Gaming build under $750

bluefalcon2 said:Does this three-year thing apply to me?
James Fisher11 already pointed out that Happy Hour isn't happening...

No, it doesn't apply to you. Read the first sentence of my post.

My apologies, then...

Could someone please weigh in on whether this setup is any good? (Hertz)
Here's what I've put together:

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67-M, LGA 1155 - $333
CPU: Intel i5 2300, Sandy Bridge, 2.8 GHz - $467
GPU: ATI Radeon HD6850 - $467
Cooling: Cooling Freezer Extreme - $100
RAM: Kingston 3GB, 1333 MHz 2x - $200
PSU: Spire Jewel 550W - $167
Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5II

Paul Wright7 said:My suggestion:

ASUS P8P67-M Motherboard
Intel i5 2500k Processor, Sandy Bridge, LGA 1155, 3300 MHz
Corsair 4 GB DDR3 Memory, 1333 MHz
Gigabyte Graphics Card, ATI Radeon HD6950, 2 GB
500 GB Hard Drive, Samsung Spinpoint F3, 3.5", SATA II
Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme
Cooler Master Elita 430 RC Case
Seasonic SS-520GB Power Supply, ATX 2, 520 W

5,198.10 - Hertz Happy Hour sale

http://www.hgspot.com/page/2/veseli-s...iti-happy-hour

1. ASUS P8P67-M Motherboard, LGA 1155 0201307 $329
2. Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev. 2, compatible with 775/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM3 047331 $98
3. Intel i5 2500k Processor, Sandy Bridge, 3300 MHz, LGA 1155 0300409 $560
4. 500 GB Hard Drive, Samsung Spinpoint F3, 3.5", SATA II 0140206 $114
5. Corsair 4 GB DDR3 Memory, 1333 MHz C9CMV4GX3M1A1333C9, DIMM 051039 $117
6. Seasonic SS-520GB Power Supply, ATX 2, 520 W 045353 $190
7. Gigabyte Graphics Card, ATI Radeon HD6950, 2 GB, PCI Express 2.1 gig-gv-r695d5-2gd $719
8. Cooler Master Elita 430 RC Case, MIDI, black, plexi 052145 $107
Total: $2233

If you subtract 10% from 6,699.40 and get 5,198.10, then honestly, I don't know who here thinks they're three years old.
Were you actually surprised that nobody buys anything at Hertz junk stores when the prices and discounts are this insane?

EDIT: ''
What I am proposing is the absolute lowest possible price for specific components. (Clearly, some people can't grasp rational thought because they either have too much money or not enough brains).

The way you act here is like a toddler who needs a lollipop every ten seconds or they start screaming.

Now that we can see actual decent prices instead of those random numbers you pull out of thin air, I notice you'll wait two weeks just to pay for something $2000 , while I'm willing to wait three days to get the exact same thing for $5,500.

@bluefalcon2

Look, Hertz is overpriced. There's no way, even with a 20% discount, that it matches what you'd find at Best Buy, Micro Center, or I don't know, Newegg. (Maybe some budget site is cheapest, but they're useless when it comes to warranty).

1 x MSI P67A-C43, Socket: 1155, Sandy Bridge, Intel P67, 4xDDR3
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz, 1MB/6MB, 95W, LGA 1155
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz
1 x SAMSUNG 500GB HDD 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3
1 x Coolermaster Elite 310, MIDI, black-blue, no PSU
1 x XFX Core Edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x SCYTHE Kabuto SCKBT-1000, socket 478/775/LGA1366/754/940/939/AM2
1 x MSI GTX 560 TwinFrozr II OC 1024MB GDDR5 256 bit + 3 games
$1845

This build is $133 cheaper than yours and better (you forgot to include a hard drive).
Personally, I'd rather have someone at Micro Center put together something killer for $5,500 (some parts are cheaper there), and they'll assemble it all for free—doesn't matter if you didn't grab a GPU right then (they wouldn't build mine for free before because I couldn't order a card yet).
Unless, of course, you don't want to kill yourself like I do, spending from noon until dark building a PC. 😁

You’ve got a point there—it felt a bit off that a card with all those extra bells and whistles would clock in at "only" 5100... Just, please, let's try not to get into any heated arguments here that might derail the whole thread...

Edit: And just to be clear, I'm certainly not claiming to be some kind of expert PC builder myself. 😁

But realistically, do you think a setup like this could actually handle all the latest AAA titles?
Or would it be smarter to just hold out for another month or two?

bluefalcon2 said:@Paul Wright7/">@@Paul Wright7 - I don't live in Washington, D.C., so I can't grab that 10% discount. Without it, we're looking at about $500, which actually hits my budget limit perfectly lol. The case looks killer though, at least for my taste.

@Robert Rodriguez2/">@@Robert Rodriguez2 - I mentioned in the title that I don't need a CD drive, but thanks anyway.

They only give you free assembly if the whole build is complete, but you can just skip that part 🙂 no big deal, you still end up with a top-tier setup👍

Thanks, I didn't realize they wouldn't work if you don't take the whole set...

Well, here I am again, tinkering with a new configuration 😛 (assuming I haven't forgotten anything this time)

Corsair 4GB, 2x2GB, 800 MHz DDR2
MSI P67A-G45 B3, LGA 1155, DDR3, SLI/CFX
Intel i5-2400 (3.1GHz, 1MB/6MB, 95W, LGA 1155, Cooling Fan)
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6950 GDDR5 1GB/256bit, 800MHz/1250MHz, PCI-E
WD3200AAJS 320GB 8MB 7200 SATA
XFX Core Edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
Sony Optiarc ODD DVD-RW 24x DVD-RAM, SATA, black, bulk
SilverStone AP121 Active Fan Sink
Frontier Noble Super Server Case

bluefalcon2 said:Thanks, didn't realize they wouldn't agree unless you take the whole deal...

Back again with another build 😛 (think I got everything right this time)

Corsair 4GB, 2x2GB, 800 MHz DDR2
MSI P67A-G45 B3, LGA 1155, DDR3, SLI/CFX
Intel i5-2400 (3.1GHz,1MB/6MB,95W,LGA 1155,Cooling Fan)
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6950 GDDR5 1GB/256bit, 800MHz/1250MHz, PCI-E
WD3200AAJS 320GB 8MB 7200 SATA
XFX Core Edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
Sony Optiarc ODD DVD-RW 24x DVD-RAM, SATA, black, bulk
SilverStone AP121 Active Fan Sink
Frontier Noble Super Server Case

That RAM won't work in that board. You grabbed DDR2 but the board only takes DDR3. Either way, it's worse than what those guys put together, including me.😳

bluefalcon2 said:Thanks, I didn't realize they wouldn't agree unless you take everything...

Back at it again with a new build 😛 (hopefully I didn't miss anything)

Corsair 4GB, 2x2GB, 800 MHz DDR2
MSI P67A-G45 B3, sLGA 1155, DDR3, SLI/CFX
Intel i5-2400 (3.1GHz,1MB/6MB,95W,LGA 1155,Cooling Fan)
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6950 GDDR5 1GB/256bit, 800MHz/1250MHz, PCI-E
WD3200AAJS 320GB 8MB 7200 SATA
EVGA Core edition 80 550 w pas PSU - EasyRail technology
Dell Optiarc ODD DVD-RW 24x DVD-RAM, SATA, black, bulk
Cooler Master AP121 Active Fan Sink
Best Buy Supermicro super server Case

That setup isn't great. There are much better options out there if you do some research....

Since you raised your limit to $1833, here's an alternative...

Main board desktop ASUS P67A-C45 iP67 CPU desktop Core i5-2500K pas EVGA Core edition 80 550 w GIGABYTE
CPU Desktop Core i5-2500K
EVGA Core edition 80 550w
GIGABYTE case GZX8 Western Digital
Seagate, 500GB, 7200 rpm, 16MB, SATA 3Gb
Kingmax 4GB, 2X2GB module, DDRIII 1333 n
VGA ATI XFX HD6950 2GB

5,$73 Time+ cooler ZALMAN CNPS10X Flex for $105

The build from yesterday in Time just dropped in price too...😁

Now you have a complete machine 🙂
But definitely check other suggestions and retailers so you're certain you're getting the right gear....

Wodoo - I really dig this build, honestly, but if I recall correctly—and I think I mentioned this in a few posts back then—the folks over at Best Buy only handle the full PC assembly if you buy the entire configuration from them. You didn't mention a CD drive in your list, either. I actually just put together a custom rig through their site myself, and wouldn't you know it, they didn't even show me the sales tax until I reached the very final stage of the checkout process...

bluefalcon2 said:dustyskipper77 - I really dig this build, but if I recall correctly, I mentioned earlier in the thread that Best Buy only builds PCs if you buy the whole kit from them. You didn't include a CD drive. I actually just put together a custom rig at Best Buy myself, and they didn't even show me the sales tax until I hit the final checkout screen...

They'll assemble it for free, no sweat. Just swap out that stock cooler for this one from Boeing 👍
The total I listed includes sales tax. As for the CD drive, you suggested we leave it out at the start of the thread, so I didn't include it...

bluefalcon2 said:Wodoo - I love their setup, but I think Robert Rodriguez2 mentioned a few posts back that at Best Buy they only build the PC if you buy the whole configuration together. You didn't mention a CD drive. I just put a build together on the Best Buy site myself, and they didn't even show me the sales tax until I hit the very end of the checkout.

I mentioned Boeing earlier—was I just making stuff up there?😉

bluefalcon2 said:Also, if anyone knows anything about monitors—which one is actually better:

Apple FX2490HD LED 24 "
Sony E2260V-PN LED 22 "
Dell 2310ti, touchscreen LCD 23 "

That last one has a touchscreen—does that totally tank the
performance?

Out of those options you listed—the Apple one is okay, the Sony is just mediocre, and that Dell? That thing is absolute garbage. Don't even think about buying it; it's basically designed for tourists with greasy fingers to tap on at an airport terminal. 🙂That Apple model has a built-in TV tuner—do you actually need that, or is there some reason you picked it? If you don't need it, it’s just driving up the price for nothing.

1 x Asrock 770 EXTREME3 - NVIDIA GeForce GT 700 series, Intel ICH10, ATX, FSB 2600, Dual Channel
1 x Intel Core i7-950 Processor, LGA 1366 socket, BOX, C3
1 x PointOfView GTX570 1280MB GDDR5 320 bit, DVX 2x, mini HDMI
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x HDD SAMSUNG 500GB 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 370, black, (W)190 x (H)424 x (L)481 mm, 4.7kg
1 x SCYTHE Katana 3 SCKTN-3000, PWM 300-2500 rpm
1 x EVGA Core edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology

$1816
adm

Flo — I honestly thought you were just stashing your gear away in the RS fosna warehouse

Fosna — Someone finally gave me an answer to that question. Much appreciated

halek — I find myself leaning more toward the Intel configuration, if I'm being honest. Still, thanks anyway

Edit: a little off-topic: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlLcZnbaij...pc-mods-07.jpg

i5 2500k—don't even bother looking lower than that. you planning on overclocking or what? because if you aren't, that basic Intel stock cooler will get the job done just fine.

Well, here I am again with yet another build idea (fingers crossed this one works out)
swiftridge40 — I’d probably look into overclocking down the road, but only once I’ve actually saved up enough for a decent cooler.

# CPU Desktop Intel Core i5-2500 (3.3GHz, 1MB/6MB, 95W, Socket 1155)----$55 USD
# Asrock P55 Extreme4 - Intel Pentium, ATX ---------------------------- $38 USD
# Corsair 4GB, 2x2GB, 1600 MHz DDR3, XMS3-1333, DDR3 SDRAM------$14 USD
# VGA ATI XFX Core edition 80 2GB DDR5 800M, DVI x2, DisplayPort-----------$70 USD
# HDD Desktop SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.12 (3.5", 500GB, 16MB)------$11 USD
# Corsair CX Series, 500 Watt, ATX, ATX12V v2.3---------------------$15 USD

- I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on a case:
# Frontier Noble Super Server Tower, ATX, BlackRock (NOB20A)-----$16 USD
# GIGABYTE 1024 case, black, no PSU----------------------$16 USD
# ANTEC TWO HUNDRED case, MIDI, black, no PSU------------------$14 USD

Without the CPU cooler, we're looking at roughly $1833
- I'm also running into a bit of a headache with these coolers—every single one I see in the local shop says it's for socket 1156, but my motherboard specifically needs 1155. Does anyone know if this one would actually fit?
Would this cooler work?

# CPU Cooler CORSAIR Air Series A70 (Socket 775/Socket AM2/Socket 1366/Socket AM3/S cca $16 USD

That motherboard won't work with that CPU. You need a P67 or an H67 chipset. You’re already planning on buying a cooler later, yet you went ahead and picked up a Core i5-2500—the non-K version—which can't even be overclocked. Why bother? You need the Core i5-2500K, a P67 board, and a new power supply because that CX 500 is absolute junk.

Here is what a real build looks like:

1 x MSI P67A-C43, Socket: 1155, Sandy Bridge, Intel P67, 4xDDR3
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz, 1MB/6MB, 95W, Socket 1155
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz
1 x XFX Core edition 80 2GB DDR5 800M, DVI, DisplayPort, Eyefinity
1 x HDD SAMSUNG 500GB 7200rpm 16MB cache Serial ATA II-300, F3
1 x XFX Core edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 370, Black, (W)190 x (H)424 x (L)481 mm, 4.7kg
$1828

And why on earth are you asking people to put a PC together for you when you're clearly just going to assemble it yourself and ask for opinions anyway?
They gave you a "Best Buy" configuration tailored to your $500 budget, but you're still out here trying to piece together random parts. If you keep acting like this, you're never actually going to own a computer.😁

James Fisher11 - You make a fair point there—in my opinion, yours is actually the best one currently available...

I was wondering, though—how far can this processor actually be overclocked? I stumbled upon some info
online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpoJ2-hVKB8

bluefalcon2 said:James Fisher11 - You've got a point there, this one of yours is probably the best choice right now...

How far can you actually overclock this CPU? I stumbled upon some info
online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpoJ2-hVKB8

You might hit 4.5-5 GHz, but honestly, just ask the guy at Best Buy for a board up to $333 that actually supports overclocking later on.

With the budget stuff, you aren't hitting 5GHz for sure, but a decent model might push you toward 4.0 or 4.5GHz...
Just keep in mind you'll need a seriously beefy cooler to actually handle that heat.🙂