Mid range gaming pc for $500- Are these good choices?

[plasticslug]

My brother has a strict budget of no more than $500. He is a WOW player but is looking to try other newer games.

On Newegg my cart reads about $460

Does this build make sense, will it be the most bang for our buck?

BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon II X4 645 Propus 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

XFX HD-555X-ZNF2 Radeon HD 5550 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

ASUS VW195T-P Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

PPA 1417v 4 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3

Pixxo MD-W1G5 Black 1 x Wheel 2.4GHz Wireless Laser Mouse

Pixxo KM-2781U Black USB Wired Standard Multimedia Slim Keyboard
==================================
Alternatives at the same price may include:

Asus M2N68-AM PLUS Motherboard and AMD Phenom X4 9450e Quad-Core Processor Bundle

GeForce 9500 GT Video Card - 1GB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Support, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, VGA Support
==================================

Windows 7 will be purchased at a student price.

Everything below will be parted out:
2x DVD RW
Media Card readers
600w power supply
Network card

[JNev]

If I were you I would take that $40 extra you have and spend a little more on a Video Card. I would probably get this Newegg.com - HIS IceQ H567Q1GD Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity and it is 79.99 after rebate.

[glc]

You don't need a sound card, the motherboard has onboard sound. Put the money into a video card - and a 5670 will play WoW quite nicely.

I prefer Asus to Biostar, but Biostar is not bad for a cheap board.

I'd get Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data ram.

You won't need a network card, the motherboard has it built in.

What brand is that 600w PSU?

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by plasticslug My brother has a strict budget of no more than $500. He is a WOW player but is looking to try other newer games. On Newegg my cart reads about $460 Does this build make sense, will it be the most bang for our buck? BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard AMD Athlon II X4 645 Propus 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor XFX HD-555X-ZNF2 Radeon HD 5550 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ASUS VW195T-P Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor PPA 1417v 4 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 Pixxo MD-W1G5 Black 1 x Wheel 2.4GHz Wireless Laser Mouse Pixxo KM-2781U Black USB Wired Standard Multimedia Slim Keyboard ================================== Alternatives at the same price may include: Asus M2N68-AM PLUS Motherboard and AMD Phenom X4 9450e Quad-Core Processor Bundle GeForce 9500 GT Video Card - 1GB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Support, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, VGA Support ================================== Windows 7 will be purchased at a student price. Everything below will be parted out: 2x DVD RW Media Card readers 600w power supply Network card

That is a nice budget board if you don't mind the placement of the 24 pin power connector. Might be a little weird if you have a bottom mount power supply.

This is the ram I would get, recommended for that board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820134810

That is the board I use for budget or entry level home server. The bios is excellent

[plasticslug]

Originally Posted by glc You don't need a sound card, the motherboard has onboard sound. Put the money into a video card - and a 5670 will play WoW quite nicely. I prefer Asus to Biostar, but Biostar is not bad for a cheap board. I'd get Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data ram. You won't need a network card, the motherboard has it built in. What brand is that 600w PSU?

For the 600W PSU, i will have to check the name, it was a 35-40 unit recently purchased after the old one went out.

Would the AMD Phenom X4 be a better choice than the AMD Athlon II X4?

[glc]

If it's 600 watt and only cost that much, it's probably not too good.

The CPU is not that much of a factor for gaming, the video card is considerably more important.

[plasticslug]

What would you recommended price range/brand for a decent power source... I keep reading that is the most import part of the PC, but to be honest I am not too sure why?

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by plasticslug What would you recommended price range/brand for a decent power source... I keep reading that is the most import part of the PC, but to be honest I am not too sure why?

Because cheap power supplies go out and take everything out with them most of the time and you end up with a dead box.
You don't need a quad core for gaming.
Go with an Athlon II Dual Core http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103903 and spend more money on a video card.
Minimum you need to game half way decent is an AMD 5770 or an Nvidia GTX460!

[plasticslug]

I apologize, but I feel my noob questions are starting to bubble up to the surface.
For my Windows 7 copy

I have 2 choices
Digital download- Do you burn it to a dvd?
Windows x87 - can be mailed to me... But now sure the whole x87 bit.

[glc]

You will want Windows 7 64 bit, however you can get it. If it's a download, you will have to burn it to a DVD. It will probably be an .iso file.

64 bit is x64, 32 bit is x86.

This PSU will give you plenty of room for future expansion, but it will put you over budget.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

[plasticslug]

Maybe someone can clarify between chip sets.

I was looking at the $119 AMD Athlon II X4

And a poster above recommended the $60 dollar Athlon II Dual Core

Its half the price (great savings) and would free up money for a better graphics card.

What would I be losing going from the quad core to the dual core?
Would it have a harder time multi-tasking?
What are those extra 2 cores doing for me?

[mikeymm]

For gaming, a Phenom II x2 is better than an Athlon II X2. You can always get a better card later.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by mikeymm For gaming, a Phenom II x2 is better than an Athlon II X2. You can always get a better card later.

No offence but that is a terrible recomendation. The OP wants to game, gaming require a better graphics card, the Ahtlon II or Phenom II will make very little difference to gaming if he gets a good card!

To the OP for your budget if you really want to game your focus should be the video card, quad core will make no difference for most games if you have a cheap low end video card.

[plasticslug]

Originally Posted by Khalil No offence but that is a terrible recomendation. The OP wants to game, gaming require a better graphics card, the Ahtlon II or Phenom II will make very little difference to gaming if he gets a good card! To the OP for your budget if you really want to game your focus should be the video card, quad core will make no difference for most games if you have a cheap low end video card.

Sounds great, I am anticipating 70-80 for the chipset. At what a price point should I expect a decent gaming experience.

Should I anticipate on paying 150 + price range for a card? or would a 100-130 card be good enough.

[David M]

This is not an easy question to answer because it depends on a lot.

It mostly depends on which games you want to play. Some new games require more expensive cards than $150 if you want 60 FPS and the eye candy set on high. Other games, like Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands, Civilization and Team Fortress, not so much. Some games like Just Cause 2, Crysis and Black Op's are very demanding on a card.

It boils down to this, the more real it looks, the more demanding it is. This means better lighting effects, shading, small particles, etc. The more cartoonish it looks, the easier it is on your GPU. That's just what I have noticed.

If you want to run the more detailed games at high resolutions at high detail at high frame rates, just as a rough number I would budget $300+ for a card.

A $150 card will generate playable framerates for all games if you turn things down far enough, just don't expect as near the same as what you would get with card at twice the price or more.

[glc]

I agree with Khalil:

Minimum you need to game half way decent is an AMD 5770 or an Nvidia GTX460!

And I'll further add that the 460 needs to be the 1gb version, and not a "SE".

[mikeymm]

Originally Posted by Khalil No offence but that is a terrible recomendation. The OP wants to game, gaming require a better graphics card, the Ahtlon II or Phenom II will make very little difference to gaming if he gets a good card!

No offence taken. But I just meant in general about video cards.

As for the Athlon II X2 vs the Phenom II X2, I don't understand why you would say that would be a "terrible suggestion" as the Phenom II X2 will outperform the Athlon II in probably 90% of the games out there stock. The BEs also have the wild card of the possibility of being a stable unlock to a quad and they also have unlocked multipliers so you can over clock them easily and have yet a faster CPU.
What's so terrible about that?

[glc]

Again, the CPU does not have that much affect on gaming performance. When you are on a limited budget, again, the video card is way more important. A cheap processor with a good video card WILL game better than a better processor and a cheap video card. Comprende?

[mikeymm]

Originally Posted by glc Again, the CPU does not have that much affect on gaming performance. When you are on a limited budget, again, the video card is way more important. A cheap processor with a good video card WILL game better than a better processor and a cheap video card. Comprende?

Yes, Sir.

[Mugen_the_lion]

Served

[plasticslug]

Well me and my brother have spent the week swapping, searching and trying out different combination's.

It turns out that cannibalization of the old PC is not going to happen, since it will be (passed onto) and used by the kids.

Meaning Screen, Speakers, Optical drives have to be factored in...

If we start with a strong core (mobo, chip and Gfx card) were well into our budget and its becoming very difficult without bumping up to $650+

I / we could use my old dell tower and speaker system... or even find a bundled PC that comes with everything for 499

Almost like trying to carry three dozen eggs without an egg cartons.

Not to sure how this is going to work out but will keep you posted. If anyone knows a way to cut some major corners please let us know.

I saw on the microsoft MSDNAA that the school my buddy goes to offers windows 7 for free. I am putting 100+ towards the build and hoping its free so we can bump our budget upto $650.

[glc]

$642 shipped after rebates.

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Newegg.com - ASUS P7H55-M LX LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - Intel Pentium G6950 Clarkdale 2.8GHz 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616G6950

Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - ASUS VE198T Black 19" 5ms LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 10,000,000:1

Newegg.com - Microsoft Black USB Wired Desktop 600

Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

[glc]

If you prefer AMD, you would have $185 or so to play with for the CPU and motherboard. Just make sure you use Asus, and get a board that supports DDR3 ram. I'll let someone else make that recommendation.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc If you prefer AMD, you would have $185 or so to play with for the CPU and motherboard. Just make sure you use Asus, and get a board that supports DDR3 ram. I'll let someone else make that recommendation.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX

ASUS M4A77T/USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A77T/USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

and the rest of what glc said, just omit the intel board and cpu if you prefer the AMD.

[plasticslug]

Ok, I used some suggestions, and still really open to making any adjustments.

Here is a final build I am going to pitch to my brother, I am giving him 2.1 speakers and getting a free case.

He really thinks he needs a sound card I am trying to pitch otherwise.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...thkey=CPq4mcML


My memory says its Non ECC and non buffered... what does that mean?

And the hard drive I chose says it has a 16mb cache... big difference between 32mn cache?

[glc]

We do NOT recommend Tiger Direct.

We recommend Asus motherboards over Gigabyte.
We recommend Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data memory.
We do not recommend Seagate hard drives, we recommend Western Digital Black.

Why don't you just substitute an Asus AMD board and AMD processor in the list I gave you?

[plasticslug]

Originally Posted by glc We do NOT recommend Tiger Direct. We recommend Asus motherboards over Gigabyte. We recommend Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data memory. We do not recommend Seagate hard drives, we recommend Western Digital Black. Why don't you just substitute an Asus AMD board and AMD processor in the list I gave you?

Ill go ahead and plug in yours again and run the numbers, I do prefer the Asus boards... my brother likes the idea of the Phenom 2 dual cores.

In the end I need the numbers to work.
Right now we are at $640 with OS.
Thats with my $100 contribution and about 60-75 dollars I will be getting back in rebates. I told my bro that I dont want to put any more than that into his build.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by plasticslug Ill go ahead and plug in yours again and run the numbers, I do prefer the Asus boards... my brother likes the idea of the Phenom 2 dual cores. In the end I need the numbers to work. Right now we are at $640 with OS. Thats with my $100 contribution and about 60-75 dollars I will be getting back in rebates. I told my bro that I dont want to put any more than that into his build.

If you are going by dollar value alone than you are missing the point. You are being supplied the best value for the dollar from our experience. Cutting dollars at the expense of quality and stability will rear its ugly head.
For an example, from experience, your initial choice of the Biostar board was solid (my experience) for your budget but you upped the value some, so the Asus recommendation was a better value for what you were willing to spend (amd or intel), besides the Biostar board is being misused by the reviewers anyway but still can mistakenly (reasons of cost) venture over into the entry level beginner or budget "gamer market" when in all reality it is an entry level home sever starter board. Not that the Gigabyte is bad but you are linking this post and your choice of a Seagate hard drive may provide a negative experience for the end user.

[plasticslug]

Ok made some changes
Mobo -> Asus
HDD -> Western digital
Ram -> Kingston

Putting order sometime late tomorrow any major discrepancies or issues let me know.

I know its not the most high end stuff, but let me know.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...CPq4mcML#gid=0

Also a family member donated a case to use that was brand new and intended for a future build.

Its really nice but.... it has no front facing audio jacks, or any audio jacks for that matter.

What would be the easiest way to install front facing audio jacks?

[mikeymm]

There's audio jacks in the back on the MOBO - that's what I use as cheaper cases like mine have cheap junk audio jacks, so I disconnected them.(Oh well) You will likely use speakers anyway, so plug your headphones in the speaker's headphone jacks for Pete's sake!!!

SWEET CPU btw! My phenom II X2 cooks the bacon and hands over people's rear-ends to them. (You'll love it)
You can get that 560 for cheaper with free shipping on newegg.com.