Guide - the Budget Gaming PC

Monotype

ViDuchie wrote: »

Will this processor:

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Box AM3

Happily fit with this motherboard, and is it worth the upgrade from the X3 do you think?

MSI 770-C45, AM3



Cheers,
V

It should work fine in that board.
At hardwareversand, the X3 440 is just above €21 per core while the 640 is €22 per core, so it's not a bad deal. If you're building a new system and can afford it, then go for it, but you won't notice the difference in a lot of situations, unless you're using well optimised or several programs.

quarryman wrote: »

Similar to the above. What is the best bang for buck in a gaming rig these days, an AMD or Intel build?

I was thinking of an Intel i5. Do AMD offer better value for similar performance?

AMD will offer better value, but if your mainly aiming at gaming, the i5 takes the edge in performance, if you can afford it.

Sofiztikated

What about for gaming and AutoCAD. i5?

deejer

Hi ya,

Just looking for some advise on this build. First time and not looking for anything too fancy to start with. Really just making sure that when i go about building it everything will fit together, or at least should fit together.

I know I havent included a graphics card but whats included in the mobo will do for the moment(keeping it cheap!)

Gaming isnt really an issue as dont need super graphics for championship manager! So its just really as a media centre, leaving options open for expansion at a later date.

Appreciate any advise you can give

Cheers

goz83

Great thread, even though most of it is chinese to me. Firstly, Solitaire; you're a legend.....the builds you have priced for people are great. I hope I can be helped too. I have no pc building experience, but I think I could manage, as my bro's friends have both built theirs.

This is where I am:

I have a 3yro hp pav8000 laptop, which I intend to keep for office use. I have a budget of €800-€1000, but I need everything (monitor, key board case, OS etc etc). I use XP currently, so windows 7 I suppose would be my pick. I could go a little above this budget if it makes sense to.

I want something with lots of space...atleast 1TB. Min tri-core...preferably quad and a min 4-6ram with ability to upgrade. Wireless lan needed. I dont game, but it would be nice to have the option to. I would also like to be able to hook the pc to my tv from time to time. DVD RW drive needed. Blu-ray would be nice too, but not absolutely necessary. It will be my home computer, so a silent one is preferred; nothin worse than watchin a movie and all you can hear are the fans blowing. Might sound stupid, but will a normal flat screen tv work as a good monitor?

In short, I want something very fast, with lots of memory and something that's reliable. I never want to see an egg timer again!!! It will be used mostly for work, so i need to have microsoft office too if this makes any difference. I'm very new at this and have always just bought a ready made computer in the box. All help appreciated.

UPDATE:

I like the look of this tower: http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=35429&agid=632&apop=2
and : http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=38378&agid=632

Should I purchase microsoft office on that site? I have it on my laptop but have no clue where the discs are, because I have moved in the 4 years since I bought the lappie. It would be a shame to have to shell out for ms office, but I will if i have to. I'm going to take one last look in the pc shops before committing myself to building, but i'm 90% sure I will be building one. I just need help with all the parts I need....including wires and software.

nickybutler

Hi there,
I have everything except a motherboard, processor, ram and graphics card, any suggestions? I want to keep to a low as possible budget but play all the current games!
Thanks,
Nick

Monotype

deejer wrote: »

Hi ya,

Just looking for some advise on this build. First time and not looking for anything too fancy to start with. Really just making sure that when i go about building it everything will fit together, or at least should fit together.

I know I havent included a graphics card but whats included in the mobo will do for the moment(keeping it cheap!)

Gaming isnt really an issue as dont need super graphics for championship manager! So its just really as a media centre, leaving options open for expansion at a later date.

Appreciate any advise you can give

Cheers

Maybe spend the an extra €2.50 on a better PSU.
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30069

goz83 wrote: »

I have a 3yro hp pav8000 laptop, which I intend to keep for office use. I have a budget of €800-€1000, but I need everything (monitor, key board case, OS etc etc). I use XP currently, so windows 7 I suppose would be my pick. I could go a little above this budget if it makes sense to.

I want something with lots of space...atleast 1TB. Min tri-core...preferably quad and a min 4-6ram with ability to upgrade. Wireless lan needed. I dont game, but it would be nice to have the option to. I would also like to be able to hook the pc to my tv from time to time. DVD RW drive needed. Blu-ray would be nice too, but not absolutely necessary. It will be my home computer, so a silent one is preferred; nothin worse than watchin a movie and all you can hear are the fans blowing. Might sound stupid, but will a normal flat screen tv work as a good monitor?

In short, I want something very fast, with lots of memory and something that's reliable. ***I never want to see an egg timer again!!!*** It will be used mostly for work, so i need to have microsoft office too if this makes any difference. I'm very new at this and have always just bought a ready made computer in the box. All help appreciated.

UPDATE:

I like the look of this tower: http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=35429&agid=632&apop=2
and : http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=38378&agid=632

Should I purchase microsoft office on that site? I have it on my laptop but have no clue where the discs are, because I have moved in the 4 years since I bought the lappie. It would be a shame to have to shell out for ms office, but I will if i have to. I'm going to take one last look in the pc shops before committing myself to building, but i'm 90% sure I will be building one. I just need help with all the parts I need....including wires and software.

I don't think we can help you out there.


MS Office is expensive - that and the case alone could be half your budget, depending on the version you buy. Are you a student/have kids at school who could avail of student packages?

You can use a keyfinder to get your keys from your laptop, but you wouldn't be supposed to be using both at the same time. I'll PM you links in case I'm not supposed to post them here.

nickybutler wrote: »

Hi there,
I have everything except a motherboard, processor, ram and graphics card, any suggestions? I want to keep to a low as possible budget but play all the current games!
Thanks,
Nick

What about PSU?

goz83

OK....so lets leave MS Office out of the costing, I reckon I can sort that out separately. Let the budget be 800ish (can push a little higher) and I will buy windows 7 separately. What is the best I can do? everything else included (don't forget the w-lan).

Monotype

@deejer Another thing about that build, you might want to scrap that heatsink. I'm not sure it would be any better than what you get with the CPU. Save the money for something better in the future.

goz83

wrote:

MS Office is expensive - that and the case alone could be half your budget, depending on the version you buy. Are you a student/have kids at school who could avail of student packages?

You can use a keyfinder to get your keys from your laptop, but you wouldn't be supposed to be using both at the same time. I'll PM you links in case I'm not supposed to post them here.



What about PSU?

I am looking on ebay and i see MS Office pro for €120 (free post) and Windows 7 will cost about 140-150 by the looks of it. So that will leave the budget at approx €750. I can push a little bit, but would like to keep it real.

Monotype

You need speakers + keyboard and mouse on top of that. Don't buy a keyboard there. You could save a little on the GPU if you don't have games. Also that case is a sinkhole. You could save about €10 choosing cheaper RAM and a further €20 going to a tri-core CPU.

goz83

i like the sound of quad core better even though my comp knowledge is very limited. thanks very much for the help....what was the prob with the case?

Monotype

goz83 wrote: »

what was the prob with the case?

It's just more expensive than anything else!

goz83

Monotype wrote: »

It's just more expensive than anything else!

Oh....expensive taste Will a Midi Tower do me then? something like this: http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29472&agid=631


Maybe a dumb question but dumber not to ask. Can i upgrade the ram and memory (on top of that list) whenever i like without upgrading anything else?

Also...do all the wires come with that order?

I will have to go searching for everything youve listed...i dont know the W-Lan from the case LOL

Monotype

Go with whatever case you're most comfortable with. You're the one who's going to be looking at it for the longest. Just make sure to check reviews for good airflow and ease of use.

Yes, you can upgrade the memory. Most boards will come with 4 slots for RAM, so if you get 2 stick of RAM, you can get another pair later. You should try and pick the same as you have, if possible - but buy in pairs at least.

Most of the cables should come with the motherboard, although checking it out, MSI seems to be a bit stingy with their provisions (scroll all the way down).
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=1&prod_no=2057

If you do go with that board, maybe grab an extra SATA cable so that you'll have one for your hard drive and one for your DVD drive.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=7673
(out of stock, if you're ordering soon, pick a different one).

goz83

Monotype wrote: »

Go with whatever case you're most comfortable with. You're the one who's going to be looking at it for the longest. Just make sure to check reviews for good airflow and ease of use.

Yes, you can upgrade the memory. Most boards will come with 4 slots for RAM, so if you get 2 stick of RAM, you can get another pair later. You should try and pick the same as you have, if possible - but buy in pairs at least.

Most of the cables should come with the motherboard, although checking it out, MSI seems to be a bit stingy with their provisions (scroll all the way down).
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=1&prod_no=2057

If you do go with that board, maybe grab an extra SATA cable so that you'll have one for your hard drive and one for your DVD drive.
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=7673
(out of stock, if you're ordering soon, pick a different one).

Thanks. I have chosen the following:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/basket.jsp
sorry i dont know how to put a screen shot up here

Can you tell me if all this is ok and what else is needed (wires/cables etc). i opted for the blu-ray/dvd combo. I also picked an extra usb kit, because i will need more than two on the current case. I am happy to go for a different MO if msi are stingy.

Monotype

You should have all the PSU cables with your PSU. I don't know what hardwareversand gives you on the side of plugs from PSU/monitor to your wall so maybe someone else will help you there.

You can add pictures by using the attachment button followed by the image button.


Copy the link address, then paste it into your post with img tags around it.




So your link looks like
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=131314&stc=1&d=1287331867

and you change it to
[*img]http://boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=131314&stc=1&d=1287331867[/img]

Remove (*)

Or you could just attach them and they'll be listed at the end of your post.

goz83

OK thanks....so all of that looks good together? No problems?

Monotype

goz83 wrote: »

Thanks. I have chosen the following:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/basket.jsp

This? I can't see your basket! You need to take a screenshot! Hit the print screen button, paste it into MS paint (cut out what you don't want), save as a jpg/gif/png and upload as an attachment.

deejer

@monotype

thanks for your help. I see the PSU isnt avail til the 25th but in no rush so will wait.

Looking at that it isnt a bad looking machine to start with. Even if I was to throw in a gpu for 100euro its still under 500. maybe....

Cheers

goz83

Here is an attachment of everything im ordering. Does anyone know if I will need anything else (cables and stuff) to get me up and running? I will be installing Windows 7 and MS office pro. I hope to order this stuff in a few hours.

Monotype

Do you really need an 800W PSU - and that many USB ports?
Looks alright to me, but someone might give you a second opinion.
Don't forget to get a mouse.

goz83

i need a good few pots, minimum of 4 anyway. i was thinking the 800 psu might be needed if im adding extra equipment down the line? or even to run the usb stuff i will have connected. what do you think?

Monotype

There's 6 USB 2 ports, 2 USB 3 ports and headers on the board for connecting to the case (if your case supports it).

It's good to have room, but that will probably only consume about 300W under load. PSUs are most efficient around the middle of their max wattage, so unless you're overclocking, adding a lot of hard drives or another GPU, maybe consider going a bit lower.

Monotype

What kind of computers are you looking at that cost 1K? Do these include a screen or do you just need the bare essentials?

If you just need the computer itself and you're willing to order from hardwareversand.de,



I haven't picked a case for you. You should have a bit of extra money if you pick a low cost case. Maybe put the money towards a better heatsink or possibly PSU. The 460 1GB is also within the price range, or an i5 system would give you a small bump in performance on top of that.

goz83

Monotype wrote: »

There's 6 USB 2 ports, 2 USB 3 ports and headers on the board for connecting to the case (if your case supports it).

It's good to have room, but that will probably only consume about 300W under load. PSUs are most efficient around the middle of their max wattage, so unless you're overclocking, adding a lot of hard drives or another GPU, maybe consider going a bit lower.

Thanks for clearing that up Mono. I may add another drive and will defo be adding ram down the line. I was just worried about external items drawing power from usb, like a mouse, keyboard, cam etc etc. But I will downgrade the PSU on your advice. I will remove the extra usb connections too. I am ordering this case http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp;jsessionid=B932DD2FA4428BF3478C073E128F0DF0.www4?aid=25093&agid=631 because the other one is out of stock. I think i am about ready to commit to the order. Just now waiting for funds to arrive in my account.

Am I missing a processor cooler?

Monotype

You can always grab the 650W room one if you think you'll be doing some upgrading.
The Antec 650W is also a good choice for a one card system. You could overclock your system if you want extra processing power, but you should buy a better heatsink if you plan anything substantial. There's one in the CPU box and should do the job if the rest of the case has adequate cooling.

goz83

cool....i just dont want it to sound like a hoover either.

Ryan451

Would this computer here be suitable for running games such as Starcraft 2 or Crysis possibly on high?
Is there good airflow in the case?

I have a budget of €700 if any changes need to be made

deconduo

I really don't like the OCZ RAM thats being recommended here. Their DDR3 RAM is known to have abysmal quality control and they have a huge fail rate. Its really not worth the time + postage costs to RMA when you could get a perfectly good set of G-Skill RAM for the same price:

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29673&agid=1193

(Faster but worse timings so it works out about the same)

Monotype

I had to RMA some OCZ myself a while back but I hadn't been aware of any general issues.