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WAY budget D3 Rig

C

chockomonkey

[H]F Junkie
2FA
Joined
Oct 11, 2003
Messages
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Diablo 3 will be the most demanding task asked of this PC.

Budget is cheap, as cheap as i can get without having parts spontaneously combust.

I live near Seattle WA.

What i need: CPU, GPU, PSU, and MOBO. I have spare Monitor, Case, HDD, CD Drive, and RAM.

No plans to overclock, and it should run well @ 1680x1050

D3 is out, so this is an ASAP build to get my friend on board. I'll likely just throw XP on this to save money.

Here's what i can find so far... (newegg really needs a better way to search for combo deals. I couldn't find even one)

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$59.99 - $10 MIR

EVGA 01G-P3-1361-KR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$149.99 -$25 MIR

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$59.99 - $20 MIR

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCK23GM
$52.99

= $322 pre MIR, $267 after half a year lol

If someone could give me combo-deal-searching tips, that'd be awesome. My biggest fear is all the feedback on everything but the processor, lots of DOA parts. I just dealt with an inconsistent BSOD problem with a biostar motherboard, so i'm scared to go biostar again. However, ALL these products have at least a few 1-star reviews due to DOA or other weirdness. I guess there's no way around that.

Thanks for your time, cheers!
 
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I have been browsing the FS forum for gtx 460's, I'll look again for a 6770!! Crazy that a cheaper card way outperforms the 460.

I've been stuck in newegg mode after they well established themselves back in the day. It's obvious they're more akin to an amazon now...
 
chockomonkey said:
I have been browsing the FS forum for gtx 460's, I'll look again for a 6770!! Crazy that a cheaper card way outperforms the 460.

I've been stuck in newegg mode after they well established themselves back in the day. It's obvious they're more akin to an amazon now...
Click to expand...

Also, remember that the 6770 is the same gpu as the 5770, just with a slightly updated HDMI connector. Going 1155 also allows a better upgrade path in the future if your friend ever has the need for a better processor.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
"Installed first card, image would 'jitter' every 10 or 15 minutes. Tried drivers that came with the card, latest drivers downloaded from AMD - neither solved the problem.

Requested a replacement video card, and the second card does exactly the same..."

lord save us from these reviewers

Thanks for the link.
 
chockomonkey said:
"Installed first card, image would 'jitter' every 10 or 15 minutes. Tried drivers that came with the card, latest drivers downloaded from AMD - neither solved the problem.

Requested a replacement video card, and the second card does exactly the same..."

lord save us from these reviewers

Thanks for the link.
Click to expand...

You have to remember that most people don't leave reviews if the product worked correctly. Then there's the problem of the people being idiots and whatnot, haha.
 
Melon said:
Eh, I don't see the harm in it, as [H] didn't lose any Ad hits.. but the link has been removed. :)

OP:

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11201-00-20G-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B00782U10W

Similarly priced to the 6770, and it performs better.
Click to expand...
It wasn't Hardocp vs another site that was his problem with the link, it was just that it was THG. Tom's used to be great, but I'm not so sure now.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/296?vs=313

According to that link, the 460 is faster than the 6770 (5770 in the chart as they are essentially the same card). However, it doesn't test Diablo 3 directly, but still.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend a Sapphire card. Their customer service is horrid from what I've heard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150599

There's an XFX 7770 for the same price as the GTX 460 recommended earlier.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Yo, you don't need a 460 to run D3 at 1680x1050. Not even close.

I max it out (full max settings) at 2560x1440 on a 260. Generally around 40 FPS (completely smooth to my eyes - I don't get picky about FPS).

If you want to go cheap I'm pretty sure you can run D3 on an $80 video card at that resolution. That or get a used card from an older gen for ~$80 or less.
 
Fix Me said:
It wasn't Hardocp vs another site that was his problem with the link, it was just that it was THG. Tom's used to be great, but I'm not so sure now.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/296?vs=313

According to that link, the 460 is faster than the 6770 (5770 in the chart as they are essentially the same card). However, it doesn't test Diablo 3 directly, but still.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend a Sapphire card. Their customer service is horrid from what I've heard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150599

There's an XFX 7770 for the same price as the GTX 460 recommended earlier.
Click to expand...

Ah, well the link I posted was of video card performance within Diablo III itself. I'll be honest, the only time I go to Tom's is when a Google query directs me there.
 
What sort of PSU do i need to power an HD 7750?

Does this thing suck? Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W

Is it worth a little more for the 7770?

Here's what i have so far:

Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W $29.99

Gigabyte Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 $109.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $22.99

BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX $49.99

Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core $49.99

== $262.95 before shipping.

Edit: just realized that mobo doesn't have PCI exp 3.0 (only has 2.0) and that card needs 3.0. I could switch to an AsRock mobo for the same price that has 3.0, or get a cheaper video card like a GTS 550 which is 2.0.

What do you recommend i do?
 
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I recommend you step away from buyin a 7770 at newegg for $110. That's absurd.

1. D3 doesn't need a card that fast. Get a used card (radeon 4890 or GTX 260 for $60) to save money.
2. Get a Radeon 6850 for $120 instead if you want new. It's faster than a 7770.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539?vs=614
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353

FYI, Newgg puts the Antec Neo 520w and 620w on sale for $35 after $15 MIR about once every other month.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
So I would never pay $30 for a 400w Antec. But if you need it now, I can't argue.
 
DesertCat said:
A PCI-e 3.0 graphics card will run just fine in a PCI-e 2.0 motherboard.
Click to expand...
Ty sir.
J Macker said:
I recommend you step away from buyin a 7770 at newegg for $110. That's absurd.

1. D3 doesn't need a card that fast. Get a used card (radeon 4890 or GTX 260 for $60) to save money.
2. Get a Radeon 6850 for $120 instead if you want new. It's faster than a 7770.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539?vs=614
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353

FYI, Newgg puts the Antec Neo 520w and 620w on sale for $35 after $15 MIR about once every other month.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
So I would never pay $30 for a 400w Antec. But if you need it now, I can't argue.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Seems i forgot about the first couple posts in this thread about what card i'd need. If i can save money, that would be preferable. What do you think of this 6770 for $85? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125396R
 
Sure the 6770 looks like a fair price. Just be sure to test it extensively when you get it because you have a very short window to return it if it's defective.

The corsair 430w is comperable to the antec 400w. Either one will work fine for these parts. I'd probably pick the antec over the corsair just to skip the rebate.
 
J Macker said:
You're new here so I'll go easy on you:

Friends don't let friends post THG links on [H].
Click to expand...

No it's ok, Tom and Kyle are cool now.

Hq80g.jpg
 
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