Budget Gaming Computer

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Hughes11

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I'm looking to build a new computer for my fiance and I. I'm going to build hers first and then eventually probably do the same one for me in the future. We both play wow and would like to build something that can run it on Ultimate settings with 60+ fps most of the time. Our budget is around $300 dollars, and anything less would be awesome :) Please help a couple of cheap students out and hook us up with a nice gaming rig that can fly on WoW and run other games in the future.

I made this build, but I'm already at the top of my budget with no case or power supply. I might have a case and a power supply already, but I want new ones instead of having to use the old ones. I'll try to use the old ones if it's just too expensive.


Cart Item List:

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

$49.99
1

BIOSTAR A880G+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

$64.99
1

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

$18.99
1

HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

$64.99
1

AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

$99.99

Grand Total: $298.95


This will be the first computer I've ever built, so any help/suggestions would be awesome. Just comment on the build I have already or just a whole new build would be great.

Thanks in advance,
Jake
 
Solution
ScrewySqrl
It's a little over your budget at $350, but this system will do gaming fine at 1440x900, and could handle 1600x900 with a few lowered settings:


ASRock 760GM-GS3 AM3 AMD 760G MicroATX AMD Motherboard : $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157215
its an older chipset, but has a 5200 HT. The crappy Onboard won't matter, and AS Rock has a good reputation and handles core unlock and overclock well.

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz: $71.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103920
It's slower than a 440 or 450, but trims a bit of money. A light overclock should make it match at least a 450's 3.2 GHz on the stock cooler.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)...
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Sequences

Sequences

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I think you forgot the PSU. I would suggest looking on newegg for combo deals for mobo/cpu/psu.

I think a 500W psu would be enough to power your system.

edit: and probably a case, too.
 
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mosox

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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

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It's a little over your budget at $350, but this system will do gaming fine at 1440x900, and could handle 1600x900 with a few lowered settings:


ASRock 760GM-GS3 AM3 AMD 760G MicroATX AMD Motherboard : $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157215
its an older chipset, but has a 5200 HT. The crappy Onboard won't matter, and AS Rock has a good reputation and handles core unlock and overclock well.

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz: $71.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103920
It's slower than a 440 or 450, but trims a bit of money. A light overclock should make it match at least a 450's 3.2 GHz on the stock cooler.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory: $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396
simple and basic.

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM : $17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
There are others that are a dollar or two cheaper, but this one is free shipping.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive: $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395
a decent 500 GB drive

PowerColor AX4830 512MD3 Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card: $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381
Its old (3 generations old now) and Direct X 10 only, but should handle the MMOs with little difficulty at 1440x900, possibly 1600x900.

XIGMATEK ACXTNRP-PC402 400W ATX12V Ver.2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply : $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815007
the Xigmatek 400 got a solid review here on Tom's back in October, hitting an amazing 675W load, 60% over spec.

Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case : $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147112
a simple case with no frills, but it will do the job, and it's cheap. The Xigmatek Asgard II is also a possibility, as is the R-102.

the total right now is $349.88

an alternate video card for the same price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131355
 
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Solution
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Hughes11

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I really appreciate all the help you guys have given me. I've come up with this new build.
37in LCD HDTV

A 500 gig hard drive I already have with vista on it.

Old Lenovo case (not sure if everything will fit?)

500w psu I already have on an older computer

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM : $17.99

XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $46 after rebates

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory $39.99

BIOSTAR TA880GB+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard and AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor bundled for $157

Now I'm just wondering if this will run WoW on highest settings at 60+ fps on 1440x900 most likely, and whether or not all this stuff will fit together to make a sound pc. Please let me know if any of my decisions are bad ones as it will save me money and time. Again, this is the first computer I've ever built, so I don't know every single component I may need, or whether the components I've chosen will work together to effectively.

Thanks for all the help so far, looking to order the whole set up tomorrow and have it at my house ready for me to TRY to set up Friday :D



 
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imaurer269

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What brand/make PSU do u have? HDD a SATA drive? Make sure the case you have supports micro ATX motherboards. If your case can hold a regular ATX board I would go with either of these over the Biostar board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128451&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL030811&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL030811-_-EMC-030811-Index-_-AMDMotherboards-_-13128451-L07C
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176
Not a big fan of Biostar myself, used a couple in cheaper builds they do their job but don't really like the BIOS on them.

Read up on a review also:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793.html

I've never played WoW so not sure what cards do better, think the new expansion offers directX 11 so it might be worth it to grab a newer card like the HD 5670/5770 or a GTX 460. Also think you might be better off getting a Phenom II X2 or Athlon II X3, pretty sure WoW dosen't use more than 2-3 cores.

 
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Hughes11

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The brand of the PSU in the old dell I have is Antec, and It's 500w. I believe it's a 500gb SATA II. My case is about 14in tall and 16in long, and my motherboard that came with the lenovo is about 9.6 x 9 so I'm not sure what motherboard would fit my computer and the rest of the stuff I'm getting as well. Will I need a micro for how small of a case I have?

I've decided on http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103920 for the processor. Triple core should be plenty and it cuts back on some of the costs. Biggest concern right now is getting a motherboard, processor, ram, and graphics card that all work together.

I also decided that I'll stick with the Radeon 4850 as it should be plenty to run everything she'll need.
 
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imaurer269

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Should be good with the Antec PSU and the HDD, sounds like the Lenovo fits micro ATX boards, is it a prebuilt system? If so the model number would help determining the board that came with it was a micro size.
 
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imaurer269

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Hmm that is a tiny case def a micro ATX. I think you could reuse it but airflow and heat could be an issue I've read the 4850 can run hot. If you can budget it something like this would be a much better option for a case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146041 Under $25 after rebate

That case would also allow you to go with a ATX or micro ATX mobo. Any of these micro ATX boards should work in your current case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007625%20600009017&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=22|13-130-295^13-130-295-TS%2C13-131-619^13-131-619-TS%2C13-138-283^13-138-283-TS%2C13-138-301^13-138-301-TS

If you get the new case you could choose from those above or could go with one of the two boards I mentioned earlier.

Any 2x2GB 1333 DDR3 memory should be fine also.
 
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Hughes11

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Just looked at the case specs again, and it turns out that I need a case under 15in tall to fit under my tv in my tv stand. I've been looking for a budget, quality case under 15 inches, but just can't find one.

Everything is pretty much in place though, here's my final set up, barring a case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150482
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231394
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103886

Thanks for all your help guys, and If someone can find a case under 15 inches that would fit everything in it (and preferably not look like it's from the 90s, lol) that's under $40 it would really make my day.
 
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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

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try this case on for size, the Coolermaster Elite 360 is a mid-tower case designed to be laid on its side. It has space for 2x 3.5" drives, 2x 5.25" Drive, a full ATX power supply (which actually sits in the front) and is only 5.8" high:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119195&
 
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Hughes11

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One more question then I'm done, lol. Is the Radeon HD 4850 sufficient for WoW and maybe some newer games as well? I know it runs DirectX 10, but would something running DirectX 11 like a Radeon HD 5570 be a better fit for my needs?

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions, I've pretty much built my computer off of them
 
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Hughes11

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Just thought I'd come on here and give an update on how the system is running. After everything got to the house and I built it, It ran like a dream (and still is). It plays WoW at 50+ fps at all times on Ultra while multitasking. It can even run more than one WoW at more than 40 fps on each. It's awesome and I wanted to thank you guys for giving me the build.

It ended up being about $250 to build it, and I couldn't be happier.
 
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Hughes11

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VGA XFX| HD-485X-ZNFC 1G RT

DVD BURNER LITE-ON | IHAS124-04 % - OEM

CPU AMD|ATH II X3 450 3.2G AM3 RT

MB MSI| 880GM-E41 880G R

MEM 2Gx2|GSKILL F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS

ended up using the old case as well
 
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