Building a $500 gaming rig

[Skwidgy]

I know most of you here is familiar with high end systems that are about a $1000. But I was challenged to build a gaming rig with a budget of only $500. Therefore, I would like to ask for your knowledge on how to come up with the best system in handling 3D games despite of a limited budget.

GOAL/ REQUIREMENTS:

Play games at 1920x1080 (eg. Skyrim, Crysis, BF3, etc.) preferably at high to ultra settings

To be able to upgrade to better components in the future, aka "future proofing"
Minimum of 500 GB for Hard drive and 500W PSU. DVD Drive is required.
Overclocking is not required.

I would also like to ask for your suggestions on how to improve my current selection/s of components

CPU: Intel Pentium G620 Dual Core 2.6 GHz LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050W1Z3E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
GPU: Radeon HD 7750 1GB DDR5
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11202-00-20G-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B007B5V614/ref=pd_cp_pc_0
MOBO: ASRock H67M-GE B3 Intel H67 Micro ATX DDR3 1333 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S9ROCQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QBUL1C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
PSU: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus Series 500W ATX12V V2.3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G0WPLK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CASE: Cooler Master Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O8J11E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CD: Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SIMPXM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Total: $494.90 (on date of posting)

with $5 left to spend, how could I maximize the budget? you could also suggest other retailers to further expand the selections. Rebates are not counted to satisfy the $500 budget. The net cost should be no more than $500, that includes tax, shipping and etc.

Alternative Build:

CPU: Intel Pentium G620 Dual Core 2.6 GHz LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
GPU: Radeon HD 6850 1GB DDR5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048D7AD0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
MOBO: Biostar Intel LGA1155 Z77 Chipset ATX 2600MHz
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RUG8G6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4 GB 1333MHz PC3-10666 240-pin DDR3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZDJ42O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
PSU: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus Series 500W ATX12V V2.3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPHK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CASE: Cooler Master Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPHK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CD: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Total Cost: $493.39 (date of posting)

Btw, I prefer amazon.com since there's no sales tax imposed for CA customers.

This is actually a contest and we placed bets. The best system (highest FPS on games and System Benchmarks) wins! Hope you could help me win!

 

[Horrerblade]

that gpu wont handle anything if i where you i would go with saving a few bucks and buy components when you actually have more money. Right now your just throwing 500 into a money pit because your going to have to buy a new CPU those Pentiums wont cut it any more then your going to have to replace your mobo if you want to OC and you gpu if you want to play any modern games at high settings/ultra settings save up to 200 more bucks and repost. Last question do you have a Micro Center near by? Also if you wait prices on the HDD are starting to come down and also SSD prices will come down so you will be able to have a better computer if you wait.

 

[Skwidgy]

I just changed the GPU to Radeon HD 7750 1GB DDR5. Is it enough?
I could only avail to online retailers, since the closest electronics shop is a crappy Best Buy
Also, this is just for fun of competing with others. I don't have the time to wait since the deadline of building the system is on June 1

 

[Horrerblade]

No you might want to get the 6870+ or the 7850+

 

[Skwidgy]

But I'm limited to $500 budget. Maybe I could get your suggestion on where to cut the budget to be able to improve the GPU. It would be helpful if you could provide links to retailers that sells cheaper prices. Thanks

 

[Yamitoko]

http://www.amazon.com/10-Bay-ATX-To...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1336148126&sr=1-2

 

[PopcornMachine]

A couple of quick and/or options. But any improvements are going to mean a little more money.

1. Move up to a I3 2100 for about $120.

2. Move up to a HD 6850 for about $145.

Much better value for your money, but it is a little more money.

 

[Horrerblade]

you could save some money on the ram get 4 gb instead of 8gb lower mobo or a lower case.

 

[irrykuxeh]

General guidelines for building a budget rig:
Skimp on the RAM
Skimp on the HDD
Skimp on the case
Skimp on the Optical Drive
Skimp on PSU (get good brand, but no more watts than you need)
Dump more money into GPU
Put a little more into CPU
Put a little more into Mobo (for later expansion)

My suggestions anyway

 

[Horrerblade]

^ yea

 

[Skwidgy]

General guidelines for building a budget rig:
Skimp on the RAM
Skimp on the HDD
Skimp on the case
Skimp on the Optical Drive
Skimp on PSU (get good brand, but no more watts than you need)
Dump more money into GPU
Put a little more into CPU
Put a little more into Mobo (for later expansion)

My suggestions anyway

That's a good suggestion, thanks! Anyway, I would like to ask about the MOBO. Which should I get? H61, H67, Z68. if I consider the cost, H61 is the cheapest, but some says that it won't support Ivy Bridge. Therefore, H67 would be the ideal choice since it is compatible with IB and cheaper than Z68. What do you think? Am I wrong?

 

[irrykuxeh]

I would highly recommend the P67 Mobo if you cannot afford a Z68. The H61 is designed more for low end builds and does not support SATA III or RAID or USB 3.0. Thats a deal breaker for me personally. The H67 has these features, but it does NOT SUPPORT OVERCLOCKING. Another deal breaker. P67 does not support onboard graphics, but it does support overclocking. If you're buying a dedicated card anyway, it doesn't matter if you miss out on integrated graphics. THe Z68 simply has the best of all the worlds, with onboard graphics, SATA/USB 3 features, and overclocking.

If you missed all of that, then just get a decent P67 or a Z68. Whichever is cheaper.

 

[Skwidgy]

This is my new components based on your suggestions. I still stick with Intel G620 though. Since it is based on "Sandy Bridge" and benchmarks showed little difference with i3-2100. The $60 difference could be utilized for the GPU which is now a 6850 and the MOBO was improved to a Z77 which makes it future proof.

CPU: Intel Pentium G620 Dual Core 2.6 GHz LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
GPU: Radeon HD 6850 1GB DDR5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048D7AD0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
MOBO: Biostar Intel LGA1155 Z77 Chipset ATX 2600MHz
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RUG8G6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4 GB 1333MHz PC3-10666 240-pin DDR3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZDJ42O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
PSU: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus Series 500W ATX12V V2.3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPHK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CASE: Cooler Master Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPHK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
CD: Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Total Cost: $493.39 (date of posting)

Further suggestions is greatly appreciated! I might still be wrong on some areas. Thanks!

 

[irrykuxeh]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/mid_range_cpus.html
The CPU you listed appears as a mid-low range CPU according to these benchmarks. (That is the SECOND page of CPUs in descending order of performance.) I would highly recommend you find some money somewhere in another part of the rig to upgrade your CPU choice.

Everything else looks pretty good. I think a Z68 mobo would do you just as well. An i5-2500k will be powerful enough for any gaming needs for years to come. Just promise that if you go with this rig, the CPU will be the FIRST thing you upgrade when you get the money.

 

[Skwidgy]

Thanks you Atomichearse for your suggestions! I do plan to upgrade to Ivy Bridge when the more stable/ mainstream models come out and after all the known/future issues and bugs are resolved. Maybe at end of the year. That is why I got a z77 MOBO to ensure 100% compatibility and it's kinda cheap compare to other z68 MOBO in the market.

I still got a question, would the Intel G620 bottleneck the Radeon 6850? How about on gaming performance? Should I balance the CPU and GPU by utilizing Intel i3-2100 and Radeon 7750/7770 rather than my current build? Since the price would still be within $500.

 

[irrykuxeh]

I would guess that the G620 would be your bottleneck; however, overclocking could fix that hence the name of this forum.

 

[Metlcub]

Id get a ASRock extgreem4-m z77 this way , when you want to upgrade you can drop a IB in it. maybe even go with a i3-2100.
It would add a little more but it would be worth it over the Pd chips.

 

[IgnitedX]

This is actually a contest and we placed bets. The best system (highest FPS on games and System Benchmarks) wins! Hope you could help me win!

If that's the case then why don't you remove the DVD drive altogether? That's another $20 to go into CPU/GPU Just install your OS with USB.

Also, the only way to overclock the G620 is via bclk. IIRC, people were getting to 103 MHz stable (3%) which doesn't get you anywhere.

 

[Skwidgy]

If that's the case then why don't you remove the DVD drive altogether? That's another $20 to go into CPU/GPU Just install your OS with USB.

That would certainly work! Although I am going to have problems playing the games, which requires DVD drive. We forgot to put DVD drive as part of the criteria! haha! Thanks for pointing that out, I totally forgot about that. I should remind them that DVD drives are required since they might apply your recommendation.