PC for casual online / non-online gaming

[billyvoodoo]

Hello guys,

i want to build a pc for my casual gaming cravings..Not really looking for high-end specs, but just enough for a decent one and ofcourse suitable for my budget.

Can you guys check if the parts i chose are compatible with each other, also kindly fill me in if you have a better recommendation or a cheaper but better one.

CPU Intel i3 550
MOBO ASUS P7H55-M Pro
RAM 4gb (not sure if 4gb or 2gb ram would be good, and what brand)
HD 2tb (im probably getting a Cheap WD HD)
VideoCard GE Force 9800GT 1gb 256 bit (my friend recommended)

about the pc case, maybe i need to go to the nearest pc center to check what's the cheapest compatible one for these wares. same with the powersupply.


thanks in advance!


Billy

[glc]

What *IS* your budget? What country are you located in?

[RNMorford]

Hello, using what you have down, I came up with this build. There is no mention of an optical drive. I did add the case w/ power supply. What I have listed would work for what you want. 2TB to me seems like overkill on the basic system you want. 2GB ram works just fine for 32-Bit OS because it won't use all the 4GB if installed. This can be upgrade also if needed later. The total of listed parts is $484.00. Hope this helps.
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
Number of Memory Slots: 4×240pin
Memory Standard: DDR3 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 / 1066
PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2 (one x16 or dual x8 link)
About $118.00
AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
About $60.00
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 991585
Cas Latency: 9
Voltage: 1.5V
Timing: 9-9-9-24
Heat Spreader: Yes
About $23.00
ZOTAC ZT-98GEY3G-FSL GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Chipset Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Core Clock: 550MHz
Shader Clock: 1375MHz
Stream Processors: 112
About $115.00

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Cache: 32MB
Features: High Performance Electronics Architecture Dual processor - Twice the processing power to maximize performance. 32 MB cache - Bigger, faster cache means faster performance. Rock Solid Mechanical Architecture StableTrac - The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking, during read and write operations. NoTouch
About $88.00
RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply
With Power Supply: Yes
Power Supply Mounted: Top
With Side Panel Window: Yes
External 5.25" Drive Bays: 4
Model #: ATX-612WBP
About $80.00

[glc]

Why are you suggesting an AMD build when his proposed list has Intel? Let's see what the budget and country is first.

[RNMorford]

Just throwing out a different view and look at other builds. Budget and location are also important, I agree. I was just giving up a suggestion with cost.

[glc]

If he is looking at a i3-550, the i3-2100 Sandy Bridge is in the same budget category and would frankly stomp on any AMD in the same price range. If that won't fit in the budget, then I agree that an AMD would be a more economical choice.

I also have an issue with the 9800GT - it was an excellent card - 3 years ago. It's now obsolete.

[billyvoodoo]

hi guys, thanks for the prompt response, i am located in shanghai, china.. though im not chinese so dont bother recommending the Newegg CN and best buy shut down their operation here T_T

My budget is 500-600$ though i dont really wanna go close to 600.Infact, i'll just probably gonna borrow a monitor from the office and bring it @ home. We have spare BenQ G2220HDs 16:9 widescreen which is i think good enough for me.

I only know Intel CPUs because it's a famous brand and i think a reliable one. ofcourse if there's something cheaper with equal performance then i would go for it, so this is where im hoping you guys would step in. I just did a little research and found that i3-550 is the cheapest new cpu and is decent on the performance aspect.

About the video card, in our company we use 9400GT and for me i think its fine, so i thought 9800GT would be great! , i am playing online games (flash games, facebook games) also downloaded a few pc games DeathSpank (LOL), Defense of the Ancient, counter strike to kill time.

about the PSU and the PC case im not sure if what you'll recommend is available here. but im sure my chinese colleagues can help me find them.

btw, 2TB because i've been downloading tons of movies lately including USA tv series... coz unlike there in US, torrents are not monitored here. well maybe they do, but would they actually come to shanghai and say hey what you're doing is illegal.. (kidding)

[glc]

I would get a i3-2100 and one of the Asus P67 or H67 motherboards, make sure it's the B3 version. 4gb ram is worth it, here in the US we prefer Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data. If possible the best WD drive would be the Black series. Any old case will do, but be very particular on the PSU. A Seasonic-built unit would be best.

For a video card, I'd recommend a GTX 460 if you can afford it.

[billyvoodoo]

thanks glc, i've looked on the i3-2100, it didnt looked very much different with i3-550. 3M cache/3.1ghz vs 4M cache/3.2ghz, care to elaborate why you chose 2100?not that i really wanna go into specifics, just want to know what things to consider next time i want to build another 1. and can you be more specific on the motherboard model and which one are you more leaning towards to? We have kingston ram here, i'll try to find the black series of WD. also about the psu, which seasonic model you think would fit in my budget and build?

i'd try if i can bargain for a much lower price for the gtx460, but if not maybe i'll jsut get that 9800. do you have other alternative? radeon or something else?

[glc]

The 2xxx series processors are the Sandy Bridge architecture which is replacing the previous series. It is a new core architecture which performs considerably better.

Any of the P8H67 or P8P67 boards would be fine, see what kind of prices you can get.

If you can't afford the 460, get a Radeon 5770.

With either video card, a 450 watt PSU is required. Look for Seasonic or Antec Earthwatts. If you can't find those, see what Corsair units are available.

[billyvoodoo]

thanks glc, i cant find any seasonic or antec PSU here, instead they recommended cooler master PSU. also i was thinking of buying a 500w PSU but if 450 is just needed then i think i will just get 450.

so i think my build will be
i3-2100
p8h67-M LX mobo
kingston 4gb
radeon 5770
cooler master450W psu
cooler master case

thanks for the help!

[glc]

If you get a Coolermaster PSU, go a bit bigger.

[billyvoodoo]

I see, if that's the case then i'll just go ahead with 500w cooler master psu then.
also, just wondering what would good be a good space distribution if im gonna partition a 1tb hd. 100gb for System and maybe the rest for my movies, games and work?