Help me make a gaming rig please

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gigadork

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Ok so i had a recent thread about upgrading my crappy emachines but now i thought, i should just make a whole new one just for gaming. i did have a pretty good set up idea but i lost it. so what i am asking is, can you guys help me make a good gaming rig? my price range is about (max) $650. so please help me. ill give more info later on what im looking for. Thanks
 
Are you able to buy online?
Do you have any parts you're going to use for this build from your old machine?
 
Online is def. the best way to go if you are able to do that.

Basically, a "gaming rig" is comprised of several dedicated parts.

Dual or Quad core processor... single cores are useless for gaming now
Video card - for your high resolution graphics
RAM - at least 2GB DDR2 for some of the newer games
PSU - reliable power for your high performance parts

Everything else, aside from maybe the monitor and sound card, is purely universal when it comes to gaming machines. Any decent 3200RPM hard disk will work fine and you'll be able to reuse all off the peripheral devices...
 
 
hey Gigadork,
after I built my quad core work machine a few months ago, I came in under budget by $650 (thanks to Rage_3K_Moiz) :wave:, who im sure will find this thread, and have an excellent recommendation. but before that happens, I want to suggest this build, it is the gaming machine i just built basically, only i have added another 4Gb of DDR2, and a third HD 4830. but this one fits your budget and outperforms an Hd 4870 . I will probably get lambasted for offering a Crossfire recommendation,and it might have been true about ten driver versions ago, but the Catalyst drivers have evolved and work very well. like I said, i ran this config before i added a third 4830 and it performs tremendously. with the three PCIE slots, you can add a third 4830, or add a 4850 to the 2 4830's later. and that config outperforms my 4870 x2 at half the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136044

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102822

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227199

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202005

with rebates, that leaves $75 for a case/second HDD etc.

The CPU is an Athlon in name only, it is actually a dual core Phenom K-10. it overclocks to 3.4 Ghz easily, and you can add a phenom II later when the prices drop if you like.

this makes the assumption that you want to play some demanding games like crysis, if your just playing WoW and the like its overkill, and you can get by less expensively.

Let me know what you think:)
 
 
That's not a bad barebones system, but you don't save much for getting it instead of individual components by themselves.

As for the system I suggested, you can replace the CPU and mobo with the E8400 and the GA-EP45-UD3P or the GA-EP45-UD3R, depending on whether or not you want the option for Crossfire. Should help you keep the PC within your budget.

BTW, what sort of monitor are you going to use and what resolution will you be gaming at?
 
one of the problems with that 'barebones kit' is the power supply. odds are its about a $20 PSU of poor quality. it will severely limit your choice of graphic cards as it is only 300w and probably only around 20 or so amps. and not have the stability which is a must particularly for a game machine. told ya Rage would find ya! LOl
 
red1776 said:
one of the problems with that 'barebones kit' is the power supply. odds are its about a $20 PSU of poor quality. it will severely limit your choice of graphic cards as it is only 300w and probably only around 20 or so amps. and not have the stability which is a must particularly for a game machine. told ya Rage would find ya! LOl
Click to expand...

but with the barebone system cant i just buy a better psu? and what about the graphics that come with it?
 
red1776 said:
hey Gigadork,
after I built my quad core work machine a few months ago, I came in under budget by $650 (thanks to Rage_3K_Moiz) :wave:, who im sure will find this thread, and have an excellent recommendation. but before that happens, I want to suggest this build, it is the gaming machine i just built basically, only i have added another 4Gb of DDR2, and a third HD 4830. but this one fits your budget and outperforms an Hd 4870 . I will probably get lambasted for offering a Crossfire recommendation,and it might have been true about ten driver versions ago, but the Catalyst drivers have evolved and work very well. like I said, i ran this config before i added a third 4830 and it performs tremendously. with the three PCIE slots, you can add a third 4830, or add a 4850 to the 2 4830's later. and that config outperforms my 4870 x2 at half the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136044

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102822

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227199

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202005

with rebates, that leaves $75 for a case/second HDD etc.

The CPU is an Athlon in name only, it is actually a dual core Phenom K-10. it overclocks to 3.4 Ghz easily, and you can add a phenom II later when the prices drop if you like.

this makes the assumption that you want to play some demanding games like crysis, if your just playing WoW and the like its overkill, and you can get by less expensively.

Let me know what you think:)
Click to expand...

how about remove your psu, and add this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811162037
its the case + a 600W psu. is this good? and i dont think i want the crossfire.
 
you can certainly replace the PSU, and would have to if you want to game. the graphics that come with that system are motherboard integrated, Radeon HD 3200 chipset, and not at all adequate for gaming. in other words, you would need to purchase a seperate discreet graphics card. so i will echo Rage's question, what type of games and at what resolution are you after?

there are alot of bad reviews about that case being "cheaply built" check out the reviews. dont get 'cheap' when you buy a PSU, a cheap PSU can fry the whole system and cause performance problems along the way. the answer to the above question will really tell you what to purchase.
 
red1776 said:
you can certainly replace the PSU, and would have to if you want to game. the graphics that come with that system are motherboard integrated, Radeon HD 3200 chipset, and not at all adequate for gaming. in other words, you would need to purchase a seperate discreet graphics card. so i will echo Rage's question, what type of games and at what resolution are you after?

there are alot of bad reviews about that case being "cheaply built" check out the reviews. dont get 'cheap' when you buy a PSU, a cheap PSU can fry the whole system and cause performance problems along the way. the answer to the above question will really tell you what to purchase.
Click to expand...

so am i looking for a atx mid tower case?
PS: whats the minimum watts i should be using for my psu?
i am more than likely going to play CD games like COD4, crysis, (im a fps lover) but also online of course. i really want to play the latest games. im not sure about resolution, as long as the game looks good and runs smoothly.
 
The case is not of very good quality and the PSU is plainly inadequate, having only a measly 24A on the +12V rail. Look for something else.

For a good-quality inexpensive case, look at the Cooler Master Elite series.

PSU-wise, quality is what matters most, not the wattage. That Corsair PSU I recommended before is of better quality, and has 41A on the +12V rail, despite its total power output being lesser than that of the Broadcom PSU.

The choice of PSU will also depend on how much power you need on the +12V rail. This is affected primarily by your choice of video card, and secondly by your CPU choice. HDDs and fans also draw power, but not as much as the other components.

Video card vendors usually state a minimum +12V current rating for a system containing the video card. This rating is usually extremely conservative, and is for a system containing a high-end quad-core CPU. Some vendors also factor in OCing and this is why different vendors specify different current ratings. So you can probably go under the rating by an amp or two, provided the PSU is of good quality and you have a low-power CPU.

Hope that isn't too much info for you! ;)

EDIT: Scroll down on this page for an excellent list of reliable and unreliable PSU brands.
 
Rage_3K_Moiz said:
The case is not of very good quality and the PSU is plainly inadequate, having only a measly 24A on the +12V rail. Look for something else.

For a good-quality inexpensive case, look at the Cooler Master Elite series.

PSU-wise, quality is what matters most, not the wattage. That Corsair PSU I recommended before is of better quality, and has 41A on the +12V rail, despite its total power output being lesser than that of the Broadcom PSU.

The choice of PSU will also depend on how much power you need on the +12V rail. This is affected primarily by your choice of video card, and secondly by your CPU choice. HDDs and fans also draw power, but not as much as the other components.

Video card vendors usually state a minimum +12V current rating for a system containing the video card. This rating is usually extremely conservative, and is for a system containing a high-end quad-core CPU. Some vendors also factor in OCing and this is why different vendors specify different current ratings. So you can probably go under the rating by an amp or two, provided the PSU is of good quality and you have a low-power CPU.

Hope that isn't too much info for you! ;)

EDIT: Scroll down on this page for an excellent list of reliable and unreliable PSU brands.
Click to expand...

i am going with red1776's rig build but without the crossfire and i might wanna a case w/ psu or i just might add a case and ill be done. i just need to know a pretty good low cost case that will fit all this perfectly. looks arent important for the case.
 
I think the Antec 300 fits the bill for cost/function. if you dont want the cross fire then the best performance would be going with the 4870 as Rage suggested. Any of the three PSU's that we suggested will handle that system nicely.
on another note, if you do not want the crossfire can i assume you are going with my build for future upgrades? ...ie....3x pcie slots? if not you may want to go with Rage's build and here is why: I went lighter on the cpu choice to go heavy on the gpu configuration. if you are okay with a single card setup, Rage's cpu choices in his recommendation are superior to the x2 7750 (both the E8400 and the Phenom II) just something to think about. let us know what you decide. :)
 
 
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