First Time PC Buyer

I'm looking to buy a PC that is good for gaming but not one of the crazy good ones that cost thousands.

I honestly don't know anything about the necessary parts but am looking for help.

I saw the PC building sticky and am liking the 540 is dollar price tag, if I bought the exact same parts as in the sticky, would it turn out to be a good PC?

Also, are there any other recommended builds in the $500 range?

I'm looking to buy a PC that is good for gaming but not one of the crazy good ones that cost thousands.

I honestly don't know anything about the necessary parts but am looking for help.

I saw the PC building sticky and am liking the 540 is dollar price tag, if I bought the exact same parts as in the sticky, would it turn out to be a good PC?

Also, are there any other recommended builds in the $500 range?

GLOWS-IN-DARK

possibly a keyboard, i know i have the others though.

Case

Mobo

GPU

Memory

CPU

PSU

Keyboard

507.93 (Not including shipping)

I am sure someone else can do better.

Would you be willing to learn how to build it yourself?

If so, it saves you a significant amount of money in the long run.

Would you be willing to learn how to build it yourself?

If so, it saves you a significant amount of money in the long run.

SkyCommand

sure?

i was expecting to build it myself anyways, like the one in the sticky showed.

Case

Mobo

GPU

Memory

CPU

PSU

Keyboard

507.93 (Not including shipping)

I am sure someone else can do better.

millerlight89

thanks, i honestly have no clue whether or not this is good or even what a good build looks like but, i guess i'll find out later.

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

cool, good price so i guess i'll try it out. (i'm only looking for a basic pc anyway)

thanks

also, will i have any trouble putting the parts together or anything?

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

SkyCommand

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

SkyCommand

I agree. It's a nice build just make sure to add a hard drive and DVD drive if you need them.

[QUOTE="SkyCommand"]

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

Tezcatlipoca666

I agree. It's a nice build just make sure to add a hard drive and DVD drive if you need them.

[QUOTE="SkyCommand"]

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

millerlight89

Ah, a high-end fanatic. Tell me something then, is that GTX 295 overkill, or is it a worthwhile investment for serious power fiends?

Dvd - drive

HDD

Around 80- 90

[QUOTE="millerlight89"][QUOTE="SkyCommand"]

Millerlight89 knows what he is doing in these matters. From what I looked at in his list, it looks like a decent build.

SkyCommand

Ah, a high-end fanatic. Tell me something then, is that GTX 295 overkill, or is it a worthwhile investment for serious power fiends?

are the hard drive and dvd necessary? i plan on using this for normal use as well.

also, on your original list, can you relink the CPU please, it brings me back to the cart where the other items are for some reason.

are the hard drive and dvd necessary? i plan on using this for normal use as well.

also, on your original list, can you relink the CPU please, it brings me back to the cart where the other items are for some reason.

GLOWS-IN-DARK

The hard drive is imperative, the computer will be limited to bios without one.

If you have an old computer you could steal the DVD drive from it but you DO want a DVD drive.

Sorry, it is relinked :). Also yes they are necessary, but you can look around for a cheaper hard drive. You will also need the am OS. Well crap, tell you what I am going to go back and work around some things if this is too much.millerlight89

hah, no its ok, you've done enough for me, lol.

after adding everything in the cart, it says that they're giving me a free game too (Stormrise).

thanks everyone

Spend an extra $4 dollars for the Athlon II X2 245 imo.

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]Sorry, it is relinked :). Also yes they are necessary, but you can look around for a cheaper hard drive. You will also need the am OS. Well crap, tell you what I am going to go back and work around some things if this is too much.GLOWS-IN-DARK

hah, no its ok, you've done enough for me, lol.

after adding everything in the cart, it says that they're giving me a free game too (Stormrise).

thanks everyone

Spend an extra $4 dollars for the Athlon II X2 245 imo.

Tezcatlipoca666

MOBO

PSU

CPU

GPU

HDD

RAM

DVD-Drive

OS

Keyboard

Here is pretty much the same build with a better CPU and a weaker (but still good) GPU. Everything included, minus shipping and handling.

(573.92)

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

MOBO

PSU

CPU

GPU

HDD

RAM

DVD-Drive

OS

Keyboard

Here is pretty much the same build with a better CPU and a weaker (but still good) GPU. Everything included, minus shipping and handling.

(573.92)

Tezcatlipoca666

How would this RAM compare to what you chose? The timings are lower however the frequency is slightly lower.

It's also getting a lot of negative reviews... not sure what to think of it.

[QUOTE="Tezcatlipoca666"]

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

MOBO

PSU

CPU

GPU

HDD

RAM

DVD-Drive

OS

Keyboard

Here is pretty much the same build with a better CPU and a weaker (but still good) GPU. Everything included, minus shipping and handling.

(573.92)

millerlight89

How would this RAM compare to what you chose? The timings are lower however the frequency is slightly lower.

It's also getting a lot of negative reviews... not sure what to think of it.

It's getting late here, sorry about the late reply. I was thinking about upgrading video cards later, but I think the 295 is too much power for me. I wouldn't be running games in 1080p. As for the RAM, setting the voltages in the BIOS is not too tough, but would the TC know how or want to do this, since he is still new to custom builds?

It's getting late here, sorry about the late reply. I was thinking about upgrading video cards later, but I think the 295 is too much power for me. I wouldn't be running games in 1080p. As for the RAM, setting the voltages in the BIOS is not too tough, but would the TC know how or want to do this, since he is still new to custom builds?SkyCommand

What resolution do you game at if you don't mind me asking?

Tezcatlipoca666 deleted his post, so if he didn't it would had just been a triple post. So ha :).millerlight89

Less than 500, I can get you a better video card and keep it around 560-590.

Less than 500, I can get you a better video card and keep it around 560-590.

millerlight89

No memory?

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

Less than 500, I can get you a better video card and keep it around 560-590.

MaoTheChimp

No memory?

we don't need memory for our pc's there to leet for it XD

Less than 500, I can get you a better video card and keep it around 560-590.

millerlight89

Best I could do for $600. No OS is included.

CPU/GPU: Athlon II 620 & 5770

Motherboard: ASRock 770

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600

PSU: Rosewill Green series 530W

(Free shipping with promo code EMCMNNX37)

Case: NZXT Gamma

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB

Optical: LG DVD Burner

Total comes to: $551.92 before shipping or rebates. I couldn't resist adding a quaddie and a DX11 supported card; it's up to you as to whether it's worth the extra few dollars.

uhh... so can someone post a final list for me please, there were a lot of suggestions/switches so i'm wondering what the final build should look like.

i have everything in the cart but there are some of the same parts twice so i'm wondering which ones to keep/take out.

uhh... so can someone post a final list for me please, there were a lot of suggestions/switches so i'm wondering what the final build should look like.

i have everything in the cart but there are some of the same parts twice so i'm wondering which ones to keep/take out.

GLOWS-IN-DARK

Sorry didnt mean to confuse ya there. I'll try to help in this thread as well. I think the last suggestion by MaoTheChimp is the best so far as it includes a DX 11 card ( a video card that starts with 5XXX). And it has a nice processor, good ram, the case might be a little....meh, but for $500, what can you really do. I see nothing wrong with the last suggestion, I'll have my own crack at this too in a sec.

EDIT: ZUT! Its getting late here and I gotta sleep for school, gr. I hope my post helps, I'll post as soon as I come back from school if anyone else hasnt helped yet.

Oops. Looks like I calculated the price wrong for the above build. The total price comes to $577.93, not $551.92.

The below build is nearly identical to my previous one except for the power supply, which I dropped down to a Rosewill 430w. Considering the low power consumption of the combined Athlon II 620 and 5770 (about 200W at full load), I decided that it would be safe to save a bit more and opt for the 430W model.

CPU/GPU: Athlon II 620 & 5770

Motherboard: ASRock 770

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600

PSU: Rosewill "Green" series 430W

Case: NZXT Gamma

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB

Optical: LG DVD Burner

Total comes to: $567.93. This is the absolute lowest I could do without sacrificing the 5770 or Athlon II 620.

You could save a few dollars by opting for a 5750 and a Athlon II 630. While the processor is considerably faster, the GPU is somewhat slower than what the 5770 has to offer. Here's a benchmark which should give you a good understanding of how much performance a 5770 and 5750 can offer.

Total price with the above-mentioned 5770 and Athlon II 630 is: $541.92.

Note that you MUST provide your own operating system, as no operating system is supplied on any of my build suggestions.

Here is a build that has a less powerful GPU, but is a little cheaper.

i think i have an idea of which parts to get but as for the OS, which would be a good one for a beginner?

doesn't necessarily have to be a great one, i'll probably upgrade when i get more money.

Windows 7

I honestly think this is the best build for the money:

Mine comes out cheaper, and with a quad :).millerlight89