Low budget gaming rig

[kt1]

NOTE: I also posted this over on TechSupport but the forums seem a little slower. Was hoping for some input. Thanks in advance

Hi!
This is my first time building a PC and it's replacing a very old one (we're talking 512 RAM, can only run XP SP1, etc)

I was going for something with gaming capabilities on the cheap (my budget is about 600 dollars, plus 200 for a separate college laptop, which I've already found). I'm not looking to run Crysis 2 on max settings or anything, just decent settings for most modern games.

1280 x 1024 rez

I already have a cd/DVD drive, keyboard/mouse, monitor and fans.

POWER SUPPLY
CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

CPU
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
Newegg.ca - Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I32100

GPU
EVGA 01G-P3-1373-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1373-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

RAM
G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS

MOTHERBOARD
ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.ca - ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

HARD DRIVE
Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.ca - Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CASE
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.ca - NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

[T_Yamamoto]

i would change that mobo to a fullsize ATX, since a micro ATX is smaller and only holds 2x240 ram...so you would be able to upgrade as well as you might want to. FUll size mobos have 4x240 letting you have 4 sticks of ram.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Looks good, and you could always upgrade to an i5-2400 / 2500 later, just not any overclocking with a K chip.

I haven't heard good things about Seagate lately so I'd probably get a Samasung Spinpoint 1 TB or WD Black drive instead.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

i would go with the Samsung Spinpoint, just my opinion

 

[kt1]

Thanks guys!
I'll spring for a Spinpoint, but I'd rather try to cut costs on the mobo. I'm okay with 2 ram slots for now.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

well, you might want to ugrade later, worth spending the extra money now rather than buying 1) new ram 2) new mobo

 

[mfenn]

A few comments:
- Given that you're going with a 2 DIMM slot mobo, I'd buy a single 4GB stick instead of 2x2GB. Sure, you lose dual-channel at first, but you will be able to easily upgrade to 8GB.
- You don't need anything like a 600W PSU for that system. The 430CX is plenty for a GTX 460.