Light Gaming box, $500-600

[tom61]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Light gaming
Web browsing (with Dark Orbit being the most intensive thing)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$500-600 tax and shipping included, slightly variable if shipping/tax puts it a little over $600.

3) Where do you live?

Missouri

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.

Since I'm getting tired of Black cases, so I have my eye on this case: SIGMA ZEN ZEN-WAR alpine rain blue
RAM ~4GB
Processor
NVIDIA Video Card (as this system will be running Linux dual-boot, and AMDs drivers are not as good for Linux, last I heard)
Power Supply (was eyeing Antec Neo Power 500)
Hard Disk
DVD DL burner, Blueray reader would be great

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Will be transfering over files and playing with OSes with a PATA 160GB from my last system, but will still need another drive. Peripherals like keyboards and mice will come along.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Probably not.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

I intend to get a 22" widescreen monitor as my primary.
I might decide to play around with Future Pinball's arcade render mode in which case I'll have a secondary 19" 4:3 LCD
Depending on my brother, I might play with a 36" HDTV via HDMI and a 27" SDTV via component, so component out would be great to have in a card.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Very soon.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

I'd like a board with two independent PCIe x16 slots, so I can have an extra card for tertiary displays mounted in the case itself. Also needs PS/2 ports and one IDE at least.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

Yes, Windows XP Pro and Linux

Thanks.

 

[sirmonkey1985]

really depends on what you want.. though if your not overclocking.. id either go with one of these 2 processors:
AMD x2 5800+ 3.0ghz brisbane (if you want to go the amd route)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103274
or
intel E5200 2.5ghz wolfdale 45nm(if you want to go the intel route)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

though most likely if you go the intel route you would probably want to overclock it.. which luckly the e5200 is very easy to overclock..

for the amd side motherboard that supports SLI either of these boards are about your only choice on newegg and both are pretty decent boards..

MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130161
or
ASUS M3N72-D AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131323
intel motherboards (warning i havent used an intel system in years so i havent kept up with their motherboards all that much but i trust EVGA and their lifetime warrenty..)
EVGA 122-YW-E173-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188033
or
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard(udated version of the other board that supports ddr2 1066 memory, 1600FSB and 100% solid caps)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026
memory:
amd system
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188
intel system
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227362
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241

gfx card
EVGA 512-P3-N884-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130420
or you could go with the evga 9800GTX but they are about the same price.

both cards would do well since your not a heavy gamer..

ill do a wish list to price this all out and see if theres anyway to fit a bluray reader in as well..

*edit*
ok checked everything and included the psu you wanted and the case and for the amd system you looking at about $500-520(depending on what motherboard or memory you decide to get) not including shipping (some of the stuff is free shipping as well) also one of the motherboards has a 15 dollar MIR and the 9800GTX+ has a 10 dollar MIR..
for the intel system your looking at about $550-570 (depending on which motherboard and memory you get) not including shipping.. also the updated version of the evga motherboard i showed comes in at 159.99 but has a 30 dollar MIR..

i know they arent exact prices but theres so many variables that i figured id give a round about price and let you figure it out.. but thats not all that bad of a price.. only things not included are an extra hard drive or aftermarket heatsink..

hope this helps out..

side note:
bluray reader pricing is some where in the 120-150 dollar range.. do not go cheap on these drives because you will seriously get what you pay for.. but this is a good option for the lower price range
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106277

 

[Dangman]

id either go with one of these 2 processors:
AMD x2 5800+ 3.0ghz brisbane (if you want to go the amd route)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103274
or
intel E5200 2.5ghz wolfdale 45nm(if you want to go the intel route)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

Even at stock speeds the E5200 will rape the X2 5800+. The only AMD CPU in that price range that performs on par with the E5200 is the X2 7750+, which is unfortunately OOS right now from Newegg.com.

Anyway OP, here's what I recommend with your budget:
AMD Phenom II X3 710 CPU + Biostar TFORCE TA790GX AMD 790GX HDMI AMD Motherboard - $194
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $40
MSI N250GTS-2D512-OC GeForce GTS 250 512MB PCI-E Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Gift - $130
Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $80
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25
Sigma Zen Zen-War Case - $60
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $68
-----
$572 plus tax and shipping

The Phenom II X3 710 has a pretty good price to performance ratio, especialy when bundled with that motherboard. AMD's 790GX chipset is well supported in Linux according to this article. The GTX 250 is actually a little overkill for light gaming but still a good choice at $100 (The Far Cry 2 game costs $30 IMO). The BFG LS-550 PSu is of better quality than the Neo Power 500 and offers more power as well.

 

[sirmonkey1985]

Even at stock speeds the E5200 will rape the X2 5800+. The only AMD CPU in that price range that performs on par with the E5200 is the X2 7750+, which is unfortunately OOS right now from Newegg.com.

Anyway OP, here's what I recommend with your budget:
AMD Phenom II X3 710 CPU + Biostar TFORCE TA790GX AMD 790GX HDMI AMD Motherboard - $194
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $40
MSI N250GTS-2D512-OC GeForce GTS 250 512MB PCI-E Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Gift - $130
Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $80
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25
Sigma Zen Zen-War Case - $60
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $68
-----
$572 plus tax and shipping

The Phenom II X3 710 has a pretty good price to performance ratio, especialy when bundled with that motherboard. AMD's 790GX chipset is well supported in Linux according to this article. The GTX 250 is actually a little overkill for light gaming but still a good choice at $100 (The Far Cry 2 game costs $30 IMO). The BFG LS-550 PSu is of better quality than the Neo Power 500 and offers more power as well.

he said he wanted SLI so that 790GX is out of the question..and the gts 250 is a rebranded 9800GTX+..

but i do agree with the psu, and hard drive.. the one reason i gave 2 options for intel and amd is that there is crap for decent nvidia based boards with the am2+ socket... which me personally i dont mind because i hate nvidia chipsets.. but for his case it makes it all that much harder to keep it at a decent budget while having the option for SLI..

better gts 250
EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468

honestly the lifetime warranty is worth the extra couple dollars..

 

[Dangman]

he said he wanted SLI so that 790GX is out of the question.. and the gts 250 is basicly a 2% overclocked 9800GTX+ while the 9800GTX+ has better cooling..

He never asked for SLI. He just asked for a mobo with two PCI-E x16 slots so that he can use a second video card to power a third monitor. The 790GX mobo I linked to has two PCI-E slots.

While you're mostly correct on the GTS 250 and 9800GTX+, note the pricing and bundle: The MSI GTS 250 I linked to comes with a game, currently priced at $30 at Amazon.com. So the price of that MSI GTS 250 is really $105 which is $40 less than the eVGA 9800GTX+. That $40 extra isn't worth it IMO.

But the eVGA GTS 250 you linked is a better deal since, as you noted, it does come with lifetime warranty and IMO a better game.

 

[lowteckh]

MSI GTS 250 = $99.99AR

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1403967 rebate link at the end of the thread, expires the 25th.

 

[tom61]

Wow, lots of stuff to look over and decide. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[engiNURD]

I agree with Danny. I can't read sirmonkey's post... too hard to read.

 

[lowteckh]

You always agree w/ Danny just by default.

 

[lt_shiro]

lol... so true.

 

[engiNURD]

You always agree w/ Danny just by default.

it saves me typing, lol. honestly, i get surprised how he doesn't get burned out. then again, work tends to get in my way of posting... i wish i was back in college again.

 

[lowteckh]

Most likely he's/it's a wobot.

 

[tom61]

Even at stock speeds the E5200 will rape the X2 5800+. The only AMD CPU in that price range that performs on par with the E5200 is the X2 7750+, which is unfortunately OOS right now from Newegg.com.

Anyway OP, here's what I recommend with your budget:
AMD Phenom II X3 710 CPU + Biostar TFORCE TA790GX AMD 790GX HDMI AMD Motherboard - $194
G.Skill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $40
MSI N250GTS-2D512-OC GeForce GTS 250 512MB PCI-E Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Gift - $130
Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $80
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $25
Sigma Zen Zen-War Case - $60
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $68
-----
$572 plus tax and shipping

The Phenom II X3 710 has a pretty good price to performance ratio, especialy when bundled with that motherboard. AMD's 790GX chipset is well supported in Linux according to this article. The GTX 250 is actually a little overkill for light gaming but still a good choice at $100 (The Far Cry 2 game costs $30 IMO). The BFG LS-550 PSu is of better quality than the Neo Power 500 and offers more power as well.

Decided on pretty much this set after reading the Bit-Tech review of Phenom II X3 series. Bumped the ram to 1066 DDR2 for $5 more, the drive linked went OOS so got another for about the same price, and went with a smaller hard disk to make it under $600 shipped.

Thanks!

 

[sirmonkey1985]

you should enjoy that system.. nice choice..

 

[lt_shiro]

I general would not suggest getting DDR2 1066 onless person knows what they are doing.

 

[sirmonkey1985]

I general would not suggest getting DDR2 1066 onless person knows what they are doing.

its not rocket science on how to set it to ddr2 1066.. all amd motherboards automaticly boot up in ddr2 800.. then you manually set it on the bios to 1066.. works perfectly fine if you stick to the manufacture specs..

 

[lt_shiro]

May not be rocket science but you would be amazed at the end user.

 

[hossdaddy]

I would think that if they can figure out what speed the ram is running they should be able to adjust the timings and or voltage. But, alas It_shiro is right. Even though it is very simple, there are always an abundance of people who know just enough to be "dangerous". I hope this doesn't sound snobish or tech-leetest, just stating a fact is all.

 

[Dangman]

it saves me typing, lol. honestly, i get surprised how he doesn't get burned out. then again, work tends to get in my way of posting... i wish i was back in college again.

I just take breaks from posting here in the forums, particularly this part of the forum from time to time That should slow the burn out

Most likely he's/it's a wobot.

Nah, not yet. Still waiting for science to advance far enough

 

[tom61]

Setting the RAM speed is no trouble. I'm just a bit out of the loop when it come to the desktop parts world. I've been more focusing on the embedded and netbook world instead.