Been out of PC gaming for a few years and want to build a budget tower, need input!

[r00st]

I have been out of gaming for a few years mostly because I did not have the time. Last games I played were BF2, CSS and similar games.

I want to get back into gaming (FPS games) and want to build a budget system that hopefully can play most of whats out there now and not be a total dinosaur for (hopefully) some games coming out in the future.

I was thinking $500 as a starting point for just the tower. I dont need a fancy case (probably 30-50 bucks) but want the best I can get for roughly that price range.

I am not biased to AMD or Intel nor between Nvidia/Radeon (and etc).

What would you guys recommend as a minimum (for my price range):
1. Video card
2. Mobo (if anything special is needed besides the proper socket for the CPU)
3. CPU
4. Memory
5. Supporting hardware...Ram cooling? HD cooling? Special cabling (anything newer than SATA?), etc etc

Last build I did was: 2 gb DDR2 with a WD 250gb HD, an AMD 1.9 and 256 ATI card.

Needless to say its been awhile and I am TOTALLY out of the loop as to what the current games require (and actually play well at...Dont need 1,000 FPS but enough to make games look good on reasonable settings).



Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech PC Gaming Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[StormSide]

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_awesome_gaming_pc_647

 

[zerocool84]

Not trying to be mean but the General Hardware section is much better place to get input.

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4

 

[r00st]

Thanks for the link storm- good build info!

Zero, no offense taken. I am new to the forums and realized after posting the thread it probably would have fit better in a hardware section.

Mods can you delete this? I will repost it in hardware

Thanks!

 

[WhipperSnapper]

What's your time frame for doing this? If you don't mind acquiring parts over time as they come on sale, Newegg has had some good deals on various components, both as Shell Shockers and as Guerilla Deals. (You might want to have one of your spam email accounts get on Newegg's list.) You should be able to get a decent case with free shipping for about $40 at Newegg if you can find a sale.

I think you'll find that the newer FPS games are mostly disappointing, though. Consolization has really strangled PC-based online multiplayer FPS.

 

[thomas.carl]

I dont think 500$ is enough for the configuration you entered above you may be able to get low configuration pc which wont be suitable for the gaming mode. If you want the pc of good configurationat low price then it is better if you go for second hand.
free games are always good

 

[HumblePie]

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_awesome_gaming_pc_647

Nice little article. With some proper deal shopping, that PC would be even cheaper by about $80 to $100 from prices I've seen.

Also, side note about memory prices. I too am sad at the rising costs again. It was so nice when I picked up my 6GB of DDR3 patriot EL memory for my I7 back in the day. I paid $87 for it after rebate. Can't find good triple channel DDR3 memory for under $100 anymore. Heck, can't find crappy memory of that type that cheap either.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Win7 64-bit / M4A785TD-V EVO/U3S6: $208 (before $25 rebate)

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 / AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana: $156 (before $10 rebate)

Rosewill R230-P Case: $37

Thermaltake TR2 W0379RU 500W: $50 (before $10 rebate)


That's $451 before $45 in rebates.

Wait a few months on your video card (new product is a-coming in October) to see how prices shake out before the holidays.

Or yah could just 'screw it' and buy an HD 5770.




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