$500 Build Advice Request - Should I re-use these old parts?

[upstate_luke]

The old gaming pc I gave my kids has died and I'm looking to build them something new.

From the old machine, I have the following parts I can use toward a new build but I'm not sure if they are worth re-using.

Radeon HD 5850
CORSAIR GS700 Power Supply

I have a $500 budget for parts. Any suggestions on what to use would be appreciated.

 

[DeathRabit]

GPU and PSU can be reused later you buy new GPU

285$ http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8dDY7P with this cooler you can OC CPU at least to 4.4Ghz

Rams need some adjust in bios you will need put 2133Mhz and adjust CL to unleash full CPU performance, or spend more $ on rams

Edit: AMD will put on market new GPUs in middle of this year and we will see some prices drops for sure from both company's

 

[upstate_luke]

Thanks for the timely response Sprinter.

I should have mentioned that I'm partial to intel and I'm not looking to overclock.

Any suggestions with this in mind?

Thanks

 

[DeathRabit]

Intel bulid $472 http://pcpartpicker.com/p/X2xppg on standard settings is 15 % faster than overclocked X4 860K
200$ more paying for Intel logo as you wish

 

[upstate_luke]

Wow, I didn't realize the price difference would be that large. If I go with the AMD build, what type of RAM would I need to avoid adjusting the settings that you mentioned?

Thanks for the help.

 

[DeathRabit]

Ram for this AMD CPU http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl9d8gbsr

No need and adjust
hm... they cost only 7 $ more

Anyway Overclocking this CPU is easy
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/amd_athlon_860k_black_edition_cpu_review/2

Summary:
Go up to 4.5GHz using the CPU multiplier add +0.03V, this will vary from CPU to CPU. *( you can more 4.5Ghz is on stoock cooler
Boost Northbridge to 2GHz change + 0.04V.

 

[Karadjgne]

So, you need :

Cpu
Motherboard
Ram
Hdd
Case

I'm assuming you will reuse the keyboard and mouse, monitor. If you reuse the case, what size/make/model is it, because if it's slim, mini itx etc, none of the above will work
You can reuse both the gpu and psu, if your kids will be ok with the games they currently play, if they are after something newer and more demanding, that's gonna hurt the pocket, typically the gpu is the single most expensive component in a pc designed primarily to run games.

What about OS. If you are using a 32bit (x86) copy of Windows, you will be limited to 4Gb of ram, which for win7 or win8 is gonna hurt performance as newer games can use upto @6Gb of ram, with Windows alone sacking out @1.5Gb, so a 64bit (x64) OS is advisable for any newer pc.

If your current ram is ddr3 it's possible to reuse it, if it's ddr2, it needs new.

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

For a $500 or under you would be better off going with an AMD machine.
Here's a suggestion:
CPU: FX-8350 $179
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 $99 (On sale on Newegg for $82 w/ additional $10 rebate)
RAM: GSKILL Ripjaws 2x4GB $66 (also on sale on Newegg right now for $59 + $5 off with promo code)
SSD: Patriot Blaze 60GB $39
HDD: Use HDD from previous system if possible, as it will have the OS on it (by the way, SATA II and SATA III are compatible) or buy 1TB WD Blue $54
Case: Corsair 200R Mid-Tower $59.99
OS: If not salvageable, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Re-use your power supply, just disconnect all the cords well.
Here are the charts for Crossfire support below;
http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/Crossfire-Chart.aspx
As the M5A97 supports four-way Crossfire, you can buy more compatible cards and still reuse your old one. Your old one on it's own probably could do most games, but I might buy more if you're doing more serious stuff.
If you don't have a salvageable copy of Windows 7 64 bit, then buy a new one. Don't buy 32-bit or Windows 8, as Windows 8 is lame and when Windows 10 comes out all Windows 7 users get free upgrades.

 

[DeathRabit]

Ok lets look on CPU Performance chart http://postimg.org/image/4vyf299cf/
Source: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493307/relative-access-to-execution-throughput-comparison-chart
FX-8350 have worse performance up to 4 Threads by 10% compare to X4 860K
5 threads FX-8350 have 10 % more performance
6 25%
7 45%
8 65%

Most games not using more that 4 Threads but for example Cysis 3 on map Welcome in the Jungle using 16.