gaming pc with a budget

pert19

New Member
first of all bare with me. i am not that knowledgeable in pc hardware/building.

ok. uh, basically i want to build a gaming pc with a budget of 650$ (i am willing to raise my budget but it would be a lot better if i didnt :D ). i want to run it with a dual core processor. i already have some hardware that i will be using on my new desktop. i have a 18x LG DVD&CD Burner, a 19" LCD samsung monitor( it would be a waste if i cant use it for gaming) , a 120 gig seagate harddrive, i also have a 256 mb geforce fx 5500. i got these parts from my old desktop.

so what i will be getting is
MOBO= ?
CPU= ?
GPU= (if you have better suggestions than my geforce that would fit into my budget)
RAM= ?
PSU= ?

my top priorities in the unit would be the MOBO and the CPU of course. as i can add the ram later on.

if you need more info pls tell me.
thanks in advance for the help
 
$75 Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128016
$181 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115005
$155 GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130038 (your 5500 will not cut it)
$167 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590
$69 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121003


Total: $647... and those arent that bad products. The only one there you might want to change is the power supply, its the one area that could be upgraded, but, im sure that power supply will be plenty enough for that setup.

edit: Also, I would add a cheap $30 sound card instead of using onboard sound. You can get one at Walmart :D
 
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That's a pretty nice setup, but I would maybe consider a few things. First of all, in a budget system, I wouldn't consider a sound card as there is already one included on your mobo.

Then, it does not appear that you have a case, I would probably suggest an Antec Sonata II http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129155 for 99$ with a decent power supply.

Then it seems like you don't have an o/s, so we need to factor that in too.

As for the RAM, if you don't plan on overclocking, then you could downgrade to some DDR2-667 RAM without any noticeable effect on your performance, this could be a solution http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098

As for the GPU, maybe I'd wait a bit for some more afforadable DX10 which, I believe, are due pretty soon.
 

I understand this give people guidelines. But some how I do not understand:confused: why some brand is being picked as their product's quaility is inconsistent.

$75 Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128016
$181 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115005
$155 GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130038 (your 5500 will not cut it)
$167 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590
$69 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121003


Total: $647... and those arent that bad products. The only one there you might want to change is the power supply, its the one area that could be upgraded, but, im sure that power supply will be plenty enough for that setup.

edit: Also, I would add a cheap $30 sound card instead of using onboard sound. You can get one at Walmart :D

Will MB with P965 chipset be a better choice?
 
I understand this give people guidelines. But some how I do not understand:confused: why some brand is being picked as their product's quaility is inconsistent.
Which brand do you feel has inconsistent quality? Praetor's $700 gaming config looks like a great start. You can remove the optical drive, as you already have one, as well as the HDD if you feel the 120GB is enough space (or go with a smaller one instead). Upgrading the motherboard to a Gigabyte 965P-S3 would round out the package (and budget) nicely, although the MSI board chosen is by no means bad.
 
which brand is inconsistent.

E.g. HDD: Ma????. May be because of my bad luck, the Ma???? HD I bought last time do not work in the first place, and I need to send it back. And a friend of mine who help customer building PC also not recommend this brand.

Or like the $800, I just can't under stand why he pick that MB.
 
I've heard the same complaints against every HDD brand, and honestly I don't see any substance too them. Having gone through dozens of HDDs from every major brand, I've seen no correlation between any particular brand and high failure rates. Of course if you personally would prefer to get a different hard drive, it's an easy change to make and won't affect the price significantly.

As for the motherboard, I've used about 20 or so current generation Foxconn boards, and found them to be reliable and well featured given their pricetags. The included Firewire and eSATA might have something to do with the reason Praetor picked it, there aren't all that many good P965 boards to include both at that price. If you're not going to be using those, the Gigabyte 965P-S3 I mentioned earlier is a great choice with arguably better overclocking results.
 
Dude seriously for a budget of $650 you might wanna go with a Playstation 3 on this one, Muuuuuuuch more gaming power for the dollar. but let me guess They are not the games you want to play.
 
I've heard the same complaints against every HDD brand, and honestly I don't see any substance too them. Having gone through dozens of HDDs from every major brand, I've seen no correlation between any particular brand and high failure rates. Of course if you personally would prefer to get a different hard drive, it's an easy change to make and won't affect the price significantly.

As for the motherboard, I've used about 20 or so current generation Foxconn boards, and found them to be reliable and well featured given their pricetags. The included Firewire and eSATA might have something to do with the reason Praetor picked it, there aren't all that many good P965 boards to include both at that price. If you're not going to be using those, the Gigabyte 965P-S3 I mentioned earlier is a great choice with arguably better overclocking results.

I do understand the performance of HDD could vary. So if I am now buying a new HDD, I will go for a brand with longer Warranty.

By the way, for the MB, I am not saying Foxconn is bad. IMO he could suggest a better MB, but cut back at HDD could be a better option
 
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