Looking for cheap gaming PC

[ruboxxx]

Howdy all! I've been playing WoW for about 4-5 years now. In the whole time I've played I've been actually playing on a laptop not meant for gaming purposes. As expansions came out I've noticed that my computer has had to work alot harder which is a given. What I'm looking to do is possibly either build my own PC or to buy a pre-assembled PC for gaming purposes mainly. Right now, the laptop I run wow on can barely even handle running around in the game let alone doing anything else. The specs are really terrible.

- 2ghz processor
- 1gb Ram
- Don't even think my graphics card itself has any onboard memory.

I'm looking to run Wow in high to ultra settings. Money is kind of tight at the moment as I just lost my job, but I do have alittle nest egg saved up to cover some bills while I collect unemployment to get a new job.

I'm mainly looking to get a whole combo as for the monitor, Win 7, tower, etc.

I'm working with 700 dollars, I don't know if I can build my own computer or find a pre-assembled one for that cheap or even cheaper if possible.

I've never actually built my own computer before I've only upgraded like some small parts in a old computer that I had. The thought of it scares me, because I hear all the horror stories of people's PC's blowing up because the components weren't compatible or got too hot. So that's why I came to you experts, hoping that you could lead me in the right direction of building a pretty solid PC. If you need any other info, let me know. Thanks for any input!

 

[Why_Me]

You never stated what your screen resolution was.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Black-Plastic-Computer-VL80001W2Z/dp/B002Q2M8KK/ref=sr_1_18?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1301527089&sr=1-18 $39.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Thermaltake V3 Black Edition SECC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case VL80001W2Z (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-BP500U-500W-Power-Supply/dp/B000H9KRY8/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1301527226&sr=1-8 $50.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec BP500U ATX 12V 500W Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.619743 Combo Discount: -$11.99 Combo Price: $262.99
Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52300
ASRock H67M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226092 $41.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 996768

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1301527679&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.5 inch Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive HD103SJ

http://www.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1301527309&sr=1-1 $22.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Bla

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-Twin-Frozr-SOC/dp/B00469WUAO/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1301527955&sr=1-6 $149.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI Geforce 460GTX 768 MB DDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card Twin Frozr II SOC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $728.88

 

[ruboxxx]

Sorry I didn't state what resolution that I was aiming for. To tell you the truth Idk lol, right now I'm running on 800x600 and to many it would seem really shitty, but to me it seems fine. I do have a DVD drive that I could scavaged out of a old computer of mine, so I prolly wouldn't need that. But I'll check out what you posted. Thanks again man!

 

[HPrometheus]

Well as far as prebuilds go, there are some HP's that do more than just pull the weight of Cataclysm and some of the other expansions.

First try this:
Desktop HPE-500z get the [2GB DDR3 AMD Radeon HD 6570 [DVI, HDMI. VGA adapter] upgrade here => http://goo.gl/lrLt1 Under $700 and will blast WoW

Laptop DV7T 1GB DDRD3 ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors => http://goo.gl/02Bzw

Enjoy

 

[zooted]

Do you require an os? a monitor?

 

[ruboxxx]

As for laptops, I'm trying to steer clear of them, that's what I have now and from my experience I will never buy another. I'll check those out though, and zooted yea I need both a OS and monitor.

 

[HPrometheus]

Do you require an os? a monitor?

Desktop does need a monitor.

 

[Dyers Eve]

As far as prebuilds go I am liking the $479.99 Hp p6770t series. It is an i3 2100 cpu and 4gb of RAM and os/hdd/psu/case and all that jazz you need for a computer. http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&a1=See+all&v1=series&series_name=p6770t_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/All_desktop_series/p6770t_series

However this leaves you $220 for a video card + monitor. You can get a LCD 20" for $110 but that leaves you with only $110 left on the GPU while you really want to grab a $150 6850 or 460 gtx. Eek! If you build it yourself I think you can make your own i3 or Phenom x4 system for maybe 400 and have more room for a better GPU.

 

[Subidoo]

I agree with Dyers, the Hp would be a Great prebuild. If you could somehow scrounge up a little more and get the 460 since WoW seems to be Nvidia friendly more so, or even the 6850 would be good as well, that should make you a happy gamer.

 

[batuchka]

As for laptops, I'm trying to steer clear of them, that's what I have now and from my experience I will never buy another. I'll check those out though, and zooted yea I need both a OS and monitor.

Just use the excellent


Tom's March 2011 $500 SBM
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc-phenom-ii-radeon-hd-6850,2903-9.html


as a guide/starting point