Building a Low-Budget Rig, Need Suggestions!

J

Japazo

New Member
Hey everyone!

I'm a fairly busy person and am not by any means a "hardcore gamer". I have been using an IBM T43 laptop that I got through my university and it has served me well for 5 years now. I have even been able to play some decent 3D games on it including STALKER in the lowest possible settings. I was considering throwing some money toward a gaming laptop but have decided that I could save enough with a budget gaming rig to purchase a separate tablet PC for commuting, etc. I have decided on some components that I think will serve me well for what I want to do.

Antec One Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129098

MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

OCZ StealthXstream II OCZ600SXS2 600W ATX12V v2.2/ EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341039

Western Digital Caviar Green WD7500AADS 750GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359

CPU Cooler I7 i5 775 1155 and AMD compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

And here is where my headache starts...

Graphics Cards!
HIS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161315
Sapphire:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102911
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Tech-_-14102873&AID=10440897&PID=3356762&SID=

Obviously I am trying to keep costs as low as possible while still being able to play games like STALKER (Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky), Free-Roam games like Borderlands and Grand Theft Auto, and possibly a few FPS like Call of Duty. I understand that the best GPU I can afford is my best option, but I am able to upgrade later if I decide to start playing more demanding games down the road. What I really want to know is if, with this setup, I will be able to play the games I have listed on at LEAST medium settings with the lower end cards listed. The reviews on the HIS card stated that some people were playing Crysis on high settings with no tearing or distortions, but I would like the opinion of some experienced gamers. If NONE of the cards listed above would work, can you please make some suggestions as to budget cards that should? Again, I would like to play the games listed (as well as other games like them) in high settings if possible, medium settings if I must.

I am taking suggestions on the other components of the build as well, if anyone spots a poor match-up or better deal, etc.

Thanks ahead of time to anyone who has some input on this topic! I know you guys get hundreds of these questions. I have searched for an answer to my question, but being a low end card it really doesn't have any performance reviews like high end cards. I look forward to your responses!
 
you wont need a cpu cooler that one has one in the box, but if you want you could get a this cpu and it will be faster the the dual core.

the hd4670 is a nice card but its old, im not sure how good the hd5770 is, but i have the hd4670 1gb and i can play gta4 on my dual core on medium settings and the new mafia game everything on high with a 720p res.
 
JareeB said:
you wont need a cpu cooler that one has one in the box, but if you want you could get a this cpu and it will be faster the the dual core.

the hd4670 is a nice card but its old, im not sure how good the hd5770 is, but i have the hd4670 1gb and i can play gta4 on my dual core on medium settings and the new mafia game everything on high with a 720p res.
Click to expand...

Interesting find. I'm doing some research to see if the upgrade is worth it. The Phenom 555 can be unlocked to 4 cores and from what I've heard is a higher quality build overall (Phenom > Athlon apples to apples). If it turns out to be better then I will definitely make the upgrade.

The video card question is making me really indecisive. Have you played any other games with the HIS card? Do you think you could run a 3DMark benchmark using the card and post the results? That is the information I haven't been able to find. Thanks for the help! Looking forward to hearing more.
 
^ much better...the WD green drives are as slow as Christmas when you use them for an OS.

Unlocking cores is not a definite thing...they can certainly be defective, and if they don't, there's a good chance they'll either need more voltage, have to be underclocked, or both. The majority can usually unlock at least one core, I think. You don't buy it expecting a quad, though...you buy it expecting a dual core, and are pleasantly surprised if it unlocks.
 
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Yes definitely dont get your hopes up for having a perfectly stable unlocked core. My Athlon X3 435 has an unstable 4th core.
 
case - could consider free shipping Rosewill destroyer/ challengar.

video card - ignore 5570. Get 5770 or 4670 depends of your budget. There are 5770 at $100 or $110 after MIR
 
good suggestions. I'll look into getting a better hdd. I actually want to get a ssd eventually for the os. after thinking about it more I think I'll spend the money now and get the better card. I'll regret it if I don't.

thanks a lot everyone. I think I'm on the right path now.
 
Japazo said:
Interesting find. I'm doing some research to see if the upgrade is worth it. The Phenom 555 can be unlocked to 4 cores and from what I've heard is a higher quality build overall (Phenom > Athlon apples to apples). If it turns out to be better then I will definitely make the upgrade.

The video card question is making me really indecisive. Have you played any other games with the HIS card? Do you think you could run a 3DMark benchmark using the card and post the results? That is the information I haven't been able to find. Thanks for the help! Looking forward to hearing more.
Click to expand...

3dmark:
untitled2.jpg

i also play red faction guerrilla on high with no lag, the card is a great card for it s money and once i get me ram upgrade and triple core cpu i could play anything
 
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