$600 for gaming rig, what do you think of this?

[cheap5.0]

My wife just surprised me with $600 for a new gaming rig (my current 3800 X2, DDR 400 & 7800 Gt is failing so hard even my wife took pity on me lol).

Here is what im thinking when i pick these parts out:

1) Being able to move up to a Quad in a year or so is why i choose the AM3 socket over the 775. I would have gone with a 1156 or 1366, but i dont think i can piece together a winning system w/ new OS, HSF, ect and still come in under $600.

2) I have 3 good sata drives, a case Im happy with, a good psu, monitor, keyboard, headphones. I need Mobo, cpu, ram, vid card, OS, gaming mouse, HSF for CPU, and misc assembly parts.

3) I dont game a ton, but when i do i want to be able to join my friends who are playing the most current games (BFBC2).

So from that here is my list:

Phenom II X2 555 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103846

Im stuck on Mobo choice because i want something that will suport the newer hex core's coming out soon, but dont want to blow the budget on the mobo. Overclocking is important to me, SLI/Xfire is not. Im thinking either of these:
ASUS Crosshair III Formula

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131392

MSI NF750-G55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130235


G.Skill ripjaws 4 gig kit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231303

vid card:

Im probably going to grab a good deal on used one on here to hold me over for awhile until i can get something better. At this point, everything is an upgrade from the 7800 GT.

$100


Thats $420'sh before shipping + $140 for win 7 and $40'sh for a good HSF. I may need a sound card depending on how well this mobo plays with my mic on the plantronics headset.

Any problems with this approach, or any suggestions? Would 6 or 8 gigs of ram be a worthwhile upgrade (Win 7 64 bit will be the OS)?

 

[fffblackmage]

Wow, what's up with the $200 mobo?!

Definitely go with an AMD chipset. I know many AMD 770- and 785G-chipset based mobos can be easily found under $100. Which supports the upcoming hexcores? Well, I don't really know about that, unfortunately. But with another $100 free, you could pick out a nicer video card.

BTW, what psu do you have? If it's rather old, might be worth considering getting a new one.

 

[Chapbass]

How about this? Gets you an i3 for now, with an easy upgrade path to i5/i7 when prices come down. You could even try and find some used parts or deals to lower the cost a little, and maybe even squeeze out a 5830 instead of 5770.

 

[cheap5.0]

Wow, what's up with the $200 mobo?!

Definitely go with an AMD chipset. I know many AMD 770- and 785G-chipset based mobos can be easily found under $100. Which supports the upcoming hexcores? Well, I don't really know about that, unfortunately. But with another $100 free, you could pick out a nicer video card.

BTW, what psu do you have? If it's rather old, might be worth considering getting a new one.

I had a 400 watt that was 5 years old, but last year it crapped out so i grabbed a 550.

How about this? Gets you an i3 for now, with an easy upgrade path to i5/i7 when prices come down. You could even try and find some used parts or deals to lower the cost a little, and maybe even squeeze out a 5830 instead of 5770.

I should have mentioned i can get the MC deal on the I7-920, but it seemed like the added costs in mobo would kill my budget.

For someone like me, is it really worth getting into the I-series? I game around 10 hours a week tops, and do mostly browsing/office work 90% of the time. Ive read the I5-750 is the better choice for gaming, so the I3 to start may not be a bad idea...im just leary because i have not researched it at all.

 

[Chapbass]

I don't personally have a core series atm, so someone can chime in and correct me if im wrong, but I believe the 1156 platform is going to be used at least for a little while. Grab an i3, then when the i7's are 50-100 bucks or whatever, sell your i3 for 30 or so and have a cheap very big 20-50 dollar upgrade.

I feel it would have more of an upgrade path than an AMD at this point in time.

EDIT: What kind of games are we talking about? And what monitor do you have (or should i say, what resolution are you running at?)


The reason why I ask: What about going with a slightly lesser gfx card, like maybe an 8800gt/9800gt or something like that used, and getting an SSD in its place?

Certainly would give you better "overall" performance when you're sitting in the 2d world.

 

[hondaf17]

Good choice on the processor. I'm running it as a dual core (you might be able to unlock extra cores) and with a 4890 I get anyhere from 50-100 FPS in BF:BC2.

I'd get a standard Gigabyte AM3 mobo. Get the 770ta or 785G-UDH2. Both are well under $100 at newegg and rock stable. Plus with AM3 you won't have to worry about selling and getting new mobos - AMD's already announced their hexacores will be AM3, so it's an easy upgrade when that time comes.

I just came from a similar upgrade - an X2 4200+ and am got my below rig done for a net of less than $200 after selling old system on ebay.

 

[cheap5.0]

Im having a hard time finding a good, cheap HSF for the AM3 cpu's.

EDIT: I see your running the Cooler Master Hyper 212+, but i can only find it for the 1156...is there an adapter?

Should also add, this will be setup to stream netflix to my 32" LCD near by. What else do i need to do that? Tuner card and HDMI cable?

 

[busydude]

Im having a hard time finding a good, cheap HSF for the AM3 cpu's.

EDIT: I see your running the Cooler Master Hyper 212+, but i can only find it for the 1156...is there an adapter?

It is compatible with AM3 sockets too.

 

[cheap5.0]

It is compatible with AM3 sockets too.

Thanks.

If i get this now:

http://www.newegg.com/Shopping/Shopp...82E16820231193

Can i get another in a few months for 8 gigs, or is that the wrong way of going about it?

 

[mfenn]

Thanks.

If i get this now:

http://www.newegg.com/Shopping/Shopp...82E16820231193

Can i get another in a few months for 8 gigs, or is that the wrong way of going about it?

That would work fine.

 

[hondaf17]

Yes the Hyper 212 is compatabile with AM3, but it does take some scratching of the head to mount it. You should be able to figure it out though.

And yes, you can do 4GB of RAM now and another 4GB down the road. I'd just recommend getting the exact same sticks each time.

 

[cheap5.0]

Thanks, im working out the details but its looking like its going to be an AM3 build if i dont change my mind in the next few days.

 

[caspur]

Here I just saved you. Comes with a quad core AMD, 8gb ram that you wanted, 1 TB hard drive, add in that 5770 and it still comes out cheaper. Since you already have sata drives, sell the 1tb drive and get a nice SSD!

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668610.php?rdr=v1716

Clearance at bestbuy for $374.

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=1961712

 

[hondaf17]

One thing I wanted to point out is if you get the Hyper 212 HSF, be careful what RAM you buy. That ripjaws series has what looks like a tall heatshield on it. The Hyper 212 is huge and my A-Data Gaming Series RAM (without a tall heatshield) barely cleared the Hyper212. I'm betting the ripjaws wouldn't. Also depends on what mobo you buy - I have a micro and so it's more cramped, if you buy a standard ATX you might not have that problem. Just something to be aware of.

 

[busydude]

One thing I wanted to point out is if you get the Hyper 212 HSF, be careful what RAM you buy. That ripjaws series has what looks like a tall heatshield on it. The Hyper 212 is huge and my A-Data Gaming Series RAM (without a tall heatshield) barely cleared the Hyper212. I'm betting the ripjaws wouldn't. Also depends on what mobo you buy - I have a micro and so it's more cramped, if you buy a standard ATX you might not have that problem. Just something to be aware of.

I agree, I faced the same issue with ripjaws. Go for the one without tall heat spreaders and you should be fine.

 

[mfenn]

One thing I wanted to point out is if you get the Hyper 212 HSF, be careful what RAM you buy. That ripjaws series has what looks like a tall heatshield on it. The Hyper 212 is huge and my A-Data Gaming Series RAM (without a tall heatshield) barely cleared the Hyper212. I'm betting the ripjaws wouldn't. Also depends on what mobo you buy - I have a micro and so it's more cramped, if you buy a standard ATX you might not have that problem. Just something to be aware of.

I agree, I faced the same issue with ripjaws. Go for the one without tall heat spreaders and you should be fine.

What are you guys smoking? This is the kit the OP is currently considering. (Post #9)

 

[busydude]

doh, my bad. Must had too many duff beers. Will serve as a word of warning though.

 

[hondaf17]

Ahh, well from his first post it was a different one with a taller heatspreader. He'd be fine with the G.Skill.

 

[SgtSpoon]

Can i get another in a few months for 8 gigs, or is that the wrong way of going about it?

Why would you buy 8Gb of ram? (especially since you are on a budget) More than 4Gb is good for people who work intensively with 3d programs etc ... for gaming those extra 4Gb are useless (and i don't think that will change that soon)

For someone like me, is it really worth getting into the I-series? I game around 10 hours a week tops, and do mostly browsing/office work 90% of the time. Ive read the I5-750 is the better choice for gaming, so the I3 to start may not be a bad idea...im just leary because i have not researched it at all.

I went back and forth between budget-amd and budget-intel before buying my system. If you really want the price to be as low as possible, go AMD. You won't be saving -that- much though. I eventually bought the i3 because:
- nice technology: great performance with very low power consumption/heat
- has been mentioned before : upgrade path is good
- within 3 or 4 years i will want to buy a completely new system: the i3 will then become my media center machine. The i3's are ideal media centers, for various reasons (power/heat/onboard video with full featured hdmi)

 

[ATC9001]

With the i3 build and picking up a use 4870 you can get the budget for a 40GB SSD...that would be the way to go, give your system a snappy feel....best overall feel IMHO

 

[heyheybooboo]

Hard to beat the Gigabyte 785g AM2+ / Phenom 720BE combo for $162. Throw in your HSF and 4Gb of RAMs and off you go for $300 bucks or so.

From a performance standpoint DDR3 is not going to bring yah much --- and the AM2+ mobo is already qualified for the Thuban if you ever want to make the jump (and if that is the case the 240 Regor combo is only $110).

With the Regor, after you work in $100 for your OS, an HD5770 would be a slam dunk (and you are within shouting distance of an HD5850 )

Your gaming buds would be jealous - LOL




--

 

[Reincus]

5850s reference cards can be had in Sapphire and HIS flavors for $299.99 on Newegg. If you aren't willing to get a 5770 now and Crossfire another one later, then I'd recommend ponying up the cash to make the 5850 work, or take the Regor combo above. The 3 core combo listed above is excellent though. There is a lot of data that shows big gains from a 3rd core and minimal gains from the 4th when it comes to gaming.