Crysis Build on a BUDGET. I've got links/some knowledge. I need yours!

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Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
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Hardware he Owns:
Speakers
Headphones
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor
Hard Drive (400GB, 7200RPM)

Main purpose for the PC:
Hardcore Gamer (5+ hours daily)

Games of interest:
Crysis and other CPU demanding games.

Other Notes:
His parents are divorced, he has to move his PC back and forth 1x every two weeks, this includes his tower/monitor/keys/mouse/speakers/headphones. He would appreciate a travel friendly case but knowing his budget that may not be possible, which is fine.

Funds:
$750. No more, no less. No occupation, a high school student. Price (inc. shipping + tax) cannot go higher.

Proposed system:
$34.00 - DVD Drive. LiteOn +-RW Drive
$45.00 - Case. "Linkworld". Contains 500w PSU
$74.00 - RAM Corsair 2GB (2x 1Gb) DDR2 800
$190 - CPU. 2.66 Core 2 Duo 6750
$310 - GFX. 8800GTS BFG 512MB PCI Express 2.0 x16
$59.00 - Mobo. Gigabyte LGA 775. DDR2 800

Total: $712.00 + $22.00 Shipping = $734.00

Will this system pull out the performance that'll run Crysis smoothly? Granted the case probably sucks big time, but with the money he has I don't see him having very many choices.

We will be purchasing as soon as I get his current PC sold. The images for his PC will be up in a days time, for specs and sale info, check out the thread linked here: Clicky

ANY suggestions, tips, links are appreciated. Thanks!



 
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jkresh

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2001
2,436
0
71
without listing his monitor (and its resolution) it is difficult to say exactly how crysis will work on it (but it should run fine at 1tha024x768 or even 1280x1024). If he is going to get a case that comes with a psu he should go with an antec as they make decent psu's the case you listed scares me. The corsair is a ripoff at 74 but after the rebate it is a decent price. Depending on his monitor (if he is running anything less then 1900x1200) he could go with an 8800gt instead of gts (for about $240) so that plus the rebate on the memory should give some room for a decent case/psu.
 
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chinaman1472

Senior member
Nov 20, 2007
614
0
0
The words "Crysis" and "budget build" do not belong in the same sentence. In any case, you picked out expensive RAM if you're not including the rebate. For another $10, you might as well get 2x2GB instead of 2x1GB. Or get the G.Skill 2x1GB that's $47. If you are including rebates, then it's a fine choice.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
LOUIS, why spec a Q6600 in a budget gaming build?

I have to say, I'd be wary of that case you picked out. Quite a few reviews claiming it's difficult to work with, easily broken parts, sharp edges, etc. I understand that you're on a budget, but case and power supply are places where I wouldn't skimp, as they can potentially be reused on your next build regardless of processor, memory and video card standards. (This is especially true with cases...form factors don't change very often.)

Is your friend willing to overclock? Because if so, I'd build something more like this:

Apparently you're not factoring rebates into the price, so I'll keep that standard.
CPU: Intel E4500 - $116 shipped.
Even at stock speeds it should play any current game just fine, but it overclocks extremely well. Literally go into the BIOS and set the FSB to 266 and you should be good to go with a 2.93GHz chip. (You may want to do additional tweaking to minimize the voltage and such, but it's that easy.) Note that MicroCenter says it ships in 5-7 days. Newegg would ship it faster, but for slightly more money.

Motherboard: Gigabyte P35-DS3L - ~$95 shipped.
This part you can get a little bit cheaper at ZipZoomFly than Newegg right now. It's a good budget P35 motherboard. Plenty of overclocking options if you want to speed up that E4500 (or any other LGA775 chip) and rock solid stable even if you don't.

RAM: A-DATA DDR2-800 - 40 shipped.
No need to get fancy here. 1.8V CAS5 memory will do you just fine, and without the rebate it's cheaper.

Video Card: EVGA 8800GTS 512MB - $290
A little cheaper than your BFG selection. EVGA is one of the best companies for Nvidia graphics cards, and if you send off the mail-in rebate you'll get another $30 back.

Including the price of the burner you chose, we're at $581 shipped. I had to use my zip code for shipping though, since I don't know yours. If we tack on $19 more just to be on the safe side, we're right at $600.

That gives us up to $150 to buy a proper case and power supply.

Power supply: Corsair 450VX PSU - $70 with free shipping. If it's your first time using Google Checkout you save $10, and there's a mail-in rebate for another $10, which brings the price down to $50 if you're willing to file rebates. This is a very good power supply for the money.

Assuming you pay the full $70 for the PSU, we have $80 for the case. Now I'm not the one to ask about the portability of cases, because I don't ask my computer to do much but sit under my desk. Off the top of my head if I had to pick a case though, I'd probably go with this one:

This Cooler Master Centurion 5 is a good budget case that should serve you for years. [Edit here: I thought the case was made of aluminum, but it's actually mostly steel. This may not be the most portable choice.] If you have a computer shop near you, one thing you might do is go see how heavy some of the cases are and see what you like. (Keep in mind that they'll be heavier still when the PSU and guts are added.) The Centurion 5 is $55 shipped at Newegg.

That would leave you with $35 to spend on something like an aftermarket CPU heatsink, or to blow on Cheetos.

 
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Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
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0
Originally posted by: DSF
CPU: Intel E4500 - $116 shipped.

Motherboard: Gigabyte P35-DS3L - ~$95 shipped.

RAM: A-DATA DDR2-800 - 40 shipped.

Video Card: EVGA 8800GTS 512MB - $290

That gives us up to $150 to buy a proper case and power supply.

Power supply: Corsair 450VX PSU - $70 with free shipping.

This Cooler Master Centurion 5 is a good budget case that should serve you for years.

That would leave you with $35 to spend on something like an aftermarket CPU heatsink, or to blow on Cheetos.
Click to expand...
That's a pretty good build. I can't second the Q6600 on such a tight budget, especially since if the OP had any more money to spend I'd have to say it should go on a graphics card and not on a few more cores that games aren't using yet. :thumbsup:
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Originally posted by: DSF
This Cooler Master Centurion 5 is a good budget case that should serve you for years. It's made of aluminum, so it shouldn't be quite as heavy as the steel Antec Solo and P182 often recommended around here.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. The Centurion 5 is made of SECC steel. The front face has aluminum trim.

Originally posted by: Roguestar
I can't second the Q6600 on such a tight budget
Click to expand...

Neither can I.

For budget I'd go with a cheap Core 2 Duo (maybe e4xxx series) and an 8800GT video card. That way, don't have to skimp on other stuff like case and power supply.

For portability, can go aluminum case, small case or both aluminum and small like the X-Qpack2. Note that you will NOT want to use the PSU that comes with the X-Qpack2. There's a version of the Centurion that is a micro ATX mini tower (still steel though) that's pretty nice.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Originally posted by: Zap
Originally posted by: DSF
This Cooler Master Centurion 5 is a good budget case that should serve you for years. It's made of aluminum, so it shouldn't be quite as heavy as the steel Antec Solo and P182 often recommended around here.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. The Centurion 5 is made of SECC steel. The front face has aluminum trim.
Click to expand...
I stand corrected, I'll edit the other post. Thanks Zap!
 
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MarcVenice

Moderator Emeritus <br>
Apr 2, 2007
5,664
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Could throw in the abit ip35-e for 60$, saving 40$, which should easily allow you to buy a decent PSU/CASE. This is a good case/combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129155 with a good 500w unit, the antec earthwatts in it, for 110$, meaning you pay roughly 40-60$ for the case, knowing a similar PSU costs 50-70$. And yes, bad q6600, good e4500 or perhaps e8400, but def e4500 when overclocking and on a budget.
 
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MarcVenice

Moderator Emeritus <br>
Apr 2, 2007
5,664
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There is if you are on a 750$ budget ? We're looking at getting the best price/performance, and getting a q6600 won't do that.
 
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imported_wired247

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2008
1,184
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0
Originally posted by: MarcVenice
There is if you are on a 750$ budget ? We're looking at getting the best price/performance, and getting a q6600 won't do that.
Click to expand...

true, but getting one second hand might be the best option.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
The fact is that unless you're playing on very low visual settings, Crysis is going to GPU-limited well before it's CPU limited. In addition, the benchmarks I've seen haven't shown much improvement in FPS moving from dual-core to quad-core.
 
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jterrell

Senior member
Nov 18, 2004
559
0
76
Originally posted by: wired247
If the build is specifically for crysis, nothing wrong with putting a quad core in there...
Click to expand...

He said hardcore gamer and then used Crysis as an example most likely because it is so graphically intensive. I'd imagine he plays other games that would hardly touch the other 2 cores.

In short he should spend at least 1/3 of his total budget on the video card imho.

Getting a good psu so the box doesn't fry and then a good video card would be my main concerns. Moving the case every 2 weeks will be a pain but he is young and it is good exercise for a gamer:)

If he had a monitor and all that stuff then a Q6600 would make sense as he'd have the cash left over after other considerations. (edit>>> I see he has a monitor I meant vid card)

I'd also advise he gets rebates where possible because he can buy games with his rebate cash since it appears he has limited means of coming up with cash as a FT student.

 
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angry hampster

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2007
4,232
0
0
www.lexaphoto.com
Q6600 isn't necessary. Crysis won't play in DX10 in very high settings usably for under $2000. My $70 athlon and $240 GT play it all high on DX9 @ 1440x900 with 2xAA smoothly. E4500 and a DS3L will fit his needs along with an 8800GT(S).

He also didn't specify what resolution he'll be playing at.
 
C

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
0
71
I like the dual core (E4500) options. I haven't overclocked before, even on my current rig. But from what was mentioned, it seems like an easy option change. I'm loving the suggested build by DSF. I'll take all of this into very heavy consideration come this next week.

His monitor resolution tops out somewhere at 1900x1050 or around there. Also another note: Rebates are not being taken into consideration, he'll be needing all the juice he can get out of all the money he has now, instead of waiting 3-8 weeks for rebates.
 
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chinaman1472

Senior member
Nov 20, 2007
614
0
0
I'd get a stick of 2GB, and try to scrap up $50 for another stick of 2GB over the course of a month or two. I know cash at that age can be hard to scrap up, but saving a buck or two a day along with some excess change can add up. DSF has a great build to tweak around, if you need to.
 
rockfella79

rockfella79

Member
Nov 16, 2007
147
7
81
Buddy u r overspending, buy this u won?t go wrong.
CPU E4500.
MOBO: ABIT IP35-E.
DVD RW: Samsung SATA 20X SH-203D.
RAM: Any RAM that can do 5-5-5-5-15 at 2.2 V, Crucial Ballistix is very good.
GPU: Standard Evga 8800GT 512MB. ( oc versions are same card with higher frequencies, U can do it using RIVA TUNER, It only takes flat 5 mins to OC a GPU, 5 minutes including installation time etc lol)
PSU: Corsair VX450W (It is more efficient that its big brother HX620 and easily handles over clocked quad core with some 2-3 raptors and GTX!! Believe me!)
Buddy I have finished crysis with an over clocked E2140 @ 3.3 GHz on my 8800GT. I have also tried my friend's Q6600 GO at 3.7 GHz on my set-up. The huge price difference between the E2140 and Q6600 and the real world performance difference I got while playing crysis has not motivated me to buy Q6600 or any other CPU. I am suggesting E4500 because OC is like lottery, I have mine at 3.3 some have it on 3.4 U might not be lucky enough! But there is no lag in CRYSIS or any other game even with an OC E2140! (Believe it or not) E4500 has 2MB L2 cache. If u can find any second hand E4500 or E6750 or Q6600 then nothing like it! 8800GTS G92 512MB is faster than 8800GT 512 but the price difference is not justified. Again u r wasting money on centurion case, I have an Elite 330 my 8800gt and 3 hard drives fit like a charm in it. Elite 330 and centurion etc have almost the same cooling and 3XXX series is very cheap. I have modded my side panel and installed 2 120mm fans on the side for good airflow! My 8800gt idles at 30 degrees when the pu fan is at 60%! Not bad eh?
 
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richwenzel

Member
Sep 19, 2007
172
0
0
you can get an e8400 for about the same price as the cpu you picked out, give or take $10...i would go that route

as for a case, since moving is common, i would consider something like the cooler master ammo, actually has a sturdy handle for transportation...it is pretty cool inside as well...too bad this wasnt a bit earlier in the year, newegg had a rebate that made them free (except shipping)...i own one (got it for that deal), and it is a fine case...

right now there is a deal on a 8800gts (g92) for about $260...

you didnt say how sensitive you are to rebates...i.e. if something is $100, but has a $50 rebate right, can you wait the 8+ weeks to get the rebate? it makes a big difference in what you can potentially get....

ill throw my thoughts into the ring

e8400 $190ish
8800gts $260
antec neo power 500w ($35 after rebate, if you can't do rebates, i would look for a cooler master extreme power for about $50, pref the 550w, can often get that sub $50)...
abit ip35-e $60 AR (again if no rebates, would look at the gigabyte ds3l saw somewhere for $88 no rebate)
I wouldn't go crazy on expensive ram, it will not provide the best performance bang for the $...I would alot about $40 for 2gb..here is some decent ram for $29 AR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...emory-_-E1M-_-20145034

cm690 about $40 including shipping and AR from microcenter

so thats 190+260+35+60+29=574 after rebates, not including shipping

i would also consider an after market cooler...you can get some good zerotherms for $35ish right now...

if this is within your budget and you want to spend more, i would consider going to a 2x2gb ram set up.

thing is, i may have missed it, but do you need an OS as well?



 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Speaking of rebates...I completely understand that your friend has to limit the total purchase price to $750 before rebates are even taken into account. He is planning to file for the rebates though, right? As someone else said, if nothing else it will give him a little bit of cash to spend on games for his new toy.
 
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