A gaming PC for under (or close to) $500—can it be done?! - Hardware & Software

Let's find out! :v: My birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I've set my sights on a new rig. I've switched out parts and looked at combo deals time and time again to see how low I could get my price to be, while still maintaining practicality. That said, I could really use your help, Facepunch. I'm in America, for the record. My budget (if you couldn't tell) is around $500, give or take a few bucks. I can reuse: -My monitor (maximum resolution is 1366x768) -My mouse -I probably have a keyboard lying around somewhere, so don't worry about that -The OS Here's what I've got: Case: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233"]HAF 912[/URL] - $59.99 Mobo: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130559"]MSI 760GM-P33[/URL] - $54.99 GPU: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447"]XFX 5770[/URL] - $134.99 PSU: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817154026"]Apex AL-D500EXP 500W[/URL] - $39.99 CPU: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846"]Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto, 3.2GHz[/URL] - $89.99 RAM: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396"]G.SKILL NS 4GB DDR3 1333[/URL] - $39.99 HDD: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181"]Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB[/URL] - $49.99 Optical: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289"]LITE-ON DVD Burner[/URL] - $19.99 This brings the subtotal to $489.92. I've made my decisions based on customer reviews and price. Also, if I use the MSI motherboard, I could be able to unlock my processor to a quad-core. I plan on playing games like Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 (if I can), as well as Splinter Cell: Conviction (don't give me that look) and some Source games like Portal 2. Another question I have is, even if I can't unlock my Phenom, would I still be able to run these games at a reasonable level (mostly medium settings, with a few things set at high)? Thanks in advance, guys :unsmith:

[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185]Definitely upgrade the HDD to the 1TB version, it's only $5 more.[/url] You might want to consider: [list] [*]a [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030] PSU for $20 more in exchange for 80+ certification, and active PFC[/url] so that you can be sure your PC won't be fried. (Unlikely, but it happens.) [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034](Or look at a lower wattage (430w) one, for $5 more.)[/url] [*][url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290]A $20 more expensive, full ATX mobo. (That you would still be able to unlock with, according to reviews.)[/url] [/list] Neither is necessary, but they might be useful to consider. Your build looks pretty good for the budget, and you'll be able to run the games, maybe not on high, but you'll get decent FPS on medium.

Here: [img]http://puu.sh/1H3H[/img] $514 with the free 2 day shipping (do the trial!) this is an amazing deal and I'm very impressed TBH. [editline]22nd April 2011[/editline] Get the TB HDD too for $5, you could get a cheaper motherboard, too, to save some money. [editline]22nd April 2011[/editline] oh and this should max BF3 just fine at 1080p or less imo, possibly without AA. My 955 + 4850 does BC2 maxed at 1080p fine, don't see why a 955+5850 wouldn't do BF3, the requirements shouldn't bee too much higher. [editline]22nd April 2011[/editline] heh 720p, should be easily maxing any game.

I've always been a bit confused by this—what's the difference between the 955 and the [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921]840[/url]?

840 lacks L3 cache, making it more like an athlon

Also, I threw that build Shadaez made through Newegg's [url=http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html]Recommended PSU Calculator[/url], and 460 watts isn't enough. It would be if I kept the 5770 though.

A system with a 5850 will draw, at a max, about 350W, and according to [url=http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-Power-Plus-460-W-RS-460-PMSR-A3-Power-Supply-Review/550/7]this article[/url] the PSU should be able to handle it, but you are cutting it extremely close

I have that same processor you have. I use an ASUS mobo that can also unlock, I'm running it as a quad-core at 3.5GHz right now. Working perfect. Also same GPU except mine's PowerColor. It's pretty damn fine too, I've heard it's one of the best cards when it comes to price/power ratio.

A quick hypothetical: What if I were to drop the 5770 and get a [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467"]5670 1GB[/URL] instead, and replace the 555 processor with an [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921]840[/url]? Would I see a noticeable drop in performance, or would the CPU upgrade compensate?

[QUOTE=TwinkieHouse;29439435]A quick hypothetical: What if I were to drop the 5770 and get a [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467"]5670 1GB[/URL] instead, and replace the 555 processor with an [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921]840[/url]? Would I see a noticeable drop in performance, or would the CPU upgrade compensate?[/QUOTE] For gaming, the GPU takes great priority over the CPU as in most games, most of the computations are done in the GPU. If you want better gaming performance, stick with the better GPU.

[QUOTE=TwinkieHouse;29439435]A quick hypothetical: What if I were to drop the 5770 and get a [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467"]5670 1GB[/URL] instead, and replace the 555 processor with an [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921]840[/url]? Would I see a noticeable drop in performance, or would the CPU upgrade compensate?[/QUOTE] Don't get a 5670, trust me. Stick with a 5770 or higher

Does newegg ship elsewhere than the states?

Canada and China, I think.

[QUOTE=Sodisna;29448473]Canada and China, I think.[/QUOTE] newegg is restricted to north america, not china

[QUOTE=Armotekma;29448685]newegg is restricted to north america, not china[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.newegg.com.cn/[/url]

the more you know, i guess

[url]http://www.newegg.com[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.ca[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com.cn/[/url] Just FYI.

Well, the Samsung hard drive got deactivated, so I've replaced it with a [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073"]Caviar Blue 500GB[/URL] drive. I honestly don't need a terabyte of space just yet (All of my stuff so far takes up less than 120GB of space).

you can get this to save some money [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136865&cm_re=500gb_wd_blue-_-22-136-865-_-Product[/url]

Fantastic, that'll allow me to keep the 5770 and upgrade to an 840 at the same time, and still keep it under $500.

UPDATE: I've replaced the XFX 5770 with one from [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102898]Sapphire[/url]. They're pretty much exactly the same, except the one from Sapphire is $15 cheaper. Additionally, I've found a [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171031]Cooler Master 500W PSU[/url] that's the same price as the one I listed before. My total price is now $478.92.

don't go for the 840 - go for the x4 640 and save yourself some money the 840 is an athlon ii x4

Alternatively, I could go back to the 555 and unlock it.

which isn't guaranteed

I know, but I've been looking up gameplay vids of the games I mentioned that have pretty much the same specs (or lower, in some cases), and they looked pretty good. I'm not too worried.

[QUOTE=Jaehead;29396704]A system with a 5850 will draw, at a max, about 350W, and according to [url=http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-Power-Plus-460-W-RS-460-PMSR-A3-Power-Supply-Review/550/7]this article[/url] the PSU should be able to handle it, but you are cutting it extremely close[/QUOTE] my 550 watt (2x 12V 18A rails) runs my gtx 470 and 955. it's a bit on the edge, can't overclock, but it's solid for gaming. the 5850 and a phenom II should fare perfectly fine. that is though, i'm running my psu on its limits but it's got +80% efficiency. it's a bfg product so there may be quality differences [editline]28th April 2011[/editline] ik it's efficient, barely luke-warm air coming from the psu at full load