potential *budget* gaming rig

[mpj]

Hey all,

 

I currently have two pc's and was looking to build a third to replace one that is older than dirt. The focus is mainly on gaming, but it also will be used for other simple tasks such as email, internet, etc. I got my gf hooked on gaming and now I'd like to build something that will be able to tackle the games she enjoys playing(mainly WoW and an occasional FPS). So basically just trying to come up with some cost effective ideas that aren't going to hurt my wallet too much.

 

Everything is open for opinions etc, my target price is really under $600, but i'm willing to spend a little more where need be to make it worthwhile in the long run for performance. I still need to find a nice HSF for a MILD overclock and decide wether or not if i can/want to run crossfire on this set up(i'm assuming the corsair 650 can tackle this setup with 2x 5770s)?

 

*Note* I already have a mid tower case, Corsair 650TX, and a couple optical drives for it.

 

So far here is the list of what I had in mind:

AMD Athlon II X4 630 (2.8ghz)

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO

WD Blue 320gb 7200rpm

Corsair XMS3 4gb (2x2) ddr3 1333

Sapphire 5770 (would like to add a second one in the near future if possible)

 

 

Thanks all for your time and opinions as they are definitely appreciated!

[RogerDeath]

Yeah, the 650w should be able to handle two 5770s in a crossfire setup (I beleive that ATi recommends at least a 500w). I would suggest skipping the 320GB drive and go for the 500GB one for slightly less if you order today, otherwise its just a few bucks more and it doesn't really make a large dent. You could save that money by going with G.SKill RAM instead of Corsair (I run both and they work the same, heat and all) and again, another deal today for that. Sapphire is a good choice and there is even a mail-in-rebate for them currently available to save even more money. The XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 is the cooler I will recommend to you, and since I run one very similar I will say that these are great at the price-point.

 

Total cost for everything (excluding discounts and MIRs) is $563.95

(same as above but with discounts and MIRs) is $525.85

 

Let me know if you want more specifics!

[redtigerdragon]

Are you planning on storing any music/movies on the computer? If so, I would suggest a bigger drive. Other than that, the rig looks pretty good. I would probably go with the phenom 2 x4 940 though, as it is unlocked so you can overclock if you want to in the future, and is also the same price.

 

5770 is a good budget gamer card, but it depends on what resolution you play at. WOW won't demand much, but some FPS's will.

 

I always go with WD for my drives, and the blue series is decently priced without giving up too much features. I am a WD fanboy though, so take this advice with a grain of salt.

 

As for the memory, for around similar prices you can get OCZ gold, which is what I have and they overclock well, or even get the GSKILL Ripjaws, which are good budget overclockers.

 

ASUS is a great brand for motherboards, always leading with innovation and capabilities, but take this with another grain of salt (let's just say I won a contest where they gave me a LOT of awesome free stuff. Not that any of it was bad, it was all great products, but because of it I <3 ASUS ).

[mpj]

Are you planning on storing any music/movies on the computer? If so, I would suggest a bigger drive. Other than that, the rig looks pretty good. I would probably go with the phenom 2 x4 940 though, as it is unlocked so you can overclock if you want to in the future, and is also the same price.

 

5770 is a good budget gamer card, but it depends on what resolution you play at. WOW won't demand much, but some FPS's will.

 

I always go with WD for my drives, and the blue series is decently priced without giving up too much features. I am a WD fanboy though, so take this advice with a grain of salt.

 

As for the memory, for around similar prices you can get OCZ gold, which is what I have and they overclock well, or even get the GSKILL Ripjaws, which are good budget overclockers.

 

ASUS is a great brand for motherboards, always leading with innovation and capabilities, but take this with another grain of salt (let's just say I won a contest where they gave me a LOT of awesome free stuff. Not that any of it was bad, it was all great products, but because of it I <3 ASUS ).

 

I'm definitely on the WD and Asus bandwagon with you(thinking about trying an MSI board for the price though)! The 5770 will be perfect for what she wants, so i'm pretty solid on that decision, especially because I plan to pick up a second and CF them. As far as the HDD goes, we dont usually do a lot of media on either machine, but I might pick up a 500 instead of the 320 just incase. I'm also thinking of picking up the MSI 790x because I see newegg has a shell shocker on it today for $64.99 which leaves me tempted to try it, but I am hesitant. I currently use GSkill ripjaws, but was going to try Corsair out just to see how I like some other products(I do really like the GSkill, just figured i'd try and open myself up to some different brands to see what options are there).