System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $500 Gaming PC

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Aren't the values of the overclocked systems already shown on the charts? The ones with "O/C" in there names I think...

 
Its actually a shame to see that the prices in the United States are not directly comparable to the prices in other parts of the world. I mean the same Build here would cost around $650.
 
[citation][nom]jaideep1337[/nom]Its actually a shame to see that the prices in the United States are not directly comparable to the prices in other parts of the world. I mean the same Build here would cost around $650.[/citation]

I find that it's usually not too far off for most countries. Substitute a few similarly performing components for better priced ones where you live and you can probably get it at least down to around $550.
 

Clocked the same, the 2GB version should perform as good (or better if/when your games/settings exceed a 1GB frame buffer). Just remember there are no guarantees, so don't just tune in Tom's settings and hope all is stable. Work you way up slowly and stability test... use good OC methods. You may find you get better headroom out of yours (higher clocks or less voltage needed for same clocks), or you may find yours tops out earlier. HD 7850s tend to OC very well, but the exact amount is luck of the draw.
 
where and when are you buying these parts? i like this build much better.

Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor - $119.00
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard - $49.99
Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - $31.99
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - $54.99
XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card - $169.99
Apex SK-393-C ATX Mid Tower Case - $24.99
Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply - $35.99
Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer - $14.99
Total - $501.93
 


They get the parts from Newegg.com and probably ordered them a few weeks ago.
 
Will this 500 dollar computor run COD in medium graphics along with similar games well? Also would it be better for games if i Bought the AMD's Radeon HD 7850 with 2gb instead?
 
How will this run COD and BF3 on medium graphics. Also will upgrading to the 2gb graphics card make a big difference.
 
[citation][nom]84714[/nom]Will this 500 dollar computor run COD in medium graphics along with similar games well? Also would it be better for games if i Bought the AMD's Radeon HD 7850 with 2gb instead?[/citation]
Yes, 2gb would help a little, and the 7850 will destroy COD in medium settings. BF3 in high or ultra will be doable, too.
 
Well after a failed attempt to revive an older build. I chose to follow this build, the price is right. The only change i made was to cpu went with the g860 showed up in the best gaming cpu article and i found it cheaper than the g850 listed in the build. Reusing my case and psu. Now just hope nothing is doa.
 
I upgraded a previous Tom's Hardware $800 build (5 years ago) to this one. I added a SSD. Just put it together and just get a black screen and no beeps!!!
 
A week out post build and this thing is tip top. luckily no DOA parts. The games that I play the most auto detected graphics to the max and still getting 10-20 more fps in game and less lag on my end anyway. I find myself waiting for others in a game lobby instead of joining during a coutdown. Temp. with stock cpu with stock cpu cooler is right down the line. Thanks tomshardware for a great build.
 
[citation][nom]drsleep[/nom]I upgraded a previous Tom's Hardware $800 build (5 years ago) to this one. I added a SSD. Just put it together and just get a black screen and no beeps!!![/citation]

If you're still having problems, head on over to the system building forums if you haven't already. You'll undoubtedly be able to get more direct help there than you would get from this article's comments section.
 
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this article was to understand and follow (for a first time builder). I have been wanting to build my own budget gaming PC for awhile, but it's been hard to find any solid information on the subject without getting into the $600+ range.

I know I wont follow this build to the letter, but as a starting off point to give me a baseline to work with it's been very helpful. Actually, I went ahead and added everything in it to my cart on newegg just so I can easily reference the various parts while I search for the best prices and alternative components that make sense for my needs and desires (such as possibly swapping out the, now discontinued, CD/DVD drive for a $30 Blu Ray drive instead (or maybe just going without one for now and buying a external DVD player later).

The biggest change I would probably make (other than going with no optical) would be to look for a smaller, and cheaper, HDD and just add a second HDD later when I got more cash.

Course, I'm more concerned with just getting a baseline system as cheap as I can (without hurting gaming performance) and then upgrading other aspects as and when needed. But still, as is, this build is pretty baseline already, and that's a great thing for people like me.
 
After doing some searching I found the intel for $74.99 while the is $81.99.

Not being a very hardware savy person I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing? It seems, to me, that for a few bucks less you could get a slightly better CPU in the exact same family/line (I understand that this probably wasn't the case when the build was made.. lol).

PS. Forgive me if I somehow screwed up when I created the links =)
 
And.... they didn't even show up rofl... YAY for comment spamming =P

Anyway, to correct it....

After doing some searching I found the intel G860 for $74.99 while the G850 is $81.99.

Both are on newegg.
 
@brafu
Hello there... :)

I assume you're viewing and making comments from the article page. You can edit your comments from the forum page. To get there, you just have to look above the first comment of the article page and look for "Read comments in forums" (or something like that). :) You should find the edit button(s) at the lower-right of each box of your comments. (Tom's should "fix" this and make functionality available on both pages of the same thread.)

As for your CPU question... According to Intel's site the G860 should be exactly the same as the G850, except it's 100MHz (0.10GHz) faster. So it should be a better buy.
As to why Newegg priced them in a counter-intuitive way... It could be that they just have too many G860's lying around or that they haven't noticed the inappropriate prices. I'd say go ahead and buy the G860, if you think it's best (compared to other options).
 
@army_ant7

Ah, thanks for the info in regards to editing my comments. Always useful info to have =)

In regards to the CPU issue..

Personally, I can't see how either is really "better" than the other considering how little difference there is between them. But the G860 is technically better AND cheaper, so for the moment that's the one I'm probably going to go with. Course, that's provided I decide to start buying right now and not wait a month or two and prices don't change too much or other CPU's don't become more desirable.

Right now I'm trying to do my research and figure out how to tell if one motherboard is better positioned to have a reasonably long upgrading future over another. Before I start to buy anything I want to do my best to ensure my build is as upgradable as possible moving forward so I can beef it up as money becomes available.

On that note, if you know of any articles/sites or whatever that could help with that I would be grateful.
 
@brafu
Check the Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: January 2013 article. Tom's Hardware made drastic changes to their budget recommendations, supposedly due to how more modern games are becoming better threaded as well as other graphics technologies that benefit from having a CPU that can handle more threads as opposed to fewer, more powerful cores (at least in the case of dual-core Pentiums vs. quad-core Athlon and Phenom II's, and similar). There may be also more to it, but all that info is to be shown in an upcoming sub-$200 CPU comparison. Maybe you could wait for that before purchasing.

If ever it changes your mind about getting a Pentium, you might also have to choose from a different selection of motherboards (sockets). :)
 
@amy_ants7

Hehe... I was wondering when the next installment would arrive since I figured it would change my choices in hardware =P

Thanks for the heads up.
 
So i have a monitor that gets its power from the pc itself. Now i'm kinda new to computers, so is that an odd thing or is it pretty normal. Also, if i use this build, will it have enough power to power my monitor?
 
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