omgdave
join:2006-12-31
United State
 ·AT&T DSL Service
edit:
July 19th, @06:50PM
|  Bargain basement dual purpose PC build
Hi,
I am looking to gather info on the least expensive, up-gradeable PC that will run the current batch of games and possibly the new games for the next, say, 2-3 years.
I am re-using a Thermaltake Mambo case, don't need a new monitor, HD, CD or speakers. Oh, running XP Pro.
I don't mind ordering from different vendors but would like to limit it to as few as possible. I am also not ruling out any pre-built boxes.
So, a new MB, DVD, RAM, Graphic and Sound. On a budget. A real tight budget.
Thanks,
Dave
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m8trix
join:2003-12-24
Phoenix, AZ | got to list you budget |
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omgdave
join:2006-12-31
United State
·AT&T DSL Service
| said by m8trix  :got to list you budget Well, I was hoping to see the bargain hunters on here posting their latest finds and deals before talking about how much I have to spend.
I really would like to see what can be had for $1500, maybe a bit more.
Dave |
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The Flash
You don't win friends with salad
Premium
join:2002-10-17
Toronto, ON | 1500 is a pretty good budget, you can easily get a decent system. |
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m8trix
join:2003-12-24
Phoenix, AZ
 ·Cox HSI
edit:
July 20th, @11:59AM
| reply to omgdave
well if this system is mainly for gaming an you dont over clock here you go
cpu $210
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···19115036
mobo $224
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···13131219
4gig ram $80
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20231122
DVD burner $27
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···27151154
video $284
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14102748
psu $110
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···17139005
total $935
other options to add if in budget or you want to bring cost down specially if you over clock
mobo $170...will work with first cpu listed
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···13131182
quad 2 duo $199...only as good for gaming as the other cpu if you plan to over clock but a better multi tasker
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···19115017
vid card $200
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14102747
and if you want a dedicated sound card $80
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···29271001
all parts will work with one another |
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omgdave
join:2006-12-31
United State
·AT&T DSL Service
edit:
July 20th, @04:51PM
| m8trix,
Under $1,000 is more than I hoped for. I do not like pushing the cpu, even if I did have a hot one before. This is definitely a dual purpose machine- much more work will be done on it than games. I would like to have something that will do both when people are over and we fire up the LAN.
Question:
Do you see any upgrade problems when some of the newer graphic cards are released in the next year or two?
Thanks again,
Dave |
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m8trix
join:2003-12-24
Phoenix, AZ
·Cox HSI
edit:
July 20th, @05:13PM
| no and that 4870 should do just fine for the next 2 years..as far as the cpu the dual cores will do fine in basic multi tasking but for those who do encoding and compression with video,music and graphics then a quad maybe more suitable
this would be the next step up in terms of speed and cost for a quad core
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···19115027
260Mhz faster but $75 more
if your able to be more specific as what this rig will be used for we can say wether or not a dual or quad is best for you
also i hink in about a week or so the 4870 x2 will be out which is a dual gpu on one card so its like having 2 vid cards and i think it will be about $100 more over the standard 4870
also if you have heat issue do to poor air circulation you can alwasy get a after market cooler
$53
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···35118019
$49..i have this and love it it keeps my quad core Q6600 around 23c,but it is big
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···35154001 |
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omgdave
join:2006-12-31
United State | I do most of my work from home. Word, Excel and some Power Point are what I use. No video editing or sound work. Just plain vanilla report drudgery, with a bit of gaming hopefully.
Dave |
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m8trix
join:2003-12-24
Phoenix, AZ | then the dual core would be best for you |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL
| reply to m8trix
for $170 get a x38 or p45 board or go nvidia with a 750i or 780i board.
The p35 is old and dose not have pci-e 2.0 |
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eX_NihiLo
Here's Your Something For Nothing
Premium
join:2003-08-05
Louisville, CO
·Comcast
| Given OP is on a tight budget a P35 board is fine. Unless is going to Crossfire 2 Radeon 4870s for a '30 monitor, lack of PCI-E 2.0 slots is not a hindrance. Nehalem systems requiring new motherboard, CPU and memory will be available in 8 months so building in alot of 'future-proofing' isn't wise. It's not like a whole slew of new upgrades for the Bearlake chipset is going to be available. Spend ~100 on a P35 board and be done with it. |
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Edge1
Workin' ta Live
join:2006-03-01 | reply to omgdave
This thread makes me want to upgrade again.
...must...resist...must...resist.. |
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Konceptz
45nm Here I Come
join:2001-12-22
Chesterfield, VA
·Comcast
edit:
July 23rd, @01:50PM
| reply to omgdave
why not a quad core cpu? Clock per clock between my 9770 and E8500 I see no difference in frame rates. and i've taken them both up to 4.4ghz. The E8500 hit 4.6ghz but I use air cooling. more things are starting to be multi threaded beyond the operating system's load balancing, including games in particular now that physics calculations are starting to be off loaded to the gpu now.
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ctrip
Islam is a Religion of Peace
Premium
join:2002-07-16
New Cumberland, PA
·EarthLink
| said by Konceptz :why not a quad core cpu? Clock per clock between my 9770 and E8500 I see no difference in frame rates. Well the fact that a QX9770 costs about as much as the OP's entire budget at around $1400 and the E8500 only costs around $190 might be a factor. |
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knightry
I'm Not Fat, I'm Festively Plump
join:2002-05-06
Oviedo, FL
| said by ctrip :said by Konceptz :why not a quad core cpu? Clock per clock between my 9770 and E8500 I see no difference in frame rates. Well the fact that a QX9770 costs about as much as the OP's entire budget at around $1400 and the E8500 only costs around $190 might be a factor. I think he was encouraging the OP to consider the E8500, not the QX9770... |
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Somnam
L33t.
Premium
join:2002-12-05
Mullica Hill, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast
| reply to omgdave
bargain basement gaming PC is like...$500 tops. without a case/HDD/ODD/OS thats like $350. dunno where you're getting your budget numbers from lol
$1500 will buy pretty much the best reasonable mainstream machine out there...
Quad core Q9450 $330, $180 gaming mobo, dual HD4870s or a single GTX280 - $600, 4GBs RAM $90, $125 power supply = $1325
Dual core E8500 = $210, saves 120
single HD4870 = $300, saves 300
2GBs ram = $45, saves 45
total 860 = saves 465
doesnt get much better than the 1st rig without doubling the price. bottom machine is more efficient at 2/3 the price.
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Somnambulator - t3h 5133pw41k3r
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~Choosy moms choose Jif~ |
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omgdave
join:2006-12-31
United State
·AT&T DSL Service
| said by Somnam :bargain basement gaming PC is like...$500 tops. without a case/HDD/ODD/OS thats like $350. dunno where you're getting your budget numbers from lol $1500 will buy pretty much the best reasonable mainstream machine out there... Quad core Q9450 $330, $180 gaming mobo, dual HD4870s or a single GTX280 - $600, 4GBs RAM $90, $125 power supply = $1325 Dual core E8500 = $210, saves 120 single HD4870 = $300, saves 300 2GBs ram = $45, saves 45 total 860 = saves 465 doesnt get much better than the 1st rig without doubling the price. bottom machine is more efficient at 2/3 the price. I got my numbers from reading about $3k builds on here and figured about 1/2 that should be a cheap system. I am interested on your spec for a $500-$600 dual purpose build.
Seriously.
TIA,
Dave |
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Somnam
L33t.
Premium
join:2002-12-05
Mullica Hill, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast
| reply to omgdave
GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 $84.99
AMD X2 5000+ $66.00
G.Skill 2x1GB pc6400 $44.99
Antec Earthwatts 430w Power Supply 64.99
Sapphire HD4850 $174.99
Sony Optiarc SATA 20x DVD-RW $25.99
Total $461.95 + only $9.39 s/h = $471.34
can go cheaper with an older GFX card. add about $100-150 and you can get a much better mobo and CPU or about $250 and get a very nice 45nm Intel dual-core or 65nm Quad Core for a noticeable speed increase.
Add $90 and get a very, very fast 640GB WD HDD: »www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···22136218 it's as fast as the previous generation WD Raptor 10k RPM drives.
add $100 and upgrade to the HD4870 and increase FPS/quality at high resolutions (1680x1050 and up)
double the RAM for double the RAM price, but have 2x2GB sticks instead of 4x1GB if buying 2 sets of the listed RAM.
the only weakspots of this build are the CPU and motherboard. both are relatively dated and if your budget permits, i'd go with a better combo.
BTW, the Earthwatts PSU is a solid supply for the price and should do everything you'd need it to do unless you go with a power hungry intel quad core and SLI/crossfire GFX cards.
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Somnambulator - t3h 5133pw41k3r
SEyE TF2 Server
~Choosy moms choose Jif~ |
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Konceptz
45nm Here I Come
join:2001-12-22
Chesterfield, VA
·Comcast
| reply to knightry
you said 2-3 years. your going to want a quad core, and no i was not referring to the 9770. A nice 45nm quad would do you pretty good. There is no disadvantage to gaming with a quad core as apposed to a dual core, but you said budget and sadly a dual core will not last into the next 2-3 years. |
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Margolis
Premium
join:2003-11-24
Saint Louis, MO
·Charter Pipeline
edit:
July 28th, @02:24AM
| said by Konceptz : and sadly a dual core will not last into the next 2-3 years. How can you know this with any certainty? There is no guarantee that games will be using more cores in such a short period of time when most games still aren't even using dual cores. |
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