Parts check for cheap, non-hardcore gaming box

[cleverhandle]

Years ago, I used to putter with computers all day and get all crazy about high-end hardware. These days, I have kids and mostly play boardgames anyway, but I'd still like to crank out a PC game from time to time. I'm tired of trying to coax my Linux box into running games well (possible, but my time is too valuable now), so I'm thinking of putting together a Windows-only, dedicated gaming box. Any considerations beyond gaming are irrelevant, as I have my regular box for that. As for games, like hardware, I'm totally out of the loop these days - I have no idea what the current hot games are beyond WoW. And while I wouldn't mind playing a new title or two, I'll probably also spend time playing old stuff like Oblivion and Civ4, maybe even some old Black Isle titles. All of this would be done on my massive 1280x1024 19" LCD which I have no interest in upgrading (barbaric, I know). Not surprisingly, OC'ing is of little interest to me.

In short, I'm not as hardcore as I used to be, so make recommendations accordingly. Here's what I put together...

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma Black - $65 - Looks like a nice proc for the money. For a pure gaming rig on a budget, I don't see a quad being worth the extra money. Perhaps I could even save a few bucks and get a lower-clocked version.

Cooling: Stock - This box probably won't run at all except when I'm playing games, so a little noise is not an issue. And without OC'ing I see no need for better cooling.

MB: Asus M4A78 Plus - $80 - I'm a confessed Asus fanboy and this looks OK, though I'm not too hip to current chipsets. But this looks like it will do the job, and it will also accomodate an AM3 proc if I want to go for an upgrade in another year or two.

RAM: Corsair XMS 2x 2GB DDR2 1066 - $56 - Asus's QVL doesn't list 1066 parts, but Corsair is on there for the lower clocked RAM. Again, given that I'm not concerned with OC's, I'm thinking this will be fine.

Video: Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 512MB - $90 - The 48xx's seem to be the preferred cheap eats at the moment. Given my lowly 19" screen, I'm hoping this can run current games at passable settings and framerates. I'd rather buy another $100 card 12-18 months from now than buy a $200 one right now.

PSU: Seasonic 500W - $78 - Seems to me like a lot of folks have irrational hard-ons for ludricrous PSU's - I probably would've chosen the 430W version except that this only cost $3 more. With 1 vidcard, 1 hard drive, no fancy cooling, and no OC'ing I don't see the need for more wattage than this. I've had good experience with Seasonic, but am open to other suggestions. edit: On further examination, I see the slightly cheaper Seasonic is the modular 430W, whereas this is a non-modular 500W. I think I'll take the modular 430W unless someone wants to convince me otherwise.

Hard Drive: Hitachi 7K1000.B 320GB - $50 - This is way more storage than I can imagine needing, but it's the smallest one with a 16MB cache. I see no need for higher-end storage on a pure gaming rig at this price point.

Case: Lian-Li PC-K7B - $86 - My old Lili has served me faithfully for almost 10 years now.

Audio: Onboard

Speakers: My old Klipsch 2.1 set

DVD Burner: the cheap LG one

KVM: Startech 2 Port USB/DVI KVM - $115 - If anyone's used this with Linux, I'd love to hear about it, as it's hard to find solid info there. But in general, Startech's seem to do better than the really cheapo switches with Linux. I'm hoping this one won't have worse than minor quirks, as the truly high-end switches cost more than I care to pay for a gaming project. Since this doesn't have a PS/2 port, I'll have to replace my old keyboard with...

Keyboard: ABS M1 Keyboard - $45 - These sound pretty nice. Not as nice as the IBM Model M I grew up with, but still pretty nice.

Mouse: Some cheap Logitech optical mouse. Damn kids with all their buttons and wireless... get off my lawn!

Total = ~$700, plus shipping. I don't really want to spend much more than this.


Comments appreciated. Thanks!

 

[M0RPH]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
... Seems to me like a lot of folks have irrational hard-ons for ludricrous PSU's ...

You noticed that too, eh? I couldn't agree with you more. Build looks good.

 

[brblx]

DDR800 would be more than enough for RAM and might save you ten bucks. you can also get a 4850 for little to no price increase over than 4830.

if you can swing it, i would buy an athlon/phenom II instead of that proc, which is based on the original phenom design. for the price of the 7750, you'd be better off with an e5200, which is at worst neck and neck with it at stock clocks, and would destroy it with a very easy overclock.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Origihttp://forums.anandtech.com/me...05080&STARTPAGE=1nally posted by: cleverhandle
... Seems to me like a lot of folks have irrational hard-ons for ludricrous PSU's ...

You noticed that too, eh? I could not agree with you more. Build looks good.

It is seasonal.

Use to be Unreasonable expensive memory, expensive RAID in system that cannot gain anything, expensive video cards that are substitute to ovens, Bizarre teaming Network Cards, etc.

It is a combination of Fashion and clever marketing people that are disguised as technology mavens.

Technology? Nah, it is not a real technological factor.

 

[Lunyone]

Build looks pretty good. I would consider maybe a different PSU, since you won't need that much power. The $60 - $20 MIR = $40 Corsair 400cx is one that I'd consider, since you don't need that much power for your build.

 

[mmntech]

Originally posted by: JackMDS

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Origihttp://forums.anandtech.com/me...05080&STARTPAGE=1nally posted by: cleverhandle
... Seems to me like a lot of folks have irrational hard-ons for ludricrous PSU's ...

You noticed that too, eh? I could not agree with you more. Build looks good.

It is seasonal.

Use to be Unreasonable expensive memory, expensive RAID in system that cannot gain anything, expensive video cards that are substitute to ovens, Bizarre teaming Network Cards, etc.

It is a combination of Fashion and clever marketing people that are disguised as technology mavens.

Technology? Nah, it is not a real technological factor.

I believe it's called growing one's e-penis. I still laugh at those who bought the Killer NIC and the Ageia PhysX card... all six of them anyway. Oh and Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel's crap. I still remember when Zalman tried to pawn off a standard, maroon painted CNPS7700 cooler under his brand and charged $20 more for it.

Well, back on topic. Yeah, I agree with the comment above to go with DDR800 unless you're overclocking. The Phenoms all use a 200mhz system bus IIRC. Everything else looks good.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: brblx
DDR800 would be more than enough for RAM and might save you ten bucks.

Yeah, possibly. I'm not too clear on current memory tech - is 1066 a "real" memory rating, or is it just one of those psuedo-ratings to advertise overclocking headroom?

you can also get a 4850 for little to no price increase over than 4830.

Ah, indeed... I missed that among the menu options. Looks like a Sapphire 4850 is $100, $10 more than the 4830. Perhaps I'll drop the RAM and pick up the 4850 with the difference.

if you can swing it, i would buy an athlon/phenom II instead of that proc, which is based on the original phenom design.

Nah... this box won't get enough use to justify another $50+ on a proc. If I were gaming more, and with more high-end games, it would be a different story.

...for the price of the 7750, you'd be better off with an e5200, which is at worst neck and neck with it at stock clocks, and would destroy it with a very easy overclock.

Hmm... I don't follow all the CPU roadmaps anymore. It looks like the 7750 and e5200 are basically identically spec'd, just with different cores. What's the tradeoff between the Kuma and the Brisbane? I see the Brisbane is spec'd to a lower wattage, which I imagine lets it overclock a bit easier, as you suggest. But I'm not terribly interested in overclocking. If I really feel I need better performance, I'd rather drop a few more bucks on it than spend my time stability testing an OC. That's a fun hobby and all, but I've got too many other things to do these days.

I'll respond to the other comments later - it's bedtime for the kiddies. Thanks for the replies.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Use to be Unreasonable expensive memory

RDRAM! Yay!

expensive RAID in system that cannot gain anything

Yup, that was the hip thing when I started building around 2000. Seems like it took a few years to fade.

Bizarre teaming Network Cards

Hmm... not sure I remember these, at least not in the general enthusiast sector. I do remember the Killer NIC that mmntech mentioned, though. That was always good for a chuckle. It was, what, $200 or something?

The funny part about PSU's is how much it goes both ways. On one hand, you've got guys buying garbage 600W units to run a modest vidcard and single hard drive. On the other, I remember a whole gaggle of PSU snobs around ~2006 who would mercilessly deride any PSU pick other than the one, true manufacturer of the moment. Hopefully that's cooled off by now, as it was getting pretty ridiculous. Like any other part, there's crap, there's gold, and then there's a whole lot in between.

BTW, it's good to see you're still around here, Jack.

 

[brblx]

sorry, i'm talking intel e5200. didn't realize amd had a chip with the same name. the intel part is a 2.5ghz core2duo, which generally performs at or above the level of the 7750 in games, and has a ton of overclocking headroom. easy 500mhz with the stock cooler, 1ghz+ with aftermarket.

afaik that amd cpu has a 200mhz bus as posted above (their inflated advertised bus speed make little to no sense to me- with intel the advertised spec is 'quad pumped.'). that requires 400mhz ddr, so 800 gives you a ton of room, and you'll probably find better (lower) timings for cheaper.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: brblx
sorry, i'm talking intel e5200. didn't realize amd had a chip with the same name.

Ah... I see now. The Wolfsdale. I'll go do some reading on it.

the intel part is a 2.5ghz core2duo, which generally performs at or above the level of the 7750 in games, and has a ton of overclocking headroom. easy 500mhz with the stock cooler, 1ghz+ with aftermarket.

I suppose it's a possiblity. The low power is nice. But then I'm even more clueless about mobo's than with AMD. What's a decently performing Intel chipset these days? P43? P45? I haven't built anything with Intel Inside in at least 5 years. What do other people think here?

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
Ah... I see now. The Wolfsdale. I'll go do some reading on it.

OK, just finished reading the helpful AT article on exactly this subject. I'll stick with the AMD. I'm absolutely doing only gaming on this box and the X2 7850 has a significant edge there. I don't feel like OC'ing to make up the difference, especially when the prices are the same. If I were building a general-purpose box, that E5300 might be a lot more enticing.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: Lunyone
Build looks pretty good. I would consider maybe a different PSU, since you won't need that much power. The $60 - $20 MIR = $40 Corsair 400cx is one that I'd consider, since you don't need that much power for your build.

Looks like a nice budget PSU. But I'd be a lot happier with 50 more watts in case I put a bigger vidcard or CPU in as an upgrade a couple years from now - this machine isn't going to get rebuilt from the ground up anytime soon. And there's a pretty big price hike between the Corsair 400W and their 450W - I might as well just get a Seasonic at that point. I think I'll stand by my Seasonic here.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle

Originally posted by: Lunyone
Build looks pretty good. I would consider maybe a different PSU, since you won't need that much power. The $60 - $20 MIR = $40 Corsair 400cx is one that I'd consider, since you don't need that much power for your build.

Looks like a nice budget PSU. But I'd be a lot happier with 50 more watts in case I put a bigger vidcard or CPU in as an upgrade a couple years from now - this machine isn't going to get rebuilt from the ground up anytime soon. And there's a pretty big price hike between the Corsair 400W and their 450W - I might as well just get a Seasonic at that point. I think I'll stand by my Seasonic here.

I was just offering a more budget friendly option, without sacrificing quality I'd get the Seasonic too, if it wasn't breaking my budget either

 

[Silicon Spear]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
DVD Burner: the cheap LG one

Which one? If it's IDE, make sure your motherboard supports IDE. Some newer ones don't.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: Silicon Spear

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
DVD Burner: the cheap LG one

Which one?

The SATA one. Come on, man... I'm not that out of practice.

 

[Silicon Spear]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle

Originally posted by: Silicon Spear

Originally posted by: cleverhandle
DVD Burner: the cheap LG one

Which one?

The SATA one. Come on, man... I'm not that out of practice.

Ah, my bad, sorry. So you're getting the one with adware on it, then?

 

[cleverhandle]

OK, I slightly revised some items based on the comments here:

AMD X2 7750 --> AMD X2 7850 - Only $5 more
Corsair XMS PC1066 --> Corsair XMS PC800 - Saves $10
Sapphire 4830 --> Sapphire 4850 - $10 more
S12 500W --> M12 430W - luxurious modular cables, saves $2

The other stuff is identical, so still just under $700 without shipping.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: Silicon Spear
Ah, my bad, sorry. So you're getting the one with adware on it, then?

Just nagware that can be turned off - I'll live. I doubt I'll have any reason to install the burning software anyway, as I do all my burning on my primary machine. A plain DVD-ROM would probably suit me well enough, but that seems kind of silly.

edit: Ah... I guess Bluebird is contained in a firmware image. That's pretty cheesy. Still sounds like it can be turned off, though. It would be an easy choice to drop it if there were any other SATA burner cheaper than a $40 Plextor in stock at the Egg right now. Maybe I'll just use the IDE DVD-ROM from my parts bin if nothing else comes back in stock by the time I order. (And yes... the ASUS board has a PATA port.)

 

[BaboonGuy]

http://www.msfn.org/board/inde...showtopic=135300&st=0&

looks like bluebird can be removed easily, good news for me, i'm also on a tight budget

 

[cdmccool]

I just put together a new computer, and used the LG drive. When the EULA for bluebird pops up, all you have to do is decline, and then it will ask you if you want to install later or never ask again.

Simply check 'Never ask again'. That's all it takes. I did so when I first installed XP, and I have not been asked to install bluebird since, even after I did a clean install of Windows 7 RC.

 

[PM650]

nvm