$400 Gaming Rig

[Skwidgy]

Primarily for Gaming, Preferably high-ultra 1920 x 1080 (Skyrim, Crysis 2, and etc.)
Less than $400
Buying in USA, preferably amazon.com
No brand preference

I already have selected the components, just want to ask for further suggestions on how to make it better. I already made the best research of price and performance comparison and I only came up with this. The Hard Drives makes me crazy since it turns out to be the 2nd most expensive part. I can't find anything lower than $50 that has at least 500GB.

I finally decided on the components.

CPU: Intel G530 2.4GHz LGA 1155
GPU: ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2
MOBO: ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 Micro ATX
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4 GB 1333MHz
CD-Drive: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM
CASE: http://www.amazon.com/Technologies-S...6362316&sr=1-1
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500 Watt 80 PLUS BRONZE <<< after considering the importance of PSU, thanks to lehvt's comprehensive knowledge about it, I decided to put additional budget. But I did pick the suggestion of LOL_Wut_Alex since it is cheap and from amazon.com.

Total Cost: $471.92 >> exceeded $450, but I got a mroe reliable PSU so I think its worth it anyway. This could still reach 400-450 if I found 2nd hand units.

I'm not planning to overclock. No need for Monitors, KB&Mouse, nor Softwares.

I just want to ask for suggestions on how to lower the cost, and improve the system. Thanks!

 

[SithSolo1]

HDD prices shot up when Thailand was flooded, the manufacturers are still milking the money train but they are a lot lower than they were 3 months ago.

Running at those games Ultra is probably a stretch for most sub-$150 video cards.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Don't get a 7770. Get a 6850 or 6870 or GTX 460 or GTX 560 instead.

And such a system can probably run most (prolly not all) at low-med settings at low rez like 720p or a bit higher perhaps.

Coming close to med at 1080p for intensive games is impossible in this budget. Sorry

 

[Skwidgy]

Don't get a 7770. Get a 6850 or 6870 or GTX 460 or GTX 560 instead.

And such a system can probably run most (prolly not all) at low-med settings at low rez like 720p or a bit higher perhaps.

Coming close to med at 1080p for intensive games is impossible in this budget. Sorry

where should I invest more? CPU or GPU? Do you think the Intel G530 is enough? Since I could upgrade for a 6850 for an additional $40. I could settle for a $450 MAX budget anyway.

 

[lehtv]

Primarily for Gaming, Preferably high-ultra 1920 x 1080 (Skyrim, Crysis 2, and etc.)

Less than $400

This is an impossible equation. For $400, you can play demanding games on 1080p at low-medium settings at best. You'll need to spend around $400 on the CPU and GPU combined if you want high settings, even more for ultra.

where should I invest more? CPU or GPU? Do you think the Intel G530 is enough? Since I could upgrade for a 6850 for an additional $40. I could settle for a $450 MAX budget anyway.

You'll probably get best results with as much GPU power as you can afford. G530 should handle a 6850 on 1080p.

I wouldn't be comfortable powering anything with a Raidmax PSU. The +12V rail on that unit can only supply 21A = 250W, which is very, very little for a 450W unit (in practice, it probably can't supply 450W of stable power). Here's a better unit: PCP&C 400W $30 AR. It has 30A on the +12V.

 

[dmoney1980]

what lehtv said, run away from that power supply! Regarding the GPU - have you considered looking at a used one? You can find some decent deals on this forum....

 

[aaksheytalwar]

what lehtv said, run away from that power supply! Regarding the GPU - have you considered looking at a used one? You can find some decent deals on this forum....

This

 

[mfenn]

This is an impossible equation. For $400, you can play demanding games on 1080p at low-medium settings at best. You'll need to spend around $400 on the CPU and GPU combined if you want high settings, even more for ultra.

Coming close to med at 1080p for intensive games is impossible in this budget. Sorry

I agree with both of these guys. You need to spend $800-1000 to meet your requirements. Something's got to give, so which will it be: the budget or the expectations?

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

You can build something good for $450, so don't listen to the nay-sayers. That being said, here's the best I could do with the limited budget:

Intel Celeron G530: $49
ASRock H61M/U3S3: $67
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850: $150
G.Skill 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz: $20
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB: $75
Antec EA-430D: $40
Rosewill Challenger: $40 with code EMCNENJ38
ASUS 24x DVD Burner: $18

Total inc. shipping: $459
Total inc. rebates: $444

The HD 6850, while powerful, shouldn't mean a CPU bottleneck for the Celeron G530 due to its high single-threaded performance. The G530 is still poweful enough for multi-tasking and the occasional video encoding, and for gaming it's the best very low budget CPU.

The HD 6850 uses very little power and will run the games you want on High or Medium High settings. It can run them on High or Medium High with 4xAA with a stock voltage overclock to 850MHz from the stock 775MHz, and that's something all cards should easily be able to do. Just set your expectations accordingly because, remember, we're dealing with a very tight budget.

Given the choice of 1x4GB or 2x2GB on a motherboard with two RAM slots, you should always go for 1x4GB even if you lose dual-channel capability because it'll affect gaming performance very minimally, especially since Sandy Bridge has excellent memory bandwidth and you're not running the IGP. In the future you can always easily upgrade to 8GB, while with 2x2GB you have to replace both modules.

Hard Drives are very expensive now-a-days, so this unfortunately took a lot of the budget. Regardless, it's a decent capacity for your games and media and it's a reliable drive. If you have the money to in the future, buy an SSD for a boot/OS drive because it'll make your system feel many times faster.

The EA-430D is significantly better than the Raidmax unit you chose, for many reasons including: ripple suppression, efficiency (80 Plus Bronze), and voltage regulation. Never skimp on the power supply: it gives power to all your components, and if it fails it can take a significant amount of your hardware with it.

Rosewill Challenger is a much better case than what you chose, no matter if you're looking at ventilation, features, or internal space. For $5 more than the Cooler Master, it's a no-brainer.

 

[Skwidgy]

You can build something good for $450, so don't listen to the nay-sayers. That being said, here's the best I could do with the limited budget:

Intel Celeron G530: $49
ASRock H61M/U3S3: $67
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850: $150
G.Skill 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz: $20
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB: $75
Antec EA-430D: $40
Rosewill Challenger: $40 with code EMCNENJ38
ASUS 24x DVD Burner: $18

Total inc. shipping: $459
Total inc. rebates: $444

The HD 6850, while powerful, shouldn't mean a CPU bottleneck for the Celeron G530 due to its high single-threaded performance. The G530 is still poweful enough for multi-tasking and the occasional video encoding, and for gaming it's the best very low budget CPU.

The HD 6850 uses very little power and will run the games you want on High or Medium High settings. It can run them on High or Medium High with 4xAA with a stock voltage overclock to 850MHz from the stock 775MHz, and that's something all cards should easily be able to do. Just set your expectations accordingly because, remember, we're dealing with a very tight budget.

Given the choice of 1x4GB or 2x2GB on a motherboard with two RAM slots, you should always go for 1x4GB even if you lose dual-channel capability because it'll affect gaming performance very minimally, especially since Sandy Bridge has excellent memory bandwidth and you're not running the IGP. In the future you can always easily upgrade to 8GB, while with 2x2GB you have to replace both modules.

Hard Drives are very expensive now-a-days, so this unfortunately took a lot of the budget. Regardless, it's a decent capacity for your games and media and it's a reliable drive. If you have the money to in the future, buy an SSD for a boot/OS drive because it'll make your system feel many times faster.

The EA-430D is significantly better than the Raidmax unit you chose, for many reasons including: ripple suppression, efficiency (80 Plus Bronze), and voltage regulation. Never skimp on the power supply: it gives power to all your components, and if it fails it can take a significant amount of your hardware with it.

Rosewill Challenger is a much better case than what you chose, no matter if you're looking at ventilation, features, or internal space. For $5 more than the Cooler Master, it's a no-brainer.

Thank you so much for this! This is definitely the best analysis/recommendation I got. I believe that building a $450 decent gaming rig is possible, thank you for also agreeing with me. I myself made a $700 gaming rig before that has no compromises in performance (i5-2500k, 6850, 1TB Blue, 8GB Corsair, OCZ 600W Modular 80+,Asrock Z68), so I really think $450 would at least yield decent performance by cutting the cost of the CPU, MOBO, RAM and CASE/PSU. Especially the i5-2500k, its just overkill to ALL the current games. Also, 6850 hits the spot since I won't be using multi-display. Anything more than 6850 is just for multi-display and additional not-so-noticeable FPS improvement.

I noticed your suggestion is identical to my initial build for $400. Except for the PSU, CASE and RAM. So I tried to do a revision of my build with minor changes.

CPU: Intel G530 2.4GHz LGA 1155

GPU: ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2

MOBO: ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 Micro ATX <<< has USB 3.0 and SATA III (which I require, if you want to suggest other MOBO)

CASE: Cooler Master RC-343-KKN1 Elite 343

PSU: Cooler Master Elite 460W ATX +12V V2.31

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB 1333MHz

CD-Drive: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM

Total Cost = $446 (including tax and shipping)

btw, I live in California, so I prefer amazon.com since there's no sales tax. The case and ram you suggested is from Newegg so it would cost more due to tax. I think the case would be sufficient so I didn't change it, but I change the PSU, which I think is respectable enough.

I could actually reduce the cost even more, by changing the MOBO to a GIGABYTE H61M although I'll lose the usb 3.0 and Sata III.

 

[Skwidgy]

You'll probably get best results with as much GPU power as you can afford. G530 should handle a 6850 on 1080p.

I wouldn't be comfortable powering anything with a Raidmax PSU. The +12V rail on that unit can only supply 21A = 250W, which is very, very little for a 450W unit (in practice, it probably can't supply 450W of stable power). Here's a better unit: PCP&C 400W $30 AR. It has 30A on the +12V.

Yeah, I think I should also thank you too for the complete info about Power Supplies and confirming G530 as a sufficient CPU. Anyway, so far this forum is the best in providing info about building pc's. Other forums have people that doesn't even know what they are talking about, just all show-offs and pretenders. even calling themselves overclockers. haha! Thumbs up for this great forum!

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Thank you so much for this! This is definitely the best analysis/recommendation I got. I believe that building a $450 decent gaming rig is possible, thank you for also agreeing with me. I myself made a $700 gaming rig before that has no compromises in performance (i5-2500k, 6850, 1TB Blue, 8GB Corsair, OCZ 600W Modular 80+,Asrock Z68), so I really think $450 would at least yield decent performance by cutting the cost of the CPU, MOBO, RAM and CASE/PSU. Especially the i5-2500k, its just overkill to ALL the current games.

I noticed your suggestion is identical to my initial build for $400. Except for the PSU, CASE and RAM. So I tried to do a revision of my build with minor changes.

CPU: Intel G530 2.4GHz LGA 1155

GPU: ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2

MOBO: ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 Micro ATX <<< has USB 3.0 and SATA III (which I require, if you want to suggest other MOBO)

CASE: Cooler Master RC-343-KKN1 Elite 343

PSU: Cooler Master Elite 460W ATX +12V V2.31

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB 1333MHz

CD-Drive: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM

Total Cost = $446 (including tax and shipping)

btw, I live in California, so I prefer amazon.com since there's no sales tax. The case and ram you suggested is from Newegg so it would cost more due to tax. I think the case would be sufficient so I didn't change it, but I change the PSU, which I think is respectable enough.

I could actually reduce the cost even more, by changing the MOBO to a GIGABYTE H61M although I'll lose the usb 3.0 and Sata III.

These seem like good choices. The Power Supply isn't anywhere near as good as the EA-430D, but at least it should be better than the TR2 and given this build will use very little power it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Good eye on the graphics card. The ASUS model is definitely better than the Sapphire and the same price, and cheaper if you decide to submit the MIR.

The case, I would definitely still change. If you only want to spend $35, get an NZXT Gamma instead. If you can spare $5 more for better looks, get the NZXT Source 210.

I wouldn't change anything else.

 

[Skwidgy]

Good eye on the graphics card. The ASUS model is definitely better than the Sapphire and the same price, and cheaper if you decide to submit the MIR.

The case, I would definitely still change. If you only want to spend $35, get an NZXT Gamma instead. If you can spare $5 more for better looks, get the NZXT Source 210.

Yeah I've been using the ASUS model for my $700 gaming rig and it really does well. Simply the best on its price range. About the case, I think I would go with the NZXT Source 210. Seems worth it. Although I want to ask about the Cooler Master Elite 430. What do you think is better?

 

[azeem40]

Yeah, I think I should also thank you too for the complete info about Power Supplies and confirming G530 as a sufficient CPU. Anyway, so far this forum is the best in providing info about building pc's. Other forums have people that doesn't even know what they are talking about, just all show-offs and pretenders. even calling themselves overclockers. haha! Thumbs up for this great forum!

Name some of those "show-offs and pretender" forums then.

 

[Skwidgy]

Name some of those "show-offs and pretender" forums then.

is it even necessary? if I do want to name them I would have then. But to avoid conflict and violent reaction it's seems better to leave it to that. It's just a way to "exaggerate" on how good this forum is, no offense is meant. I would really appreciate if you just stick with the main topic rather than pointing out those things in this thread. You could have given at least a suggestion on how to improve the $450 build that was collectively formed through my ideas and LOL_Wut_Axel.

 

[lehtv]

CPU: Intel G530 2.4GHz LGA 1155

GPU: ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2

MOBO: ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 Micro ATX <<< has USB 3.0 and SATA III (which I require, if you want to suggest other MOBO)

CASE: Cooler Master RC-343-KKN1 Elite 343

PSU: Cooler Master Elite 460W ATX +12V V2.31

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB 1333MHz

CD-Drive: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM

Total Cost = $446 (including tax and shipping)

Agree with Axel, looks like a decent list. But I would still not waste my cash on that Cooler Master PSU.

The PCP&C unit costs less after rebate (are you opposed to mail-in-rebates?), but it is clearly better. Hardwaresecrets does not speak highly of the Elite 460W, saying "Elite Power 460W is simply an Elite Power 400W with a new label. [...] This unit can't deliver its labeled power." Techpowerup reviewed PCP&C Silencer MK III 400W and found that it can deliver its labeled power cleanly in 50C ambient temperature.

The Silencer MK III has 5 years of warranty versus Cooler Master's one year. EDIT: It is also much more efficient - 85% versus >70%. And it has more SATA connectors.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Yeah I've been using the ASUS model for my $700 gaming rig and it really does well. Simply the best on its price range. About the case, I think I would go with the NZXT Source 210. Seems worth it. Although I want to ask about the Cooler Master Elite 430. What do you think is better?

Out of the two I would go with the Source 210. Both have similar features and ventilation, but the Source 210 seems to be better built and it looks better.

Agree with Axel, looks like a decent list. But I would still not waste my cash on that Cooler Master PSU.

The PCP&C unit costs less after rebate (are you opposed to mail-in-rebates?), but it is clearly better. Hardwaresecrets does not speak highly of the Elite 460W, saying "Elite Power 460W is simply an Elite Power 400W with a new label. [...] This unit can't deliver its labeled power." Techpowerup reviewed PCP&C Silencer MK III 400W and found that it can deliver its labeled power cleanly in 50C ambient temperature.

The Silencer MK III has 5 years of warranty versus Cooler Master's one year. EDIT: It is also much more efficient - 85% versus >70%. And it has more SATA connectors.

I would agree with this after looking at the review. Both the EA-430D and Silencer MKIII 400W are much better units than the Cooler Master and it's pretty foolish to skimp on the PSU, but you have to factor in upfront price. We're already near the top of his budget, and upfront the Silencer will cost $10 more. If he's gonna fill the MIRs, though, then it's a good way to go because he'd get $35 back.

OP, if you are gonna fill the MIRs go with the Silencer PSU and if not go with the EA-430D.

 

[jpeyton]

Buy this: http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-p...product_432775

Go to the For Sale/Trade forum and pick up a Radeon 5850, 6850 or 6870. You shouldn't pay more than $100 for it. For $500 total or less, you have a complete, fast budget gaming rig.

The only way you can do better for $400 is if you buy ALL your parts used. It can be done: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2217573

 

[lehtv]

Buy this: http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-p...product_432775

That links to: http://i.imgur.com/MpfBY.png

 

[jpeyton]

That links to: http://i.imgur.com/MpfBY.png

http://www.staples.com/product-nr_432775

 

[lehtv]

Still does :/ Can check specs at HP's website.

 

[jpeyton]

It might be your browser? I opened the link in a new "incognito" window in Chrome and it goes straight to the product description, no ZIP needed.

 

[jacktesterson]

I bought my G530 and H61 motherboard for $80 used. i built my 2nd rig for less than $200 over course of time buying used. I only paid $20 for the 4850. There is a 4890 for sale for $50 in the FS section right now.

I think you would do much better looking for used deals. My rig, mind you only with a 4850, can play at 1080p games, majority at medium-ish settings. (On a scale of low-medium-high-ultra). Less demanding games like MLB2K12 play at 1080p maxed no problem.

Look for used stuff for sure!

I saw a 768MB 460 going for $80 for sale recently, look for something like that.

 

[Skwidgy]

The only way you can do better for $400 is if you buy ALL your parts used. It can be done: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2217573

that's a good link. But I really don't want everything 2nd hand, since I'm planning to reuse them for a next build like the RAM, PSU, HD, CD-DRIVE and GPU. Anyway, I might settle for a used CPU and MOBO. Thanks for pointing out 2nd hand options.

I bought my G530 and H61 motherboard for $80 used. i built my 2nd rig for less than $200 over course of time buying used. I only paid $20 for the 4850. There is a 4890 for sale for $50 in the FS section right now.

I think you would do much better looking for used deals. My rig, mind you only with a 4850, can play at 1080p games, majority at medium-ish settings. (On a scale of low-medium-high-ultra). Less demanding games like MLB2K12 play at 1080p maxed no problem.

Look for used stuff for sure!

I saw a 768MB 460 going for $80 for sale recently, look for something like that.

Thank you too for this info. Now, I'm sure G530 is capable, and I'm using a 6850 which is better than 4850. Therefore, I would most likely meet my expectation.

 

[mfenn]

Thank you so much for this! This is definitely the best analysis/recommendation I got. I believe that building a $450 decent gaming rig is possible, thank you for also agreeing with me. I myself made a $700 gaming rig before that has no compromises in performance (i5-2500k, 6850, 1TB Blue, 8GB Corsair, OCZ 600W Modular 80+,Asrock Z68), so I really think $450 would at least yield decent performance by cutting the cost of the CPU, MOBO, RAM and CASE/PSU. Especially the i5-2500k, its just overkill to ALL the current games. Also, 6850 hits the spot since I won't be using multi-display. Anything more than 6850 is just for multi-display and additional not-so-noticeable FPS improvement.

Axel's list is good for the money, but don't fool yourself. A G530 and 6850 absolutely will not play the games you mentioned at the quality settings and resolution that you mentioned at anything resembling a decent framerate. Medium, sure, but not "high-ultra".