Gaming System for $500?

[sephroth777]

With a budget of $500 is it possible to build a gaming computer that can play the current generation of games with some future longetivity? Already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse.

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 (should I get the case with the 350w PSU or the case without the PSU and use the Antec 300w PSU I have from my SX1030 case)

Need the following:
Motherboard
CPU
CPU Heatsink/Fan
Hard Drive
CD or DVD Burner
Video Card
Memory

I looked at Anand's latest budget system guide however they do not really recommend it for gaming. I was thinking along my current setup AMD XP 2800 /Asus A7N8X Deluxe/1GB PC3500/200GB Seagate/Pioneer DVD-109/ATI 9700 PRO however it is still way out of the $500 budget. Are the NForce 2 motherboards with IGP any good (I personally know they are not however for budget sake)? The system will mainly be used for Counter-Strike:Source, UT2004, etc.

I really appreciate all the help...Thanks!

 

[StrangerGuy]

$77 - Sempron S754 2600+ 1.6GHz
$59 - Chaintech VNF3-250 Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3
$75 - KINGMAX SuperRAM 1GB PC3200
$152 (A.R) - Leadtek GF 6600GT
$59 - Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer
$70 - Antec SLK3700AMB with 350W Antec PSU
Total = $542

All from Newegg.

You can overclock the Sempron to 2GHz for A64 2800-class performance, and that can be easily achieved.

Overall the setup is over your budget by $42 though...You could reuse some parts if you have them, or opt for a lesser video card.

 

[Tostada]

Building an Athlon XP system just so you can fit a 6600GT in your budget (and you're still $41 over after you get your rebate back) is a little suspicious. When money is a concern you have to realize that video cards are the fastest depreciating component of a system. That system is disposable.

 

[Chosonman]

AMD 64 3000 S754 2.0GHz
Chaintech K8T800 Socket 754 (includes HS/FAN)
Combo Price: $159 (portatech.com)

$80 - Corsair VS RAM 1GB PC3200 (zipzoomfly.com)
$127 - ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (eWiz.com)
$75 - Western Digital 160GB 7200rpm EIDE HDD. 8MB Cache ULTRA ATA133 (bestbargainpc.com)
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer (zipzoomfly.com)
$48 - ENERMAX Noisetaker Series 375W (Monarchcomputer.com)

Shipped: $539

http://www.pricewatch.com/

ha, $10 cheaper than a Sempron system... I'm da man!

*out of those companies the only one I don't like is bestbargainpc.com. They're shipping policy seems whack.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Originally posted by: Chosonman
AMD 64 3000 S754 2.0GHz
Chaintech K8T800 Socket 754
Combo Price: $159 (portatech.com)

$80 - Corsair VS RAM 1GB PC3200 (zipzoomfly.com)
$127 - ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (Allstarshop.com)
$70 - Western Digital 8MB cache - 120G SATA (bestbargainpc.com)
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer (zipzoomfly.com)
$48 - ENERMAX Noisetaker Series 375W (Monarchcomputer.com)

Shiped: $534

http://www.pricewatch.com/

Cool. Seems like Newegg isn't the best place to shop when it comes to price.

 

[Chosonman]

Drop the RAM to 512 instead of 1GB to get it under $500.00 you can alway buy more RAM later.

 

[sephroth777]

Any recommendations for CPU coolers?

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: sephroth777
Any recommendations for CPU coolers?

The combo include Heat sink and fan. I have the set and have no problems with them.
In order for them to keep under AMD's service policy they must provide adequate cooling.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Chosonman
AMD 64 3000 S754 2.0GHz
Chaintech K8T800 Socket 754 (includes HS/FAN)
Combo Price: $159 (portatech.com)

$80 - Corsair VS RAM 1GB PC3200 (zipzoomfly.com)
$127 - ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (eWiz.com)
$75 - Western Digital 160GB 7200rpm EIDE HDD. 8MB Cache ULTRA ATA133 (bestbargainpc.com)
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer (zipzoomfly.com)
$48 - ENERMAX Noisetaker Series 375W (Monarchcomputer.com)

Shipped: $539

http://www.pricewatch.com/

ha, $10 cheaper than a Sempron system... I'm da man!

*out of those companies the only one I don't like is bestbargainpc.com. They're shipping policy seems whack.

Am I missing something? He specifically mentioned the $90 case he wanted, but you didn't include a case at all.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: sephroth777
I looked at Anand's latest budget system guide however they do not really recommend it for gaming. I was thinking along my current setup AMD XP 2800 /Asus A7N8X Deluxe/1GB PC3500/200GB Seagate/Pioneer DVD-109/ATI 9700 PRO however it is still way out of the $500 budget. Are the NForce 2 motherboards with IGP any good (I personally know they are not however for budget sake)? The system will mainly be used for Counter-Strike:Source, UT2004, etc.

I really appreciate all the help...Thanks!

You really have to decide what games are important to you and what resolutions you want to play at. What monitor do you have? The NF2 IGP is as good as IGPs get, but there's a huge difference between that and a Radeon 9700 Pro -- the 9700 Pro is right up there with a GeForce 6600 GT.

What's your current system?

Also, you're talking about getting a $90 case, which cuts into your budget a bit.

Here's what I'd be considering, trying to keep things similar to what you mentioned:

Sempron 2800+ (90nm, 256K): $86
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80143-1

Biostar NF3 250 board: $55.50
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=131-38-247

Chaintech GeForce 6600 AGP: $120
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=323287

Seagate 160GB Barracuda 8MB: $90
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101556

512MB Corsair PC3200: $40.50
http://www.chiefvalue.com/app/productdetails.asp?submit=search&item=20-145-026

Pioneer DVR-109: $59
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827129161

Cooler Master Centurion 5, black, window, 350W PSU: $83
http://www.chiefvalue.com/app/productdetails.asp?submit=search&item=11-119-057

That's $535 delivered.

You can save $10 by getting the Sempron with 128K cache.
You can save $7 by getting the NEC-3520A
You can save $10 by getting the refurb version of that video card at NewEgg.

You can spend another $9 and get the SATA version of that hard drive, but it doesn't make any difference and the motherboard doesn't come with a SATA cable.

You really don't need 1GB of RAM, and you can easily buy a matching stick for another $40 in a month, so that's an easy way to save some cash right now.

 

[Chosonman]

UPDATED:

AMD 64 3000 S754 2.0GHz
Chaintech K8T800 Socket 754 (includes HS/FAN)
Combo Price: $159 (portatech.com)

$80 - Corsair VS RAM 1GB PC3200 (zipzoomfly.com)
$127 - ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (eWiz.com) or Chaintech GeForce 6600 AGP (zipzoomfly.com)
$75 - Western Digital 160GB 7200rpm EIDE HDD. 8MB Cache ULTRA ATA133 (bestbargainpc.com)
$50 - NEC ND-3520A DVD-writer (zipzoomfly.com)
$83 - Cooler Master Centurion 5, black, window, 350W PSU (chiefvalue.com)

Shipped: $575
-$40 for 512MB RAM = $535 for an AMD 64 3000+ system.

http://www.pricewatch.com/

hmmm... maybe I should build another system.

 

[Chosonman]

woot my 500th post! (shameless post)

 

[sephroth777]

Thanks guys! I totally appreciate the help. When I built my system 2.5 yrs ago I was familiar with Nforce 2 boards and got the AMD XP 2800+ with Corsair PC3500 Ram. Now with the new AMD CPUS things are a bit different. The computer is for my g/f's brother who has a 17" HP monitor.

Is it worth getting a 64bit chip over 32bit for this budget system?
Plus as of hard drives I will have him get a Seagate with 5yr warranty since my WD1200JB has been RMA'd 2 times already.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: sephroth777
Is it worth getting a 64bit chip over 32bit for this budget system?
Plus as of hard drives I will have him get a Seagate with 5yr warranty since my WD1200JB has been RMA'd 2 times already.

It's definitely worth getting something on Socket 754. I really like the newer 90nm Semprons because they run so cool and they're based off the newer Socket 939 cores. You can overclock them a ridiculous amount on stock voltage with the stock heatsink. Even without overclocking, the feel of the system is the same as that of an Athlon 64; the OS is noticably more responsive than an Athlon XP, and multitasking doesn't choke it if one of your apps is a CPU hog.

I'd say that 64-bit Windows combined with a legitimate number of 64-bit apps is far enough off that it's not worth building a system around it just for longevity when you're on a $500 budget. I'd give it a minimum of 2 years before you get some big benefit from 64-bit. That may seem like it's worth planning for, but by that time you'll be able to get dual-core cheaply, and who's to say that dual-core optimizations won't be much more important than 64-bit?

Still, that $159 is a really good price for that CPU/motherboard combo. That'd make a great system. I just don't know that I'm able to recommend Chaintech as a motherboard vendor (I'll recommend their video cards because those are hard to screw up). I also like the NF3 more than the VIA chipsets, and I wouldn't trust portatech.com -- they have pretty mediocre feedback on ResellerRatings.com:

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2751.html