jmrizzi926

Honorable
Jun 20, 2012
1
0
10,510
Hi all,

I am new to building PC's and I am looking to build the best possible gaming PC with a budget of $600. I will admit that I have almost no knowledge when it comes to PC hardware, and could really use some advice.


Approximate Purchase Date: July 8th

Budget Range: $500-$600 Before or After rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet, using Office

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: microcenter.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I would like to use an Intel PC (other than this, no preferences...)

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Not sure what this is (sorry) so maybe

Monitor Resolution:1280x1024

Additional Comments: I want the PC to be able to handle games like Skyrim, Diablo 3, and Mass Effect 3 with no problem. Also I would ideally like a quiet PC.

I hope someone can help--and I apologize for the (extreme) lack of knowledge here.

Thank you.

 

skaughtz

Distinguished
Sep 7, 2011
78
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18,640
CPU - Pentium G620 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116399 - $64
MB - Biostar B75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138357 - $78
GPU - HIS Radeon HD 6850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161363 - $150 ($10 Mail-in rebate)
SSD - Crucial M4 128GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529 - $125
RAM - G.Skill 2x4GB 1333mhz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311 $44
PSU - Antec Earthwatts 500W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 - $60
Optical - ASUS DVD-RW - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 - $21
Case - Antec 300 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 - $58

That's $600 on the nose after shipping, with a $10 rebate. Quality parts and a system that should be sable to run most newer games near topettings. You won't have the option for Crossfire in the future, but for a $600 gaming rig I'm not sure that you can do much better.
 

motorneuron

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Dec 8, 2011
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In such a small price window, I would not spend $125 on an SSD as the main drive. Just get a single 1 TB or even 500 GB hard drive, which can easily be about $80 for a decent one. The SSD is hardly the most important part of the computer--the CPU and GPU are wayyyyy more important. With that savings, you can get a core i3-2100 at least, which is a far better chip than the Pentium.

You can also save a few bucks by getting only 4GB of RAM for now. That is standard in sub-$600 builds. You really don't *need* 8 GB; it's just what people get when they have the extra $20.

For the GPU, you should use http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521 instead of skaught'z suggestion--it's a 6870, which is significantly faster than the 6850, but it's also $140 post-rebate.
 

skaughtz

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Sep 7, 2011
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You could get a 500W Diablotek PSU for $25 and save some money, but I prefer the rest of the components in my system to be of good quality. Oh well. To each their own.

If you aren't doing data storage, an SSD is a huge performance upgrade over an HDD. 128GB is necessary if it is your main drive and you will be storing games on it. The Crucial M4 line is reliable and fast.

In my experience, most people tend to overestimate their needs. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people who buy an i5-2500k will never come close to utilizing its potential. I think a Pentium G620 would be perfect for your price range.

Your call. Good luck.
 

loops

Distinguished
Jan 6, 2012
801
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19,010
Newegg (note use of combos) Over by 28 but MIR bring it under 600.

1

NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146075
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$39.99
1

LEPA B550-SA 550W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817194102
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$69.99
1

---comb0---
SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (OC Edition)
Item #: N82E16814102987
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGD38G1333ELK
Item #: N82E16820220557
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$50.00 Instant
-$10.00 Combo
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$292.98
$232.98
1

AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon - OEM
Item #: N82E16800995114
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$49.99 Saving


$49.99
$0.00
1

AMD Gift - Battlefield 3 coupon
Item #: N82E16800995118
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$59.99 Saving


$59.99
$0.00
1

---comb0---
BIOSTAR TZ77B LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #: N82E16813138352
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
-$15.00 Combo


$199.98
$154.98
1

----comb0---
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
Item #: N82E16819115077
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$2.00 Instant
-$11.00 Combo


$143.98
$130.98
Subtotal: $628.92 (-30 MIR)

This comes with 2 free games BF3 one of them. Given you small monitor you could drop down in gpu and gun for an i5. Skip SSDs at this price range. If you have to stick to 600 before MIR skip the 6950 combo w/ ram and just get 4 gigs of ram for now (2x2) like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148541

Here is an idea of the performance you may get: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-gaming-pc-overclock,3159-18.html
 

loops

Distinguished
Jan 6, 2012
801
0
19,010
Here is another build that moves you up to an i5 and the gpu should still do right given you monitor:

1

NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146075
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$39.99
1

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136769
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$84.99
$74.99
1

HIS H687FN1GD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814161389
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


$169.99
$159.99
1

AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon - OEM
Item #: N82E16800995114
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$49.99 Saving


$49.99
$0.00
1

Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817371035
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$35.00 Instant


$89.99
$54.99
1

Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT2G3D1339DS1S00
Item #: N82E16820148541
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy


$24.99
1

ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157314
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$79.99
1

Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
Item #: N82E16819115076
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
1 year: $16.99 INCLUDED


$179.99
Subtotal: $614.93 (just add a cheap optical for 16-17 bucks)


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097-14.html
Here is an idea of how this rig may work ^