# budget gaming system



## moocow0463 (Dec 12, 2008)

ok heres the deal, g/f is getting hooked into video games now and the computer she has is a bit outdated, running a nvidia 6800 1g ram, 400 gig seagate HD, with a 478 chipset pent 4 2.59ghz processor, she has been using my rig thats over there<----- and she loves it to death no lag fast loading etc, so my goal is to recreate my budget rig i made to make a fast gaming pc for her, she doesnt need anything fancy but something future proof may be nice, right now shes playing WoW, sims 2, and has ton quite a bit of music.

as far as the rig goes im going to keep the current sound card, and the 400 gig HD everything else needs to pretty much go and may need a new case as she just has a cheap gateway mid tower case
heres what i have been thinking (please help with anything i may have missed/ skipped add comments/suggestions)

processors:
e7200=$120
e8400=$164
e5200=$82

GPU: 8800gt= $129.99
(was thinking an 8500 would work but id rather have the 8800 performance)

mobo:
ep35-ds3l=$84.99 (i dont want to spend too much money here a slight oc may happen on this rig but nothing fancy, i dont think i need 4gigs)
p5Q pro=$78.75
RAM:
g.skill 2x2gig= $40 (you really cant beat this price and its g.skill wish i had this deal when i built my rig)

psu: (i couldnt find a real good psu for a good price but i did find this despite it being sun beam)

fsp 450w
sunbeam 650w= $65

case: ( i need suggestions here, it not only needs to perform but i need looks as well and its a budget so lets keep it cheap)

cooling: (air cooling, depending on the case you pick i need help with fans i never had to do a fan layout or wiring/mounting as my rig already had the fans etc)

heat sink: xigmatek 120mm riffle + mounting bracket~ $43

thermal paste: i have some artic silver ill use

secondly premade cpu's with e8400's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227060
this one doesnt have the best gpu but a good price

for a bit more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227113


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## francis511 (Dec 12, 2008)

Did you consider the amd 4850 for gpu ?


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## moocow0463 (Dec 12, 2008)

the 8800gt is approx $30 cheaper, thanks for the suggestion though keep them coming id like to be under $500 the cheaper the better. but i dont want to sacrifice too much performance  p.s i may upgrade the GPU in my system specs to something and trade her the 8800gt, that would save approx $130 but cost me a little more of course im not sure if im going to do that just yet though just an option


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## francis511 (Dec 12, 2008)

I`d give the pre-built ones a miss. Unless you can get a better psu , everything else looks O.K.


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## dna1x (Dec 12, 2008)

Are you going to buy this machine for her or is she paying?


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

May want to switch out your board for possibly this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131329


Now normally I wouldn't link open box items but these are pretty decent not to pass up:

This:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130159R

Or maybe even this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299R


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

dna1x said:


> Are you going to buy this machine for her or is she paying?


why does that matter here?

anyways... OP why not go with AMD? it'd be cheaper and AMD just performs as good at a lower price? look in my System Specs. that's a total of $292 and that's with shipping but minus the HDD and GPU. Case, Fans, CPU, Mobo, and RAM are new.


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

JrRacinFan,

that MSI board i wouldn't trust on Open Box man. the Heatsink on that thing would possibly get damaged during shipping process.


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## moocow0463 (Dec 12, 2008)

i was looking for that p5Q pro ill probly use that mobo, yes amd would be cheaper ill look into the amd side of it later but id prefer to stay intel 

op updated for mobo


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

Since you looking at the P5Q as a possibility may as well look into an ATi card alongside with it for crossfire if you decide on that later:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803

EDIT:
May also want to look into a better OEM for the PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104037


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## moocow0463 (Dec 12, 2008)

so ive been doing some thinking, i might buy the P5Q pro for my self, give her my old ds3l, give her my 8800 gt buy an ati card equivalant of the 8800gt like a 4850 or if i get a good deal 4870. (she wont be needing cross fire, shes using a 19.5" screen with max res of 1080)

as for the PSU i know i need to re-look into a PSU but i need some more suggestions ive never even heard of the brand you linked any opinions on the PSU JR is suggesting, as this is a budget build.

also how is the G.skill ram i posted performance wise, i also need Case suggestions ill get pics of the old case not sure air flow will be sufficient to cool an 8400 :S maybe with a few extra fans, if i can re-use the case that will save me a little money as well


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

If you need reassurance, here's a link to good guide that can help you.
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=39758

Do you think she will be playing Sims 3 when it releases?

EDIT: Be aware Delta is not too too bad, Zalman's OEM is FSP, the newer OCZ are made by PCP&C, and any of the newer CWT/Channelwell products are pretty decent **Ehemm** Corsair. xD


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## moocow0463 (Dec 12, 2008)

she may be playing sim3, and if she gets tired of WoW, theres a few new mmo's in developement to change to as well but back on topic heres another route AMD wise i priced it out, save me over $100

Asus m2n mobo (i need opinions im not familiar with amd but the price is sweet) $60.61

processor which is better ideally the same besides 65nm compared to the 90 nm
amd windsor
amd 65nm

gpu: 8800gt of course

total: $245 minus ram heatsink and psu, so approx $360-$400 compared to intel build of $500-600


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## zithe (Dec 12, 2008)

I put this together for my brother. It's a very nice performer. https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9133692


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## 3870x2 (Dec 12, 2008)

francis511 said:


> Did you consider the amd 4850 for gpu ?



or rather the 4830 to match the price of the 8800gt?
For a gaming build, cpu isnt too big of a deal.
Video card should have your highest budget.  Might i recommend the 4850, 70, or if someone could sell you a 9800GX2/3870x2.
You dont need 4g ram for a gaming build, you need fast ram.  Get 2x1gb@1066mhz.


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## zithe (Dec 12, 2008)

3870x2 said:


> or rather the 4830 to match the price of the 8800gt?
> For a gaming build, cpu isnt too big of a deal.
> Video card should have your highest budget.  Might i recommend the 4850, 70, or if someone could sell you a 9800GX2/3870x2.
> You dont need 4g ram for a gaming build, you need fast ram.  Get 2x1gb@1066mhz.



Quantity > Speed > Tight timings. He'll hit a wall with the smaller amount and the speed won't prevent it.


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## spearman914 (Dec 12, 2008)

That PSU u picked is cheap but I don't think it's a quality one. See most of the feedbacks were 1 ratings...


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## mdm-adph (Dec 12, 2008)

Well, whatever you do, don't skimp on the RAM or video card, these make the most "user interface" difference when gaming.  Get at least 4GB and a 8800GT, like you've suggested -- the HD 4830 is also very good and just as fast, and is a bit newer technology wise than the 8800GT, but they're both good cards.  I think you can get a 4830 for around $119 on newegg these days.


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## zithe (Dec 12, 2008)

Here's a good power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703018

My brother's using it.


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## spearman914 (Dec 12, 2008)

mdm-adph said:


> Well, whatever you do, don't skimp on the RAM or video card, these make the most "user interface" difference when gaming.  Get at least 4GB and a 8800GT, like you've suggested -- the HD 4830 is also very good and just as fast, and is a bit newer technology wise than the 8800GT, but they're both good cards.  I think you can get a 4830 for around $119 on newegg these days.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803



zithe said:


> Here's a good power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703018
> 
> My brother's using it.



That's a good PSU but not enough watts.


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## mdm-adph (Dec 12, 2008)

spearman914 said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803



Holy crap - that's even better.    Overclocked, that card performs almost equal to a 4850.


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

Here's an AMD build I posted not too long ago ( Attention; I would only go with this if your not planning on overclocking)


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138134
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103254
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125244

See post below for power supply!

EDIT: Add case and drives and you have a complete setup that should last a while.

EDIT2: Maybe switch out the video card to an ATi 4830 mentioned a few posts above.


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## cdawall (Dec 12, 2008)

zithe said:


> Here's a good power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703018
> 
> My brother's using it.



swap that for this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

cdawall said:


> swap that for this one
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015




Now THAT is a very VERY good psu for the price! Heck think i may get one of those ....


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

JrRacinFan said:


> Here's an AMD build I posted not too long ago ( Attention; I would only go with this if your not planning on overclocking)
> 
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138134


eh, that Mobo got bad reviews.

how about this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157127


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## cdawall (Dec 12, 2008)

i had the biostar mobo it was great. clocked a phenom 9500 higher than my MSI K9A2plat. no issues whatsoever.


you always have to take newegg reviews with a grain of salt as 90% of the time they are 100% BS


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

cdawall said:


> i had the biostar mobo it was great. clocked a phenom 9500 higher than my MSI K9A2plat. no issues whatsoever.
> 
> 
> you always have to take newegg reviews with a grain of salt as 90% of the time they are 100% BS


well... yeah but still it's BIOSTAR man come on


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## spearman914 (Dec 12, 2008)

ASRockIQ said:


> well... yeah but still it's BIOSTAR man come on



BIOSTAR is not as bad as u think. Owned some biostar boards that pwn Asus, DFI, Gigabyte boards at identical specs. And BIOSTAR boards once suck but that doesn't mean always.


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

they don't suck at all. just that i had a few that crapped out on me after 7months or so.


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 12, 2008)

ASRockIQ said:


> they don't suck at all. just that i had a few that crapped out on me after 7months or so.



Yeah see I still have an Socket A Asrock board that is still kickin'. I still have a Biostar board that i cant even use (Socket 370).

Either way hate to crap up a thread with my ramblings. Oh and I heard the new Biostar boards and DFI share the same bios setup options, so thats a plus if  you have a certain person wanting to learn how to OC.


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## phanbuey (Dec 12, 2008)

ASRockIQ said:


> JrRacinFan,
> 
> that MSI board i wouldn't trust on Open Box man. the Heatsink on that thing would possibly get damaged during shipping process.



i got that same open box one... no problems for a while now.  Plus they test the open box ones so ur pretty much guaranteed a post.


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## ASRockIQ (Dec 12, 2008)

phanbuey said:


> i got that same open box one... no problems for a while now.  Plus they test the open box ones so ur pretty much guaranteed a post.


they may post and work but it's the shipping you have to worry about. you know how things get thrown around


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

ok you guys have had plenty of suggestions but why would the ASrock be any better then that asus SLI board, the SLI board is $10 cheaper, im not worried about the open box too much new egg is pretty good with their packaging, as far as PSU goes id rather not spend $80 on a psu if i dont have to, i think i got my psu for my rig for $50 after rebates etc, and 4830 vs 8800 gt, if they are so comparable why not save the extra $$ and use the 8800gt, the 4850 might be better but its also $50 more so its out of the question for now. also i still need a case, and aesthetics are as important as function here


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 13, 2008)

Wait a moment, you already own the 8800GT? If you already own it then by all means look into the SLI board.

EDIT: Don't look at the PSU as an expense but an investment. That one part of a system you shouldn't slack on (something I learned the hard way not too long ago).


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## zithe (Dec 13, 2008)

JrRacinFan said:


> Now THAT is a very VERY good psu for the price! Heck think i may get one of those ....



This is even better. 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817163109


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

i dont have anything for this rig as of yet, my current rig uses an 8800gt yes, but i was just saying the sLI board is cheaper then any of the other single slot boards anyone has mentioned since it is on a open box discount.


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

the asus board i was going to get is no longer available so now looking into other routes for mobo
and heres the Psu i was thinking 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

and a mobo possibly, hows the foxcon stuff?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186141


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## zithe (Dec 13, 2008)

moocow0463 said:


> the asus board i was going to get is no longer available so now looking into other routes for mobo
> and heres the Psu i was thinking
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012
> ...



Foxconn is great. Everyone in my family has a Foxconn board.


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## r9 (Dec 13, 2008)

I would not buy a BIOSTAR , ASROCK, ECS or FOXCON.


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

ok so heres another delima intel e5200 vs amd 6000 3.0, obviously the amd has faster stock speeds but the 5200 is intel and more better for OC,


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## zithe (Dec 13, 2008)

moocow0463 said:


> ok so heres another delima intel e5200 vs amd 6000 3.0, obviously the amd has faster stock speeds but the 5200 is intel and more better for OC,



I believe the e5200 is stronger than the AMD both stock.



r9 said:


> I would not buy a BIOSTAR , ASROCK, ECS or FOXCON.



I've had 1 BIOSTAR board and have 3 foxconns in the house. What problems did you have with yours?


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

ok new build as of now heres what i have 

mobos: these have pretty good reviews etc and match up well with the ram i am using

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128072

psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

gpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121224R

heatsink:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

old case 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...105510029+1055108415&Configurator=&Subcategor
total will be $345 and might need a cpu case?

new case maybe:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068


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## zithe (Dec 13, 2008)

This is mildly stronger than that GT. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161260

The G31 set is ok. Read some reviews on how those boards OC. 

Reusing the RAM, I'm guessing?


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

no using g.skill ram listed on OP forgot to re-link sorry so price might be a little higher


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## moocow0463 (Dec 13, 2008)

im not sure how those board OC but i do know my gigabyte board clocks fairly well its no DFI board but for its price you cant beat it price with mobo ram everything now $374


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