$500 Gaming Computer Recommendations?

updawg · 09-25-11, 05:39 PM

I thought this would be an interesting thread, if you had a hard cap of $500 for a gaming computer with no other accessories required, what would be the best build you could come up with?

Pretend you don't have any parts from an old build: You need a Case, Power Supply, Optical Drive, Motherboard, RAM, Graphics Card, Hard Drive, CPU.

The build I have below also has $22 in saving from coupon codes not applied and is 7$ shipped coming to roughly $478 shipped, plus an additional $30 off in rebates if you count those bringing it below $450. What would your builds look like?

Theocnoob · 09-25-11, 10:56 PM

We did this about 3 weeks ago already

.

Knufire · 09-25-11, 11:44 PM

Yes, there was an extremely similar thread to this a couple weeks ago here in the General Hardware subforum, see if you can dig it up?

David · 09-26-11, 03:56 AM

This may float your boat:
http://www.overclockers.com/amd-inte...s-guide-82011/

Theocnoob · 09-26-11, 11:53 AM

Anyways with extreme dilligence you can manage

955
bleh motherboard
6870
500GB HDD
4GB DDR3
500W PSU
Case

updawg · 09-27-11, 02:19 PM

I overlooked that thread but it looks like the lowest budget was $650, this comes in at $450 and should be a solid performer. Thanks for the link to the other thread, I was just trying to spark some interest in designing the most powerful systems at the lowest price point, sometimes at forums people want to encourage only the best and most expensive and I was trying to veer away of those type of conversations.

bigben6 · 09-27-11, 02:46 PM

its a turd... didnt check if GPU will fit this case, but 401 after rebates

ScrewySqrl · 09-27-11, 05:45 PM

$499.

better PSU, Better case with better cooling, lifetime warranty GPU. Overclockable CPU

bigben6 · 09-27-11, 06:51 PM

uhhh
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=143

@3.7 it is BARELY better than the build i put together, compared to the SB build the 955 is about equal and thats assuming your NOT gonna overclock the i3's which are also = to or cheaper than the 955...

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=289

I like my 955 but your forcing the buyer to OC and there is no garantee that the 955 will hit 3.7 stable, historically it SHOULD for sure but it is not a garantee...

The 955 WAS great and if it were 100 or less i would recommend it but given this is a GAMING rig, i do not see as the best option TBH, though i love mine and it does 3.8 on stock voltage multi only...

EDIT: I reposted this cause it is in response to the screwysqrl build but somehow this p[ost got -placed ABOVE his build... odd... so i just moved it cause it made no sense how the fprum placed it...

ScrewySqrl · 09-27-11, 06:57 PM

this *is* The 'Overclockers' forum. Tom's Hardware had a 955 OC to 3.8 on stock cooler as their $500 build for this quarter, and it outperformed the 2100 build from June.

Evilsizer · 09-27-11, 07:17 PM

what exactly is the computer going to built for? i mean in gaming its going to be about clock speed to a degree but then also the number of cores depending on the game. after that if its for something other then gaming then that really changes the build.

bigben6 · 09-27-11, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScrewySqrl

this *is* The 'Overclockers' forum. Tom's Hardware had a 955 OC to 3.8 on stock cooler as their $500 build for this quarter, and it outperformed the 2100 build from June.

But a OC 955 does not stand a chance against a OC 2100.... maybe OC 955 = STOCK 2011, but this *is* The 'Overclockers' forum so why would you assume the 955 gets OC'd and the SB stays stock?!?!

Knufire · 09-27-11, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigben6

But a OC 955 does not stand a chance against a OC 2100.... maybe OC 955 = STOCK 2011, but this *is* The 'Overclockers' forum so why would you assume the 955 gets OC'd and the SB stays stock?!?!

You can't overclock non-K Sandy Bridge CPUs...the 2500K and 2600K are the only ones. Everything else has a locked multiplier, and the FSB is tied to the PCIe bus frequency, which really doesn't like being changed.

bigben6 · 09-27-11, 08:58 PM

Ahhh i see, thanks, that makes more sense, then in this case, i guess a 955 is a more viable choice, thanks knufire i forgot about the "K" designation and how important it was in the SB application.... aplogies to screwysqirrle

Cigarsmoker · 09-28-11, 12:07 AM

Also the "H" chipset as listed by the OP can't be OC. Which makes sense if you pair it with a non "K" chip. For that price I'd go with ScrewySqrle's suggestion.

bigben6 · 09-28-11, 08:13 AM

i think gaming wise screwysquirrls build is not worth the extra 100 bucks.... right now.... as games are built to use more and more cores, his may take the lead and his does allow for a cheap hex core upgrade down the road, like i said i love my 955, buuuuuuuut its past its prime and is old news....

my build ws 401 with the i3 clracksdale... for 500 a better option IMO would be:
My old build minus the i3, put in the i5-2300 + 85$
and a BIOSTAR H61MGC which saves 15 bucks and your in @ 470, 30 bucks cheaper and the i5 out games the 955 even if you OC the 955....

ScrewySqrl · 09-28-11, 01:31 PM

can't quite get a 2300/2400 build under $500 yet

bigben6 · 09-29-11, 08:50 AM

Why not, my first build plus the changes above i added.... OFC deal on newegg vary day too day so maybe something changed...

ScrewySqrl · 09-29-11, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigben6

Why not, my first build plus the changes above i added.... OFC deal on newegg vary day too day so maybe something changed...

Probably because I don't trust the fireworks factory inside that Broadway case...which also has a single 80mm fan.

Cheap PSUs are just waiting to fry.
Edit: just zoomed in on your 500W PSU in that case:

+3.3: 22a, +5: 36a, +12v: 18a

That would have been a nice choice in 1987, but not today.

Grosjambon · 09-29-11, 11:15 AM

From OCF,
1tb f3 7200 rpm
870XT
965 x4
ati 6870 hd
2x2 ddr3 1600
450w GOLD superflower.
for 510$ shipped to can (around 40-50$) in shipping
U just have to findd the good deals and jump on them.

09-25-11, 05:39 PM	Thread Starter #1
updawg StarCraft II Fanatic Join Date: May 2006 Location: NOVA	$500 Gaming Computer Recommendations? I thought this would be an interesting thread, if you had a hard cap of $500 for a gaming computer with no other accessories required, what would be the best build you could come up with? Pretend you don't have any parts from an old build: You need a Case, Power Supply, Optical Drive, Motherboard, RAM, Graphics Card, Hard Drive, CPU. The build I have below also has $22 in saving from coupon codes not applied and is 7$ shipped coming to roughly $478 shipped, plus an additional $30 off in rebates if you count those bringing it below $450. What would your builds look like? Attached Images
	QUOTE Thanks

09-25-11, 10:56 PM	#2
Theocnoob Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Near Toronto Canada	We did this about 3 weeks ago already . __________________ I've forgotten more than I've learned.
	QUOTE Thanks

09-25-11, 11:44 PM	#3
Knufire Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI	Yes, there was an extremely similar thread to this a couple weeks ago here in the General Hardware subforum, see if you can dig it up? __________________ i7-920 3.8 Ghz \| Venomous-X w/ Panaflo HS \| Sapphire Vapor-X 4890 EVGA X58 SLI LE \| 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 \| 500GB Samsung OEM \| Rosewill 850w \| Thermaltake Armor Series \| OCZ Vertex 2 60GB Secondary Rig: CM Elite 430 \| A8-3870K stock \| Radeon HD 6670 \| 500GB WD Caviar Blue \| 4GB G.SKILL DDR3-1333 \| ASUS A55 HEATWARE
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09-26-11, 03:56 AM	#4
David Forums Super Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Hiding from Americans and making pretty colours in a drybox in St Andrews	This may float your boat: http://www.overclockers.com/amd-inte...s-guide-82011/ __________________ David J. Nelson MChem(Edin) PhD(Strath) AMRSC [Academia Profile] OC Forums Super Moderator // Overclockers.com Editor The Workhorse: [Lenovo W510] Intel Core i7-720QM / 8 GB DDR3 / nVidia Quadro FX880M / Crucial M4 256 GB SSD / Windows 7 The HTPC/Server: AMD Phenom X4 9650 / 6 GB DDR2 / nVidia 8300 / 5 TB of HDDs / Antec Solo II Case / Windows 7 The Gaming Rig: AMD Llano A6-3650 / 4 GB DDR3 / nVidia GTX260 / 2x 500 GB HDD in RAID0 / Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Case / Windows 7 The Benchmarking Setup: Various LGA775 chips / Asus Rampage Formula / 2 GB OCZ 1066 MHz DDR2 / nVidia Quadro NVS 285 / 320 GB HDD / Windows 7 My research fellowship is eating all my time, so I may be slow to reply to emails and private messages.
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09-26-11, 11:53 AM	#5
Theocnoob Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Near Toronto Canada	Anyways with extreme dilligence you can manage 955 bleh motherboard 6870 500GB HDD 4GB DDR3 500W PSU Case __________________ I've forgotten more than I've learned.
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$500 Gaming Computer Recommendations?

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09-27-11, 02:19 PM	Thread Starter #6
updawg StarCraft II Fanatic Join Date: May 2006 Location: NOVA	I overlooked that thread but it looks like the lowest budget was $650, this comes in at $450 and should be a solid performer. Thanks for the link to the other thread, I was just trying to spark some interest in designing the most powerful systems at the lowest price point, sometimes at forums people want to encourage only the best and most expensive and I was trying to veer away of those type of conversations.
	QUOTE Thanks

09-27-11, 02:46 PM	#7
bigben6 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati	its a turd... didnt check if GPU will fit this case, but 401 after rebates __________________ THE RIG CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.7Ghz) \| MOBO- Biostar TA890FXE GPU- Asus EAH6850 (900Mhz/1200) \| RAM- 8 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (4x2gb) SSD- OCZ Vertex 60 GB \| HD- WD Black 1TB PSU- Corsair 650 W \| COOLER- Hyper 212+ MONITOR- Asus Vh242H \| CASE- Antec 902 Overheating Click Me!
	QUOTE Thanks

09-27-11, 05:45 PM	#8
ScrewySqrl Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NC	$499. better PSU, Better case with better cooling, lifetime warranty GPU. Overclockable CPU Attached Images __________________ Main PC:I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case, Acer 1680x1050 monitor. "Salvage" PC being used for HTPC: AMD Phenom 9650, Biostar MCP6PB M2+, 4 GB DDR2-800, Ultra 500W, Diamond HD4850 DDR3 512MB, Thermaltake TR1-R 92mm cooler, 120GB SATA 1 HDD, 16x DVD-Rom (AOpen), 8x DVD RW (off a Gateway) Ancient Laptop: HP dv8000t: AMD Turion 64 1.8Ghz, 1.25 GB RAM, 80 GB 5400 rpm HDD, Radeon X200M, 17" 1440x900 screen.Weaker than a netbook, but great for in-bed browsing because its so low heat. A strange green man lying in a swamp handing out Lightsabers is no basis for a system of Government
	QUOTE Thanks

09-27-11, 06:51 PM	#9
bigben6 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati	uhhh http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=143 @3.7 it is BARELY better than the build i put together, compared to the SB build the 955 is about equal and thats assuming your NOT gonna overclock the i3's which are also = to or cheaper than the 955... http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=289 I like my 955 but your forcing the buyer to OC and there is no garantee that the 955 will hit 3.7 stable, historically it SHOULD for sure but it is not a garantee... The 955 WAS great and if it were 100 or less i would recommend it but given this is a GAMING rig, i do not see as the best option TBH, though i love mine and it does 3.8 on stock voltage multi only... EDIT: I reposted this cause it is in response to the screwysqrl build but somehow this p[ost got -placed ABOVE his build... odd... so i just moved it cause it made no sense how the fprum placed it... __________________ THE RIG CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.7Ghz) \| MOBO- Biostar TA890FXE GPU- Asus EAH6850 (900Mhz/1200) \| RAM- 8 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (4x2gb) SSD- OCZ Vertex 60 GB \| HD- WD Black 1TB PSU- Corsair 650 W \| COOLER- Hyper 212+ MONITOR- Asus Vh242H \| CASE- Antec 902 Overheating Click Me!
	QUOTE Thanks

09-27-11, 06:57 PM	#10
ScrewySqrl Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NC	this is The 'Overclockers' forum. Tom's Hardware had a 955 OC to 3.8 on stock cooler as their $500 build for this quarter, and it outperformed the 2100 build from June. __________________ Main PC:I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case, Acer 1680x1050 monitor. "Salvage" PC being used for HTPC: AMD Phenom 9650, Biostar MCP6PB M2+, 4 GB DDR2-800, Ultra 500W, Diamond HD4850 DDR3 512MB, Thermaltake TR1-R 92mm cooler, 120GB SATA 1 HDD, 16x DVD-Rom (AOpen), 8x DVD RW (off a Gateway) Ancient Laptop: HP dv8000t: AMD Turion 64 1.8Ghz, 1.25 GB RAM, 80 GB 5400 rpm HDD, Radeon X200M, 17" 1440x900 screen.Weaker than a netbook, but great for in-bed browsing because its so low heat. A strange green man lying in a swamp handing out Lightsabers is no basis for a system of Government
	QUOTE Thanks

09-27-11, 07:17 PM	#11
Evilsizer Senior Fourm Spammer Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Austin,Texas	what exactly is the computer going to built for? i mean in gaming its going to be about clock speed to a degree but then also the number of cores depending on the game. after that if its for something other then gaming then that really changes the build. __________________ i7 920@3.6ghz \| Asus R2G \| GK F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH \| Galaxy GTX660 GC \| C650TX \| OCZ VERTEX EX 120GB, VERTEX 250GB i3 330m \| Jetway NF98 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1066 \| pico 120WI i5 2450 \| Jetway JNF9G-QM77 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1333 \| WIP "I Love To Camp!" "Commensing Shock Therapy!" I'm jonnyGURU of jonnyGURU.com and we don't overload PSU's - JonnyGURU HeatWare
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09-27-11, 08:58 PM	#14
bigben6 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati	Ahhh i see, thanks, that makes more sense, then in this case, i guess a 955 is a more viable choice, thanks knufire i forgot about the "K" designation and how important it was in the SB application.... aplogies to screwysqirrle __________________ THE RIG CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.7Ghz) \| MOBO- Biostar TA890FXE GPU- Asus EAH6850 (900Mhz/1200) \| RAM- 8 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (4x2gb) SSD- OCZ Vertex 60 GB \| HD- WD Black 1TB PSU- Corsair 650 W \| COOLER- Hyper 212+ MONITOR- Asus Vh242H \| CASE- Antec 902 Overheating Click Me!
	QUOTE Thanks

09-28-11, 12:07 AM	#15
Cigarsmoker Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Also the "H" chipset as listed by the OP can't be OC. Which makes sense if you pair it with a non "K" chip. For that price I'd go with ScrewySqrle's suggestion.
	QUOTE Thanks

09-28-11, 08:13 AM	#16
bigben6 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati	i think gaming wise screwysquirrls build is not worth the extra 100 bucks.... right now.... as games are built to use more and more cores, his may take the lead and his does allow for a cheap hex core upgrade down the road, like i said i love my 955, buuuuuuuut its past its prime and is old news.... my build ws 401 with the i3 clracksdale... for 500 a better option IMO would be: My old build minus the i3, put in the i5-2300 + 85$ and a BIOSTAR H61MGC which saves 15 bucks and your in @ 470, 30 bucks cheaper and the i5 out games the 955 even if you OC the 955.... __________________ THE RIG CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.7Ghz) \| MOBO- Biostar TA890FXE GPU- Asus EAH6850 (900Mhz/1200) \| RAM- 8 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (4x2gb) SSD- OCZ Vertex 60 GB \| HD- WD Black 1TB PSU- Corsair 650 W \| COOLER- Hyper 212+ MONITOR- Asus Vh242H \| CASE- Antec 902 Overheating Click Me!
	QUOTE Thanks

09-28-11, 01:31 PM	#17
ScrewySqrl Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NC	can't quite get a 2300/2400 build under $500 yet __________________ Main PC:I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case, Acer 1680x1050 monitor. "Salvage" PC being used for HTPC: AMD Phenom 9650, Biostar MCP6PB M2+, 4 GB DDR2-800, Ultra 500W, Diamond HD4850 DDR3 512MB, Thermaltake TR1-R 92mm cooler, 120GB SATA 1 HDD, 16x DVD-Rom (AOpen), 8x DVD RW (off a Gateway) Ancient Laptop: HP dv8000t: AMD Turion 64 1.8Ghz, 1.25 GB RAM, 80 GB 5400 rpm HDD, Radeon X200M, 17" 1440x900 screen.Weaker than a netbook, but great for in-bed browsing because its so low heat. A strange green man lying in a swamp handing out Lightsabers is no basis for a system of Government
	QUOTE Thanks

09-29-11, 08:50 AM	#18
bigben6 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati	Why not, my first build plus the changes above i added.... OFC deal on newegg vary day too day so maybe something changed... __________________ THE RIG CPU- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.7Ghz) \| MOBO- Biostar TA890FXE GPU- Asus EAH6850 (900Mhz/1200) \| RAM- 8 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 (4x2gb) SSD- OCZ Vertex 60 GB \| HD- WD Black 1TB PSU- Corsair 650 W \| COOLER- Hyper 212+ MONITOR- Asus Vh242H \| CASE- Antec 902 Overheating Click Me!
	QUOTE Thanks

09-29-11, 11:15 AM	#20
Grosjambon Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Montreal - Canada Or @Cegep Maisoneuve	From OCF, 1tb f3 7200 rpm 870XT 965 x4 ati 6870 hd 2x2 ddr3 1600 450w GOLD superflower. for 510$ shipped to can (around 40-50$) in shipping U just have to findd the good deals and jump on them. __________________ Main Gear ------------------------------------Second Gear Phenom II 955 @3.8 -----------CPU -------Athlon x2 6000+ Asus Gtx 280--------------------GPU--------MSI 9600 GT Quimonda 2x2gig Ddr2 800----RAM--------Kingston 2x1 1x1 ddr2 800 M3N-HT Deluxe-----------------MOBO-------M2N-E Antec Earthwatt 650w-----------PSU--------Antec 500watt Wood Case \|\| Wood Case 02 Water: MCP655 With speed controler / -- mrc320 / ek res 250 / d-tek fuzion v1 HEATWARE Last edited by Grosjambon; 09-29-11 at 11:27 AM.
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