Decent Mid-Range Gaming PC

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1337n00b

Member
Oct 11, 2008
38
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1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Mid Range Gaming.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$600+

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Newegg. Canada.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Preferably an Intel CPU (based on positive reviews). Never had problems with ATI cards. No problem switching to Nvidia. Preferably WD if they still are considered the most reliable. No more then 400GB is neccessary.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Sound card, 2 ROM drives, Case if current motherboards could fit into an old P4 motherboard case.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

A Bit. Will continue to.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I will not OC any hardware.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

1024x768/1152x864. Crossfire/SLI not neccessary

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Now.



I can extend the price if need be. I will not skimp out on a high quality and reliable PSU or MB.

Any suggestions would be greatly helpful.

Thanks,

Antaeus
 
Ken g6

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
16,621
4,539
75
OK, based on your budget, on not overclocking anything, and on your preference for quality hardware, here are my suggestions:

  • Processor - i5 2500. You could get the K for $10 more, and it would be more resalable. :rolleyes:
  • Board - Asus H67. Some may suggest Z68. If someone finds one this cheap, that still fits in his P4 case, post it!
  • Memory - 8GB DDR3 1600, cheaper than most DDR3 1333 when bundled with the board.
  • Drive - WD Caviar Black 500GB. You're sure you don't need more? o_O
  • GPU - EVGA GTX 460 1GB. If you get a new monitor, you might want a better card.
  • PSU - XFX 450W. Ought to be enough for this config, I imagine.

Total: $615.44 - $40 MIR + ??? shipping = roughly what you wanted. :)

Edit: P.S. Got Windows?
 
Last edited:
LOL_Wut_Axel

LOL_Wut_Axel

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2011
4,310
8
81
I think this is great for the price:

Intel Core i3 2100 + Gigabyte GA-H67-D2-B3 H67 Motherboard: $210
Sapphire Radeon HD 6870: $175; $155 with MIR
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB: $40
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz: $45
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU: $55
Rosewill Challenger Black Case: $50

Total: $587; $567 with MIR

Unless you're doing video encoding and rendering there's not too much point in going for a Core i5. The Core i3 almost matches it in gaming performance and combining it with a faster GPU will give you a lot more gaming performance than a Core i5 plus a slower GPU. Also, since you say you have an old case, it's better to get a new one to make sure there's no issues and to get the build looking clean and new. Believe me, there's nothing worse than making a good gaming system to then put it in an ugly old case. The PSU, you should get this instead of the 400-450W ones. The NEO ECO is based on a Seasonic design but with a bit lower efficiency. The upside is that it has much higher power output and it can natively support a high-end GPU like the Radeon HD 6870 and up plus you have more room for future upgrades.
 
Last edited:
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Ken g6 said:
OK, based on your budget, on not overclocking anything, and on your preference for quality hardware, here are my suggestions:

  • Processor - i5 2500. You could get the K for $10 more, and it would be more resalable. :rolleyes:
  • Board - Asus H67. Some may suggest Z68. If someone finds one this cheap, that still fits in his P4 case, post it!
  • Memory - 8GB DDR3 1600, cheaper than most DDR3 1333 when bundled with the board.
  • Drive - WD Caviar Black 500GB. You're sure you don't need more? o_O
  • GPU - EVGA GTX 460 1GB. If you get a new monitor, you might want a better card.
  • PSU - XFX 450W. Ought to be enough for this config, I imagine.

Total: $615.44 - $40 MIR + ??? shipping = roughly what you wanted. :)

Edit: P.S. Got Windows?
Click to expand...

This looks pretty decent. I'd probably swap the drive for the Samsung F3 1TB for $15 more.

OP, your first order business after getting this PC should be to buy a new monitor as mnewsham suggested. Gaming at 1024x768 is just sad. :(
 
LOL_Wut_Axel

LOL_Wut_Axel

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2011
4,310
8
81
mfenn said:
O Canadaaa!
Click to expand...

Ah, crap! Didn't notice, sorry.

Still, though:

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Case: $60
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB HDD: $40
MSI GeForce GTX 460 1GB Hawk: $165; $125 MIR
Antec NEO ECO 520C PSU: $60
Intel Core i3 2100 + Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2-B3 Motherboard: $205
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz: $43
Total: $573; $533 after MIR

I don't really know how much shipping and taxes would be, so I think $573 is a good upfront price instead of just going to $600. If the other charges are too high there's always that $40 MIR, and you can save $10 by going with a case like the Rosewill Destroyer instead. For the PSU you shouldn't go any lower if you want some future-proofing for just $5 more. The Core i3 2100 is more than enough to handle without any bottlenecking at all a heavily overclocked GTX 460, so I see no reason to go for a Core i5 2400 or 2500.

Also, if you're making a new build, there's no worse way to ruin the look of it than by using an ugly old case. I recommend you get the case, OP. :)
 
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