1st Pc Build please help. Apps+Mid to high lvl gaming.

[Vrodri15]

I'm a hardcore pc user and Ive got alot experience with tweaking windows. For the past 4 years ive been using a Gateway MT3705 Laptop with 1gig of ram and a Ati 200m graphics card. Its a good 7-8 years old. It was my baby for a long time., but im in college now, have a job, and want something much better. Ive wanted to do this for awhile. I managed to, with a few mods, keep her alive. But its time to let her rest, permanently. I cant really do much with it anymore. After doing some research i came up with a decent build under $400:
1. CPU: Intel i5-750 quadcore $94 (purchased)
2. GPU: Ati Radeon Hd 6570 2gb ~$67
3. RAM: 8 or 16Gb DDR3 $35-$70
4. Mobo: MSI P55-SD50 $45-70:
General Features:
ATX form factor
Intel P55 Express Chipset
Socket 1156 architecture
Supports up to 16 GB DDR3 1333/1066 MHz memory
Integrated 7.1-channel high definition audio
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Six (6) Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s ports
Lead-free components (RoHS compliant)

Expansion Slots:
Two (2) PCI Express x16 slot
(Supports nVidia SLI or AMD CrossFireX at x8 x8)
Two (2) PCI Express x1 slots
One (1) PCI Express x4 slot
One (1) PCI slots
Four (4) 240-pin DDR3 DIMM slots

I/O Ports:
One (1) PS/2 keyboard port
One (1) PS/2 mouse port
Six (6) USB 2.0 ports
One (1) RJ-45 Ethernet port
Six (6) 3.5 audio jacks

Internal Connectors:
24-pin ATX power connector
8-pin ATX12V power connector
Three (3) USB 2.0 connectors
One (1) Front panel audio header
Supported Processors:
Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 processors

5. Cpu Heatsink $15-20
6. Cooling fan $15-30

I dont want a massive computer tower, and I intend to use this Pc for aplications and some gaming. I play my xbox mostly, but there are some computer games that id like to play: EVE online, Arma 2 and the like. And in general i like the freedom of pc gaming, but i never really got to enjoy it. I know the 6570 isnt the best, but its good for my needs. Ive seen youtube videos with the 6570 and i like what i saw. Games like BF3 and even crysis were played with a mix of medium to high settings. those guys had less ram and older cpu's. I need some help with building this rig. I want to make sure ive got compatible parts.

 

[jnkweaver]

You are still missing a case, monitor, power supply, keyboard, and mouse. I wouldn't say any $400 build will play high lvl games except at the lowest resolution. That being said it will run rings around what that laptop could do.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Those youtube videos are sometimes bogus. At 1080, bf3 on low with a 6770 was hellish and a primary driver for my upgrade to current. The quad core and 8gb ram will help some. Don't expect miracles however.

 

[Vrodri15]

You are still missing a case, monitor, power supply, keyboard, and mouse. I wouldn't say any $400 build will play high lvl games except at the lowest resolution. That being said it will run rings around what that laptop could do.

I have a monitor, mouse and a keyboard. And ive got someone whose giving me a case. As for the psu ive seen them go from $35-50 Depending on the watts. I dont intend to play games at ultra or all high settings, ill adjust to get best quality. Also, I doubt a 1.8ghz core2duo compares to a quad core i5; 1gb ddr2 to 8 or 16gb ddr3; or a 200m to a 6570.

 

[Vrodri15]

Those youtube videos are sometimes bogus. At 1080, bf3 on low with a 6770 was hellish and a primary driver for my upgrade to current. The quad core and 8gb ram will help some. Don't expect miracles however.

I dont intend to play a 1080p. 720. I have alot of friends who have equivalent or lesser graphic cards. they can run most games pretty well at medium resolution. I know alot of people on here have $1000+ rigs, but that doesnt mean anything less than that is junk.

 

[Vrodri15]

Those youtube videos are sometimes bogus. At 1080, bf3 on low with a 6770 was hellish and a primary driver for my upgrade to current. The quad core and 8gb ram will help some. Don't expect miracles however.

I dont intend to play a 1080p. 720. I have alot of friends who have equivalent or lesser graphic cards. they can run most games pretty well at medium resolution. I know alot of people on here have $1000+ rigs, but that doesnt mean anything less than that is junk.

 

[Vrodri15]

In addition, when I say $400 I'm referring to money that could be spent. I've given different price points for each item, although i havent displayed them all. Ive been able to aquire more expensive items for less through auctions. Ill be able to get most of my items much cheaper.

 

[Vrodri15]

btw, I do plan on upgrading over time:
1. seperate ssd for the OS
2. maybe a radeon 6870
3.I may be able to aquire 16gb 4x4 ram for ~50
4.A cache.
5........

I'll try to make a video when i get all the parts.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Didn't mean to infer it was junk. You would not believe the number of posts on here about "low fps on xxx" and they have 1080 monitors with entry cards. Scary thing is that lots of folks are pushing hard to make 1440 or 1600 the "standard."