Build or pre-built for super-tight budget gaming rig

[ku]

I'm looking to either build or buy (an old [refurbed] pre-built and throwing in whatever is needed) to play mainly Left 4 Dead. Yes, I'm buying this computer JUST for this game. Money is tight, but I would at least like some upgrade path or have it last for maybe 2-3 years. I don't need things to be the latest and greatest, but, if at all possible, would like it to be capable of playing some future games such as Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, etc.,.. none of which should be too hardware intensive. I'll be using this mainly for games and use my laptop as my main computer.

As for my budget, I don't have anything set in stone but I would like it to be as cheap as possible. I can't imagine that I would be able to afford anything higher than ~$500 (MAYBE $600) without a monitor, or up to ~$700-$800 IF it includes a 24" monitor. I don't need any peripherals, OS, etc., though I do need a wireless card (you can exclude it from the budget).

So what would be the best option for me? Build from scratch or buy a cheapo refurbed prebuilt and throwing in a video card? Or will my hope to mow down hordes of zombies never be realized?

(If you're feeling so generous, please let me know what parts/specs for prebuilts I should be looking into)

 

[JDMnAR1]

Something like this from the Dell Outlet would be a good base once you throw in your preference for a video card.

 

[ku]

well, one thing i was worried abuot when looking into these prebuilt machies is whether the case is large enough to house a decent video card. How would I know whether this thing can fit certain cards?

 

[ku]

Oh, and 1 more thing!

How would I know if the PSU is sufficient wit hthe added video card? And what would be the best video card I could get that's not HUGE or requires me to replace the PSU?

 

[JDMnAR1]

You can always go to the Dell Video Forums and ask there if you know what card you want and what model PC you are looking at. Chances are that someone else has tried it.

 

[ku]

great thanks... so I'm assuming refurb is the way to go?

I've found some okay ones for a decent price at various stores... perhaps it's time to pull the trigger on one of them.

 

[JDMnAR1]

I have purchase quite a few (15+) Dell refurbs over the years and have yet to have a single issue with any of them. More importantly, Dell refurbs come with a Dell warranty, so if you do have issues with them it should be covered.

 

[DSF]

Dell Outlet may be a good place to start looking.

However, I don't think a 24" screen makes sense on your budget. It requires a beefy video card to drive that size display effectively, especially if you want the machine to last 2 or 3 years.

 

[AVP]

Are you dead set on a 24" because if you were willing to step down to 22" then this would fit your budget nicely I imagine: 22" Dell

That leaves you about $600 for a system which can easily be done just from newegg :
Psu + Video card (9800gt) = $154
e7300 + Asus P5Q SE = 200
4gb Gskill memory = $45 or you can get get something for ~25 with rebates
Hard Drive = $54

= $453 - Drop in your wireless card, case and burner of your choice and you are all set!
GL!

**edit - notice you said you don't need an os or peripherals, in that case you could step up to a e8400 / P5Q pro combo for $200 or up the videocard to a ati 4850 or something.

Basically Dell's margin of savings dissipates when you don't need an os or keyboard/ mouse, in my opinion.

 

[ku]

Oh, thanks for the input but I should clarify what the 24" monitor is for: My parents watch a lot of foreign shows on the computer but they're watching it on a small 19" monitor. I was planning to buy them either a 27-32" HDTV or a 24"+ monitor to watch their shows on, and then I'll grab that 19" monitor. My thought was that if I could grab a 24" monitor in the $200 range, I'd just pick that up since and save myself another $200 and the risk of getting sick waiting in line on Black Friday (which is a bad bad thing considering I have LSATs the following week).

As for OS, I have a copy of Vista which I never used. For peripherals, I want to pick up a wireless keyboard and mouse combo for my parents so they can sit on the couch and watch whatever on the computer, but I figure I can just pick up some POS discount brand ones for $30 or something.

EDIT: That "$200 for 24"" sounds pretty ridiculous, but I've seen some deals where the difference between the price of the PC+24" is roughly $250 more than the PC alone... so yeah.. hmmm

 

[AVP]

I actually kinda looked around at 24" monitors because my parents wanted an lcd for the kitchen and there have been some clearence deals at office max for a 24" for $230 but that is very ymmv. Otherwise it seems that they are mostly in the $300 range, though there might be some decent online black friday deals for one somewhere.

From experience it seems that wireless combos are pretty expensive as well, maybe from $50-60 up. I have never used it before but if they have Media Center maybe you could get them an MCE remote to play around with?

 

[ku]

mmm, or I can just give them my MX Revolution.. or not.
I've come across some wireless combos that went for ~$30, latest one that I can recall was made by Verbatim.

Anyways, I know linking this might be inappropriate, but how about something like this?

http://www.buy.com/prod/compaq...loc/101/210251213.html

Again, I run into the issue with whether a decent video card will fit/if i'll need a new power supply (I would bet that it's fine if I stick to something cheap and old... say a 9600?). Even if I were to pick up that 9800gt+PS combo you listed before, there could still be a lot of issues.

 

[AVP]

That combo is pretty cheap, almost a steal with vista, especially if you overclock. I just checked out the system and it has a mATX board but I am not sure of the case size. It does have a pci-e 16x slot which is good, but only two memory slots. The only issue is that the case might be too small for the psu and videocard, no idea