1. #1

    Building budget gaming PC

    SEE POST #7 FOR THE NEW BUILD I HAD IN MIND


    Recently found out my system that's now 7 years old isn't cutting it for pc gaming anymore. Tried playing SWTOR and it went to shit (lol pentium D).. so now i'm trying to build a computer but I don't really have a big budget. Wondering what you guys think of this set up. I'm pretty impressed with it for the price, but maybe I'm being deceived. Pretty sure this setup can run any game with ease



    GFX CARD - EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625

    Processor - AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103962


    Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128440


    Ram - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231443


    Power Supply - COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171031


    CD/DVD Drive - LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106276


    HDD - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148697


    Case - Rosewill RANGER-M Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147122



    All together this is coming out to $580 just about.
    Last edited by Wooblez; 2011-12-20 at 04:49 PM.

  2. #2
    Pandaren Monk lockblock's Avatar
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    Personally I suggest getting an Intel build but if you are absolutely set on amd the motherboard you picked is incorrectly labeled as am3+ and does not support bulldoser chips.
    If possible reuse the HDD from your old system and put the extra money towards a better cpu and gpu then pickup a new hdd 6months down the road or whenever you can afford to.
    As for the psu do not cheap out, get something from antec, corsair, or seasonic.
    ...
    ok I might be wrong about the amd motherboard however after checking the cpu support list there are no amd fx processors listed even with the latest f8 bios
    Last edited by lockblock; 2011-12-19 at 06:36 PM.

  3. #3
    Ya I thought that was odd as well. Reason I went with that specific processor was because it was part of a bundle that saved me some money. I'm not too sure about how well it runs but I've heard comparisons it's just about as good as an i5 2500 3.3ghz. Newegg has had nothing but good reviews though, just a few poor and from their descriptions it didn't sound like they really knew what they were doing to begin with.

    ---------- Post added 2011-12-19 at 12:57 PM ----------

    also forgot to mention, that PSU is part of the bundle I was referring to, I have an antec 650watt in my old cpu, so if it doesn't work out I can always just swap the two. I was looking to pass my old one down to a family member so I don't wanna rob that hard drive :[

    Would love some more input on someone familiar with this processor, I'll love you long time<3

    ---------- Post added 2011-12-19 at 12:59 PM ----------

    3rd edit : geez this lack of sleep is messing with my thinking - I ended up switching out the gfx card listed above and i'm looking to go with this now.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130660
    Last edited by Wooblez; 2011-12-19 at 08:58 PM.

  4. #4
    looks pretty solid to me, I'm not very computer smart though.. so take my opinion lightly if you'd like

  5. #5
    Deleted
    It's not a bad build, but for a budget of $600 I think you can utilize and get something a bit sharper.

    - I wouldn't go Bulldozer for gaming because they lack the performance per core that Sandy Bridge can offer. The i3 2100 or the i5 2400 feels like much more solid budget choices as of today, but AMD has promised a release of a fix that will potentially increase gaming performance. I would personally look away until we actually see real proof of the gains (or just hold out until the overhaul of the architecture next year). If you seek overclocking potential, there should be room even for an i5 2500k if you stretch your budget a bit.
    - The 550 Ti is not what I would call a good budget GPU. It's decent, but considering the price I wouldn't recommend it. AMD's 6770/6850/6870 feels like much better choices at that price point - especially the 6870 which costs just a fraction more but can deliver performance close to a 560 Ti in some titles (http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=330). The 6870 will do very well in current and future games, but I don't think it will max out demanding titles. It will struggle to keep up in titles like Crysis 2 DX11 and Battlefield 3 for example. The 550 Ti will do even worse.

    And then comes the generic comments regarding PSU, mobo and case. Any specific reason you picked those? And is there a specific reason why you want to go with an mATX setup?

    For a budget of $600 (not including Windows, keyboard and mouse, monitor, etc) I'd recommend something like this:

    Budget Gaming 600
    MoBo: ASRock H67M (B3)$79.99
    CPU: Intel i3 2100$124.99
    RAM: G.Skill 1333MHz 2x2GB$24.99
    GPU: XFX Radeon 6870$169.99
    HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB$89.99
    PSU: XFX ProSeries 450W$58.99
    Case: NZXT Gamma Classic$39.99 Review

    Estimated Total Price – $589
    (This build is based on my Budget Gaming 550 sample build. Find more here: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds)

    Add on your desired DVD reader/writer and you should end up close to $610. If it isn't obvious, you could save a lot by using an older HDD until prices drop further.
    Last edited by mmoc7c6c75675f; 2011-12-20 at 02:43 PM.

  6. #6
    Keyboard Turner
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    my build-got this from other site, just researched more and got better parts and deal

    im tying to do the same thing and heres what i got

    im tying to do the same thing and heres what i got

    mobo-MSI 970A-G45 9 Series AM3+ Motherboard - ATX, Socket AM3+-100
    cpu-AMD FD4100WMGUSBX FX-4100 Processor-120
    ram-CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600-43
    gpu-HIS H679F1GD Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5-120
    hdd-Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM-85
    psu-RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W ATX12V-46
    case-X-TRP-BL X-Trooper Mid Tower Case-65
    total-579
    ill put links as soon as i can

    also ive been reading that a lot of people suggest getting an amd gpu with amd cpu because they say their performance is better than say an nvidia with amd or amd with intel but i dont know if that is true or not. also i think yout more bang for the buck with the radeon 6790 compared to the nvidia 550.

    also dont just take these parts and use em, try to find better parts or combo deals, you just gotta look and compare lol

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    It's not a bad build, but for a budget of $600 I think you can utilize and get something a bit sharper.

    - I wouldn't go Bulldozer for gaming because they lack the performance per core that Sandy Bridge can offer. The i3 2100 or the i5 2400 feels like much more solid budget choices as of today, but AMD has promised a release of a fix that will potentially increase gaming performance. I would personally look away until we actually see real proof of the gains (or just hold out until the overhaul of the architecture next year). If you seek overclocking potential, there should be room even for an i5 2500k if you stretch your budget a bit.
    - The 550 Ti is not what I would call a good budget GPU. It's decent, but considering the price I wouldn't recommend it. AMD's 6770/6850/6870 feels like much better choices at that price point - especially the 6870 which costs just a fraction more but can deliver performance close to a 560 Ti in some titles (http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/290?vs=330). The 6870 will do very well in current and future games, but I don't think it will max out demanding titles. It will struggle to keep up in titles like Crysis 2 DX11 and Battlefield 3 for example. The 550 Ti will do even worse.

    And then comes the generic comments regarding PSU, mobo and case. Any specific reason you picked those? And is there a specific reason why you want to go with an mATX setup?

    For a budget of $600 (not including Windows, keyboard and mouse, monitor, etc) I'd recommend something like this:



    (This build is based on my Budget Gaming 550 sample build. Find more here: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds)

    Add on your desired DVD reader/writer and you should end up close to $610. If it isn't obvious, you could save a lot by using an older HDD until prices drop further.
    I was only looking at the bulldoze area because Newegg had a pretty nice deal for it in a bundle.. but thinking about it again after a few days I realize that probably isn't the ideal route I should go. Like you said, the software is still a bit sketchy and who knows when they will potentially get it up and running.

    After scouting again I noticed a pretty nice bundle imo that they are offering and I was wandering what your thoughts are on this one


    Graphics card - EVGA 01G-P3-1460-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130660)


    Case - RAIDMAX Altas ATX-295WBP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156258)


    Motherboard - MSI H61M-P21 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130603)


    CPU - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115073)


    RAM - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231179)


    HDD - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148697)


    CD/DVD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827100058


    All together this is coming out to about 600 dollars after the mail in rebates. And i'm pretty sure it has a big boost in performance compared to my prior build.


    The power supply unit provided is too low for it to work with this set up im pretty sure, so i'll be swapping that one out into my old CPU and put in the 650w antec unit I currently have. I would recycle the drive from my old CPU, but i'm looking to pass it down to a family member so that takes it out of the picture unfortunately.

  8. #8
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by banderson2066 View Post
    also ive been reading that a lot of people suggest getting an amd gpu with amd cpu because they say their performance is better than say an nvidia with amd or amd with intel but i dont know if that is true or not. also i think yout more bang for the buck with the radeon 6790 compared to the nvidia 550.
    That really couldn't be further from the truth. AMD GPUs work great with intel, and nVidia's GPUs work great with AMD CPUs. It's just a myth.

    I'd also suggest that you create your own thread instead of trying to hijack others. Sure, your system is similar on a similar budget, but it's still nice to keep peoples builds in separate threads as otherwise it will be very messy. I will give you some quick comments though:

    - Regarding the Bulldozer CPU, my initial comment remains; it's currently better to go with intel. If you are a huge fan of AMD I'd suggest waiting for Piledriver next year (which will be the overhaul and most likely offer better performance).
    - The 6790 is not a bad pick, but I would personally recommend to bump it up to a 6850. The price difference should be close to zero and the performance increase is actually a nice bump (probably somewhere around 10-15%, see more here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4260/a...short-at-150/3).
    - The PSU you picked is not something I would recommend; get something more reliable.

  9. #9
    check out the updated build I have in the post above you if you have a chance Marest. I'm thinking this is a ton better.

  10. #10
    Deleted
    If you are aiming for the i5 2500, you might as well get the unlocked version (i5 2500k). It's just a few bucks more but offers the capability to overclock which will offer much more performance for the price. Even if you feel overclocking is not something you want to dive into right now, it might be something for the future. In any case, the i5 2500(k) is a great CPU and a nice baseline for any gaming computer today.

    A point to note though is that if you do get the i5 2500k, you might want to get a P67 motherboard as the H67 chipset does not offer overclocking. Taking that into consideration, it might be smart to stick with the H67 + 2500 setup you have. Your money, your choice.

    I would look away from any Case + PSU combo. Get a reliable PSU; this component will power your entire build - if you cheap out you might get something that might ruin or damage your other components. Never sacrifice reliability when it comes to the PSU.

    Other than that it looks good. I'm not a huge fan of the original 560 myself, but it is an alright GPU. Performance is somewhere between a 460 and a 560 Ti, and about equivalent to a 6850/6870 depending on what title you are looking at.

  11. #11
    what Gfx card would you recommend. I only have about under 200 dollars to spend on one ATM.. and this was the best for the price to my knowledge.

    I'm mainly looking to play Star Wars on this computer

    ---------- Post added 2011-12-20 at 09:10 AM ----------

    im currently looking at

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102924

    ---------- Post added 2011-12-20 at 09:19 AM ----------

    just realized the 6870 is a pci - express 2.1 slot.. and the motherboard doesn't have that kind of slot.. so guessing that won't be a good choice.

  12. #12

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Noobadin View Post
    can you put a 2.1 in a 2.0 slot?
    Last edited by Wooblez; 2011-12-20 at 05:44 PM.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    There is nothing wrong with the 560 in itself, but it is not in line with the GTX 570 and 580 in terms of performance; it's more of a refurbished GTX 460. The 560 Ti is in my eyes the "true" GTX 560 because it performs as you would expect it to in comparison to the GTX 570 and 580 (there is about a 15% gain going from one card to the next).

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Marest View Post
    There is nothing wrong with the 560 in itself, but it is not in line with the GTX 570 and 580 in terms of performance; it's more of a refurbished GTX 460. The 560 Ti is in my eyes the "true" GTX 560 because it performs as you would expect it to in comparison to the GTX 570 and 580 (there is about a 15% gain going from one card to the next).
    Ah ok I understand.

    Would you recommend this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150563

    The poster above linked a 1gb version of it for 200 dollars.. but this one is 2GB and ends up being 10 dollars cheaper

  16. #16
    Deleted
    I see little reason to get the 2GB version. You will most likely not reach the roof of 1GB in most titles anyway, and even if you could (Battlefield 3, Crysis 2) the GPU can't keep up at such high settings anyway. I got a 1GB card myself and I haven't yet felt the need to get a 2GB even though both the aforementioned titles use up that 1GB.

    Anyway, the MSI Twin Frozr II cooler is amazing and if you want a cool build I would definitely recommend getting it. It also offers some overclocking potential (due mostly to the lower temperatures). For $50 less you could get the same card however but with a much worse (and probably noisier) cooler to boot: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150561 (which is $149:99 after rebates).

  17. #17
    thanks Marest for your help. I'll go with the MSI twin frozr II and the build I have listed above most likely. Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it

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