Thread: $500 Computer?

An older Core2 Quad will likely cost more than any of the i3-i7 variants currently available.

The sweet spot for gaming is either the older Core i5-760 ($209) or the Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500K ($219). The problem here is that is already 2/3 of your budget. By the time you add a motherboard and memory, your budget is spent (or close to it), leaving less than $100 for a graphics card, hard drive, or anything he may need.

What other components are needed, and what can be recycled? AMD makes some more affordable, but lower performing systems that may be more suited for a $500 budget. Maybe something like this:

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX - $134.99
Newegg.com - MSI 870S-G46 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard - $77.99
Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $114.99 after rebate
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK - $42.99
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $39.99
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $49.99 after rebate
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG CD&#47VD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-222AB - CD / DVD Burners - $19.99
__________________________________________________ ________________________________

Total Cost: $480.93 + Shipping

The GTX 460 should play all of the mainstream games available, as long as he isn't going to try to run with some crazy high resolutions. If he can recycle some components, such as the case, optical drive, and hard drive, then you have some wiggle room with a better graphics card (perhaps the 1GB model GTX 460) or a beefier CPU.

Remember that when it comes to gaming, you don't need the most expensive CPU on the market as there is a point of diminishing returns as gaming is more GPU dependent. If your friend can save an extra $100 through recycling some parts, I recommend he invest $75 into the GPU and $25 into the CPU.

Ya, the GTX 460 is the last card I've done any research on, probably get one myself if BF3 isn't a complete flop.

*note* right now he can't even run TF2 in any playable state, he doesn't need to run Crysis or anything he just needs something that isn't a piece of shit. This makes it harder for me to help because if I was spending money the last thing I would want to do is skimp.

*edit* That total isn't including a power supply is it? (Unless I'm blind)

The GTX 460 is a good card... great card if you run them in SLI as they are so cheap. The GTX 560 ti is probably the way to go for Battlefield 3. There is a great deal on an EVGA GTX 560 ti right now. Price in the cart is $229 and there is another $30 mail in rebate. $200 for this card is just a steal.

Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1560-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Hell, Galaxy even has a card $5 less expensive. It looks like all of the GTX 560 ti cards all have a discounted price in cart and an additional rebate. If your friend can recycle some components, tell him to drop another $75 into upgrading to a GTX 560 ti. The GTX 560 ti beats out the GTX 460 in everything except for power draw at load:

Charts, benchmarks 2011 Gaming Graphics Charts, 3DMark11 - Gamer[4833]=on&prod[4830]=on

Even while consuming more power, the GTX 560 ti actually runs cooler than the GTX 460. I think this might be the card for your friend (and yourself) to upgrade to.

Originally Posted by insanegammer109

Ya, the GTX 460 is the last card I've done any research on, probably get one myself if BF3 isn't a complete flop.

*note* right now he can't even run TF2 in any playable state, he doesn't need to run Crysis or anything he just needs something that isn't a piece of shit. This makes it harder for me to help because if I was spending money the last thing I would want to do is skimp.

*edit* That total isn't including a power supply is it? (Unless I'm blind)

No, I forgot the PSU. Sorry, I was just assuming that everyone has 3 PSUs laying around collecting dust like I do. Chalk up another $50-75 for a PSU...

He shouldn't need anything more than 450-500w PSU:

Newegg.com - Thermaltake TR2 W0379RU 500W ATX 12V v2.2 Power Supply $39.99 with rebate

It isn't the greatest PSU, but at least it is name brand and has support for two PCI-E 6 pin plugs without requiring molex adapters.

I would say that you should take one of two routes on a $500 build.

1) Get socket 1155 and get an i3. Still great gaming performance and you can upgrade to i5/i7 later.
2) Get socket AM3+ so you are ready for Bulldozer.