$500-$600 PC

[BurningSkyline]

I want to build my first computer, and I was thinking about trying to build a budget PC that I can play most games on (With Med-High) Settings.
I would like a AMD-ATi Setup, and I want performance that can (MAYBE) be compared to an i5-750 + GTX260 setup.

I'd Like an Athlon II X4 630/635 or Phenomâ„¢ II X4 955 Black Edition... Quad-core is extremely important to me. But I'm not sure which Processor.

And For the GPU... I'm not sure. I Don't plan to play DX11 games but the ability to would be nice. My goal is to play MW2 on Max

4GB DDR3 Should be enough for gaming... Shouldn't it?

PSU's, MOBO's, Soundcards, Cases... I know nothing about it. Although a Mid-Tower case with an Open side window (preferrably on the left side) with a Simple design is what I want. Maybe some aluminum accents

And for monitors... I have no clue. Resolution doesn't matter unless it is 1440x900, 1600x900, or 1600x1200. I need a keyboard too. I have mouses but I can always upgrade.

I doubt All of this would fit in my budget...
To be honest, the CPU, GPU, and RAM will probably break my budget

 

[Muffin Man]

you're asking for a lot with your budget. what about an OS, do you need one included too?

 

[FoxMcCarther]

I doubt All of this would fit in my budget...
To be honest, the CPU, GPU, and RAM will probably break my budget

Well, that and a $10 discount keyboard. ^_^

So, you are trying to build a computer to go with your mouse?

Ok, enough joking lol.
In all seriousness though, the folks here will try, but you will in all likelihood have to sacrifice somewhere, I mean monitors alone are minimum $120 (if you plan to game with it). If you need an OS, that is another $100 on a good day. Any gfx card that will max out what you want it to do will run at least $175 (around $200 I think, if you want dx11 support), and even that will be with noticeable chop. The phenom II you want is $160, The ram will be $100(ish for the cheaper stuff)

That makes about $520 right there, leaving $80 for the case, motherboard, PSU, hdd, disk reader, mouse/keyboard upgrades, sound system, etc.

Point being, you have to budge on something lol, I think we can accomplish what you want, but we would need at least around $800 at the low end for something more or less respectable, and not just cramming the cheapest version of the parts in it.

 

[BurningSkyline]

Well, that and a $10 discount keyboard. ^_^

So, you are trying to build a computer to go with your mouse?

Ok, enough joking lol.
In all seriousness though, the folks here will try, but you will in all likelihood have to sacrifice somewhere, I mean monitors alone are minimum $120 (if you plan to game with it). If you need an OS, that is another $100 on a good day. Any gfx card that will max out what you want it to do will run at least $175 (around $200 I think, if you want dx11 support), and even that will be with noticeable chop. The phenom II you want is $160, The ram will be $100(ish for the cheaper stuff)

That makes about $520 right there, leaving $80 for the case, motherboard, PSU, hdd, disk drive, mouse/keyboard upgrades, sound system, etc.

Point being, you have to budge on something lol, I think we can accomplish what you want, but we would need at least around $800 at the low end for something more or less respectable, and not just cramming the cheapest version of the parts in it.

At least you are honest, unlike most people. Which Radeon Can play most games, but still have DX11 support? I have a few DX11 games I want to play. I just can't really do anything with $600. As for processors... Can 2.33Ghz/2.5GHz quad-cores play games? I don't expect any 3.2GHz Quad-cores, or anything like that. I just can't afford it.

And no, I don't have an operating system. I have an old WinXP Home disc that I bought with my old dell 5 years ago, but i'm not sure if It will be able to install, and run games.

 

[FoxMcCarther]

I'll see what I can do with $600, but realistically, you will probably not be maxing newer games out, The best solution for you now is to build a system that you can upgrade in the future, I will try to put something together, but Don't expect a super computer. Also, 2.55 quad cores will handle games fine, I recently upgraded to the 6 core 1055, but before that I was using the AMD Phenom 2.55ghz quad with no problems gaming, it will be a fine computer, don't get me wrong, just won't be breaking any records lol.

 

[BurningSkyline]

I'll see what I can do with $600, but realistically, you will probably not be maxing newer games out, The best solution for you now is to build a system that you can upgrade in the future, I will try to put something together, but Don't expect a super computer. Also, 2.55 quad cores will handle games fine, I recently upgraded to the 6 core 1055, but before that I was using the AMD Phenom 2.55ghz quad with no problems gaming, it will be a fine computer, don't get me wrong, just won't be breaking any records lol.

I just plan on doing some budget video editing from a intensity pro I already own. (Premiere pro Cs4) I just want to be able to play BC2, JC2, Maybe GTA4, etc. on med-high settings.

 

[FoxMcCarther]

I have priced it out, and I can not for the life of me get this thing to go below $750. I can find parts that fill you bill but all together they end up costing 799.78 lol.

You will either need to do some serious shopping once you find some parts, or the folks around here will have to know some secret stuff on finding awesome budget parts.

I will say to anybody else who tries to find parts, This is an awesome deal on this $200 monitor.
Newegg.com - ASUS MS227N Glossy Piano-Black / White 22" 2ms Ring Stand & Ergo-Fit Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50,000 :1 (ASCR)
$144 after rebates (40 instant + 15 mail in), was the best bang for the buck I could find.

Muffin Man is good at spotting combos and finding good deals on budget PC's, Given how he has posted here, I am going to assume you are on his radar and he will be a safe bet on finding good yet affordable deals (Ok, I suppose trotter is good at deal finding too...)

In other words, what I am trying to say with a complex and entirely misleading word choice is, unless you really need a computer, I would almost say wait until you have a larger budget and can get something worth the investment you have so it can accomplish what you are hoping to do with it.

 

[BurningSkyline]

I have priced it out, and I can not for the life of me get this thing to go below $750. I can find parts that fill you bill but all together they end up costing 799.78 lol.

You will either need to do some serious shopping once you find some parts, or the folks around here will have to know some secret stuff on finding awesome budget parts.

I will say to anybody else who tries to find parts, This is an awesome deal on this $200 monitor.
Newegg.com - ASUS MS227N Glossy Piano-Black / White 22" 2ms Ring Stand & Ergo-Fit Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50,000 :1 (ASCR)
$144 after rebates (40 instant + 15 mail in), was the best bang for the buck I could find.

Muffin Man is good at spotting combos and finding good deals on budget PC's, Given how he has posted here, I am going to assume you are on his radar and he will be a safe bet on finding good yet affordable deals (Ok, I suppose trotter is good at deal finding too...)

In other words, what I am trying to say with a complex and entirely misleading word choice is, unless you really need a computer, I would almost say wait until you have a larger budget and can get something worth the investment you have so it can accomplish what you are hoping to do with it.

I guess you could get rid of the Monitor to make it cheaper, I could use an old 1024x768 VGA Monitor that barely works, or do something with my old laptop screen, (1440x900) and make it into a monitor, if possible.

 

[Muffin Man]

hm, well this is probably the best i can do but it's still gonna end up a bit over your budget.

cpu/mobo
athlon ii x2 245
+
biostar am3/am2 mcp6p m2+

case/hdd
nzxt gamma case
+
seagate 7200.12 250gb hdd

psu/OS
ocz modxstream pro 500w
+
win7 home premium


gfx card
Newegg.com - HIS H575Q1GD Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

ram
Newegg.com - PQI TURBO 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PQI26400-2GSB

optical drive
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

monitor
Newegg.com - eMachines E202HDbmd 20'' 1600x900 5ms Glare Panel WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250cd/m2 50000:1

totals $603 before shipping/taxes ($30 total you could get back from rebates).

if you want a build that has the parts you listed in your original post, i think it's pretty obvious now that you're gonna need a bigger budget.

 

[BurningSkyline]

That looks like a good build for me, but I really would like a quad-core. If i save a little more I'll be able to get the quad-core I want. Will I need any fans or CPU coolers? What games should I be able to play with that System? Also, If I do some research, would an i3 + HD 5750 system be cheaper? I'm a complete newbie considering this will be my first build, and have lots of questions...