1393 posts shown.
Here’s the breakdown:
1 x Cooler Master Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. Standard MB support
1 x Intel 120GB SSD 520, 2.5", SATA III-600, R/W:550/520MB/s
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
$799craigslist.com
You can always throw in a bit more for $33 if you want a higher-end case, but this Cooler Master one is perfectly fine 🙂
analogtiger19 said:If I can keep my current case and power supply (keeping the drive too), I'll sell off the rest and grab this for $1.25:
1 x ASRock Z97 PRO4, s1150, Intel ® Z97
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz, Haswell
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x MSI Radeon R7 260 OC 1GD5, 1GB DDR5, DVI-I, DVI, DP, HDMI, R7 260 1GD5
Or maybe just pick up the Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 Dual-X, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm for $0.39 (the Q8200 should still pull through most games) and then once I save up another $1.00 I'll get the rest of the 😬
It's a bit of a joke that there isn't 4GB of VRAM, though...🤔
Wait, what? 🤔 Why would he want an overclockable i5 and a pricey motherboard for a build with less than 4 gigs of RAM? He's blowing 60% of his budget on the CPU and motherboard for a gaming rig, only to slap in a weak R7 260 non-X. An FX 6300 would be the move, paired with a better GPU—probably some R9 270 for that kind of money.
crimsonstag84 said:1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x XFX R7-265A-CNF4, Core Radeon R7 265 925M Boost 2GB DDR5 Display
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz Processor, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
$1078 ADM
I guess the GTX 650 is going to feel pretty weak really soon... this one is about three times faster. Or maybe just grab the R7 265 for now; it might bottleneck, but I think you'll see better results in games.
👍 Just add another 4 GB of RAM and it'll be perfect.
frozenpanther11 said:Hey, I’m looking to upgrade my GPU a bit—just enough so I can actually run some shooters without everything lagging out on standard settings.
Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-AM
Check out this ASUS P5KPL-AM motherboard. Just dropping the link here for anyone actually looking for specs.
CPU: Q8200
GPU: GTX 220 1GB
RAM: 2x 1GB
Is it even worth grabbing a GTX 650 2GB and maybe some 2x2GB DDR2 for this rig—or am I better off just biting the bullet and buying a new PC?
That's an old platform; you'd definitely be better off buying something new. What kind of budget are we looking at for a new build?
I had very similar requirements when I was shopping recently. I needed something for CAD—specifically Creo Parametric for my college courses—and, of course, for whatever Games I wanted to play (my "Games" folder is sitting at 😬 300 GB right now). In the end, I went with the HP ProBook 450 G1. It’s got an i5 4200M, AMD 8750M, 4 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB HDD. Honestly, this laptop has been great for me. It doesn't overheat, it stays relatively quiet, and if you pop off the bottom cover, you have access to almost every component. That makes it pretty convenient for cleaning out dust or doing a quick upgrade. If I had to nitpick, the 15.6" screen is a bit small and it could definitely use more RAM; it would breathe a lot easier with 8 GB, but hey, you get what you pay for. As far as gaming goes, I haven't found anything yet that I couldn't run. Far Cry 3 ran smoothly on Medium, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor worked on Medium too, and the new Wolfenstein did as well. Generally, you can run most things if you tinker with the settings a little—just drop them down a notch and you'll be fine at the native 1366x768 resolution. If a smaller screen isn't a dealbreaker for you, I'd definitely recommend this little beast. It's absolutely worth it 👍 CLICK Oh, and it's also available under $1667 at 😉
Daniel Stewart3 said:Good evening.
I've been looking around and putting together a PC build strictly for gaming, so I'd love to get some second opinions on this configuration and the monitor. Here is what I have in mind. 🕺
1 x Corsair Series 200R Case, Black
1 x Corsair VS450 PSU, 450 Watt, ATX, ATX12V v2.31
1 x Intel Core i3-4130, 3.40GHz, s1150
1 x Asrock Z87 EXTREME3 Motherboard
2 x Corsair Vengeance 4GB, 1x4GB, DDR3, 1600MHz 4GB 1x240 Dimm
1 x Sapphire AMD Radeon R7 265 2G GDDR5/256-bit, PCI-E DVI-I/DVI-D/HDMI/DP DUAL-X, 900MHz (925MHz)/1400MHz
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB Hard Drive, ST2000DM001
1 x Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS Optical Drive
Case: $1.75
Samsung 24" LT24D390EW Monitor, VGA, 2xHDMI, HDTV - $0.49
Everything would be assembled and purchased through Instagram. Also, if anyone could recommend a laptop for under $1.75, that would be great. Thanks. 🙂
This is a total disaster; I have no idea what you were thinking here. 😵 Using an Sroteks power supply, a case from $150, and pairing an i3 with a Z87 motherboard... 😬 One of the guys here will definitely do a much better job building this for you. 😉
Sandra Foster6 said:Just wondering why you'd pick the Sapphire R7 260x over the 2GB version... and what's the deal with those motherboard suggestions versus the one I had in mind? I'm fine with the CPU and everything else, just need to clear this up before I pull the trigger.
Thanks 🙂
You can always go with the 2GB model, but honestly, you won't see much difference at 1080p, and the 1GB version is cheaper. It's the same deal with the motherboard; picking something slightly lower-end saves enough cash to fit something else in the build that actually matters. Like getting an Intel SSD instead of a tiny 64 GB drive. 🙂
swiftfalcon89 said:I forgot to mention that an R9 280 would probably be the best fit for that build.
Hmm, it might work, but it could struggle a bit. For a setup like that, you're better off going with an EVGA 500W; they aren't pricey and it'll handle the load without any issues. 🙂
Your processor is way too weak to pair with an R9 card. In my opinion, you shouldn't push anything beyond a Radeon R7 260. You might be able to squeeze a little more out of it if you overclock it properly, but keep in mind this is a prehistoric platform. With DDR2 RAM, you're going to have to overhaul the entire system pretty soon if you want to run anything even remotely demanding. If you really have a thing for that card, maybe just grab a Radeon R9 270 now and save it to drop into your next build when the time comes.
Robert Rodriguez2 said:So what? He'll try running games that need an Intel Quad-Core, like Middle-earth or the latest Far Cry...
He won't even be able to launch them...
With an Intel Quad-Core, you can at least manage low settings.
I play Middle-earth without any issues on my Intel Pentium G3258 🙂 Not to mention how much better it'll run once he swaps in an Intel Pentium G3258 😉
Ryan Hayes82 said:The Intel Pentium G3258 is the way to go, man.
1 x Intel Pentium G3258 Processor (3.20GHz,512KB,3MB,54 W,LGA 1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, s1150, AMD A58, M-ATX, Dual Channel DDR3
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Gigabyte R7 260X 2GB OC, 2GB DDR5 128 bit 650MHz
$849
Definitely, you could still fit a beefier GPU in there. 👍
swiftfalcon89 said:What’s the rest of the build look like? CPU? Motherboard? How much RAM? What kind of power supply?
As long as you aren't using some cheap junk power supply and you have a decent enough processor, you could grab one of these:
GTX560
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13354231
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13540824
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13514019
HD6870
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13495869
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13476593
And this might be your best bet, $133 it's actually a really solid card.
http://www.craigslist.com/video-cards-listings-13543489
All of that for $600$233 is way too much—way too much. You can get a Radeon R7 260 that performs right in that same range, and it'll be BRAND NEW for the same money.
Dennis Carter3 said:1 x MSI R7 260 OC 1GD5, 1GB DDR5, DVI-I, DVI, DP, HDMI, R7 260 1GD5
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 Processor 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Intel SSD 520 120GB, 2.5", SATA III-600, R/W:550/520MB/s
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mo
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. ATX standard
Total: Free assembly and shipping from the retailer!$1575
This is a killer build because everything except the GPU is top-tier. If you swap in a beefier graphics card later on, you'll have everything you need and be set for years. You've got an 8-core processor that's going to stay relevant for gaming and productivity for a long time, plus room to upgrade to high-end cards. You also get an SSD for snappy performance and fast Windows boot times, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB drive, and a solid power supply.
If you want to lower the price, you could ditch the monitor ($43) and swap the graphics card for a weaker one like this which brings the cost down to $1507. I wouldn't touch the processor though; don't downgrade that.
Between the R7 260 non-X being weaker than a GTX 750 and the lack of CUDA cores, it’s definitely going to underperform. It's clearly a worse choice than Nvidia. 🙂
Just grab everything except the motherboard for now. If the build works without it, awesome. If not, you can just pick up a board later and keep running your current processor until then. You won't be hitting the full potential of the GPU right away, but it’ll work regardless. It's definitely going to be an upgrade over a GTX 460 🙂
swiftfalcon89 said:Is there any way I could swap in an FX X6 6300 along with a compatible motherboard that has integrated graphics?
Not really. In this price range, that specific board is honestly your only worthwhile option. Besides, none of the AM3+ motherboards out there currently worth buying actually feature integrated graphics, at least not from what I've seen. 🙂 Just hang onto your current GPU for a little longer and swap it later; it’s actually a decent card.
EDIT: Actually, I'm assuming that money is going toward a completely new build anyway...
crimsonstag84 said:1 x Intel Core i3-4160 (3.60GHz,512KB,3MB,54 W,1150) Box
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Asrock B85M-HDS - Intel 1150 Socket B85 Chipset M-ATX MB
$865
I'm not sure how much sense the i3 makes when I can just overclock this G3258 to 4.3-4.4GHz using a Spira Kepler. You can't overclock the i3...
Not worth it 🙂 G3258 all the way 🎉
swiftfalcon89 said:I've got an HD6850, but I’m planning to sell it along with my old rig. Why wouldn't it work? I'll just run on integrated graphics for a bit until I save up for a new card...
There's no integrated graphics in this build 🙂
I mean, I get it—it’s a gamble. On paper, scoring a quad-core that can actually keep up with modern AMD chips for $133 without having to overhaul your entire motherboard sounds like a dream. But honestly, there are just too many "what ifs" involved in this play. 🙂
fadedorca66 said:Man, just stay away from that old relic. You buy a new CPU and then the motherboard probably dies on you anyway. Who knows what kind of junk HP was packing in there or if it even supports the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400. That socket is like 8 years old; I wouldn't sink more than $33 into it.
If they can swing $133, they could probably grab an 800 too, since there's a newer Pentium that actually overclocks. Crank it to 4ghz—it'll likely outperform a Quad in anything that benefits from raw speed, plus it runs cooler, so everything's working in its favor. In a year or two, maybe just snag a used i5 for $333 and call it a day for the next few years.
I found the CPU support list, and it says it supports Core 2 Quad processors. Even though the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 has a 95W TDP, which isn't exactly small, especially for motherboards like this 🤣 We'll see. That was the original plan, but I actually suggested they save some cash for an Intel Pentium or an AMD Athloncic instead. 🙂 Everything else is there; even the RAM on this board is DDR3.
crimsonstag84 said:Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 vs. AMD Athlon II X4 945 vs. AMD Athlon II X4 740
Pff, honestly, that's even better than I expected. 🤔 I don't know, doesn't seem like a bad move to me, regardless of how old it is. There are actually a few listings on $133 for the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400.