1st Build - Budget Gaming PC - $500 - $600 - Compatibility test!

zaneb

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Jan 4, 2012
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18,510
Approximate Purchase Date: Before the end of January (Most likely)

Budget Range: $500 - $600 (same with rebates)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: email, web surfing, watching movies, gaming, digital art (2D / basic 3D modeling)

Parts Not Required: Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, Hard Drive (Western Digital 320gb SATA Drive), Disk Drive (Old Compaq Presario disk drive), OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com / Amazon.com?

Country: U.S

Parts Preferences: N/A

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1600x900, maybe upgrading to 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Quiet, stable, fast. Honestly, I already have I list of parts, I just need to know if they're compatible. Any additional thoughts or comments are encouraged. I'm also wondering if this build will be able to run most games I want to play on high graphics well. Stuff like Skyrim, Starcraft 2, and WoW. There's more, but those are some of the games that represent what I'm going to be playing. I'm not planning on doing any intensive video editing / rendering.

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Motherboard - ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

Video Card - HIS H677FN1GD Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

RAM - GeIL Value PLUS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GVP34GB1600C9DC

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDX955FBK4DGM - OEM

*CPU fan* - ARCTIC COOLING ACALP64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

Case and Power Supply - COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Thanks!

-Zane
 
Solution
Well... The GPU is defiantly worth it, I just showed you benchmarks.

The CPU I'd say is worth it as well, though it's not usually the CPU that depends on the FPS gains, the Sandy Bridge chips seem to get more FPS in games than the AMD chips.

You can drop to 4GB if you want, it's only a few more that's why I suggest it.

Motherboard is not related to the power supply. Though it does consume power.

I'd say yes, going with $20-$70 more will make it last MUCH longer.

Newegg is generally a good place to go. Though Amazon is a nice alternate.

zaneb

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Jan 4, 2012
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18,510
Thanks for the reply! Alright, how can it be better? Thanks for the link. If possible I'm trying to actually stay away from $600. I know I said $500 - $600, but really the closer to $500 it is, the better.
 

zaneb

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Jan 4, 2012
14
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18,510
Okay. Hmm. Alright. So basically..
Intel i5 quad core > AMD Phenom II quad core - Since its more expensive is it worth it?
Micro ATX with same features as ATX = ATX - Going with mATX is cheaper with the same gain?
8 gigs of RAM > 4gigs of RAM - Worth the extra?
How much better are the video cards that you suggested than the one I had chosen?
If I go with an mATX motherboard, will the case and power supply be cheaper than if I were to get a ATX?
How can I edit my built to get better results for the same amount of money I was going to spend on it in the first place? If it is going to cost more than it originally did, will it really be worth it to spend anywhere from $20-$70 more?
Oh, and as far as prices go, what it normally better? Newegg? or Amazon? Or is it worth it to go buy all the parts at random places for cheaper?
 
Well... The GPU is defiantly worth it, I just showed you benchmarks.

The CPU I'd say is worth it as well, though it's not usually the CPU that depends on the FPS gains, the Sandy Bridge chips seem to get more FPS in games than the AMD chips.

You can drop to 4GB if you want, it's only a few more that's why I suggest it.

Motherboard is not related to the power supply. Though it does consume power.

I'd say yes, going with $20-$70 more will make it last MUCH longer.

Newegg is generally a good place to go. Though Amazon is a nice alternate.
 
Solution

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