Gaming pc $600 dollar budget

[derek13417]

Hi, i am building a gaming computer for my brother. As i live in Australia the currency is a little different so please be aware of this. He mainly plays minecraft but he would like to be able to play modern warfare 3 and sanctum. thanks

Country:Australia

overclocking:no

AMD or intel: probaly AMD because of cost

Who will build: me to save money and for fun

don't need:monitor, keyboard, mouse just need the actual tower

 

[geekapproved]

Start here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html

I'm seeing 8GB of DDR3 going for as low as $20. Also the video card price has come down to $160 ($140 w/rebate). (USA)

If you want crossfire/sli ability later on go with this mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

If you want to go a cheaper AMD route:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130630

Yes I realize your in Australia.

 

[derek13417]

Thanks although I am a little skeptikal of as rock and msi mobo's the msi mobo looks half decent. and I think that that cpu should be pretty good so

cpu:AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $119.99
PSU:Antec high current gamer $79
Antec 300 Three-Hundard Gaming Tower without PSU $59
GPU:Gigabyte GTX 550ti $134.99
RAM:G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR $43.99
HDD:Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $84.99
disk drive:SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM $23.99
mobo:MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $54.99
TOTAL:698.95


does this look all good and compatible^^^^^

 

[Noodletoe]

I'm guessing you need a new hard drive as well? Any chance your brother has an old one he can use until prices come down? It looks like it will really cut into your budget if not, just a thought...

 

[derek13417]

yeah i could probaly scab one off someone, but do you know if the old type of harddrives can be converted to a sata port?

 

[Noodletoe]

Yeah they are about $20 though (IDE to SATA adapter)

 

[geekapproved]

Don't be skeptical of Asrock. Asrock was born from Asus, the boards and bios have very similiar features, are high quality and are very highly rated. They are able to sell them cheaper because they only give you 2yr warranty. But your not going to need to worry about the warranty.

I love mine.

 

[Noodletoe]

I've used the Antec 300 case, recently build a computer for a friend using the Coolermaster HAF 912, I found the 912 to be much a nicer case (not basing on looks), and only about $10 more.
Also suggest going with intel, even at that price point. The i3 gen2 will be better for gaming than the FX-4100 as far as I know.
CPU: Core i3-2120 - $129.99
MOBO: ASUS P8H61-M LX - $64.99
GPU: HD 6850 - $139
CASE: HAF 912 - $59.99
RAM: G.SKILL Value Series $34.99
Optic: LG 22X $15.99
IDE to SATA adapter: $14.99
PSU: Antec 550BP $69.99
Total $516
Probably alot more in AUS though...

 

[Noodletoe]

go for i5-2400 if you can afford it, prices here look pretty good:
http://www.mwave.com.au/category.asp?ST=Basic&CartID=mAU@GZCX2GLEZWWVYOKO9SITVXS9TF41S7ZT3BYYPGYFNWCOEH&CatID=1901&SEARCH=SEARCH&minPrice=&maxPrice=&txtKeywords=&32875=All&34400=All&32892=All&32874=48201&sortBy=price_asc

 

[Noodletoe]

or i5-2300...

 

[Cam_Durack]

Yes that's looks like a pretty good build. I have the FX-4100 and when I play Minecraft I average around 100fps+.

 

[geekapproved]

Remember the cpu doesn't matter that much with a single high end graphics card. It's when you get 2 or more cards that the cpu matters.

The 4100 will run just fine for gaming and it overclocks very well. The i3 is good but you may find yourself in trouble in games that require 4 cores. I've heard people saying i3's aren't performing well in BF3 Multi-player.

If you got the extra money though, and you don't want to overclock, definitely go with the i3-2400/2500. The 2300 is a bit slower.

 

[derek13417]

yeah i've got a 912 HAF advanced and it keeps my beast soo cool. And i am buying it for my little brother and i am a cyclist without a job so i dont have much money.......

 

[derek13417]

this is where i buy my parts i prefer allneeds because there not complete dicks with customer service but whatever is cheaper

http://www.msy.com.au/
http://www.allneeds.com.au/

 

[derek13417]

case:Coolermaster HAF RC-912 ADVANCED $101
mobo:Gigabyte GA-970A-D3, AMD970 + SB950, AM3+, 4x DDR3, 7.1 CH, GbLAN, SATA3, USB3.0, ATX Form Factor $105
CPU: AMD AM3+ x6 FX-6100 3.1Ghz Boxed CPU $176
case:Antec Three Hundred 300 Tower Gaming Case $59
RAM:Corsair 4GB CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 (1x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Unbuffered CL 9 DIMM Vengeance Performance Memory Module for AMD and Intel platforms $40
GPU:Gigabyte GTX550Ti OC PCI-E 1GB 192 bit DDR5, Core: 1940MHz / 4200MHz, HDMI (by Adapter), DP, mini HDMI, mini DP, DVI, D-Sub (by Adapter).$150
psu:520W "Antec" High Current Gamer Power Supply, 80 PLUS Bronze, 135mm fan, High Current +12V rail(s), 2x PCI-E, 6x SATA, 6x Molex $80
disk drive:Samsung DVD RW Dual Layer SATA $19
TOTAL:$732

thats what i could get for aus dollars but that s still without a hard drive. Can you guys have a look at msy and allneeds and maybe see where i can cut costs maybe with cpu or psu?

 

[geekapproved]

You don't want a 4x1GB ram kit cause then all your slots are full and you can't ever upgrade to more. Get either 2x4GB or 2x2GB. 2X4GB kits are going for as low as $20-30 after rebate here in USA.

I already gave suggestions to cut costs on cpu and motherboard.