Building a cheap gaming rig

[Killadilla]

Ok, im thinking of building myself a new gaming computer for somewhere around $500 (i can go above, if its justifiable). Basically all i need to play is Starcraft 2, which can run on most systems, but i want to be able to run it at decent settings (not the highest, but decent).

So the recommended system requirements look like this:
Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better

Now i want to build it myself in order to save money, and i think i can reuse old parts from my old computer such as dvd-drives, what other parts are fine resuable? (monitor, keyboard, speakers, are a given)

Another feature that I wouldnt mind paying extra for is a video card with 2 outputs so i can use two monitors, i dont know the compatibility with this etc.

Any help with a build would be greatly appreciatex, thanks!

[Khalil]

Hi there, do you have the operating system (windows 7) already?

[Killadilla]

Actually, I hadn't really decided if I was going to buy it, or stay with trusty old Win XP. (even possible that I could use my family's copy, im not sure yet)

But yes, if i ended up having to buy it, that wouldn't count to my budget.

[Khalil]

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV4GX3M2A1333C9
Newegg.com - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - HIS H679F1GD Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Newegg.com - ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$390, if your optical drive is IDE it will not work with this motherboard and many other new boards and you may have to spend $20 more for a SATA DVD Burner.
I am assuming you have a case already!

[Killadilla]

Wow thanks on the speedy reply, looks great. I have an Antec case.
Just double checking, this motherboard/video card combo will support two monitors?
And since this (390) is well below my budget, would you suggest putting more money into the processor or video card? Remember im trying to get the best gaming experience for the price.

Thanks again!

edit: maybe ill just say screw it, i dont need two monitors, depending on the cost

[Khalil]

I would go to this video card Newegg.com - HIS IceQ X Turbo H687QNT1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
You will need to up the power supply to this Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
or even this Power supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
Upgrading the processor will do very little for gaming compared to upgrading the video card.

[Killadilla]

Originally Posted by Khalil Upgrading the processor will do very little for gaming compared to upgrading the video card.

That makes sense to me. Ok thank you a lot, i'll have more info when i get the details on my old computer tomorrow morning.

[Khalil]

Yep, other members may have more recomends for you in the morning so I would wait and see what everyone else has to suggest before making your purchse.

What I suggested will make a good gaming rig specially if you go with the 6870 video card but someone else might have another option you may prefer.

[Killadilla]

Ugh, both my drives are IDE, so that's $20 more for a new dvd burner, which with the current build is about $490.

I'm actually pretty impressed with the price of this, any other opinions?

[jdeb]

BIOSTAR H61ML LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR H61ML LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623G620

I just replaced the CPU and board from Khalil's post. Just another alternative if you like Intel better.

[Khalil]

Yep that is an option, not a better one just another good option!
With the AMD setup you are getting an Asus motherboard which is the best, with the Intel setup you are getting a Biostar which is a mid quality motherboard.

[glc]

When you are at that low of a budget, AMD gives you better performance. They have always owned the sub-$100 processor market. If you had posted a higher budget, I would have already recommended an Intel system.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc When you are at that low of a budget, AMD gives you better performance. They have always owned the sub-$100 processor market. If you had posted a higher budget, I would have already recommended an Intel system.

Actually, that G620 is noticeably faster than the 250 Regor

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by jdeb Actually, that G620 is noticeably faster than the 250 Regor

True in most things but won't make much difference with gaming, I would rather see the OP get a quality motherboard than to sacrifice quality for speed.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Khalil True in most things but won't make much difference with gaming, I would rather see the OP get a quality motherboard than to sacrifice quality for speed.

I agree, I was just giving him an alternative and I have had good luck with that board. That little board was impressive to me, very fast and stable. Again, Biostar boards keep me scratching my head, they just work.

[Khalil]

Yes Biostar do work, I rarely have issues with them.

[Killadilla]

Thanks for all your replies, I'm really considering the AMD with the $200 Radeon card, you guys have been a big help.

One question I still have is if my budget expands to possibly $600-$650, what parts are going to help me the most by improving? The better performance I can get while playing online the better, so if I can spend a lil more for a big improvement I'll happily go for it, just wondering what this build may be lacking for gaming that I could fix.

[glc]

With a higher budget, I'd look at even stronger video card, then a quad core processor for better futureproofing.

[Khalil]

If your budget goes to $600-650 I would go with the following video card and CPU:

Newegg.com - HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT1G2M Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX

[Killadilla]

Ok, as I research this more and more, I'm realizing it's kind of silly to be wanting such a cheap computer... why not spring for both a new video card and processor? I'm just going to have to buy a new computer in the future when this thing gets outdated anyway...

As far as RAM goes, is anything above 4 gb excessive?

[Khalil]

Not for gaming, I would go for 8GB as long as you use windows 7 64 bit

[Killadilla]

Ok thanks, and it also be good to get the bigger hard drive, it's like the exact same price so that's a given
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

[glc]

Get a Black, not a Blue. It's faster and has a longer warranty.

[Killadilla]

Originally Posted by glc Get a Black, not a Blue. It's faster and has a longer warranty.

You guys are the bomb, thanks I don't know stuff like that.

[Sourtop]

You should be able to play SC2 on the max settings with that 6950 (You can even flash it to a 6970 I believe!). I'm running it on a GTX 460 with zero stuttering and the 6950 is a more powerful card. I'm using an i7-2600k though so that might help a tad.

[Killadilla]

Originally Posted by Sourtop You should be able to play SC2 on the max settings with that 6950 (You can even flash it to a 6970 I believe!). I'm running it on a GTX 460 with zero stuttering and the 6950 is a more powerful card. I'm using an i7-2600k though so that might help a tad.

Oh wow that sounds great, but help a tad? Even if I had to play it at slightly lower than full settings I'd probably still be overcome with joy.