I had to type this up for another site so I thought I might as well post this here and get some feedback:


I'll be buying a PC in about 2-3 weeks. I don't really have a budget cap, but when I put all the parts I decided on together it ended being a $500 build. I was really just aiming for a good everyday system that can run most games on high-to-max settings at 1080p. The build doesn't include a Monitor, Mouse, Keyboard, OS, Speakers because I already have those. I'd really just like it to be as future proof as possible, I know I'll get bored and upgrade it at least a few times


Current Parts I'm Considering:


Motherboard
ASRock H61M - $70

CPU
Intel Core i3-2100 (Dual Core 3.1 Ghz) - $115

GPU
Asus Branded Radeon HD 5770 - $110

Memory
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 - $35

Case
NZXT Gamma - $25

HDD
Seagate 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s -$45

CD/DVD
ASUS CD/DVD Drive - $25

PSU
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D -$55

Total = $480

no such thing as a pc that can run games near max for 500.




As a suggestion i recommend getting a quad core, makes a huge difference,

And the PSU looks to have to low of a wattage. It is always good to get one slightly bigger than what you need.

Originally Posted by thedog123123

no such thing as a pc that can run games near max for 500.




As a suggestion i recommend getting a quad core, makes a huge difference,

And the PSU looks to have to low of a wattage. It is always good to get one slightly bigger than what you need.

Gaming requirements haven't really gone up much in the last 6 years, my friends 8800GT (About 5 generations out of date now) can still run most games with good settings at a modest resolution. The 5770 can run something that came out recently (like Mafia 2) with absolutely max setting at 1080p 30+ fps without breaking a sweat. If I'm willing to turn down the AA on most games I should be able to run damn near anything at Max settings at 1080p with that card..

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2...ndx4,2670.html

Also, the Core-i3 Beats out basically everything until you start getting into processors that cost twice as much as it does. Also, Quad cores really don't do that much from a gaming perspective (they make the biggest difference in encoding, and other parallel activities).

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...t,2859-10.html

i think that would run med-high not high-max. i would also add 8gb ram (total) since ram is easily added and ur gona need more (depends on ur mobo )

Wow good PC parts are ****ing cheap these days. Are these American prices?

Originally Posted by Phaint

Wow good PC parts are ****ing cheap these days. Are these American prices?

They're Canadian prices, I was pretty surprised too, I was expecting to pay closer to $800 for the system I wanted

I also think with Leeoku about getting 8 gigs of ram.

Its a very good system for the money. You could get a much better CPU by squeezing in another 100$.

I still can't believe I waste 800$ on a shitty prebuild pc....

a) your video card is not the issue. You don't need to have an i3 or i7 and still have a qaud you know For intel there is the intel core duo Qxxxx series that are "quad" (i have been told not true quads however). There is also the amd route as well.

b)30 fps is considered ok. You want higher though.

FYI my pc:



Intel Q6600
some random asus mobo
xfx nvidia 9800gtx +
4gb of ddr2 ram
antec nine hundred case (don't go cheap on cases. A heavy case means less flimpsy side doors on them)
550W PSU? don't remember.

Cost me around 1000 back in march of 2008. More than likely would cost nothing now. It cannot play all modern games at max ( and still have 40+ fps). However 95% are playable at max.

The best part though? having word several spread sheets open 2 client of eve online on and Mozilla Firefox without breaking a sweat.

Anyways it is your pc make up your own mind. FYI get a new heatsink if you do buy intel. The push pin design of intel heat sink are the worst thing ever invented (not just mine but also some professional computer nerds opinion like my brother). They come undone sometimes when a pc is jolted (in a car for instance). Spend the 50 bucks and get a back plate and bolts kind of heat sink.

A good way to test your PC's capabilities is to run Crysis.

I have never heard of a PC that can max it to the highest settings/resolutions and make it playable.

There's barely any games on the market that can take full use of the quad cores.. There's barely any difference for me. BUT. If you were to upgrade anything the i7 >>> i3. That's just my opinion though.

Have you considering doing and AMD build?

You could get a pretty powerful quad-core processor for about the same price as the current generation i3.

The AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition is onsale right now at canadacomputers for $125:
http://canadacomputers.com/product_i...item_id=027384

Then you could get a cheap motherboard such as:
http://canadacomputers.com/product_i...em_id=0344 42
(Biostar AM3 board $80).

This should give you better gaming performance. However, in terms of upgrading, you will be limited as AMD is releasing its new line of processors sometime soon.

Originally Posted by Icecream

A good way to test your PC's capabilities is to run Crysis.

I have never heard of a PC that can max it to the highest settings/resolutions and make it playable.

I can.

Mobo: Asus Sabertooth X58
Sapphire Radeon HD6870
Intel i7-970
12 GB G.Skill Triple Channel RAM
Plus a huge cpu heatsink/fan Zalman 9900 (the Noctua one wouldn't fit into my case)

Now regarding the OP:
Don't cheap out on the PSU. 380W to run games on Max settings? That is definitely NOT a good idea. I'd go minimum 500W.
4GB of RAM is cutting it close to the minimum. I'd go up to at least 6GB just to be safe.
An i3? I would really consider moving that up to at least an i5.

What you've got there is probably the bare minimum necessary to run games on High settings. You're gonna struggle to run on MAX settings. You can probably comfortably run on Medium settings though.
On another note. You're specs are going to be obsolete very soon. Futureproofing is impossible, but you haven't helped yourself. You'll end up shelling out another 400-500 soon enough to keep up.

Save 25. no case

Originally Posted by t.oszust

Have you considering doing and AMD build?

You could get a pretty powerful quad-core processor for about the same price as the current generation i3.

The AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition is onsale right now at canadacomputers for $125:
http://canadacomputers.com/product_i...item_id=027384

Then you could get a cheap motherboard such as:
http://canadacomputers.com/product_i...em_id=0344 42
(Biostar AM3 board $80).

This should give you better gaming performance. However, in terms of upgrading, you will be limited as AMD is releasing its new line of processors sometime soon.

The Sandy Bridge Core i3 actually outperforms the Phenom II X4 in gaming (The Phenom is the CPU I was expecting to get before I actually did some research) and the Core-i3 can be put on a Mobo that's compatible with the Core i5/i7 and the upcoming Ivybridge CPUs.

Originally Posted by Icecream

A good way to test your PC's capabilities is to run Crysis.

I have never heard of a PC that can max it to the highest settings/resolutions and make it playable.

The really beastly Builds nowadays can run Cysis on Max settings at 1080p on Dual Monitors at >60 fps without breaking a sweat.

Originally Posted by Sintos

There's barely any games on the market that can take full use of the quad cores.. There's barely any difference for me. BUT. If you were to upgrade anything the i7 >>> i3. That's just my opinion though.

The current Core i7 on the market is complete overkill for any gaming build, the quad core Core-i5 2500K is basically just as capable as the Core i7 and cost nearly $100 less.

Originally Posted by Icecream

Its a very good system for the money. You could get a much better CPU by squeezing in another 100$.

The Core-i5 2500K is a much better CPU, but it costs twice as much as the Core i3 and I'd have to upgrade my Motherboard to actually take advantage of it's ability to overclock (which would add another $100+ to the build). $200+ for what amounts to a 30%-50% improvement isn't really worth it.