Budget PC Gaming Rigs

[Voodoo]

After quite a few people have asked for a sticky on this subject, I decided to oblige. Here's the deal, put together a capable PC Gaming rig and post the specs & pricing on here. The rig must be complete, OS inclusion is optional. This thread will only cover the hardware it takes to build a complete system. The system must be upgradeable from the base build.

Complete system : CPU, GPU, Motherboard, Memory, HDD, CD/DVD, Case, Powersupply, Keyboard/Mouse, Speakers and Monitor.

You must post the hardware part list & prices complete, before shipping but including any discounts. For the purpose of this thread you may not exceed $800 for the complete system.

Here is an example...

http://www.voodootechnologies.net/images/jpg/voodoo_700.jpg

[roboninja]

Have to include everything, even monitor, KB+M, speakers, etc.? Even you did not include speakers :p
BTW, since this is a sticky, please feel free to remove this post if you feel like it is not needed.

[Voodoo]

Have to include everything, even monitor, KB+M, speakers, etc.? Even you did not include speakers :p
BTW, since this is a sticky, please feel free to remove this post if you feel like it is not needed.

The monitor has built in speakers. Are you putting together a rig?

[PathMaster]

Had to do a little reworking on this, but I came just under your $800.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6701/budget2ka9.jpg

[roboninja]

The monitor has built in speakers. Are you putting together a rig?

Ahh, missed that. I started one, but got over $800 before any accessories. I will give it a shot again later when I get time.

[TheKeck]

http://www.voodootechnologies.net/ccannon/voodoo_700.jpg
Very similar to the ars technica budget box. :)

[Voodoo]

Very similar to the ars technica budget box. :)

Really? That's cool! Great minds and all...

[TheKeck]

Really? That's cool! Great minds and all...
Indeed. :)

[Wraith]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/wraithakamrak/budget_box2008.png

[PathMaster]

/snip
Interesting choice with the open box LCD. I thought about an open box MB, but decided not to go that route.

[Voodoo]

Damn nice builds PathMaster & Wraith! :)

[Wraith]

Interesting choice with the open box LCD. I thought about an open box MB, but decided not to go that route.I usually wouldn't, but I knew I wasn't going to keep it under $800 with some of the other more expensive parts in the list. I spent more on the case (and included PSU), but I think it's from a respectable brand and has what should be a solid PSU.

And I threw in a headset instead of speakers as it's a little cheaper, and I use headphones 90% of the time anyway. The speaker sets that would keep me under $800 looked pretty gimped.

[TheKeck]

I'd like to see a build with OS. :)

[H.Bogard]

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1233603&postcount=104

If I'm not mistaken, this would qualify for medium-high to high end.

Thats one without the HD/Monitor/Speakers for $572. I'm afraid I'm not in touch with whats the latest+hottest in those categories.

[PathMaster]

I'd like to see a build with OS. :)

Linux with Wine? ;)

[Voodoo]

I'd like to see a build with OS. :)

The inclusion of Vista 32bit Home Premium takes mine to $805.

[Disgustipated]

I would probably take the $20 hit and go for the 512MB version of the 3850. All you have to do is overclock it and you've got a 3870. A budget rig with a 3870 in it is pretty amazing.

[Deadend]

I am going to toss a Intel build in later. Without some parts, probably droping the DVD drive, monitor, and keyboard, as I have all of those.

[Grifter]

I'm cutting it a bit close but I would trust every single one of these components in my own personal PC.

Link (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=10311307&WishListTitle=Quality+Budget+Gaming+Rig)

[Deadend]

I'm cutting it a bit close but I would trust every single one of these components in my own personal PC.

Link (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=10311307&WishListTitle=Quality+Budget+Gaming+Rig)

Wow, about $500 for the upgrade path.

[PathMaster]

I would probably take the $20 hit and go for the 512MB version of the 3850. All you have to do is overclock it and you've got a 3870. A budget rig with a 3870 in it is pretty amazing.

I would never actually do any of these builds. There are issues with all of them. But with that hard $800 limit, you make some compromises. I think we all understand the value of spending a little extra to get a better PC.

[Grifter]

I would never actually do any of these builds. There are issues with all of them. But with that hard $800 limit, you make some compromises. I think we all understand the value of spending a little extra to get a better PC.


Short of the case, which is not a performance limiting part, I would use my build in a second. To go Intel you would need to add about $70 and to go with a case I would personally prefer you would need to add about $50. But either way you are still looking at a very competent system that will run almost any game out there at 1440x900 at max settings for under $1k and would outperform most Dells, HPs and Gateways at the same price.

[Wackman3000]

I would rather see you guys make builds without the keyboard mouse and monitor since most people have something they plan on using. I would really like to see Voodoo and Grifter's changes with that extra $200 or so dollars.

[Voodoo]

I would rather see you guys make builds without the keyboard mouse and monitor since most people have something they plan on using. I would really like to see Voodoo and Grifter's changes with that extra $200 or so dollars.

The only change I'd make is to increase GPU power to a 8800GT and put in a more powerful processor, probably a 3ghz x2. Without including the K&M and monitor I don't believe it would be that much of a deviation from the price. As a matter of fact, I'll change mine up and repost to reflect these suggestions.

http://www.voodootechnologies.net/images/jpg/voodoo_revised.jpg

[Deadend]

I want to know what a great bang/buck Intel board/CPU is, even if it may not be built anytime soon (damn PAX plane/hotel costs, and school)

[Wraith]

I would rather see you guys make builds without the keyboard mouse and monitor since most people have something they plan on using. I would really like to see Voodoo and Grifter's changes with that extra $200 or so dollars.Sans keyboard, mouse, monitor, headphones/speakers:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/wraithakamrak/budget_box2008v3.png

*Fixed hard drive selection.* The 7200RPM 250GB drive I wanted put me cents over $800, so I put it back down to 200, and traded the IDE DVDRW for a SATA DVDRW.

[Wackman3000]

Wraith, whats with that 5400RPM drive? Is it really worth saving maybe $10 for that?

[Deadend]

A better question is... whats up with the $150-ish case? Rest of it looks like a good mix of budget and quality.

[Wraith]

Wraith, whats with that 5400RPM drive? Is it really worth saving maybe $10 for that?Oh, crap, forgot to filter out 5400 RPM drives. It certainly should be a 7200 RPM drive... (fixed now)A better question is... whats up with the $150-ish case? Rest of it looks like a good mix of budget and quality.If I weren't sticking with an $800 budget, I'd go for separate case and power supply, which would put me over $150. So I picked a really good case and good PSU for less than I'd pay separately. (And really, I prefer to put more money into a good case and PSU than some people. I'd rather have a case with solid construction, good airflow, quiet design, and understated appearance than something half the price that's half as good.)

[cp#]

Newegg isn't the only site out there, remember!

[Wraith]

Newegg isn't the only site out there, remember!Certainly not. To get the best price, you'd have components purchased from any number of sites. Newegg's just easy to use as a standard site for comparison purposes.

[Wackman3000]

Newegg isn't the only site out there, remember!

Im waiting for my next sale flyer from NCIX.com then I will do up a rig. It's a great site for canadians since it's located in Canada and has fast/cheap shipping and great RMA incase there's a problem.

[PathMaster]

Oh, crap, forgot to filter out 5400 RPM drives. It certainly should be a 7200 RPM drive... (fixed now)If I weren't sticking with an $800 budget, I'd go for separate case and power supply, which would put me over $150. So I picked a really good case and good PSU for less than I'd pay separately. (And really, I prefer to put more money into a good case and PSU than some people. I'd rather have a case with solid construction, good airflow, quiet design, and understated appearance than something half the price that's half as good.)

That is mostly what I would change in my build as well. Give me a solid case, I prefer an Antec P180, and a very solid PSU. Both would be closer to $100 each. Having only spent $60 on both combined in my build, that saved me some $$. I will redo my build how I think some might want it.

[PathMaster]

Ok, this does not fit the guidelines for this thread, but this is more along the lines of something I would build.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7901/solidbxm5.jpg

[Ancalagon]

Ok, this does not fit the guidelines for this thread, but this is more along the lines of something I would build.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7901/solidbxm5.jpg

I was gonna say, odd choice for a graphics card, but isnt that a very cheap price, even for american goods?

[Beelzebud]

Hey wait, this can't be true! I've been told countless times on this site that it's impossible to build an affordable gaming PC. They Do Not Exist!

Lalalalalalalalalalala I can't hear you!

:D

[ElfShotTheFood]

This is what I came up with, from Premier Computer Canada (http://www.pccanada.com/default.asp). It's over $800, but you could go with a slightly-cheaper video card than the 8800GT.

The flash drive was mandatory, so I couldn't remove it. ;)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/1182/cheapsystemva2.jpg

[Grifter]

My Intel Rig, tower only.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=7940246&WishListTitle=Intel+Budget+Rig

[deathfan]

Can someone please recommend me some parts for a bare bones system, I've been out of the building game for a long time now and haven't been watching what's going on. The last system I built was based on a Sk478 P4 3.0 on a P4P800 board. Which was fine for what I was doing until it CAUGHT ON FUCKING FIRE.

I'm looking for something Core 2 Duo, a motherboard with onboard graphics for now but decent enough that I can use it with a Card later without upgrading motherboard (but it's never going to need to be a gaming powerhouse). At least 2 PCI slots (for old PCI devices). 2gb RAM (dual channel if you think it's worth it). HDD / OPTICAL is sorted already as well as monitor, speakers etc.

It's used as a DAW running cubase, reason and various soft synths. Needs to be comfortable running vista although I'll still be using XP for a while.

Thanks in advance for advice that anyone can give.

[Lord_Singing_Whale]

I'm not quite sure of the specifics of my rig, but I know it is one of the Refurbished Gateways from Tiger Direct.

For 500, I got
-2 gigs of Ram
-1.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo
Included were the standard Gateway case, speakers that I didn't use, and some random motherboard that only has one free PCI-E slot.

I then got a $120 8600 GT.

So, for $620, I got a decent (not great) machine, that can run Crysis on Medium at 1680x1050, and everything else on the highest settings and resolutions.

That is budget at its prime :D

[Draft]

Can someone please recommend me some parts for a bare bones system, I've been out of the building game for a long time now and haven't been watching what's going on. The last system I built was based on a Sk478 P4 3.0 on a P4P800 board. Which was fine for what I was doing until it CAUGHT ON FUCKING FIRE.

I'm looking for something Core 2 Duo, a motherboard with onboard graphics for now but decent enough that I can use it with a Card later without upgrading motherboard (but it's never going to need to be a gaming powerhouse). At least 2 PCI slots (for old PCI devices). 2gb RAM (dual channel if you think it's worth it). HDD / OPTICAL is sorted already as well as monitor, speakers etc.

It's used as a DAW running cubase, reason and various soft synths. Needs to be comfortable running vista although I'll still be using XP for a while.

Thanks in advance for advice that anyone can give.I built pretty much the same system about a month ago for my mom.

2x 1GB Mushkin DDR800 - $46.99
Intel C2D E2160 @1.8ghz - $82.99
MSI P6NGM-FIH 7150 630I 775 RTL - $76.99

Obviously not gonna be doing any gaming on this beast, but it's pretty zippy, and for around $200 I'm not complaining.

Setup was a cinch, but getting onboard sound to work was a bit of a pain. Installed drivers from the disc, they didn't work, but re-installing drivers through the Windows Control Panel Device Manager fixed it.

edit:

Now with links:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146118&Tpk=20-146-118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116036&Tpk=19-116-036
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130126&Tpk=13-130-126

Also be aware this mobo does NOT do dual channel, even though it says it does. Not really sweating it for my mom, but if you are building this for speed, spend a little more money on a mobo that does.

[Wackman3000]

Well I just got my latest weekly prices from NCIX so I decided to make a build for us Canadians:

http://secure.ncix.com/cart/

Total:

$833.86 CDN before tax. I suppose you could shave off some more on a skimpier PS and scratch the CPU heatsink.

[Grifter]

Well I just got my latest weekly prices from NCIX so I decided to make a build for us Canadians:

http://secure.ncix.com/cart/

Total:

$833.86 CDN before tax. I suppose you could shave off some more on a skimpier PS and scratch the CPU heatsink.

You can't link directly to your shopping cart, no one else can see it.

[KingGorilla]

One good thing to keep in mind is that after you select your parts. Run then through a price comparrison site. Google and Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/us/)are the ones I generally use. You can often find sites with good deals, cheaper shipping, etc.

[KingGorilla]

I have put, literally, everything someone could need into this one(even a mouse pad). I will not post it as it is a long scroll. But here is the link
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa237/dbrent19/KGbudget.jpg

[Wraith]

One good thing to keep in mind is that after you select your parts. Run then through a price comparrison site. Google and Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/us/)are the ones I generally use. You can often find sites with good deals, cheaper shipping, etc.I'm not going to link them all, but the ones I check are:

Price comparisons:
Pricegrabber
Pricewatch
Froogle

Deals:
FatWallet
Slickdeals
Anandtech Hot Deals forum
TechbargainsI have put, literally, everything someone could need into this one(even a mouse pad). I will not post it as it is a long scroll. But here is the link
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa237/dbrent19/KGbudget.jpgA 16" widescreen monitor? I didn't know such a thing existed. :p That's got to be awfully small.

[J Arcane]

I'm not quite sure of the specifics of my rig, but I know it is one of the Refurbished Gateways from Tiger Direct.

For 500, I got
-2 gigs of Ram
-1.8 Ghz Core 2 Duo
Included were the standard Gateway case, speakers that I didn't use, and some random motherboard that only has one free PCI-E slot.

I then got a $120 8600 GT.

So, for $620, I got a decent (not great) machine, that can run Crysis on Medium at 1680x1050, and everything else on the highest settings and resolutions.

That is budget at its prime :D
Dude, you just got fucking screwed.

You'll be lucky if that thing is even still working in a month.

[KingGorilla]

TechbargainsA 16" widescreen monitor? I didn't know such a thing existed. :p That's got to be awfully small.
Hey, 14" is still the standard. I also made a 800 dollar rig with plenty of horsepower. There is everything in there, even a mouse pad.

[Wraith]

Hey, 14" is still the standard. I also made a 800 dollar rig with plenty of horsepower. There is everything in there, even a mouse pad.Yeah, I don't deny it's an accomplishment fitting all that in under $800.

Outside of laptops, I don't know that I've used anything under 17" for the better part of a decade, for any significant amount of time. That widescreen really eats into vertical space.

But it looks like there are a few 17" (wide or full) options available at that $149.99 price point as well.

[Wackman3000]

You can't link directly to your shopping cart, no one else can see it.

Ah crap, forgot about that. Stupid NCIX/me. Here's the list:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Accordman/pc-1.jpg

$833.86 CDN and theres some stupid mail in rebates if that stuff tickles your fancy.

[Schnoogs]

Don't let Evil see this thread

[Buzzard]

is this viable?

will be my first full pc build and first new pc in 5 years.
idea will be: to be ready to upgrade to vista (with RAM upgrade)) when i need it, run photoshop, dreamweaver, and other crap smoothly, with heavy program running/switching, and GAMING!

i need feedback, would open a new thread for it, but my postcount is too low now, since the mass mega-thread extinction:(

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/1stmatey/bigbuild.jpg

will this even work? a little out of date for current compatibility requirements, but i think it works.

recommendation's for part/brand substitutions?

will it explode?

[Wackman3000]

Wouldn't trust the PSU in that case so adding a good power supply would be the first thing to do IMO. Everything else looks fine to me.

[LiquidRain]

That rig doesn't belong in the budget thread. ;)

But yeah, the build looks good.

[Buzzard]

Wouldn't trust the PSU in that case so adding a good power supply would be the first thing to do IMO. Everything else looks fine to me.

ya, looked closer at that case, with the built in PSU, sorta freaks me out. couldn't pull up any info about what sort of wiring it has, or anything like that. company's website was pretty unhelpfull.

decided to educate myself about PSU's more, going with a Corsair (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817139004), wich is gonna make it a budget buster. switched the board to THIS (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813127031) one at the same price.

had hard time finding a quality PSU, with 8 pin CPU power connectors (just assuming there is an advantage over 4 pin)
1 rail = good?

does newegg take kidney coupons?

**EDIT:
mail in rebates take the build to just under $800, with room for a nice floppy...... joy!

[Voodoo]

Don't forget that to be a qualified sub $800 machine, it would be best to be a complete build.

[Itchyeyes]

Here's a rig I just ordered today. Granted there's no KBM, Screen, or Speakers, but at $589 you could easily add those and stay under the $800 limit. I probably could have gone cheaper, but a quality PSU was pretty important to me.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/mnikkel55/BudgetBuild.jpg

[Disgustipated]

Thanks to the 9600 GT and lowered 3850 prices, those are now the two best budget cards, period. The 8800 GT is cheap as hell too, going for $180-200. It's a great time to build a PC gaming rig.

[Aggort]

I just sent this thread to a friend to prove to him it was possible and he was astonished, he also thanks you guys for helping!

[Wackman3000]

I've been tempted to put my rig up forsale and build something new. Anyone have luck selling complete PC's on ebay?

[Itchyeyes]

I've been tempted to put my rig up forsale and build something new. Anyone have luck selling complete PC's on ebay?
That's actually what I'm planning on doing with that rig I just ordered. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Aggort]

I've been tempted to put my rig up forsale and build something new. Anyone have luck selling complete PC's on ebay?

It actually goes over quite well. I sold one a few years ago, no problems at all. Make sure they are willing to pay shipping, insurance, and they understand it is used and you should be good.

[Grifter]

I prefer Craigslist, it may take a bit longer but it's cheaper and you don't have to deal with shipping. I'll be putting the one I just finished up next week.

[Itchyeyes]

I prefer Craigslist, it may take a bit longer but it's cheaper and you don't have to deal with shipping. I'll be putting the one I just finished up next week.
Grifter, what city do you live in? Some cities have a better Craigslist community than others.

[Grifter]

Grifter, what city do you live in? Some cities have a better Craigslist community than others.

I live in Reno which I think is smaller than Denver so you should do OK.

[satchmo]

I upgraded my aging computer from 1 GB to 2 GB this weekend.

Afterward, I started to wonder the rationale behind the upgrade.

Is there a significant improvement in gaming performance to justify the cost of the upgrade? Even though it was a relatively cheap upgrade ($80 for the 2 GB Corsair PC3200).

When I researched the topic online, I found only minimal advantage in gaming. The performance difference only comes when multitasking is an issue.

Why then, do most gaming rigs nowadays, feature at least 2 GB of RAM? Just for bragging rights?

[LiquidRain]

If you have a beefy graphics card like a 3870 or 8800 series card, you need the 2GB to prevent swapping or having to load in textures during a game. My 8800GTS with 1GB RAM choked on some games because of a shortage.

[satchmo]

I have a GeForce 7600GS with 512 MB. It's not a high-end card, but I bought it for US$80.

Anyway, I have 2 GB now, and I think the games load faster.

[AzSinistar]

My budget PC would be (did I break the rule including a $12 mail in rebate to get under $800):

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll4/azsinistar/budget.jpg

[satchmo]

That's a nice system on a budget.

Personally, I would spend a little more on a better case.

[PopoWRX]

Haha, OEM CPU! Where is the Heatsink/Fan? :P

[Grifter]

Haha, OEM CPU! Where is the Heatsink/Fan? :P


LOL, it's always something. :)

I'm giving him mine. ;)

[satchmo]

Haha, OEM CPU! Where is the Heatsink/Fan? :P

I actually used stock heatsink and fan for a few months in the past on my first build, and they do a decent job, and it wasn't too noisy either.

As long as the noise level isn't a problem, I don't see any serious problem with using stock heatsink and fan if you're really in a pinch with money.

[Itchyeyes]

I actually used stock heatsink and fan for a few months in the past on my first build, and they do a decent job, and it wasn't too noisy either.

As long as the noise level isn't a problem, I don't see any serious problem with using stock heatsink and fan if you're really in a pinch with money.
His point was that OEM CPU's don't come with a heat sink, stock or otherwise.

[Ancalagon]

I actually used stock heatsink and fan for a few months in the past on my first build, and they do a decent job, and it wasn't too noisy either.

As long as the noise level isn't a problem, I don't see any serious problem with using stock heatsink and fan if you're really in a pinch with money.

No, what he means is that OEM CPus dont even come with stock HSFs. in other words, all you get is a CPU and no cooling whatsoever. Unless you have or buy 3rd party cooling, your CPU is an expensive postage stamp.

[satchmo]

Oh...

I guess I never bought OEM

[AzSinistar]

No, what he means is that OEM CPus dont even come with stock HSFs. in other words, all you get is a CPU and no cooling whatsoever. Unless you have or buy 3rd party cooling, your CPU is an expensive postage stamp.

Yep definately a miss on my part. about $10 for a decent cooler puts me $9 over...

Of course if you were willing to put in a smaller HDD or a WD (shudder) you would go back under...

[Itchyeyes]

Just purchased some parts for a new budget build

Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition
3rd Party HSF
500W Antec Earthwatts PSU
Coolermaster Centurion
2gb G.Skill DDR2 6400
250gb HDD
EVGA 8800gs 384mb
Asus 690g micro ATX motherboard
Vista Home Premium 32bit OEM

Total price: $630 after rebates, shipped

If we're not counting OS and shipping that a pretty damn decent $500 gaming rig right there.

[Grifter]

Very Nice!

Let me know what you think of that GS.

I was thinking about grabbing on of those for my sisters computer and want to know how well it would run HL2 and Portal. My sister and her fiance have never really played videogames and this is her first PC so I cant really go overboard on the graphics card (can't afford it either) but I figure a GS would be a good entry point and if they turn into gamers they can alway get something better down the road.

[Itchyeyes]

Very Nice!

Let me know what you think of that GS.

I was thinking about grabbing on of those for my sisters computer and want to know how well it would run HL2 and Portal. My sister and her fiance have never really played videogames and this is her first PC so I cant really go overboard on the graphics card (can't afford it either) but I figure a GS would be a good entry point and if they turn into gamers they can alway get something better down the road.
From what I've read the GS is pretty much equivalent to the old 8800GTS 320mb in terms of power. So it certainly ought to run HL2 and Portal just fine. After rebate the EVGA versions is only $110 so it ought to fit within a budget pretty easily. I'll update you when I get the system put together.

[satchmo]

With an 8800GS, you can run Portal and HL2 on maximum settings with HDR lighting on.

I ran those games with a lot less in the past.

[Lord_Don]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I wanted to get as close to $500 as possible but the ability to upgrade the processor and RAM in the future, as well as not settling for less than an 8800 GT 512mb led to it being a bit more. If you settled for a less expensive mobo and video card you could easily hit around the $500 mark.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/Lord_Don/donbuild.png

[Wraith]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I wanted to get as close to $500 as possible but the ability to upgrade the processor and RAM in the future, as well as not settling for less than an 8800 GT 512mb led to it being a bit more. If you settled for a less expensive mobo and video card you could easily hit around the $500 mark.You could probably spring for a better power supply (without going over $800) if you dropped down to a less-expensive motherboard.

[Lord_Don]

I'm confused about the obsession with l33t power supplies in the past few years. Back in my day all cases came with power supplies and we used them and liked them!

[TheKeck]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I wanted to get as close to $500 as possible but the ability to upgrade the processor and RAM in the future, as well as not settling for less than an 8800 GT 512mb led to it being a bit more. If you settled for a less expensive mobo and video card you could easily hit around the $500 mark.
You can get a better deal on that video card if you try. I just bought mine last week for the same price, but with a $30 rebate on top (plus Company of Heroes if you don't already have it). In fact, you can still buy one today or tomorrow.

[TheKeck]

I'm confused about the obsession with l33t power supplies in the past few years. Back in my day all cases came with power supplies and we used them and liked them!
I have to agree with that. My Dell has a 350W PSU, and despite a scare I had because I put the graphics card in wrong, it's just fine.

[Wraith]

I didn't start building until 2003. I've just always read that a slightly lower-wattage, quality PSU beats a higher-wattage, bargain basement PSU when it comes to power, build quality, and reliability. (I'm not saying go out and buy a 750W+ PSU or anything.)

[TheKeck]

I didn't start building until 2003. I've just always read that a slightly lower-wattage, quality PSU beats a higher-wattage, bargain basement PSU when it comes to power, build quality, and reliability. (I'm not saying go out and buy a 750W+ PSU or anything.)
Hmmm, I guess that's a different point then. Supposedly, Dell PSUs are pretty solid, and that's why you don't have to worry too much about the lower wattage rating.

[Lord_Don]

You can get a better deal on that video card if you try. I just bought mine last week for the same price, but with a $30 rebate on top (plus Company of Heroes if you don't already have it). In fact, you can still buy one today or tomorrow.

Wherefore is this killer deal you speak of? I can't find it on Slickdeals or Newegg.

[TheKeck]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252

http://images10.newegg.com/UploadFilesForNewegg/rebate/SH/XFX14-150-252May06May3108lt12.pdf

Here's that exact deal. There are lots of others, I believe.

Edit: For some reason, they stopped advertising the rebate in newegg's main interface a few weeks ago, so that's probably why you couldn't find it.

Edit Edit: I found the rebate (now that it's not advertised) through the "Rebate Center" on newegg.

[apocalypse]

How is this build?

Q6600 Quad Core @ 2.4Ghz
eVGA 9800GTX "Superclocked"
4GB OCZ Ram
OCZ Gamestream 600W PSU
ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35

Everything else I already have, just purchased the above parts and just hoping I made some good choices on hardware.

[Ancalagon]

Go for the new radeon 4850 instead of a 9800GTX. Its cheaper and faster, although it does run hotter.

EDIT: Oops you already purchased it. Is it too late to send the 9800GTX back?

[apocalypse]

Is it really that much better? I was planning on getting another 9800GTX sometime soon and SLI always seemed better to me than Crossfire, although I have been out of the loop on hardware for awhile.

[Ancalagon]

Is it really that much better? I was planning on getting another 9800GTX sometime soon and SLI always seemed better to me than Crossfire, although I have been out of the loop on hardware for awhile.

See for yourself:
http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3338&p=7

It generally performs about the same as an 9800GTX, sometimes better, while costing less.

Noticeably, like most ATI cards it sucks at Crysis for some reason. But seems to do well in everything else.

The 4870 is quite a bit more powerful and will sell for $300 when it is released. Apparently 9800GTX cards are due for a price drop to about $200 because of the 4850, so not sure if you got one after the price drop. If not, try to see if you can cancel and buy the same card again in a few days! you will probably save some bucks. or just get the 4850 if you want.

[LiquidRain]

allow me to chime in with my mantra.

SLI baaaaaaad. Ask yourself: Why do you need it?

[Ancalagon]

yeah, it must be said that SLI is useless for 99% of gamers. If you really need to use a res of 2560x1600, you can get away with a 4870, GTX260 or 280, 9800GX2, or probably even a lesser card depending on game and detail level.

Also, your motherboard doesnt support SLI - it only supports Crossfire, and due to the configuration of its PCIe slots (one 16x slot, one 4x slot) its not well suited to CrossFire.

[apocalypse]

Ok I was thinking dropping another card in would extend the life of the system, but if it's only good for playing at really high res then I won't need it.

I think I might end up returning that motherboard for something else but I'm not sure. Anyone have any recommendations?

[Itchyeyes]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this bad boy. I wanted to get as close to $500 as possible but the ability to upgrade the processor and RAM in the future, as well as not settling for less than an 8800 GT 512mb led to it being a bit more. If you settled for a less expensive mobo and video card you could easily hit around the $500 mark.
Since you're getting a P35 mobo, I'd get a 45nm processor. The e7200 has a 5% higher clock speed and, more importantly, 50% more cache than the e4600 you have picked out and costs only $10 more.

[Liquidus]

Ok I was thinking dropping another card in would extend the life of the system, but if it's only good for playing at really high res then I won't need it.

I think I might end up returning that motherboard for something else but I'm not sure. Anyone have any recommendations?

If you don't need RAID, then get the GA-EP35-DS3L. The GA-EP43-DS3L is a newer and probably better option, but I havn't read any reviews of it yet.

[apocalypse]

How's this board look? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136043

[muddi900]

allow me to chime in with my mantra.

SLI baaaaaaad. Ask yourself: Why do you need it?

to play Crysis.

[LiquidRain]

A lone singleplayer game that is, by most opinions, not worth more than a playthrough if that.

[biosc1]

I'm confused about the obsession with l33t power supplies in the past few years. Back in my day all cases came with power supplies and we used them and liked them!

Wait until you have one die on you...then you'll see the importance. Honestly, a good power supply can last you years and you can transfer it from build to build.

My last one, though, was purchased because I wanted a silent PSU with 120mm fans. Cost a bundle, but the near silence is priceless :)

Wouldn't recommend it for a budget build though.

[Liquidus]

How's this board look? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136043

That's another popular choice, but if you don't need anything fancy and don't care about asthetics then you can save some money with the ones I suggested.

[H.Bogard]

to play Crysis.

Have you ever played it on an 8800GT or GTX? Or a 9800 9600, perhaps?

[Agnostic Pope]

Upgrade this shit oh tech wizards of these forums.

[dena miscreant]

After a year from the last request, I'm second... ing a follow-up.

I need a new rig to play BF3, D3, Skyrim, etc.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

After a year from the last request, I'm second... ing a follow-up.

I need a new rig to play BF3, D3, Skyrim, etc.

Need a budget number.

[Syl]

i7 2600k CPU - 2500 if solely for gaming
ddr3 1600 RAM
SSD from Corsair, OCZ or Intel
Win 7
P67 motherboard from Asus
Corsair HX series psu
Asus Gtx 5 series gpu

That's going to cost a hell of a lot more than $800.

If you're going for budget, i'd actually go with a Phenom II X4, it may not be anywhere near as powerful as a core i5 but it works out to be being a good $200+ cheaper when you factor in motherboard costs. When you're looking at a budget build it's much more important for that money to go to Videocard, ram or SSD than a superfluous CPU.

Also the videocards to look for are AMD 6870s and Nvidia 560TI.

Also it's unbelievable how important the SSD is these days. <3 My SSD.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Yeah I totally forgot the $800 budget part... Look at my ninja edit. I just saw the games listed and typed out something similar to mine.

When you're looking at a budget build it's much more important for that money to go to Videocard, ram or SSD than a superfluous CPU.

Also it's unbelievable how important the SSD is these days. <3 My SSD.

Very true but SSD and budget don't go together.

[dena miscreant]

How much would the rig he quote you on run?

And, yea, I'm looking at sub-$800, preferably.

edit:

currently running:

Vistalol - Tweaked the crap out of services years ago and haven't gone back through them for some time.

Core 2 Duo E6850 @ 3.0

2 GB Ram... I can put in 3, but for some reason this rig won't run on 4 no matter what I do and I think the loss of dual-threading x's the 3 GB option unless I grab 2 1.5 GB sticks. Maybe 2 2GB sticks would work.

Still running without a soundcard which has probably hurt performance in every game I've ever played(?).

EVGA 8800 GTS 512 KO ed.

Can't even remember my mobo... some MSI deal. It's been a while.

500 GB slow-ass (I assume) hard-drive of some kind I cannot recall.

I did upgrade to a 500W PSU of some kind a year (two?.... three?!) ago. Not sure it mattered.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

How much would the rig he quote you on run?

At least twice as much.

[Syl]

For a little over $500 I could squeeze a Phenom II X4 ($120), adequate motherboard ($100), 4 gigs of ram ($40, 2 sticks), 500 gig to a terabyte harddive ($40~) Antec Case/power supply combo $100 and that leaves $100 as a baseline for the GPU.

I'm going to assume that a DVD drive and mouse/keyboard can be stolen from somewhere else, otherwise that's another $20-$40. Also factoring in a monitor is at least $100 more depending upon the quality.

But yeah, that's my baseline "gaming" PC. $800 would be similar, except that it would have a $200~ GPU, probably a better harddrive (Not an SSD, but a faster 2 TB) and i'd probably throw in a card reader and higher quality mouse/keyboard.

[Johan]

I think $100 is too little for the GPU. I advocate spending at least $200, myself. My last one was over $300. It's very well worth the extra, but not when you get to the very, very top of the line, where you pay a really serious premium.

[Syl]

Yeah, but trying to cram a $200 GPU into a $500 budget is nearly impossible if you actually need to buy every part.

You can get a $6870 for $100ish if you look in the right places. It's a massive step up from anything integrated (Even including Fusion) and still a massive increase over anything a console achieves.

I'm still running my ATI 4870 from 3+ years ago and it works beautifully for everything thats not battlefield 3, so a $100 GPU being over twice as powerful as that is more than enough for a cheap computer. I also said "Baseline" meaning that is the one part of that build you should spend more money on.

[dena miscreant]

I have an adequate mouse/keyboard. I think my monitor has some time left on it, even though I have to let it warm-up before it stays on without flickering/turning off after a few seconds now.

I might keep the case/PSU, drives, reader, but would want to upgrade my CPU, maybe grab an SSD, GPU, and grab a mobo+soundcard and RAM.

Not sure I will be able to use some of my current components or not. Thanks for the recommendations. Phenom II X4 sounds good, especially at that price. Hmmm...

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

I might keep the case/PSU, drives, reader, but would want to upgrade my CPU, maybe grab an SSD, GPU, and grab a mobo+soundcard and RAM.

I firmly believe good cases are a vital part of a quality build especially when you are using the stock cooling solutions. Don't skip getting a new one unless you have a good one already there are a ton out there these days. You could also find a fairly priced case/psu combo like Syl mentioned. Sound cards are also something that could just wait until later if at all. Most modern motherboards actually have decent audio output built right in. Impact on gaming performance is negligible. I run my 5.1 system through my motherboard and I'm picky about quality but it's just fine. It's the Realtek ALC889 chipset fyi unless you are a complete audiophile. I actually have an X-Fi card in an old rig but don't need to install it. You also want to make sure you PSU will be sufficient. Use this (http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/) site to estimate power consumption.

[Azrael]

Looking at building a gaming rig at the moment, but been out of the game for a while so would love some advice

1) Was looking at i5 2500 processor (K just means over clocking friendly yeah?) and a P8P67 mobo, are games currently CPU or GPU limited? e.g. should i go for a cheaper AMD option (if so what) and put the extra funds towards video card or not?

2) Trying to decide between 2xHD6850 video cards in SLI or a single card setup that costs about the same (say ATI 6970). What you guys recommend? or should i be looking at a Nvidia alternative?

Other details 8gb ram (1600mhz) and win 7 OS. Oh yeah was going to go with standard case with 550W power supply, shouldn't need more than that should i?

(I'd post prices but not 100% relevant as things are priced a little differently here in Australia, so just assume parts are equal cost to US equivalents)

Cheers Guys

[dena miscreant]

Suicidal ShiZuru mentioned this for seeing if your PSU will work with a setup: http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

[Azrael]

Ok so apparently the PSU is fine

[blackzc]

Keep in mind resolution plays a big part in what card you need. I run 1680x1050 and will be for a long time so my gtx460 is adequate for anything. Including BF3 on like medium/high.

I dont know first hand but SLI is supposed to scale much better (up to 60%) than in the past.

[Azrael]

*bump*

Still chasing advice, ATI 6970 vs Nvidia 570? anyone got any experience with SLI? is it a massive pain in the butt or would i be better served by buying 2 cheaper cards. What are peoples recommendations?

Also with the above going was looking at i5 2500K thoughts? Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor there? e.g. would i be better off going with a cheaper AMD alternative?

Cheers

[randir14]

*bump*

Still chasing advice, ATI 6970 vs Nvidia 570? anyone got any experience with SLI? is it a massive pain in the butt or would i be better served by buying 2 cheaper cards. What are peoples recommendations?

Also with the above going was looking at i5 2500K thoughts? Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor there? e.g. would i be better off going with a cheaper AMD alternative?

Cheers

I have a gtx 570 and AMD phenom II 955 overclocked to 3.8 ghz and I don't have trouble running any games at high settings. An Intel CPU will give you better performance in most cases though.

[Azrael]

I have a gtx 570 and AMD phenom II 955 overclocked to 3.8 ghz and I don't have trouble running any games at high settings. An Intel CPU will give you better performance in most cases though.

and thats one of the things, while money isn't super tight, it'd be better to save a few $$$ and the difference in price between the 2 CPU's is $76

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Get an i5 and a gtx570/580 and be happy. Bottleneck now is GPU as usual with modern CPUs.

[Azrael]

Well after extensive research and reading i went with dual 6870's, price/performance ratio really can't be beat by anything out there.

All i can say is WOW, didn't realise games were supposed to look this good. This is what happens when you play on laptops for the past 4 years :( Think i may have to revisit a lot of FPS that i've played recently

[oldschooldimo]

Hey guys, I am planning on building a budget gaming/graphic design rig with a budget around ~600. I have never built a computer before, but I believe I picked out some good stuff on newegg, I just need a more experienced eye to make sure all the parts are compatible. As far as the hardrive and dvd drive, I already have those from a previous build.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=18335532

Thanks in advance.

Edit: And as far as how intense the gaming is going to be, the build is for my girlfriend and she just wants to be able to play TERA on ultra settings, and a few other games. Nothing intense like BF3.

[inscribed]

I would avoid building with an AMD processor at this point. They have fallen so far behind Intels that they are giving up the fight and are no longer making CPUs. Why waste money on doomed hardware? Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are hitting shelves April 8th. If you can hold off that long, I'd wait to build a system around that. The processor offers such a huge jump in performance over current processors that the wait would be well worth it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-cpu-ivy-bridge-processor,14386.html

[Reverend Meta]

This thread delivers the goods! Keep 'em coming, guys.

I myself am going to be building a 'budget' rig very soon and have gotten some great advice in a different thread, but it looks like there is good info here as well.

[Syl]

I would avoid building with an AMD processor at this point. They have fallen so far behind Intels that they are giving up the fight and are no longer making CPUs. Why waste money on doomed hardware? Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are hitting shelves April 8th. If you can hold off that long, I'd wait to build a system around that. The processor offers such a huge jump in performance over current processors that the wait would be well worth it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-cpu-ivy-bridge-processor,14386.html
Why would you build AMD at this point?

About $200?

Also AMD can never give up making CPUs, its actually impossible for them due to x86 intel antimonopoly issues. I've also seen their processor roadmaps for the next 3+ years. AMD is actually turning a profit for the first time in ages. Why do you think they're going to stop making CPUs? Thats foolish.

[Anenome]

AMD's top of the line isn't -that- far behind. And the price to performance ratio is much higher than Intel's. You can buy a $200 AMD chip that will achieve 85% of the performance of an $800 Intel chip. That was worth it to me when I made my system 6 months ago.

Maybe that curve isn't the same anymore tho, but if you ask yourself would you rather spend more on processor or GPU, you simply have to know what tasks you want the computer to perform. There aren't many tasks left where a beefier CPU is preferable over a beffier GPU. I was thining maybe video editing, maybe picture editing--but most of those applications are GPU enabled these days and work much better with massively parallel GPUs solving their problems. So what, sound editing?

If you're a gamer tho, pick up the AMD and spend your money on a top of the line GPU. Unless price is no object to you.

[inscribed]

Why would you build AMD at this point?

About $200?

Also AMD can never give up making CPUs, its actually impossible for them due to x86 intel antimonopoly issues. I've also seen their processor roadmaps for the next 3+ years. AMD is actually turning a profit for the first time in ages. Why do you think they're going to stop making CPUs? Thats foolish.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you weren't capable of using Google.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/AMD-APU-Z-Series-ARM-Tegra-3,14114.html

And 200$, really? Being able to pull numbers out of your ass must be a great skill. oldschooldimo is already planning to purchase a $150 processor. The lower end Ivy Bridge processors will start at $184, which is plainly stated in the very link you quoted. Even an i5 2300, which is currently on the market, uses the same socket as an Ivy Bridge (allowing for easy upgrade), and priced right now on Newegg at $185, completely blows his AMD 1055 out of the water at only 30$ more.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859.html

In summary, avoid AMD for desktop processors. Please bring facts next time.

[inscribed]

AMD's top of the line isn't -that- far behind. And the price to performance ratio is much higher than Intel's. You can buy a $200 AMD chip that will achieve 85% of the performance of an $800 Intel chip. That was worth it to me when I made my system 6 months ago.

Maybe that curve isn't the same anymore tho, but if you ask yourself would you rather spend more on processor or GPU, you simply have to know what tasks you want the computer to perform. There aren't many tasks left where a beefier CPU is preferable over a beffier GPU. I was thining maybe video editing, maybe picture editing--but most of those applications are GPU enabled these days and work much better with massively parallel GPUs solving their problems. So what, sound editing?

If you're a gamer tho, pick up the AMD and spend your money on a top of the line GPU. Unless price is no object to you.

AMD is pretty far behind man. There's a reason AMD is giving up the fight against Intel. Check out the link in my previous post for a comparison of sub-$200 AMD vs Intel processors in gaming rigs... Intel just dominates now.

[Anenome]

Seems like the true Intel competitor these days is IBM with their modular chips designs making it into tons of consumer products.

Rick Bergman, senior VP and general manager of AMD’s Product Group, said that the company had no plans to enter the smartphone sector. "We haven’t announced any plans to go in that handheld space," Bergman said. "We’ve got plenty of opportunities… in server, notebook and now tablets, that’s our immediate focus. But if the right circumstances come up and we can see a way to impact the market, we’ll obviously continue to look."
I think that's a mistake. Smartphones are the future of consumer PCs.

AMD is pretty far behind man. There's a reason AMD is giving up the fight against Intel. Check out the link in my previous post for a comparison of sub-$200 AMD vs Intel processors in gaming rigs... Intel just dominates now.
Alright, I'm looking:
http://i.imgur.com/wVqiX.png
I have a Phenom II X6. It's like 2 FPS off the I5 for Metro 2033.

Lost Planet, it's at parity.

Alien v Predator it's at parity.

F1 2010 it takes a hit, about half the performance of the I5, but that's likely due to programming specifically for the Intel chip during development. Some games that happens.

Just Cause 2, about 10% less performance.

Star Craft 2, about 66% of the i5's performance.

Multitasking, parity.

--- Conclusion: Intel's ahead but price for performance AMD is not being blown out of the water.

Still, with AMDs road-map being to get out of the CPU business, it wouldn't be very smart to start investing in an AMD system today. Go with Intel.

Another reason I'd go with Intel today is because of triple-clock CPUs and memory. I love that tech and what it makes possible :)

[inscribed]

Also keep in mind, that the current Sandy Bridge processors use the same socket type as the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, making for an easy upgrade path if he couldn't wait until April and had to build now. The Ivy Bridge will have sizeable improvements in every benchmark area, and be offered at similar price points as their current Sandy Bridge lineup.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Benchmarks-Intel-Ivy-Bridge-CPU-sandy-bridge,14144.html

[Anenome]

Compared to Sandy bridge, Ivy has tri-gate transistors with a 50% reduction in power usage over dual-gate's everyone's using now, and we expect a 20% improvement in CPU/GPU performance.

[Syl]

The $200 difference isn't the processor.

Motherboards are the expensive part for intel. I'd say that the difference between an adequate Phenom II X4/X6 processor + motherboard compared to a decent intel motherboard with a core i5 (2500k, naturally) is going to approach at least $150.

However if you aren't interested in much gaming then going a Fusion AMD processor will not only get you a cheaper motherboard and processor, you can also completely forgo a graphics card at all which is a gigantic savings. I know the fusion GPU isn't anywhere as good as even a $100 GPU, but for most people it's a hell of a lot better than they need.

I know you can get some cheaper intel motherboards now as well, but I'd say for anything below 400 i'd go with an AMD fusion, for anything under $600 i'd go with a Phenom II x4, because at that price point you want as much GPU as you can get compared to processing power.

Yet again, for a gaming machine. If you are more worried about comp heavy tasks then yeah, go for intel.

[Syl]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=23777
Here's an article on AMD's current roadmap and how they're doing very well. (Mostly in the mobile market)

[inscribed]

AMD is cutting down its size and costs (and employees) and refocusing on the mobile market because they lost too much money trying to compete with Intel in the desktop market.

The discussion was about a parts list for a budget gaming desktop, and for that purpose, AMD is a bad choice as they are withdrawing from that market and their current hardware will become obsolete pretty quickly due to lack of future upgrades and support. Current gen Intel hardware (Sandy Bridge) is already outperforming it at the same price point, with new hardware (Ivy Bridge) right around the corner, making it a much better choice to build around.

I know a lot of people have a soft spot for AMD since they are the underdog, but facts are facts, and that doesn't mean we should wear blinders when suggesting hardware purchases.

[Syl]

They are not withdrawing from the desktop market, nor will the EVER withdraw from the desktop market.

Something like 30-40% of their money is tied up in high-end server shenanigans. Which will trickle down.

AMD, right now, is pretty much stuck in the EXACT same rut as Intel was during the early Pentium 4 days. A bad generation of processors won't entirely kill the company.

[spdiscus]

Any suggestions for a video card that can render at 720p/1080p for most of today's games as well as push 5.1 audio via HDMI at the same time?
It's time for a living room PC. I work long hours from home, so even though I want to play games at night I can't force myself to walk back into my office to fire up the gaming PC.
Lower price is better, but any suggestions are welcome.