Low budget gaming build

[NikolaT]

Hey guys - a while back I made a thread inquiring about some certain video cards. After doing some research and playing around with some builds I decided to make a thread here because I'm not 100% sure about the Intel VS AMD thing when it comes to budget gaming, among other things.

 

I live in Serbia so please don't recommend New egg builds and what-not. I was hoping I could post some options then see if anythings wrong with said options - swapping parts to alleviate any possible weak spots.

 

So here I go!

 

1) For gaming, is the G31 chipset any good? I found a cheap Gigabyte mobo using this one and it seems to have everything I should need (775, PCIE X16, 2 X DDR (800 MHZ max) ect..) IT'S 35 EUROS.

 

Now there is the option of using the E5200 on a G31, but people say it's bad for gaming because of a bad memory controller (or something ). So I looked at some more expensive options and found an MSI P43 mobo. It's pretty much like the Gigabyte, save the chipset and DDR2 slots. I also have the option of AMD, but with the 760G chipset (AM3 compatible mobo).

 

Since I'm on a tight budget, every euro counts. Here is the G31 build:

 

G31M-ES2L Gigabyte (Specs above)

Intel C2D E5200 2.5GHZ, 2MB L2

Geil 2 x 1GB Dragon 800MHZ (4-4-4-12) <--- I went for this one because of the memory controller concern

320 GB 7200 RPM 16MB HDD

Gainward GTS 250 512MB GDDR3

Fatal1ty Modular (OCZ) 550W: 50A on the 12v rails, healthy assortment of connectors - perfect for the future.

Some cheap case - lol

^Is dishing out a bit more for a proper case (Thermaltake Wing perhaps) worth it?

 

P43 build:

 

MSI P43 NEO-F mobo (P43 of course)

Intel C2D E5200 2.5GHZ 2MB L2

Kingston HyperX 2 X 1GB DDR2 800MHZ (4-4-4-12) (a bit cheaper than the geil set)

320GB HDD

Sapphire HD 4770 (GDDR5 or 3...)

Fatal1ty 550w PSU

Cheap case...

 

760G build:

 

ma78lm-s2 Gigabyte 760G

Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHZ

Kingston 2 X 1GB DDR2 800MHZ (not sure about the timings, but it says CL6?)

320 GB HDD

Sapphire HD 4770

Fatal1ty 550W psu

Cheap case

 

All of these builds are pretty much the same price. The first one has a GTS 250 (found a good deal on it), which is better than the HD 4770 (save for the fact that the 4770 is 40nm), but has the G31 chipset which is supposed to be horrible for gaming (poor memory performance too?). The P43 build is the same, but has different RAM and a 4770. And last is the AMD 760G build which has an Athlon II X2 240 and some bog standard ram with the HD 4770.

 

If I'm correct, it has a built in memory controller - unlike the E5200 - which makes it much better memory wise.

 

So yeah, which one would be the best for games? If "the best" one has some flaw a possible alternative with some explanation would be helpful - benchmarks too.

 

Sorry for the huge speech. Thanks a lot to anyone that can help me out

[_TheAlexO]

Definitely go the AMD route. with the same 4770, both systems would perform just about the same. The AMD might get a frame or two better with its higher clock speed.

[N.E.A]

go with amd , intel will bottleneck gts 250 and upgrading will not be there when you need it

4770 can perform closely to 4850 and gts 250 ,

good luck ..

[NikolaT]

Thanks for the quick reply. Will the mobo still be good when I go for a video card upgrade?

[wevsspot]

nikola,

 

i agree with many of the responses already posted. price per performance the AMD rig is the way to go. but depending on what OS you will be running you should try to squeeze a 4gb kit of ram into the budget (especially if you are going to run Vista or Win7).

 

as far as video cards go you could have a DX11 capable card with higher clocks and more stream processors if you jumped up from the 4770 to the 5850. price difference is going to be around $20 bucks.

[NikolaT]

Yeah, I was thinking that 2GB wouldn't be enough for W7. The problem with going for a 5000 series card is... well, check it out:

 

http://itsvet.com/proizvod/sapphire-radeon...mp_vga/130/1819 - 210 euros

 

Or maybe you were thinking of the 5750? Well, that one is 40 euros more than the 4770 (which is 80 euros for the Sapphire one)

 

http://itsvet.com/proizvod/powercolor-rade...mp_vga/260/1842

 

My dad lives in the US, but he doesn't want to bring anything from over there.

 

Edit: for gaming, how important is the RAM latency (what's the difference in between 5-5-5-12 and 4-4-4-12?)

Edited October 20, 2009 by nikola19283

[wevsspot]

Yes,

 

I was thinking along the lines of a 5750 - side by side specs;

 

4770/5750

 

GPU Clock

750MHz/700MHz

 

Stream Processors

640/720

 

Memory Clock

800MHz/1150MHz

 

Memory Size

512MB/1GB

 

Memory Type

GDDR5/GDDR5

 

DX11

No/Yes

 

While the 5750 comes in with a lower core clock, all the reviews I've read indicate that there is a bunch of overclocking headroom with these cards.

 

As for memory latency, well that is a huge bag of debate. IMHO with the newer chipsets and cpus real world performance benefits more from increased bandwidth than tight latency.

Edited October 20, 2009 by wevsspot

[tkrow21]

Get at least 3GB of RAM; 2GB on Vista/7 is going to be a pain while gaming.

[usaweapon777]

yeah a 4 gig would be good considering vista eats like 2gb for me and i have like no programs on this fresh install. games will take another big chunk when playing so 4gb is pretty useful too ya

[NikolaT]

Thanks guys. So I shouldn't worry too much about RAM latency?

 

Anyways, I'll see if I can get a bit more for 4 gigs of RAM while still having a decent video card (9500 gt + 4 gigs of RAM = whatlol). Over in the us, for about 130 you can get the 5750 so I'll also see if he will consider bringing at least a video card. Here the prices seem somewhat bloated - the 9800GT starts at 90 euros, while in the us it can be bought for 95 USD (XFX).

 

Well, I'll keep my expectations in the lower regions.

Edited October 20, 2009 by nikola19283

[ocre]

yea, so far so good, i got a few questions and info to add. whats the price for the 5770? is it much different there. If it isnt in range, the 5750 will be a good buy, and it does OC well.

 

Are you planing on OCing the CPU? I would suggest OCing and getting the cpu over 3ghz, I just hate to think of a gaming rig being belt with a sub 3ghz dual core these days. Its just a pet-peeve of mine, i know there wont be much visual difference between 2.8 and 3.0 in gaming but it still would bother me. I think that if anyone was to get either of these CPUs they should OC them, even if it is ever so slightly. They are both great OCers and handle it well.

 

 

The intel e5200 isnt gonna bottleneck the gts250 any more or less then the athlon240. with the athlon running 2.8 and the e5200 at 2.5 they will preform nearly identical. The athlon250 witch runs at 3ghz is only slightly better then the e5200. Now if you OC things can be a little different. Just a mild OC of the intel e5200 makes it a lot more powerful.Then Raising the fsb to 1333 instead of 800, it becomes comparable to the e6500 - e7XXX series. The e5200 is a little firecracker. The athlon 2XX OC well to, and also give good results, but

 

Once overclocked to the max on air, this will included high voltages and expensive cpu coolers, the e5200 usually tops the athlon 2XX series. All it has to do is match the clock of the AMD and then its more powerful. The usual top for the athlon 2xx is just under 4.0ghz, somewhere around 3.9ghz. The e5200 usually gets to 4ghz, but even if it only makes it to 3.8ghz it will top the athlon2 in performance. This is pushing the CPUs to the max, which i only do for short periods of times myself. Its not like i am recommending this.

 

OCing a cpu as high as it can possibly go on air isnt for everyone, just a few will want to maintain a system on the very edge. Its only a small pecent of ppl, who dont mind all the maintenance involved, higher chances of random crashes , and have time to sort out things over and over until its finally all worked out. But then their is always the responsibility of watchin the temps. Some ppl enjoy this, others just want to play games or have fun.

 

with your situation and options, i think you will be only OCing on a milder level. And that is perfectly fine

 

For the mild OC the athlon240 will be a better choice in my opinion. It takes to OCing with ease, and remains very cool. At just the default volts most do amazing. I think the 45nm Athlon will go further on stock cooling then the e5200, but that is an educated guess. Most 45nm chips from AMD do well on stock coolers, i have seen up to 800mhz increase on stock coolers. That is almost unbelievable to me. But i never seen e5200 OCing results on stock coolers.

 

So if you are not planning on OCing to the max on air (if you were i would be looking at more OCing motherboards) I would say go for the athlon240. Its not way way better then the e5200, and the e5200 wont bottleneck any more then the 240 at stock. I do recomend a tid bit of OCing cause its free and the 45nm AMD cpus tend to do really good without much effort. I have seen many get the athlon 2XXs up to very high. I have also seen a few duds in OCing. You should be able to hit over 3ghz in a breeze on a stock cooler.

Also what is the price on the 5770? I think either that or the 5750. is that link the only place you can order from?

[NikolaT]

I am planning on OCing a bit, but on a stock cooler. ITSvet is basically a price DB from pretty much all of the retail shops in Serbia - so yeah, it's my only option.

 

The 5750 costs 120-130 (I think) and the 5770 is about 150 euros http://itsvet.com/proizvod/gigabyte-radeon...omp_vga/16/1841

Edited October 20, 2009 by nikola19283