice, and it has plenty of power for this build plus a few upgrades.

The WD6400AAKS is one of the better performing hard drives around. The problem with the 1TB "Green" HDD is that it adjusts its speed from 7200RPM to 5400RPM while idle. That's fine for a storage drive, but not for the OS drive on a gaming machine. (I'll put it to you another way: The WD6400AAKS can compete with, if not beat, the last-gen 150GB Raptor X in various benchmarks.)

If you haven't already done so, you may need to pick up a new OS license. If that's the case, you may want to look at the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium. 32-bit operating systems have a 4GB memory limit, and the amount of usable RAM you'll have is subtracted by the amount of memory that other components (including the video card) take up.
 
I concur with Tiraides' high-end rig setup. Excellent choice.

However, since you did have a low-end build sans hard drive, here's what I'd go with if the budget was around $500 like yours and if a hard drive is not needed:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 CPU - $83
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $85
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $45
Powercolor AX4850 Radeon HD 4850 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $170
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25
Antec Earthwatts 500W PSU - $50
Sigma ORCA-WB ATX Case - $40
-----
Total: $488 plus tax and shipping.

The E5200 is faster than the the X2 6000+ you chose at stock speeds. Once you start overclocking the E5200, even with the crappy for overclocking stock HSF, it'll be faster than the X2 6000+. The PSU I chose is of significantly better quality than that Rosewill PSU. The HD4850 is also faster than the 9800GT you chose. Case wise, I chose that case simply because it had free shipping. Though as far as I can tell, the layout and cooling of the case isn't too bad.
 
hmm it seems like you guys are saying i should go with the intel chipset can i ask why? i have never had an intel build before.
 
mekanikal said:
hmm it seems like you guys are saying i should go with the intel chipset can i ask why?
Click to expand...

Because AMD chipsets don't support Intel CPUs:D

But seriously, Intel CPUs are faster than AMD CPUs right now. Hence why we recommend them.
 
ok so iv taken your guys advice into consideration and i have changed a few things, im still not sure which power supply to go with i know its one of the most important parts of the build but i dont know if im ready to spend close to 100 dollars on one right now im really on a budget. so this is what i have atm minus a power supply, the total comes out to $681.99 which i think is pretty reasonable. if you guys can think of any way to shave off a little more money from this build let me know maybe swapping something? i selected the cooler master case because the price is fair and from the reviews i have read the air flow is good and it is fairly quite this is about all i care about in a case, also i am pretty sure this is the cpu i will be getting as well although i dont know much about intel chips or any duel cores for that matter the 3.0 ghz for that price looks like a good value. also the memory is pretty much a done deal it seems like people are really raving about this ram. everything else is still fair game however im not sure about the mobo, or the psu, also the graphics card im still not sure what is the best value card to buy. i want a card that i wont need to upgrade for a while but i dont want to break the bank buying one either i made the mistake on my last build buying the 6800gt when it first came out and paid way too much for it (even though its been solid as a rock... still is) so basically the gfx, mobo, psu, im still not sure of. let me know what you guys think

case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119077 - 59.99
mobo - ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299 - 99.99 w/ mail in rebate
gfx - EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130398 - 239.99
cpu - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 - 159.99
ram - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145 - 49.99
dvdplayer - SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 - 24.99
heatsink - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 - 26.99 w/ rebate
 
The Mobo and GPU you chose are a good choice.

PSU wise, I highly recommend going with this PSU:
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $67

But honestly, think about. you're about to spend $500 on the CPU, GPU and mobo alone and you're unwilling to spend close to $100 on a quality PSU to power those parts? Kind of dumb IMO. But luckily for you, there are quality sub $100 PSUs out there on sale like the BFG I recommended above. So if you're on that tight of a budget, definitely go with the BFG PSU.

Also, since you are on a budget, don't bother with the Coolermaster case. Shipping for cases start around $16. So for $76 shipped, the Coolermaster Centurion 5 case is a piss poor value/choice considering that you can get the better cooling cases for roughly the same price (even when shipping is factored in):
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $50
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $78
 
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thanks for the suggestions danny, you sold me on the psu, although iv had trouble when i bought a camelpack for snowboarding from buy.com its a good deal on there so ill take a chance. that case really looks quality for the price only things i didnt like about it were that for some reason it doesnt have a reset button and theres no side window (i go nuts with cable management so i like to see my work) but its ok ill deal with it.

cpu - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail - $159.99
mobo - ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $114.99 ($99.99 w/ mail in rebate)
cpu + mobo combo deal = $244.98
gfx - EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $239.99
ram - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail - $44.99
dvdplayer - SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM - $24.99
heatsink - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail - $36.99 ($26.99 w/ mail in rebate)
case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $49.99
power supply - Bfg Tech 550W EPS12V Power Supply - BFGR550WLSPSU - $59.99 ($49.99 w/ mail in rebate)
bolt kit for heatsink - LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit with Screws & Springs - $5.00
total = $706.92 before mail in rebates, and $672.89 after mail in rebates (if i ever get them :rolleyes:)

looks pretty good for now thanks for the help guys. still if anyone has any other suggestions on how i could cut the price id be happy to hear them.
 
Make sure that you buy the E8400 and Asus P5Q Pro through the combo link to save an additional $30
 
... And don't use the after-rebate prices. Mail-in rebates don't offer you immediate savings at checkout. (Plus, it's becoming a big pet peeve for me. :mad: )
 
Heh, I wouldn't rely on rebates. Make sure none of those rebates were affected by that one rebate company going bankrupt, lol. The build is lookin good. Please post pics of your cable management. ;)
 
haha ya i usually dont even send in the stupid rebates but im going to this time since in so strapped for cash, if i get them its just a bonus
 
Well, if any of those rebates go to Phoenix, you won't get them back, lol. Contact the manufacturer for info on where to send the rebates, since the place in phoenix went bankrupt, lol.
 
Hey, don't get that BFG GS-550 watt from NewEgg, that's not the same PSU that Danny mentioned which was the BFG LS-550. The GS line is the entry level PSU with only 36A on the +12V thus, it's not as good as that LS-500 model with 40A on the +12V. Go with the BFG LS-550 from Buy.com. A killer price at $66.49. $25 rebate and free shipping. The LS-550 is $85 upfront on NewEgg
 
HardwareGuru said:
Hey, don't get that BFG GS-550 watt from NewEgg, that's not the same PSU that Danny mentioned which was the BFG LS-550. The GS line is the entry level PSU with only 36A on the +12V thus, it's not as good as that LS-500 model with 40A on the +12V. Go with the BFG LS-550 from Buy.com. A killer price at $66.49. $25 rebate and free shipping. The LS-550 is $85 upfront on NewEgg
Click to expand...

oops good catch there i didnt even notice a difference ill make sure to get the LS.
 
i actually started wondering since im paying 160 for the dual core processor would it make sense to pay 20 dollars more and get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600? there isnt a combo deal with the motherboard but maybe i could get a slightly cheaper motherboard to compensate for that? what do you guys think? it may sound like a dumb question but since the dual core is 3.0ghz and the quad core is 2.4 how is the quad core faster/better? would my other stuff like the 4 gigs of ram and the gfx card be able to take advantage of the quad core rather then the dual core?
 
Depends, will you be taking advantage of the multi cores as oppose to a Dual core? Are you a heavy multi-tasker? Do you plan to keep your PC for more than 2 years? If so, go with the Q6600.
 
i mean i im not a huge multi tasker im a pretty big gamer, and yes i plan on using this comp for about 4-5 years. but im confused since the quad core is 2.4 ghz and the dual core is 3.0 which is really faster? i know in the past when i bought my amd 3500+ i kept hearing that an amd 1.4 ghz machine was about as fast as a intel 2.0 ghz machine and all this confusing crap. im pretty out of the loop with all this stuff as i said so im asking which will actually be faster for gaming, video rendering, stuff like that, im a film student so i need something that will render video files, and i also want something that can play 1080p because later on down the road when i replace this build, i will use this one for my htpc. also will that motherboard still be good for this quad core cpu.
 
For gaming, the performance between the Q6600 and E8400 will be about the same depending on the resolution and game. For video renderin/editing, the Q6600 is faster due to the extra cores. For 1080P content, your video card should offload most of the HD decoding. In other words, both CPUs will be about the same if the video card does the offloading. If not, the Q6600 is the better choice.

And yes, the Asus P5Q Pro is still good enough for the Q6600.
 
Well.. overall, right now the higher clocked Dual Core E8400 cpu would be a little faster than a 2.4ghz Quad core in gaming. See the thing about the Quad core cpu, what utilizes a Quad cores potential or should I say full potential is when the software is written to utilize and take advantage of all 4 cores. This is similar to how the old Pentium 4 cpus with Hyperthreading where 1 x CPU is like have 2 x cpus. But, the software must be able to support hyperthreading to take advantage of this feature. If the software is not really utilizing all 4 cores, then the extra 2 cores are not really kicking in to prove beneficial. Here's another way of looking at it

4 wheel drive pickup vs a 2 wheel drive pickup

Both vehicles are driving on a flat paved road. The 4 wheel drive vehicle will not prove to be that beneficial in this situation because all 4 wheels spinning is not really needed on flat paved road. All it does is just add more weight to the vehicle because of the axle and driveshaft. The 2 wheel drive vehicle would be lighter and more ideal for this type of environment. But, if you go offroading where the 4 wheel drive feature is better utilized for this type of environment, then utilizing all 4 wheels will prove to be more useful than just a 2 wheel drive vehicle as the 2 wheel drive is not balanced in power and it will get stuck in dirt or sand. Thus, the 4 wheel drive vehicle utilizes all the 4 wheels.
 
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