First Build - Cheap Gaming

[Nothaz]

I'm looking to build something cheap.I was looking around at guides and such and came up with a build that could either work for me, or be a total failure and not even be compatible. You tell me. I need to stay around What I am at now, $370

I will be reusing sound card and dvd drive

This will be displayed on a 22" Vizio Razorled LCD 1080p HDTV via HDMI. <--Already own


CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Hard Drive: Western Digital 7200rpm 160gb
Graphics: Sapphire Radeon HD 5450 100292L
Memory: 4gb Corsair
Case: Gigabyte Cheapo


A local ad from some guy selling a computer says for $300 he'd sell this:

512 Megabyte ATI Radion X1950 PRO video card Intel Core 2 Duo e6300, running at 1.860 Ghz (and not over clocked) Asus p5l-MX motherboard 596 gigs of hard disk space available ethernet card (motherboard ethernet is fried) dvd burner with infra recorder software Avast free antivirus preinstalled 4 gigabytes of memory installed Genuine Windows Vista 64 bit operating system, installer disk is included Genuine 500 watt Antec powersupply (it won't burn out on you)

I wonder if building one would be better, or buying this guys?(Or if his is even a good deal)

[quartet-man]

If you must stay cheap, then an ssd is probably not in the cards even though you are reusing some things. (Are you going to use your current OS?) Besides, Samsung is not a good brand. Get a Western Digital Black if you need another drive. It might not be a bad idea anyhow since we don't know the brand or age of your current drive. I don't think the PSU with the case is good. Don't skimp there or you are asking for trouble.

Looking at this list, try to find out which model the Raidmax has. Here is the list of good PSU manufacturers.

What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside.

[Nothaz]

Originally Posted by quartet-man If you must stay cheap, then an ssd is probably not in the cards even though you are reusing some things. (Are you going to use your current OS?) Besides, Samsung is not a good brand. Get a Western Digital Black if you need another drive. It might not be a bad idea anyhow since we don't know the brand or age of your current drive. I don't think the PSU with the case is good. Don't skimp there or you are asking for trouble. Looking at this list, try to find out which model the Raidmax has. Here is the list of good PSU manufacturers. What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside.

Okay, I'm not seeing how to check if that PSU is from Tagan/Topower or not.

Should I swap the SSD for this Western Digital 160gb 7200rpm one and throw out my old HD completely? It's an old 60gb piece of junk that i'm too lazy to even look at right now. 160Gb would be enough for me for awhile, and I can always buy another one/external, right?

[Nothaz]

Changed it up a bit. Will this run smoothly?

I want play more recent games with good quality. I don't need too intensive graphics though.

[Khalil]

The Radeon 5450 is going to be your problem, it will play most games at very low settings and you are not going to get quality till you move to at least a 6770 or a 5830, quality gaming simply does not come cheap!

[glc]

A $370 gamer is totally unrealistic.

[Nothaz]

I'm not looking for a high quality gaming pc. Maybe I posted this in the wrong thread.

I want a PC that will run better than my old piece of junk, give my 1080p monitor something to look good for, and play some games with decent graphics.

$370 is cheap, but it's better than my old computer.

Is the setup I listed any good for my needs?

[David M]

Two of the professional computer builders/experts here, glc and Khalil have told you that what you are looking for cannot be done at your price.

As I see it, it's not so much a question now of whether or not you can build a decent gamer. It's more a question of if you can build any computer with decent quality parts at your price.

For $370, I would look on Craigslist, garage sales or at Dell's refurbished computer store. Consider an X-Box or PS3 as well, those will give you the ability to game at fair speeds, resolutions and provide you with internet access.

[Nothaz]

So David, are you telling me that the setup i've listed is not good?

Because it is in fact $370, and the components look level with what I am looking for.

I'm not looking for an xbox or ps3 though, as I'm more into computer games.

Instead of simply saying that $370 is "unrealistic" or "cannot be done" can someone just explain what is wrong with the parts i've listed so I can learn something from this?

Also, I don't mean to sound rude, but no one seems to actually be reading the whole OP. It seems you guys see "$370" and stop reading. I asked about a fully built computer for $300. Can someone give me insight on that offer also?

Not trying to be rude, just trying to make a good investment. Hope you guys understand. =P

[glc]

Your setup is missing a power supply and a 5450 is not even close to being a gaming card. You might as well just use the onboard video.

The computer in the ad is not too shabby, but it has a very old video card and I don't think it's worth 300 bucks. It also has an entry level (but good quality) motherboard that can't take much more of a processor upgrade. The fried onboard Ethernet concerns me too.

[jdeb]

fried Ethernet usually indicates overclocking tom-foolery.

[Nothaz]

Originally Posted by glc Your setup is missing a power supply and a 5450 is not even close to being a gaming card. You might as well just use the onboard video. The computer in the ad is not too shabby, but it has a very old video card and I don't think it's worth 300 bucks. It also has an entry level (but good quality) motherboard that can't take much more of a processor upgrade. The fried onboard Ethernet concerns me too.

Haha. Let me check my newegg cart, I know I put a power supply on there.
Edit - Here's the Power supply I had chosen: COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS

The 5450 should run some games at decent quality though? Let me reiterate my point I made earlier: I'm not looking to play the latest games at top settings. Just trying to run games newer than 2003(Literally have no shading on my current set-up).

I'm sick of my slow computer that won't run anything on low settings. Plus my Vizio is begging to be get an upgraded gfx card.

Is this not an okay build that will run some more recent(but not like 2010 visually stunning) games?

Is it even worth investing $370 in?

Without opening my computer I'll try list my current specs:
Mobo - Intel D865GBF
CPU - Celeron(R) 2.6Ghz <--Single Core
HD- A POS Hitachi 60gb 7200rpm LOUD thing
PSU - Codegen 350W
Memory - 1Gb (Don't know make)
Graphics - Onboard(LOL)
Audio - Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

As you can see, I have a POS computer. Was given to me by my parents for free...

[Nothaz]

Also, if I bought a Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 would that help me out? After rebate I can get it for $75.

So...

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Hard Drive: Western Digital 7200rpm 160gb
Graphics: Sapphire Radeon HD 5670
Memory: 4gb Corsair
PSU: Cooler Master Elite 460 RS
Case: Gigabyte Cheap thingy on sale. lol.

That looking any good? Is it worth spending $400 to at least get an upgrade on my crap computer?

[Jbc223456]

I wouldn't get a Cooler Master PSU. I'd look into a 500W Antec or Corsair PSU.

[glc]

if I bought a Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 would that help me out?

DEFINITELY.

You need a PSU with an 8 pin CPU connector. The cheap Coolermaster has one, but I don't recommend it. I'd be more comfortable with this one:

Newegg.com - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W Continuous Power ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

[Nothaz]

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136075
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102870
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145238 or 4Gb Corsair DDR3
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
Case: APEX TX-381-C Black

Up to $435, which is about what I want to spend. My two concerns now are whether I can get a MB upgrade and stay around $450 or if I picked the right one, and if the case I changed to will have enough air circulation and room for the GPU.

What about these MB's?

Super Cheap One
Cheap One
Non-Micro One
Another non-micro/the most I want to spend

I'd have to buy a different case If I went with the last 2. I'm thinking I'd rather not go with a micro anyway though.

So, I'm thinking this as my final build?

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5670
Memory: Corsair 4gb DDR3
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
Case: APEX PC-389-C Black Or was thinking about a nice case - Rosewill Challenger

$460 with the Rosewill. This is the most I will spend(under $500 after shipping).

Is this a pretty complete build for under $500?

[glc]

I would highly recommend you upgrade the hard drive to the 500gb WD Black. After shipping, it's only about $15 more.

I would get a standard ATX case regardless of whether you get a micro or standard board. It will have more room and better cooling.

I would also spend the $20 for a new SATA DVD burner if your old drive is IDE.

[Nothaz]

Finally Finalized(hopefully final).

I think I have it. $3.40 over budget. Is this about the best I can get for $500?

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3
Hard Drive: 640Gb WD Black
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5670
Memory: Corsair 4gb DDR3
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
DVD Drive: Sony Optiarc DVD Burner
Case:Rosewill Challenger

[Nothaz]

I can increase my budget around $100 further due to some extra money coming by.

I was thinking about a SSD or gpu upgrade. I think my current gpu is sufficient though.

Any suggestions on a SSD around $100-150? Or should I use that money for some other upgrade?

[glc]

The $100 would be much better spent on a stronger power supply and video card.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity