First build - Can it run crysis 1/2 and guildwars 2

[Kill2Fill]

AMD Phenom II X2 555
AMD Athlon II X2 245
ASUS GeForce GTS 450
ASUS 770 M4A77D
2x2GB DDR3 1600
Samsung dvd/cd drive
Western digital 500gb hard drive
Apevia X-Alien w/500w PSU

I'd like for it to be A LOT cheaper, so if u have any suggestions that will still let me play the games please tell me

I havn't decided between CPU's... Athlon is cheaper and free shipping so if it can run the games (even on low) i'd prefer it. But idk if it is.

 

[fffblackmage]

Crysis 2 isn't out yet... and I don't think the minimum requirements have been announced....

If you absolutely must choose between the Athlon II X2 and Phenom II X2, I'd probably go with the Phenom for the potential unlocking. All Athlon IIs are dual core dies, while the Phenom IIs are usually quad core dies with two cores disabled. However, if a third option is available, I'd go with the Athlon II X4.

If price matters, then you'll save a few bucks going with DDR3-1333 RAM and you'll never notice having "slower" ram.

I realize you want cheaper, but I wouldn't skimp on a PSU, even for a low-budget build. In other words, Apevia sucks for PSUs. Typical brands you can't go wrong with include Antec, Seasonic, Enermax, XFX (Seasonic rebranded), and Corsair.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

thats a junk psu.

The Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL started off with an either love it or hate it look and with a questionable build quality. During the load testing portion of the review the design choices lead to poor performance and some literal falling apart as the unit began to melt. At a load of only 241w at 45c the 12v2 rail fell out of the ATX specification for 12v output voltage range and sealed the fate of the Apevia. The DC output during this time was on one hand better than would be expected from a unit that had failed so spectacularly but still poor as the 5v rail was pushing if not exceeding the ATX specification during Test #3 (353w). There is no application that the Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL would be suitable for and it could indeed be outright dangerous hardware due to its electrical performance and due to how the unit’s physical construction operates at elevated temperatures (such as our testing range of 45c). The Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL is priced at $59.99 (currently $54.99) but simply can not be recommended at this or any other price point.

http://hardocp.com/article/2007/05/23/450w500w_psu_battle_royal/17

 

[Patrick Wolf]

You got a budget? Any parts that could be re-used from an older rig?

 

[Davidh373]

AMD Phenom II X2 555
AMD Athlon II X2 245

You should get an Athlon II X4 if you can. Quad core is getting kind of big with the newer high performance games these days.

Western digital 500gb hard drive

I dunno which WD drive you are referring to, but you may be able to get a Samsung F3 1TB or 500GB for less.

Apevia X-Alien w/500w PSU

For this build you won't need anything over a 380W PSU, and the Antec 300 is a very well built case (prolly better than that Alien), and for around the same price comes with a much more reliable 430W PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-065-_-Product

(This is actually LESS because shipping isn't an OUTRAGEOUS $25)

You could also consider a Coolermaster Elite 335. This doesn't come with a PSU though. It is $50, but then you'll need to factor in about $45 for a quality PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-161-_-Product

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-023-_-Product

Those 2 together save around $5-$10 over and above the Antec saving $15-$20

2x2GB DDR3 1600

This is where you can save some money BIG time (prolly about enough to possibly get a Phenom II X4)

When comparing DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1600, that jump (per 4GB) costs about $20 and accounts for a whole 2% of performance. These value sticks are the same as the ripjaws without the unnecessary heat spreaders


A whopping $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-421-_-Product

ASUS GeForce GTS 450

Now depending on what is savoy to you, the money you saved between the case and RAM can be much better spent on one of two things, a GPU upgrade to a 6850 or 460 (this would be a stretch), or a processor upgrade to a Phenom II X4 (this would be just about right). You could always just pocket the money, but either of these will be the difference between this playing new games in a year and you needing to get an upgrade anyways. So that is your choice, but you know what I recommend.

 

[Doggiedog]

If you are near a Microcenter, I saw the Antec 300 on sale for $55 there over the weekend.

 

[mfenn]

Listen to David, he has some good points. Beyond the memory, there really isn't a whole lot you can do to make the system any less expensive. Honestly, what you've got is borderline for Crysis 1 even at low resolutions.