Building Gaming PC $700

C

Choea

New Member
I want to build my first gaming pc and have around $700 to spend. I've selected all the components I think I need and my current cost is $760. I'm hoping to lower the cost to fit the budget without sacrificing performance. In short, I'm looking for parts with better value.

Here's what I have in mind:

HDD: 640GB WD 7200RPM 16MB - 55.53

RAM: G.SKILL RIPJAWS 4GB (2 X 2GB) DDR3 1600MHZ - 99.99

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3 AMD 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - 79.99

OPT DRIVE: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R - 23.99

PSU: SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - 59.99

CASE: NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 49.99

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - 159.99

GPU: Palit NE5X460SF1102 GeForce GTX 460 1GB - 229.99


Also, anything wrong with AMD processor with nvidia graphics? I've read that the GTX 460 is best for its value, and intel's processors just seem so expensive with a corresponding mobo..

Thanks for the help in advance.
 
Processor brand does not affect GPU performance. A poor cpu will however. you'll have no trouble with the 955.

Everything looks good!
 
Yeah man, everything looks good. While you could shave a little bit more money off, you're pretty close to the bone already.

Since this is a gaming system, i'm sure downgrading the vid card is basically a no-go for you. The 955 processor will work very nice as well. 4GB of memory would be very much wanted in a gaming system. You won't be able to cut much off the cost of a decent mobo, and virtually none off the psu. These are some options I thought I would throw out if getting down to $700 is very important:

-The HDD is very cheap at $55 for 640GB. If this is essentially only a gaming system, you could shave perhaps $10-15 off getting something in the 250-320GB range. You know what you need though.
-That's a nice mobo for the price. You won't be able to lower your mobo cost by much, and I don't know what you want, but you might be able to find a decent one around $70, saving 10 bucks or so.
-You can shave off $5-6 by getting a regular DVD/CD drive, rather than a DVDR. Again, only you know what you need and I realize the $5 savings could be hard to swallow since it's so little. It's an option.
-The case. At $50, you're basically at the lowest price point or damn close in terms of getting one that's still decent and looks good. Obviously, there are $25 cases (or less) out there if you happen to be a masochist.
-The only other thing would be the processor. In a gaming rig, other than enough memory, by far the most important things are the cpu and video card. That 955 will do very well for games, but finding a nice AMD processor in the $120-130 range would do nearly as well. I'm not suggesting you change your processor choice, but it IS an option.

At any rate, that's a hell of a gaming system for only $760. Just figured I would share a few thoughts, although you're probably aware of them already.
 
Thanks for the clarification on the AMD/NVIDIA configuration. Also, the suggestions on HDD and DVD drive are places where I can make cuts.

For those who care, the RAM I was going to have is apparently not very compatible with AMD as they are specifically built for i7 systems. I got this info from Newegg reviews.
 
StrangleHold said:
I would get the newer 800 series chipset board.

Gigabyte GA 870A UD3
Click to expand...

You do realize that the whole point of this guy's thread is to try to get as close to $700 as possible right? Adding an additional $26 is just a tad counterproductive...

It would be a different story if he was building a gaming system and had an "inferior" video card. Then things could and should be juggled around. But adding $26 to the mobo category is pointless when the one he has listed will work well for his build.
 
Very wise choice with the GPU, the 1GB version of the GTX 460 offers very good
bang-for-your-buck,
although personally I'm an ATi fanboy ;)
 
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