Budget Gaming Desktop. Need help!

[Hankysmoo]

Hey all...I've been out of the scene for a while and have agreed to help my friend build a budget gaming desktop speced around the gtx 460 and would also probably want at least a 120gb SSD. No idea what cpu / mobo / ram / psu / case would be ideal for this setup so could use some help. Please see below:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread.

Maybe about $1,000-1,200? I know the gtx 460 and 120gb ssd will cost around $400, leaving about $600-$800 for cpu/mobo/ram/psu/case.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel and nVidia

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Don't need new monitor, OS, keyboard, mouse.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Looked at a few but could use some more specific advice

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Default speeds unless overclocking won't require much effort...have been out of the scene

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

1920x1080 ultra for starcraft 2

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Within the next month or so.

Thanks!!

 

[darkewaffle]

CPU - i5 750 - $200
4GB GSkill ECO $100
Motherboards, imo these are all good choices. Full feature sets, good brands. There's no real winner or loser. $150
Case + PSU combo $70 AR
Samsung Spinpoint F3 OOS atm, but watch for deals on it at Superbiiz for $60ish

Thats about $580 + SSD + GPU for about $1080 ($400 is an underestimate for SSD + GPU, closer to $500). Which puts you right about dead center of your budget, with room for Win7 if you need it. Also you may not need the storage drive, and if you plan on SLi in the future a bigger PSU now might be a good idea.

 

[Hankysmoo]

Just found this deal on newegg. Is this any good or would I be severly limiting the upgrade options for this build (i.e., motherboard doesn't support sli)?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA

 

[betasub]

Combo deals are how newegg are trying to shift those expensive dual core i5 processors. The saving probably isn't worth the loss of 2 physical cores, unless you don't see the system being used much beyond your current game of choice.

 

[Davidh373]

ust found this deal on newegg. Is this any good or would I be severly limiting the upgrade options for this build (i.e., motherboard doesn't support sli)?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA

I have 4 problems with this build in order of importance

1. Seagate 7200.12!!!

2. OCZ DDR3 D:

3. Dual Core i5

4. OCZ PSU

 

[Hankysmoo]

Scratch the combo deal then. I definitely want something with 4 cores. Didn't realize the i5 came in dual and quad core variants. Any other suggestions for a motherboard and psu if I want to eventually go the SLI route? And for SLI to work, I'm guessing you need 2 of the exact same video card, is that correct?

 

[mfenn]

Scratch the combo deal then. I definitely want something with 4 cores. Didn't realize the i5 came in dual and quad core variants. Any other suggestions for a motherboard and psu if I want to eventually go the SLI route? And for SLI to work, I'm guessing you need 2 of the exact same video card, is that correct?

Yes, you need 2 of the same video card. A GA-P55A-UD4P and a Corsair 750TX would handle a pair of GTX 460's. I do not recommend going this route though.

IMHO, you'll be spending your money more smartly get a cheaper (non-SLI) motherboard and a lower-capacity PSU (like the 650TX) and use those savings to get a faster single card (like a GTX 470).

 

[Hankysmoo]

Yes, you need 2 of the same video card. A GA-P55A-UD4P and a Corsair 750TX would handle a pair of GTX 460's. I do not recommend going this route though.

IMHO, you'll be spending your money more smartly get a cheaper (non-SLI) motherboard and a lower-capacity PSU (like the 650TX) and use those savings to get a faster single card (like a GTX 470).

Seems like the 650TX is SLI compatible as well. Would I actually need the extra 100Ws if I ever decided to go SLI w/ the way I'm currently building this rig?

 

[mfenn]

Seems like the 650TX is SLI compatible as well. Would I actually need the extra 100Ws if I ever decided to go SLI w/ the way I'm currently building this rig?

A 650TX would probably work, but two GTX 460's is 320W. Once you add in the power consumption of the CPU, mobo, RAM, drives, etc., you'll be getting close to 600W, which would personally make me uncomfortable.

 

[Davidh373]

A 650TX would probably work, but two GTX 460's is 320W. Once you add in the power consumption of the CPU, mobo, RAM, drives, etc., you'll be getting close to 600W, which would personally make me uncomfortable.

Same here. I'm another guy to think SLI is not a smart path to tread... Just replace your card every few years... it ends up saving a buttload o' cash. Especially when you consider you can get a lower wattage PSU and a less expensive motherboard.