$750 new build for light gaming

[kasm]

Hi a friend of mine is looking at building a budget PC for light gaming and general office and browsing. Nothing fancy. (prices are in Canadian $)

He has an optical drive (lite-on 20x) he will be reusing. Here is his initial list:

CPU
$160 - e4300 Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86Ghz

Motherboard
$ 80 - ABIT SG-95
$118 - ABIT IB9
$107 - Asus P5GC-MX

Video Card
$128 - EVGA - Geforce 7600GT 128

Memory
$120 - 2Gb Corsairs TwinX 667

HDD
$100 - Seagate 320Gb baraccuda SATA

Case
???

Power Supply
$ 60 - 450W

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[minsonngo]

Go with the regular ASUS P5B motherboard.

The video card you picked out is fine for light to moderate gaming.

With the Corsair memory you picked out... 667MHz is fine... but look for the Corsair ValueSelect line up... they work great and if you don't plan on overclocking... it will be more than enough... it will save you some money too so you can invest it in another part of the system

The case is up to you or your friend. Cases are picked according to your own preferences... just as long as it fits ATX motherboards you will be fine.


Power Supply... just pick one out with more than 450watts or so and you will be fine. Make sure it is ATX 2.x (x can be any number) and make sure it is a good brand. Antec, Corsair, OCZ, FSP, Sparkle, Enermax, and Seasonic are all good brands to look for.

[Alaron]

If the P5B is too much for your budget (its around $150CAD), check out the P5L-MX. A great budget board for Core 2 Duo systems. Its around $105CAD: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=ASUS

[kasm]

Thanks for the recommendations on the Mobo and PS. GReat points. I myself have the P5B and like it.

Here is an updated list

Motherboard
Asus P5B-VM SE Socket 775 Intel G965 DDR2 533/667/800 - $126 (123)
Asus P5B Socket 775 Intel P965 DDR2 533/667/800 - $142 (139)

Video Card
BFG Geforce 7600 GT 256Mb - $119 (116)
EVGA Geforce 7600 GT 256Mb - $128

Memory
2Gb Corsairs DDR2 PC2-5300 667Mhz Value Select 2GB Kit 240 pin - $90 (88)

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Socket LGA775, 1.8 GHz, 800 MHz FSB - $145 (142)
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Socket LGA775, 2.0 GHz, 800 MHz FSB - $172 (168)

HDD
Seagate Baracuda 320Gb SATA - $97 (95)

Case
???

Power Supply
Thermaltake 430W Power Supply (W0070RUC) $45

Fan
Silverstone 120mm 9-Blades Sleeve Bearing Case Fan $9

[Alaron]

That list is solid aside from the PSU. That particular model Thermaltake doesn't have the dual 12V rails that new builds need. This Fortron is a popular model that is great quality: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...anufacture=FSP

Since you're still looking for a case, check out the Antec Sonata III. Comes with an excellent 500w PSU.

[minsonngo]

And... you probably shouldn't pick out a case fan before picking your case... the case may not have the mounting holes for the size fan you pick out...


Plus... most cases come with fans already... you don't really need extra fans... it just adds more noise to your system.

[kasm]

Originally Posted by Alaron That list is solid aside from the PSU. That particular model Thermaltake doesn't have the dual 12V rails that new builds need. This Fortron is a popular model that is great quality: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...anufacture=FSP Since you're still looking for a case, check out the Antec Sonata III. Comes with an excellent 500w PSU.

What a coincidence. My friend had just decided to go with the Sonata III with the built in PS.

Great minds think alike! Thanks for you suggestions.

[jer888]

he may want to spend 30 more on the video card and get DX10 compatibility. Starting at the end of this year, and especially next year more and more games will be DX10

EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail