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Gaming PC on an $800 budget

L

LiquidTux

Junior Member
Hey all, I'd like some help building a PC as I have no experience with this.
This PC will be primarily used for gaming, maybe a little for school (powerpoint, word documents etc).
I have an $800 budget. This does not include peripherals.
I will be ordering from the US.
I will be ordering all new parts, so nothing reused.
I have no experience with overclocking, but would be open to doing so if properly instructed.
I have no brand preferences.

Please let me know if additional info is needed.
 
mfenn said:
Phenom II X4 955 $160
Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 $100
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB $110
Radeon 5770 $152
Samsung F3 1TB $70
DVD Burner $20
Antec Three Hundred $60
Corsair 400CX $50
Windows 7 Home Premium $100
Total $822 before rebates
Click to expand...

Excellent build, about ~80 in rebates afterwards.

Do you need the OS? If so, chances are you can get it through your school for next to nothing.

What size monitor(s) do you use?

Also, if you want to OC, check the overclocking forum.

If you end up not needing the OS, you can either be underbudget, or you can consider:


  • Upgrading the video card to a 5850 ~(280$ vs 150$) Similar price/performance, but may be unnecessary depending on the game/screen resolution.
  • Upgrading the CPU to an X6 1055 (200$ vs 160$), only improves parallel workloads, so it's hard to justify unless you do work in video/photo/cad editing/play multicore games, but it does futureproof you more. ~25% cost increase for 50% more cores.
  • Adding an SSD at a later date. Intel's G3 SSD comes out in Q3, and will be ~100$ for an 80 gig drive.
  • Buying a good cooler (see overclocking forum) and overclocking ~40$.
Those are all good options :/ depends on what you need. It would be awesome if you could list your top games, screen resolution, and any computationally intensive (e.g. photoshop) apps you use.
 
Thanks for the info, guys.

Sp12 said:
Those are all good options :/ depends on what you need. It would be awesome if you could list your top games, screen resolution, and any computationally intensive (e.g. photoshop) apps you use.
Click to expand...

I'm looking for a system that will run games like Crysis, Far Cry 2, Napoleon Total War, and Assassin's Creed 2 on at least medium to high settings.

As far as monitor/resolution, I was looking at the Dell UltraSharp 2209WA with 1680x1050. Like I said before, this would be primarily a gaming rig, any apps would be handled by the POS laptop I have now.
 
LiquidTux said:
Thanks for the info, guys.


I'm looking for a system that will run games like Crysis, Far Cry 2, Napoleon Total War, and Assassin's Creed 2 on at least medium to high settings.

As far as monitor/resolution, I was looking at the Dell UltraSharp 2209WA with 1680x1050. Like I said before, this would be primarily a gaming rig, any apps would be handled by the POS laptop I have now.
Click to expand...

An ATI 5770 will be able to handle those games at 1680*1050 (30 FPS), but you'll be able to up the antialiasing/ultrahigh settings with a 5850.

Far Cry: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-7.html has far cry 2 benchmarks.

The 5770 isn't on these charts, but it performs within a few percent of a 4870, which is on them.

Crysis: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-6.html

You'll be able to get close to 30 frames with 8x AA and 1920*1080 on a 5850, whereas a 5770 would have to drop all AA to get 30 frames.

I will say that I was ultimately unhappy going with a 1680 screen myself. It's not full HD (sucks for movies/HD content), and a 23/24 inch at 1920*1080 is a superior gaming resolution. 1680*1050 is just a tad low for a 22in monitor. Unfortunately, you'll want the 5850 for 1920. So you have the added cost of a nicer monitor and a higher-end video card if you go that route.
 
Last edited:
I've been spec'ing a system as my own for a bit, and I managed to lower the price to about $785... doesn't include a hard drive or optical drive as I have those, but altogether those 2 items could be $60 to $80 -/+

·Cooler Master 310 case $40
·ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 Motherboard $60
·XFX Radeon HD 5850 $310
·Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU $75
(originally had a SeaSonic 620W for $99 but wanted to save a few $ and also a bit more wattage... I've heard great things of SeaSonic, but I've had great experience with Antec over the years)
·AMD Athlon II X3 3.0 GHz AM3 95W CPU $75
(originally looked at Phenom II... in fact didn't even realise I picked an Athlon II -- I may revise this but the last CPU I looked at was Phenom II 3.0 GHz X4 around $140 -- basically sacrificing L3 cache going with Athlon II, but the results don't seem to be a big enough difference for me to care)
·4GB Kingston HyperX DDR2-1066 RAM $109
·Windows 7 OEM $100
·120mm fan red LED $9.67
·80mm fan red LED $7
 
Last edited:
Sp12 said:
Excellent build, about ~80 in rebates afterwards.

Do you need the OS? If so, chances are you can get it through your school for next to nothing.

What size monitor(s) do you use?

Also, if you want to OC, check the overclocking forum.

If you end up not needing the OS, you can either be underbudget, or you can consider:


  • Upgrading the video card to a 5850 ~(280$ vs 150$) Similar price/performance, but may be unnecessary depending on the game/screen resolution.
  • Upgrading the CPU to an X6 1055 (200$ vs 160$), only improves parallel workloads, so it's hard to justify unless you do work in video/photo/cad editing/play multicore games, but it does futureproof you more. ~25% cost increase for 50% more cores.
  • Adding an SSD at a later date. Intel's G3 SSD comes out in Q3, and will be ~100$ for an 80 gig drive.
  • Buying a good cooler (see overclocking forum) and overclocking ~40$.
Those are all good options :/ depends on what you need. It would be awesome if you could list your top games, screen resolution, and any computationally intensive (e.g. photoshop) apps you use.
Click to expand...

Sp12 said:
An ATI 5770 will be able to handle those games at 1680*1050 (30 FPS), but you'll be able to up the antialiasing/ultrahigh settings with a 5850.

Far Cry: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-7.html has far cry 2 benchmarks.

The 5770 isn't on these charts, but it performs within a few percent of a 4870, which is on them.

Crysis: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-6.html

You'll be able to get close to 30 frames with 8x AA and 1920*1080 on a 5850, whereas a 5770 would have to drop all AA to get 30 frames.

I will say that I was ultimately unhappy going with a 1680 screen myself. It's not full HD (sucks for movies/HD content), and a 23/24 inch at 1920*1080 is a superior gaming resolution. 1680*1050 is just a tad low for a 22in monitor. Unfortunately, you'll want the 5850 for 1920. So you have the added cost of a nicer monitor and a higher-end video card if you go that route.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
Personally I would go with what phait is recommending. Going from a 5770 to a 5850 is going to be a big jump (assuming higher rez). I have a e5200 oced to 3.4 on a base gigabyte board with a 5850 and guarntee it would smack that 5770 setup! Put your money where it counts video card if you want to play games! Dual or tri core is fine for the most part....no need to get quad off the bat. You can add that later as needed. My 2 cents.
 
LiquidTux said:
Alright, this is my (tentative) build right now.

Phenom II X4 955 $160
Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 $100
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB $110
Radeon 5850 $320
Samsung F3 1TB $70
Cooler Master Elite 310 $40
Corsair 400CX $50
Windows 7 Home Premium $100
Asus VH236H 23" $200


Got rid of the DVD burner as my existing machine can do that if necessary. Upgraded to the 5850 and changed the case too. Decided to go with the Asus VH236H 23" for the monitor. How does all this look?
Click to expand...

The jump from 5770 to 5850 means you need a bigger PSU. Look into the Corsair 650TX or Antec TruePower New TP-550.
 
Looks good.

I would NOT go with phait's build as it uses an Athlon X3, not only is that only tricore, some games are 20% faster with a P2. The motherboard in that build also lacks sata/usb 3 as it's on an older chipset.

That 5850 is overpriced, and looks like a non-reference design (worse overclocker). Here are reference Diamond and an XFX 5850s for 280$ and 293$ respectively. The XFX has a double lifetime warranty and better support, so it will have a higher resale value if you sell it.

Diamond: http://www.google.com/products/cata...qMCuiAlgfAx_2cBQ&sa=title&ved=0CA0Q8wIwATgA#p

XFX: http://www.google.com/products/cata...qMCuiAlgfAx_2cBQ&sa=title&ved=0CBMQ8wIwAjgA#p

Also, as far as I can tell this is the same processor, but with a 15$ gift card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674 (ends tomorrow)

That monitor has an excellent pixel pitch, nice choice. Sorry about forgetting to check the PSU with a 5850.

Here's the Corsair 650TX for 90$ (10$ MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

That totals 1123 with the monitor, changed PSU, different 5850, and OS, before any rebates, giftcards, or shipping (though a lot of those items are free shipping).

Depending on where you live, you may get taxed on Newegg.


 
Last edited:
Sp12 said:
Looks good.

I would NOT go with phait's build as it uses an Athlon X3, not only is that only tricore, some games are 20% faster with a P2. The motherboard in that build also lacks sata/usb 3 as it's on an older chipset.

That 5850 is overpriced, and looks like a non-reference design (worse overclocker). Here...
Click to expand...

In my research, and I too have thought about the Athlon II vs Phenom II... there hasn't been a considerable performance loss, at least in the games I was interested in. I might've seen a 10 FPS increase in some benchmarks, but when the Athlon II's were averaging 40s at least (in more demanding games at high res), I was fine with that.
- http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-6.html
- http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_9.html#sect0
- http://www.anandtech.com/show/2775/9

"Left 4 Dead is different. The processor with L3 cache delivers almost 20% faster frame rates." but who cares when the Atlhon II is delivering freakin' 106.7 FPS (with their system)?

Then again others may prefer a more updated platform and I wouldn't discourage that. Me I'm just trying to save some money because I may be selling my old system to someone I know.

*EDIT* I see 4 SATAs listed on the mobo... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157176

Storage Devices
PATA: 1 x ATA133 2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s: 4
SATA RAID: 0/1/10/JBOD
 
Last edited:
phait said:
In my research, and I too have thought about the Athlon II vs Phenom II... there hasn't been a considerable performance loss, at least in the games I was interested in. I might've seen a 10 FPS increase in some benchmarks, but when the Athlon II's were averaging 40s at least (in more demanding games at high res), I was fine with that.

Then again others may prefer a more updated platform and I wouldn't discourage that. Me I'm just trying to save some money because I may be selling my old system to someone I know.

*EDIT* I see 4 SATAs listed... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157176

Storage Devices
PATA: 1 x ATA133 2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s: 4
SATA RAID: 0/1/10/JBOD
Click to expand...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-6.html

CPU bound games, like Crysis, definitely like the extra L3 cache. However, the Athlon 3 is fine for light gaming, but it'd CPU-limit a 5850 for sure.

The motherboard has sata 2, or 3Gb/s. Sata 3 is 6Gb/s.
 
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/athlon-ii-x3-440-gaming-performance,review-31906-5.html

Athlon II X3 440 vs Core i7 920 + 5850

Crysis still performs above 50 FPS on the Athlon II while on the i7 the FPS boost is really within a small range (3 to 10).

I don't see the issue personally, but I'm all ears (eyes). Because 50 FPS is quite enjoyable, I can see if it was 25, possibly 30... we all have our bottom line when it comes to FPS -- me I just don't want below 35. I see Stalker Call of Pripyat has a huge boost with the i7, but it's not like it's choking on the Athlon II - so I wouldn't care.
 
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phait said:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/athlon-ii-x3-440-gaming-performance,review-31906-5.html

Athlon II X3 440 vs Core i7 920 + 5850

Crysis still performs above 50 FPS on the Athlon II, while on the i7 the FPS boost is really within a small range (3 to 10).

I don't see the issue personally, but I'm all ears (eyes). Because 50 FPS is quite enjoyable, I can see if it was 25, possibly 30... we all have our bottom line when it comes to FPS -- me I just don't want below 35. I see Stalker Call of Pripyat has a huge boost with the i7, but it's not like it's choking on the Athlon II - so I wouldn't care.
Click to expand...

I couldn't find which level they tested Crysis in. It's especially CPU-bound on the 3rd level due to the huge line of sights and the physics needed on them. L4D2 sees a 20% boost for the L3 cache on a P2. As you said, it depends on the game.

Also, something is up with those results. the Athlon X3 outperforms the I7 in Far Cry 2 at 2560. :S
 
Sp12 said:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-6.html

CPU bound games, like Crysis, definitely like the extra L3 cache. However, the Athlon 3 is fine for light gaming, but it'd CPU-limit a 5850 for sure.

The motherboard has sata 2, or 3Gb/s. Sata 3 is 6Gb/s.
Click to expand...

22636.png


The extra cache definitely helps when gaming, but Crysis ain't the example to use. :awe:
 
If you are making a serious gaming rig, do NOT skimp on the power supply. That may be the first place you are tempted to save money but trust me, DONT!
Get a good brand and a high rating. And since it looks like you can easily make a nice system for well under your $800 mark, use the leftover cash to get a good power supply.
 
shortylickens said:
If you are making a serious gaming rig, do NOT skimp on the power supply. That may be the first place you are tempted to save money but trust me, DONT!
Get a good brand and a high rating. And since it looks like you can easily make a nice system for well under your $800 mark, use the leftover cash to get a good power supply.
Click to expand...

Agreed; I would get at least a 650 watt in a decent brand. Around $100 before taxes would probably be the price range.
 
Might I suggest something like this?

untitled.jpg

Upgrade to an xfx 5850 for a little more...
The ram and case have promo codes right now, saving you about $15
The Motherboard combos with Windows 7 to save another $15
The HDD and PSU combo to save $20

Please correct me if there's something fatally wrong with this, I just thought it was a great buy, and I'll be building myself something similar in the near future.
 
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