What makes a powerful budget PC?

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cnick79

[H]ard|Gawd
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Oct 5, 2004
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What parts would you use to build a low cost gaming PC around the E8400? I ask because I'm debating replacing the PC in my sig but don't have the cash to go all out. I've been checking the HotDeals section for parts and included them for possible use.

Here are things to consider:
1) OC'ing is a must. Can't get a E8400 and not OC.
2) Gaming at 1900x1200. COD4, Crysis, World in Conflict to name a few.
3) System should be expected to last. 3 years?

Bonuses:
1) Being able to reuse parts from my current rig
2) Possibly use future parts for future build

=========
THE BUILD
=========
CPU: E8400 OEM $199
HSF: Arctic Cooling Freezing 7 Pro $23
Video Card: 9600 GT $165 ($145 AR)
RAM: A-Data 2x2gb $70 ($50 AR)
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L $90
PSU:
HD:
Sound Card: (woot had a Razer Barracuda AC-1 for $55 which would have been nice)
Case:
Other:
=========

So far we are looking at $547 ($507AR)
 
What is your total budget on this upgrade? Forget about that old 8800GTS 320MB card. It's not up to par with the newer video cards such as the 9600GT, 8800GT or 8800GTS 512MB. However, these cards alone won't run all games at 1920 x 1200 with settings on high especially Crysis. Crysis, you probably can on an 8800GTS 512 but on medium settings with no AA if you want it to be smooth. You can run other games at 1920 x 1200 such as COD4, UT3, TF2, Bioshock, Quake Wars and World In Conflict decently on a 8800GTS 512MB card. You need to adjust the settings and AA and AF also. But, it's doable at 1920 x 1200 res.
 
Motherboard = Abit IP35-E ($60 after rebate at newegg)

Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is a cheap decent mid-grade HSF ~25$

PSU - Don't let the PSU guys talk you into getting a $150 dollar PSU. Just buy a $50 dollar ~450 to 500 watt PSU by antec or thermaltake and be done with it.

Soundcard - Audigy SE - $25 bucks -

HD - doesn't really matter - get a 7200 RPM 16MB cache min. (I love the raptor drives myself, but most will argue space vs. money on them)

And why the 8400 over the q6600?


Once you go quad you'll never go back.
 
I would go with a Quad CPU myself since the OP listed 3 years expectancy on the system. The Quad will be more future proof than a Dual Core CPU. Like they said on this forum :"You can always overclock a cpu but, you can't add more cores" An overclocked Q6600 at 3.6 ghz per core is pretty impressive. Plus, I know UT3 game is 1 game that takes advantage of the multicore. UT3 benefits and runs faster on a Q6600 quad cpu than a Dual Core E8500 at 3.0ghz on a resolution of 1600 x 1200 and higher. I'm glad I got a Quad as I mainly play UT3 online.
 
There's no more rebate on the IP35-E, in fact it jumped up in price from $90 or ($80 with the $10 instant rebate) to $95
 
So the P35-DS3L would seem to be the better option.
 
The Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro won't fit on the ABIT IP35-E.
 
Dont spend money on a sound card if budget is an issue. Ive been living with onboard sound for a while now and its fine for me. Then again Im not an audiophile.

Dont get that 320MB 88GTS either. 96GT or 88GT for budget. Maybe 88GTS512 but not the 320 or 640 versions.

The Arctic Cooling is really good for the price.

Also agree with the DS3L suggestion.

Hard drive size depends on your needs but I would stick to WD or Seagate for brands.
 
I thought two 8800 GTS 320mb would perform better in SLI over one 8800 GT or 9600. Since I would be gaming at 1900x1200 I figured SLI would give me better performance and last longer. I would hate to buy a 9600 then a year from now be limited in games I can play forcing me to upgrade to a newer video card or adding a second. I think I'm looking for a somewhat long term solution (3 years?) but I am not ruling out possibilities for upgrading. Infact I would like to have some room for easy upgrading.
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but for gaming at a 1920x1200 resolution -- especially Crysis -- the best option would be the 512MB 8800GTS. While the 8800GT can handle 1920x1200 gaming, based on the [H] review of the G92 8800GTS, it can't handle Crysis.

The cheapest (before rebates) 8800GTS I was able to find was the MSI NX8800GTS card for $230 (which includes a $30 mail-in rebate and a free copy of The Witcher PC game). I don't know how much longer this deal is expected to last... most places sell the 8800GTS for around $250-$270, if not more.
 
I think my problem is I want something cheap but at the same time performs well and will be somewhat future proof, which I don't think is realistic. I also think it's trying to accurately predict what the market will be like "x" years down the road. With that being said, the Q6600 might be the best option right now along with a cheap mobo and a 8800 GTS. Then upgrade the mobo to support SLI (or even DDR3) or keep the same mobo and buy the latest video card? Am I thinking about this way too much or should I just take the plunge and purchase the "best bang-for-buck" hardware available?

Here's another twist. I plan on building a HTPC by Fall so that leaves me with the possibility to purchase something now to game on then transfer it to my HTPC.

Decisions decisions.
 
Azureth said:
The Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro won't fit on the ABIT IP35-E.
Click to expand...

check my sig.

It does.

In two manners.

Fan exhausting up in the case towards the power supply rather than exhasting rear with no modification otherwise

or

Taking a wire cutter and clipping the bottom two fins on the Artic Cooling Freezer 7 pro back about 1/4", and making a slight cut on the plastic fan bezel with the wire clippers as well. takes about 2 minutes and you can't tell looking at it inside the case through the window whatsoever.

I tried them both. The cooling is only slightly better with the fan facing/exhausting rear than pointing up and you don't need to modify/cut your fins if you point it up


My Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro will run the Q6600 on my Abit IP35-e at about 55*C overclocked with all four cores on a prime 95 100% load @ 3.0ghz and about 74*C overclocked to 3.6ghz under full load in PRIME95.
 
cnick79 said:
I think my problem is I want something cheap but at the same time performs well and will be somewhat future proof, which I don't think is realistic. I also think it's trying to accurately predict what the market will be like "x" years down the road. With that being said, the Q6600 might be the best option right now along with a cheap mobo and a 8800 GTS. Then upgrade the mobo to support SLI (or even DDR3) or keep the same mobo and buy the latest video card? Am I thinking about this way too much or should I just take the plunge and purchase the "best bang-for-buck" hardware available?

Here's another twist. I plan on building a HTPC by Fall so that leaves me with the possibility to purchase something now to game on then transfer it to my HTPC.

Decisions decisions.
Click to expand...

Right now, it's not realistic to think about "future proofing" -- Intel's Nehalem is arriving around Q4 '08, and it will require a new CPU socket, a new northbridge/chipset, and (likely) DDR3 RAM. Though the changes won't be immediate, this will limit your upgrading options down the road.

If I were you, I would treat the pending HTPC build as a separate project. Many HTPCs are designed to be used as DVR equivalents in family/entertainment rooms, so the priority isn't just on performance but also physical profile (which is why SFFs are often preferred for HTPCs) and low heat/noise output.

My advice, for both projects, is to consider which features you want/need and choose parts that would fulfill your needs. With the monitor you have and the games you're playing, you can't really ignore the importance of a good video card... but you don't need E8400 if the E8200 or E8300 would work just as well (overclocked) for less money. And if you don't need either a second PCIe x16 slot or any form of RAID, the DS3L could be enough for your needs. If you want those features, or anticipate the need for them at some point in the future, spend the money now for a motherboard with those features.
 
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