I have been doing a lot of research in order to build my first gaming pc (looking to play games like SWTOR, Skyrim, Mass Effect 3 in addition to doing some modding), however I am by no means an expert when it comes to hardware specs and what pieces are compatible.
I am looking to spend no more than $500 ($400 if possible) on the tower as the OS (Windows 7) along with peripherals is an additional $130-$200 to my knowledge.
I have put together a list of some possible parts and their prices, although better/cheaper alternatives or cheaper prices for the same part would be great to know about!
CPU:
Intel i3 2100 ($125) vs AMD FX Zambezi-4100 ($110) vs AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition ($125)
Video Card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 550 TI ($140 - $20 rebate = $120) vs Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 ($135)
RAM:
Corsair Vengeance 4GB ($25) vs G.Skil Ripjaws 4GB ($25)
Motherboard:
ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ Socket ($64!!) vs MSI 970A-G45 AMD 9 Series ($110) vs GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 ($160)
Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 500GB ($85)
Optical Drive:
Sony Optiarc 24x DVDRW Drive ($18)
Case:
NZXT M59 Gaming Mid Tower ($50) vs Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 ($50) (Looks mean nothing to me, as long as parts fit into the case, as cheap as possible, then best cable management)
Power Supply:
Cooler Master Elite Series 460 Watts ($40) vs Corsair Builder Series CX600 (600W) ($50) vs Corsair CX500 ($50)
I don't know about the necessity of a sound card.
Also any peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, headsets) would be appreciated, although I plan on going to best buy or something to get the cheapest mouse & keyboard I can and using my tv as a monitor if possible as I am living in a college dorm so once less monitor is good for both money and space.
Thanks a lot!
I am looking to spend no more than $500 ($400 if possible) on the tower as the OS (Windows 7) along with peripherals is an additional $130-$200 to my knowledge.
I have put together a list of some possible parts and their prices, although better/cheaper alternatives or cheaper prices for the same part would be great to know about!
CPU:
Intel i3 2100 ($125) vs AMD FX Zambezi-4100 ($110) vs AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition ($125)
Video Card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 550 TI ($140 - $20 rebate = $120) vs Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 ($135)
RAM:
Corsair Vengeance 4GB ($25) vs G.Skil Ripjaws 4GB ($25)
Motherboard:
ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ Socket ($64!!) vs MSI 970A-G45 AMD 9 Series ($110) vs GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 ($160)
Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 500GB ($85)
Optical Drive:
Sony Optiarc 24x DVDRW Drive ($18)
Case:
NZXT M59 Gaming Mid Tower ($50) vs Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 ($50) (Looks mean nothing to me, as long as parts fit into the case, as cheap as possible, then best cable management)
Power Supply:
Cooler Master Elite Series 460 Watts ($40) vs Corsair Builder Series CX600 (600W) ($50) vs Corsair CX500 ($50)
I don't know about the necessity of a sound card.
Also any peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, headsets) would be appreciated, although I plan on going to best buy or something to get the cheapest mouse & keyboard I can and using my tv as a monitor if possible as I am living in a college dorm so once less monitor is good for both money and space.
Thanks a lot!