Is this a good PC build?

Processor: Intel Core 2 duo E8400, clocked at 3000 MHz (9 x 333)
Motherboard: ASUS P5G41T-M LX3 (featuring 1 PCI slot, 2 PCI-E x1 slots, 1 PCI-E x16 slot, 2 DDR3 DIMM slots, plus Audio, Video, and Gigabit LAN)
Chipset: Intel Eaglelake G41
System Memory: 3072 MB of DDR3-1333 DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 with 512MB VRAM
Storage: 80 GB HDD
Power Supply: 400W PSU

So, I was wondering—does this setup look decent enough for now, or should I be looking into adding something else to the mix?

Well, it really just depends on what you're planning to use the PC for. You definitely won't be able to run any of the latest AAA titles with this setup—since we're looking at a dual-core processor and some pretty ancient graphics—but for surfing the web, watching YouTube, or streaming movies? It’s more than good enough. Are you actually thinking about picking this up? How much of a budget are we working with?

Thanks for the heads-up, but I think there might be a little misunderstanding here—I actually play pretty much everything!

Yeah, you can definitely run it at 1024x768 on medium settings 😬

I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. If you want higher resolution and better graphics, you might run into some low FPS issues while gaming.

If you decide to just buy everything brand new, it’ll probably cost you a decent chunk of change $833.

Besides, darkbadger12 already asked a few things above that you haven't really answered yet 😛.

I didn't mess anything up 😉

It's just like crimsonstag84 was saying—if you really want to play at 1024x768 resolution, then hey, go for it 😛

darkbadger12 said:Processor: Intel Core 2 duo E8400, 3000 MHz (9 x 333)
ASUS P5G41T-M LX3 (1 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 2 DDR3 DIMM, Audio, Video, Gigabit LAN)
Motherboard Chipset: Intel Eaglelake G41
System Memory: 3072 MB (DDR3-1333 DDR3 SDRAM)
ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 512MB
80 GB HDD
400W Power Supply

So, basically—is this an okay PC now, or should I hold off on adding anything else???

Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this really isn't exactly a powerhouse for gaming—even if you’re sticking to lower resolutions—and I can already tell you're going to run into some serious walls with any newer titles... just curious, though—do you actually own this rig already, or are you looking at picking it up used somewhere? If you're planning on buying something, let me know what kind of budget we're working with; I'm fairly certain we could put together something much more capable for the same amount of cash.

Seems like it flies on Windows XP, and honestly, it's just a cheap bucket—that's what matters most.

I’ve actually got one right now—I put it together as best I could back when money was pretty tight, so...
It runs surprisingly well on Windows 7.
I usually stick to a 1024x 768 resolution while playing, anyway. I mostly just wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any quick advice or tips... If I can just keep this thing running smoothly, I might actually get some decent gaming time in for once!

You could probably grab the GPU and maybe the power supply too (if you can tell me the brand on that 400W unit—it should be on the sticker). Maybe an HDD if you're short on space.

So, these two:

I guess you might need to overclock the processor a bit to keep up with the graphics card, though you could probably hit 3.4 GHz even with the stock cooler.

My current setup is running on a 400W Chieftec power supply, and I've been looking to swap out my old hard drive for something with a bit more capacity. I actually picked up a new cooler from an LG outlet recently, and after giving my processor a little overclock to 3.16 GHz, the temperatures are staying ice cold—so yeah, it’s officially overclocked now.

So, what are your thoughts on this card:

The power supply seems solid enough for what you need. That GPU is decent, though I suppose it isn't a massive leap from what you're running now (especially since you've got that dual-GPU setup going). That Sapphire Radeon R7 260x OC I linked for about $267 is a killer deal, and it’s definitely going to outclass an R7 250.

http://static.techspot.com/articles-...ch/dGPU_02.png

http://static.techspot.com/articles-...ch/dGPU_05.png

Go ahead and check out that graphics card crimsonstag84 suggested—just keep in mind your processor won't be able to squeeze every bit of power out of it since it'll act as a bottleneck (kind of a weak link here)

Alright, so if I'm looking at the power supply, the graphics card, and the hard drive—plus maybe throwing in another 4 GB of RAM while I'm at it?

You should probably grab some more RAM so you can hit at least 4GB... once you do that, you can finally install a 64-bit OS.
No need to swap out your power supply; that 3870x2 pulls significantly more juice than those other cards you mentioned. Plus, the price for the 260x over at Best Buy is a steal right now.
As for the hard drive, just pick up a new one if 80GB isn't cutting it for you.

That’s really the catch when you’re working with an older rig—if you want to see any kind of meaningful boost, you’re always looking at swapping out the CPU, the motherboard, the GPU, or the hard drive... it adds up. But hey, if you’re planning on picking up a whole new setup down the road, at least you can salvage the new HDD and graphics card for the next build, right?

And honestly, his CPU is actually pretty decent—it's right up there with those newer Pentium models.

I’m planning to pick up a new graphics card, a power supply, and an HDD next—the rest of my build can definitely wait a bit while I save up. As for this processor, I’ve actually been doing some reading online, and honestly, most people seem really happy with it; they’re saying it still holds its own for plenty of gaming! So, I’m a little confused why everyone seems to be talking down to it so much lately.

Yeah, you were looking through threads that are about three years old 😬

It’s not a bad CPU, I guess, but nowadays it gets outclassed by chips like the $83 (Intel Celeron G1610, G1620, or G1820). You might be able to squeeze a little more out of it with some overclocking...

Thanks so much for all the advice—really appreciate it! Cheers.