BestConfigs - Budget Intel-Based Gaming PC

[gammerx]

I dont even plan on SLI on this build, its really just a starting computer for lighter gaming, I won't be playing crysis 2 on max settings.

What do you think of this?
CPU - i3 2100 $120
GPU - GTX 460 $160
MOBO - ASRock PRO3 $110
RAM - 2x2GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 $40
PSU - Corsair 650W TXV2- $80
Antec 300 or 900 case - $50

$560

 

[mlcaouette]

I dont even plan on SLI on this build, its really just a starting computer for lighter gaming, I won't be playing crysis 2 on max settings.

What do you think of this?
CPU - i3 2100 $120
GPU - GTX 460 $160
MOBO - ASRock PRO3 $110
RAM - 2x2GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 $40
PSU - Corsair 650W TXV2- $80
Antec 300 or 900 case - $50

$560

I just like to keep as many upgrade options as possible open, seems like you are trying to do the same since you're buying p67 instead of a h67. 650 watt is a bit overkill for your build but not enough for sli, so you should either drop down to 500-550w or upgrade to 750w to keep your options open. The CM storm scout is a really nice case, sells for $70 from walmart.com. Have fun with your build!

I noticed that newegg has 4Gb g skill ddr3 1600Mhz on sale for $29.99 with a promo code, check out the email specials on their main page. Also you can use promo code newcustomer10 to save ten bucks on any order over $50, if this is not your first newegg purchase just set up a new account with a different email address. Maybe you should get this M/B and use the promo code I just gave you making it five more than the pro3 one you picked: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL070711&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL070711-_-EMC-070711-Index-_-IntelMotherboards-_-13130582-L02C

 

[ojas]

I'm going to buy a single 560 ti for now and I'm trying to decide what brand/model to get. Tom's recommends the Asus model, do you guys think that's the way to go?

If you'd give any importance to newegg ratings, then the EVGA GTX 560 Ti Superclocked seems to be very popular. Plus it's for $220 after rebate.

 

[gammerx]

the MSI is really that much better? Yeah I'm gonna drop it to a 520-550 range. I like to keep upgrading an option but some people are saying to go with a h61 mobo?

 

[ojas]

personally, reliability-wise i love intel mobos, but then they usually lack 'enthusiast' features, or so it seems from what all i've been reading around here...

i dont know the diff between H61 and H67 really.

 

[ojas]

i don't mean to go off topic, just a quick question: where should i post questions on CPU coolers? Not for overclocking purposes, just generally.

 

[Jarsh]

I dont even plan on SLI on this build, its really just a starting computer for lighter gaming, I won't be playing crysis 2 on max settings.

What do you think of this?
CPU - i3 2100 $120
GPU - GTX 460 $160
MOBO - ASRock PRO3 $110
RAM - 2x2GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1333 $40
PSU - Corsair 650W TXV2- $80
Antec 300 or 900 case - $50

$560

HDD?

EDIT:

Forgot to include my build, not for contest sake, more for actual budget minded readers.

CASE: NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

$35.99


HDD: 2 x Seagate Barracuda ST3160316AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148698

$69.98
($34.99 each)


GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1371-AR GeForce GTX 460 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130566

$165.99


PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

$69.99


RAM: Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148346

$30.99


COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper TX3 RR-910-HTX3-G1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064

$24.99


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

MOBO: MSI P67A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

Combo: $324.98


OPTICAL: ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224

$16.99

Total: $739

Notes:

No plans for SLI,
Don't need 8GB of fancy RAM with heat spreaders.
Hoping to put this build together this weekend if I get my parts in today.

 

[striker410]

i don't mean to go off topic, just a quick question: where should i post questions on CPU coolers? Not for overclocking purposes, just generally.

I think it's acceptable to post here for sure: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-29-183.html

 

[gammerx]

I will be using my current HDD for now

 

[ojas]

I think it's acceptable to post here for sure: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-29-183.html

That's what i thought too, but since 61 ppl have read my question and not a single person answered, i couldn't tell whether it was the right place or no one had an answer...

 

[ojas]

BTW how much over $1000 is acceptable? This is the only build i've posted that's gone over the budget.

 

[Daave12]

Just a helpful hint for those that may not know and i only say this because i see maker of this video using a static bag to lay cpu, board ect, on the static bag but something to keep in mind is that only the inside of the static bag is actually static free, the outside is not, cool video otherwise, nice job.

 

[techo]

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K : $219.99

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard : $129.99

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL : $59.99

Graphics Card: HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity : $259.99

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive : $59.99

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case : $59.99

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power : $109.99 - 15.00 mail in rebate: $ 94.99

DVD Burner: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM: $18.99





Total: $903.99

 

[striker410]

^remove the space between the URL= and the actual URL.

 

[techo]

^remove the space between the URL= and the actual URL.

Thanks I didn't even notice

 

[madchemist83]

Dimitry's "Russians Drink Vodka with Pickles" Budget PC
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $219.99
Motherboard: ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $109.99
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory $34.99
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100314-2SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity $179.99
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $59.99
Case: SIGMA PHANTOM PHANTOM-WB Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99
Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $54.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 $29.49
DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM $19.99

Total comes to $825.19 without shipping
Also you get $20 MIR which will cover shipping

 

[kylejs]

Personal "Budget" Build

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K $219.99

Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) 154.99

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $36.99

Graphics Card: ASUS GTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 $254.99

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD $59.99

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 $54.99

Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-775M 775W $119.99

Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $29.49

DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner $19.99

TOTAL: $951.41 W/out tax and $1020.39 w/tax.

PSU is cheaper on Tigerdirect You might be able to get anything else listed by checking Tigerdirect. For me some things are cheaper due to the tax. I added tax because I live in CA. Tax is not in most other states (that I remember). Also another $30 dollars can be saved with this MB LINK. I personally like the ASRocks one though. I have not really made a build myself. My friend told me I could help him to learn a little, so I did.

I really wanted to know if my PSU is a good one. Not sure if I want to trust newegg reviews. Just decided to do this anyway.

 

[lunyone]

Personal "Budget" Build

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K $219.99

Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) 154.99

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $36.99

Graphics Card: ASUS GTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 $254.99

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD $59.99

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 $54.99

Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-775M 775W $119.99

Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $29.49

DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner $19.99

TOTAL: $951.41 W/out tax and $1020.39 w/tax.

PSU is cheaper on Tigerdirect You might be able to get anything else listed by checking Tigerdirect. For me some things are cheaper due to the tax. I added tax because I live in CA. Tax is not in most other states (that I remember). Also another $30 dollars can be saved with this MB LINK. I personally like the ASRocks one though. I have not really made a build myself. My friend told me I could help him to learn a little, so I did.

I really wanted to know if my PSU is a good one. Not sure if I want to trust newegg reviews. Just decided to do this anyway.

IMHO there are better options for a PSU for your proposed system. I've listed a few to consider below:

$74 - $10 MIRc = $64!! Has 40A on the single 12v rail and 2 x 6+2 PCI-e power connectors!
CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$120 - $10 MIRc = $110 shipped! If you want more PCI-e power connectors, this would be a good one too. It has 52A on the single 12v rail.
CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 (CMPSU-650HX) 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

$70 shipped! Has 48A on the 12v rail.
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$75 shipped! Has 52A on the 12v rails and has 2 x 6 pin and 2 x 6+2 pin PCI-e power connectors too!
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

$95 - $25 MIR = $70!! Has about 60A on the combined 12v rails and comes w/4 x 6+2 PCI-e power connectors!
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

All of these listed above are better deals and will easily run your proposed build. There are other manufacturers too (Seasonic, PC&C, etc.) that make good PSU's too, but I've listed a couple that do good also.

 

[jpishgar]

This topic has been desticky in top of the forum by Jpishgar