I want to build an AMD gaming computer.

[rbil415]

I am looking at building an AMD gaming system soon. By my figuring, I keep coming up with the 550 to 700 dollar amount. The problem I am having is I keep seeing these barebones systems at tigerdirect and newegg that have most of the parts I want for much cheaper than I can buy them. Either I dont like the motherboard or the case....Any experience with these systems? Also, I have been keeping an eye on dell outlet site for refurb computers and laptops. They occasionally have desktops with i7 cpu, 8GB ram, 1 TB hardrive and a 1gb gt 640 GPU for around 395 to 500 bucks. One is an x51 and the other is an XPS 8500 model I believe. would it be worth the money to buy one of these and hold off building? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[axehead15]

I would go with the building. You can use quality parts in your build, whereas Dell would use crap parts to lower the price. Plus, if you do it yourself, you will be able to troubleshoot any problems.

 

[Guest]

Barebone systems are really ripping people off

 

[rbil415]

I figured as much, I'm just having a hard time figuring what MB and processor I need to run the latest games and some of the future games coming out soon. I can always upgrade the video card down the line or the processor. I figure I will get a better MB and then the other two can still be upgraded down the line without having to redo the whole build. I think I may start with an SSD drive as well and then add a 1TB drive soon.

 

[axehead15]

Get an AM3+ motherboard. The FX processors are great, if you can afford them. If you have a super super tight budget and need to get other components, then get the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. It's a good budget gaming AMD processor. This gives you more money for a video card.

 

[JDFan]

Problem with the barebone deals is they almost always include some lower spec parts that you would not select if purchasing to build a system (ie. Low Spec Ram modules that are high latency or high voltage - Low end HDDs - MOBOs which lack features or are stripped down (ie. 2 RAM slots instead of 4 - fewer SATA slots,USB ports,etc. ) - Cases that lack cooling or have fewer\smaller fans - Power supplies made by poor manufacturers that overstate the actual output - etc. etc.. Figure they bundle them in order to get rid of old stock that they can not sell by itself so you wind up with a system that has decent specs but poor actual performance and stability in many cases. So if purchasing one be sure to check every piece and see if it is actually a deal or just a bundle of old excess stock they can't sell any other way !!

 

[Guest]

Go to http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ and try play around with configuration.

I would suggest starting with FX8120 or FX6100 and a $140 AM3 mobo, and then choose your ssd and ram, and see how much you are left for the others. Then figure out your GPU and power. If you don't go watercooling, case is the last thing to consider.

 

[rbil415]

Thanks for the tips and experience, I appreciate all the support I can get. That's kind of what I was coming up with, Nicer MB and power supply and the rest will fall into place. Processor prices are already dropping since I have been looking. I already have 4 GB of ram, I will add maybe 4 or 8 more. I'm going to go cheaper on the GPU for the moment, I cant buy any games anyway right now. I just need to get a decent starting point and then add as time goes on.
I used to always build my own system, but that was a few years back. I was really getting frustrated at all the new games coming out. i never really could afford all the newest graphic cards at the time and the new games always required more than what i had. I think the thing most of us getting into building a system overlook, is that current games will run on some of the cheaper older cards. May not be the best and highest settings, but they will play.
That's partly why I got lost in the XBOX 360 crowd, anytime a new game came out, I could always play it. I hate the gamepad though, I miss my mouse and keyboard and the PC gameplay. So, I'm getting back to it....

 

[axehead15]

Go to http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ and try play around with configuration.

I would suggest starting with FX8120 or FX6100 and a $140 AM3 mobo, and then choose your ssd and ram, and see how much you are left for the others. Then figure out your GPU and power. If you don't go watercooling, case is the last thing to consider.

Do NOT get an AM3 mobo. Get an AM3+ mobo. It can use AM3 processors if you have to, but AM3+ is the newer standard, if you go with a plain AM3 mobo, you will be outdated sooner

 

[amdfish]

recently I just built an amd computer. total cost was about $800 (including operating system)
ocz 750 fatal1ty psu
matrix 5870 platinum
crosshair iv extreme mb
965 phenom ii x4
180gb vertex 2 ssd
8gb tactical tracer ram

the parts are old I know but I just needed another computer for lan stuff. however the thing is lightning fast and even with the 5870 im hitting ultra on skyrim and bf3 with no lag. so it might be worth checking out some of these parts, you could even go with a 600w psu too which might shave some more $$ of the total cost.