$500 Budget Gamer

[Ryuukon]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1 - 2 weeks BUDGET RANGE: ~$500

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Case, Hard Drive, 700W PSU, DVD-R

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I tend to stick with NewEgg and TigerDirect.

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD Processor, Motherboard is up in the air

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes (In the future)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

I'll admit to being out of the computer scene for a couple of years so I'm kind of behind on my research. Basically I'm unsure as to what to purchase. Here are a couple of options I've found that I could use some advice on.

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard w/ AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor - Price: $214.98

BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard w/ AMD Phenom 9950 Agena 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core - Price: $234.98

The main difference (as far as I can tell) is the Asus board combo uses DDR3 memory, but the Biostar uses DDR2. I'm unsure if there's really a big difference performance wise. I plan on installing 4gigs of memory to start until Windows 7 hits retail, where I'll upgrade to 8. I'm running Windows XP Pro 32-bit right now so 4gig is my current limit. I know Asus is a good brand of motherboard also, but I'm unsure of Biostar, never really had any experience with them. If they're reliable I would have no problems giving them a shot.

Also I'm looking at a new video card as well. Here is what I found.

SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Now here is my real dilemma... Should I go this route or would I be better upgrading to a Phenom II Quad Core 955 or higher and just sticking with my 8800 GT that I have now? My budget is kind of slim and the Phenom II would be more price effective if I could squeeze some more life out of my 8800 GT, but I'm really shooting for a system that will run games like Crysis at high setting, which I don't really see the 8800 GT able to do.

If anybody has any kind of advice on which route I should go here I would appreciate it.

 

[mlcloud]

Don't bother with the old Phenoms. If you're going to travel down that path, you might as well buy something from the Core 2 series, since they'll actually have a way bigger overclocking roof and perform better clock vs clock compared to the Phenoms.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail $139.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Combo Price: $329.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.200001

XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail
$39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

==
$508.97

A bit over budget, but up to you make the decision.

Edit: The main bit here is to overclock everything and maximize the performance you get, but I didn't read that no-overclock bit. Oh well, this will still perform remarkably well at stock settings.

 

[Fortunex]

First-gen Phenoms are a no-no for gaming. They're hot, inefficient and slower clock-for-clock than Phenom IIs.

Is the $500 for just the mobo/cpu/ram/gpu? Or do you need a whole build for that much?

If it's just the mobo/cpu/ram/gpu, I would do this:

AMD Phenom II x2 550 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3/DDR3 motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

G.SKILL DDR3 1333MHz CL7 RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231200

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD4870 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801


That will max out any game at 1680x1050. The CPU is a very good overclocker, and beats those first-gen phenoms in gaming. The motherboard is AM3, making upgrading easy later on. With DDR3 prices dropping, 4GB packs are only $10-$20 more than DDR2.

An 8800GT wouldn't be ideal for 1680x1050. If you're getting a steady income, you could upgrade your processor/mobo now, then your GPU later, and just turn down some settings until then.

Alternatively, you could bump up that processor to something like a 720 or 955 and downgrade your GPU to a 4770 if you can find them in stock, then buy another one later for CrossFire. 2 of them in CF outperform the 4890, are cooler, quieter, and more efficient, and also overclock very well.

 

[Proximon]

You don't need a 4890 to get a significant upgrade, and you don't need a 790GX board to run a Phenom II. DDR3 is a good idea if you can swing it, not because it's any faster but because it will be in use for years to come. Not sure you have the budget for it though.

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
It's a single PCI-E slot board.

RAM + CPU $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.200396
Also has a rebate. If you don't need the rebate, get the OCZ platinum combo instead.

XFX GTX 260 core 216 $185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150329
Good upgrade, lifetime warranty, well cooled.

 

[Kithzaru]

+1 to everyone who said no no on the P1's. The 9950 does alright, but for the price you are much better off going with the PII 720.

I know you said CPU, GPU, and RAM, but just in case, be weary about what PSU you're using. You don't want to fry all of your newly purchased parts =D

 

[mlcloud]

Ah damn, didn't include RAM in my build huh? Fitting a crossfire/SLI enabled board on a PII 720 with a 4890 is gonna be pretty close to impossible with RAM hahaha.

 

[Kithzaru]

Yeah... well, running 1680 x 1050 and for under $500... the 4890 is a little over kill. a GTX 260 would be a nice choice though possibly maybe.

i didn't notice this when i first posted, but you have a 700w PSU. assuming that it is a good quality then you wouldn't need to worry, 700 is plenty.

 

[Ryuukon]

I'm incredibly leary about overclocking since my Cyrix days. Those were supposed to be an overclockers dream, but fried if you even tried it. Heck, they fried even at stock, they ran so hot.

Proximon, that looks REALLY good, I like that. I was originally thinking ATI since that seems to be where the goods are lately, though I've been a fan of Nvidia for a long time. Guess I'll stick with it for a while longer.

Thanks a lot for the great info guys, you've been a tremendous help!

 

[Proximon]

At that performance level, nVidia has been winning due to price. 4870 1GB performs about the same, but usually costs more.

 

[Ryuukon]

Hmm, after looking at this some more, especially the video card, I'm worried it might not fit in my case. Any recommendations there? Would hate to buy a case and not have the video card fit. ><

 

[Kithzaru]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

I'm more partial to the CM 690, it's a little cheaper, slightly better cable management, and you can put a fan for the MoBo.

Doesn't look like my links are working...sorry

 

[Proximon]

Well, the ideal budget case is this one for large cards:

Cooler Master 690
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

If you want cheap, this case comes with free shipping and a 10 dollar rebate:
Cooler Master ELITE 335
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161
Not very well cooled though.

 

[drarkanex]

got my $500 budget gamer build up... tell me what ya think...

http://www.chrisfaulkner.org/index.php/2009/05/27/the-500-budget-gamer-pc

Complete with prices and newegg links

 

[Proximon]

If you want opinions on your build, start your own thread please. You may PM me with the link to the thread if you want.

 

[drarkanex]

It's ok really...