The cheapest gaming system I can build?

D

DakWing

New Member
Hello,
this is my first post on these forums.

I have had the same computer for 5 years now. :eek:
And i've finally detached some of my family's funds enough to buy an "upgrade". Unfortunatly, my max amount that I can use is about $500-600. I'm not looking for the best video card or the best cpu out there (obviously) but i'm hoping to get the best system for my money.

I wanted to go with AMD, because of all the good things i've heard about them, but unfortunatly, in my area, intel seems to be the cheapest cpu's available.

I have already purchased a few parts (the main parts).
Keep in mind the prices are CND currently.

CPU: Intel Pentium D 820, 2.8GHz, EM64T XD Dual Core, 2X1MB, Socket LGA775 (Retail Box) - $119

MOBO: Asus P5SD2-X SE Socket 775 SiS 656 + SiS 965L Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 533/667/800 6-Channel Audio Lan PCI-Express x16 Graphics Card - $83

CASE: Generic Computer shop ATX case w/ 500w PSU - $34.99

So far i'm at $270 with taxes (tax at 14%)

I thought I had the best deal there for what I was getting, but after some additional research, i've noticed that just about every goes with AMD these days. I checked the benchmarks on tomshardware.com, comparing the D820 and the 3500+, which are at the same price point, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

So basically, i'm looking for opinions on the direction that i'm going, as i'm looking for a decent gaming/multimedia machine, but don't have alot of money to do it with. If i've made a mistake on what I have purchased, I can easily return them.

For the memory, i'm thinking about starting with
OCZ (OCZ26671024ELGEGXT-K) DDR2 PC2-5400 667MHz Gold Extreme XTC 1GB (2x512MB) Dual Channel Kit - $119.00
and later upgrading to 2G of the same type of memory.

For the video card, I have narrowed it down to either the
Sapphire ATI Radeon X1650 Pro (600MHz) 256MB GDDR3 (1.4GHz) PCI-Express Graphics Card 12 Pixel Shader Processor TV-Out DVI-I Support AVIVO HDTV Ready Crossfire Ready Lite Retail - $140.00
or the
BFG GeForce 7600 GS OC(420MHz) 256MB DDR2 (800MHz) Dual-Link DVI-I HDTV Out PCI Express Graphics Card - $138.99


Any suggestions?
 
x1650 Pro for the GPU. Also don't buy a card that is already overclocked, since they charge more than a GPU at factory timings, and you can overclock it yourself.
 
matt12685848 said:
x1650 Pro for the GPU. Also don't buy a card that is already overclocked, since they charge more than a GPU at factory timings, and you can overclock it yourself.
Click to expand...

omg..please do not get the x1650 pro: it is a piece of crap..the 7600 that you have is wayyyyy better...and if you have some extra bucks to spare go for a 7900 gs or a x1900 gt
 
lb562high said:
get a core 2 duo...please...
Click to expand...

I don't mean to be rude, but if you read my above post, I mention that I can't go above $600, since the cheapest core 2 duo is $219, this isn't going to happen for me unless I run the system with 256mb ram.

Hmm so the vid cards i'm between.. still don't know which one to get..
 
lb562high said:
yeah i know i just noticed that....just trying to help thats all.
Click to expand...

It's alright, I really do appreciate the replies from you all. It's hard living in canada because when I say $500-600, I miswell say $300-400 USD. Darn exchange rate.

Anywho, so, any suggestions on a pci-e vid card that's under $150 CND, or $120 USD?
 
Awww, I just realized I could have went with the 3500+ and a better mobo for around the same price I paid... is it worth switching the D820 for the 3500+?
 
DakWing said:
It's alright, I really do appreciate the replies from you all. It's hard living in canada because when I say $500-600, I miswell say $300-400 USD. Darn exchange rate.

Anywho, so, any suggestions on a pci-e vid card that's under $150 CND, or $120 USD?
Click to expand...

i noe, but im in his price range!!! im just saying that you can find a card like i stated can be found for the price he wants....:)
 
Hey, thanks for the replies guys. So It looks like I'll stick with what I was going to go with and go for the 7600gt too as it's darn cheap.

One more question. Is there a huge different between ram that's DDR2 533mhz and ram that's DDR2 667mhz? Because I can go dual channel 1GB 533mhz for almost $20 less than the dual channel 1GB 667mhz.
 
buy a

buy a atix800xt on ebay for like 160 $ CND trust me they rock i have one and it kerpwns all the games out now, note i have 2 GB ram dual channel pc 3200.. so im sure it will work better with ur set up.
 
XanderCage said:
buy a atix800xt on ebay for like 160 $ CND trust me they rock i have one and it kerpwns all the games out now, note i have 2 GB ram dual channel pc 3200.. so im sure it will work better with ur set up.
Click to expand...

I've looked for benchmarks on toms hardware and it doesn't seem to have any for the x800xt...

As for the 7600GT, I found one locally for $149.00, which matches exactly what lb562high posted. However, the company that uses the chipset is called, "EVGA".

Here's the link http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=011373&cid=999.243.390

Anyone know anything about this MFG? Are they any good?
 
XanderCage said:
buy a atix800xt on ebay for like 160 $ CND trust me they rock i have one and it kerpwns all the games out now, note i have 2 GB ram dual channel pc 3200.. so im sure it will work better with ur set up.
Click to expand...

NVM, I found it on toms hardware, it still doesn't rate as high as the 7600GT though..
 
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