Can I buybuild a decent PC for around $400? : Othor Games

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:57 am

I'd want DDR3 RAM, am I right? I'd have to check, maybe there's some around here I could use just to get the computer running, then save for some better stuff.
Also, I noticed you didn't include Hard Drive in your calculations...

Didn't include a HDD since they can easily be salvaged. Here you go, though:

HDD: ~$40 - 60

That was before the flooding, however. Not sure what they're up to now. Unless your HDD is about to kick the bucket, it may be best to get by with it until things calm down a bit.

And my calculations included DDR3 RAM. DDR2 would be much less.

» Mon May 14, 2012 2:37 am

My computer upgrade cost around 390€

i5 2500k 180€
AsRock Z68 pro3 90€
1TB WD HD 60€
4GB Kingston DDR3 memory 40€ (can't remember exact price)
Nexus RX-5300 530Watt 20€ (second hand)

I recycled my GPU and case from older setup.

» Sun May 13, 2012 9:54 pm

This is just pasted from another post:

I bought it mostly to test, expecting it to barely keep me playing games until the new year sales begin, to buy a decent graphics card, but I won't need to. It runs everything brilliantly. If (sometime in the future) it doesn't manage to run something smoothly, I figured I could disable the APU graphics, and put in two new graphic cards in Crossfire, so it will last even longer.

And the cost was only 4.534 NOK. Which is almost exactly ￡487.

CPU: AMD A-Series A8-3850; Socket- FM1, Quad Core, 2.9Ghz, 100W, 4MB Cache

Mainboard: ASUS F1A75-M, Socket-FM1, mATX, A75, DDR3, 2xPCIe(2.0)x16, CFX, SATA 6Gb/s

GPU (Discrete, combines with APU to make a new type of card): ASUS Radeon HD 6670 1GB DDR3

The dual GPU card version is called 6690D2. It's explained better here: http://techreport.com/articles.x/21208/15

PSU: Chieftec A-85 Series CTB-650S 650W PSU
Tower: In-Win Dragon Slayer Micro Tower, Black

RAM: Kingston DDR3 HyperX blu 1600MHz 8GB Kilalalawo HyperX 4GB DDR3, CL9-9-9-27

HDD: Seagate Barracuda? 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s (SATA 3.0), 32MB Cache, 7200RPM, 3,5"

Skyrim runs at 50-60 fps high settings, with ssao enthusiast profile.

Battlefield 3 @ around 100~ fps.

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:24 am

If you're willing to use last generation's tech, reuse your case, and reuse your optical drive you can easily build a $400 PC.

Refurb or Used LGA775 CPU
Budget mATX 775 motherboard
Radeon 6850 (arguably the most expensive piece in the build)
500GB (1 TB if you really need it) hard drive
Rosewill PSU (better than some Chinese generic)
Crucial Memory (2x2GB sticks)

I tested it out and I managed to build a $413 PC on Newegg Canada (who usually aren't that cheap) including 3rd party cooler since a refurb 775 doesn't come with one.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:29 am

Well, since a decent vidcard is around ~$250 bucks, that's gonna be tough...
But you could take the $400 "secretary" PC and install the $250 vidcard - and there you go.
L8R

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:46 am

You might be able to do it for $400 - $500 depending on what exactly you have already that could be reused for a bit.
ie. You say your current system is a P4 -- what are the rest of the Specs - Mainly Case, Mouse, Keyboard, HDD, DVD drive, PSU, - Is the Windows system on it a Retail or OEM license (that alone is around $100 of the cost if you need a new OS) -- Also what monitor do you have and do you plan on changing it ? (what GPU is needed will be influenced by the resolution you plan to play the games at !)

For something that can play Witcher games and Skyrim etc. you don't need top shelf components if you are willing to compromise on the settings a bit until you can save up some more $ and upgrade the system so you can then upgrade the settings in game !)

LEt us know what you currently have and then we can see what is needed immediately and what can wait awhile and still let you play at decent levels until then.

I'm not sure if you understand how outdated my computer is, lol.

I'll keep the monitor, keyboard, and I don't care about mouse, I wasn't including that - we have working mice around here.
My monitor is old, but that's something I can always replace later. Its max res is only 1280x1024. I think I paid like $20 for it or less.

The graphics card is the other thing I thought I could pop in. It's my brother's old one, and not top of the line, but it would at least let me browse the internet/play older games: Radeon HD 4670.

I just figure I can pop it in to get it started, get my data transferred and all that - my current PC literally feels like it is on its last legs. It beeps on every startup (press F2 to continue) and blue screens on every shutdown. It's crazy. I'm going to see if I can fix it a bit until my new computer gets here. (I'll be able to buy the new computer or the parts to make it within 1-2 weeks).

My OS is currently XP. For the new one, I 100% plan on getting Windows 7, which I realize unfortunately costs a lot. AAAAAAAAAAAARGH

As to whoever said to use my current HDD - it's 140 gigs, and has the Windows XP I mentioned on it. I'm not sure if the problems coming from my PC are because of it or because of hardware or what.

Also. I definitely want a new case. This one is basically a school/office looking IBM. The only way I got my graphics card in was to get a low-profile card. I can use my old DVD drive, though. It's fine.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:50 am

As to whoever said to use my current HDD - it's 140 gigs, and has the Windows XP I mentioned on it. I'm not sure if the problems coming from my PC are because of it or because of hardware or what.

Also. I definitely want a new case. This one is basically a school/office looking IBM. The only way I got my graphics card in was to get a low-profile card. I can use my old DVD drive, though. It's fine.

If your HDD is ancient, it may be better to buy a new one since it may be reaching it's expiration date in that case. If you do reuse the old one, you'll want to wipe it to make sure all traces of the old config are gone just in case.

But since you mention blue screens, you may feel more comfortable just grabbing a new one.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:06 am

If your HDD is ancient, it may be better to buy a new one since it may be reaching it's expiration date in that case. If you do reuse the old one, you'll want to wipe it to make sure all traces of the old config are gone just in case.

But since you mention blue screens, you may feel more comfortable just grabbing a new one.

Yeah, I really would. Thanks for sticking around and being helpful, by the way. The "research" part of this is always really stressful, at least for me.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:30 am

I'm not sure if you understand how outdated my computer is, lol.

I'll keep the monitor, keyboard, and I don't care about mouse, I wasn't including that - we have working mice around here.
My monitor is old, but that's something I can always replace later. Its max res is only 1280x1024. I think I paid like $20 for it or less.

The graphics card is the other thing I thought I could pop in. It's my brother's old one, and not top of the line, but it would at least let me browse the internet/play older games: Radeon HD 4670

That is actually a decent graphics card and should allow you to play most modern games on 1280x1024.Buy a good cpu,motherboard(very important for system stability),power supply and save up for a new graphics card.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:31 am

That is actually a decent graphics card and should allow you to play most modern games on 1280x1024.Buy a good cpu,motherboard(very important for system stability),power supply and save up for a new graphics card.

Including Skyrim?

Anyway, thanks.

My main concerns are the case, motherboard and CPU. The rest is easy to replace, but I've heard that replacing an actual mobo/cpu is a [censored].

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:08 am

Replacing a motherboard or CPU is easy. Hard is replacing a hard drive when you did extreme cable management. The hardest part about replacing a motherboard is having to reinstall Windows.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:13 pm

I was hoping for some advice on affordable parts, or which parts are considered the best in a certain range.

ah... sorry lol look @ my specs its a pretty low end specs compared to most people here but im running the game on High/Ultra i can run GTA4 full spec no lag, Duke Forever the same... if you can get something better than mine cheap then your on the way...

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:56 am

If I were you, I would look on Ebay as others have suggested. If all you are looking to do is run the game bare minimum, $400-$500 is plenty.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:37 am

If all you are looking to do is run the game bare minimum, $400-$500 is plenty.

This, is a huge IF... I'd rather keep the money, save up $400-500 more and go buy something really (in my book) decent...

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:12 am

Including Skyrim?

Yes, you should be able to play on at least medium- maybe high settings.

» Sun May 13, 2012 9:40 pm

Yes, you should be able to play on at least medium- maybe high settings.

But what resolution are we talking about? Remember that I'll be able to save up for a better card than the 4670 later on.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:35 am

Just wanna bump this, it's way back.

Any more tips? Just remember that I am NOT buying a mouse, keyboard, monitor, or graphics card (right away).

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:02 am

Naw, this computer is on its last legs. The CPU is a Pentium 4 3.0ghz. It's not worth upgrading.

I didn't say a beast of a rig... damn. That svcks. What kind of a PC could I build?

If you could get to $600 you could comfortably build something. Here is an aussie site that reccomends some good builds, although, parts might be cheaper/more expensive where you live.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_gaming_configs_1

» Mon May 14, 2012 9:24 am

CPU, base it around a 2500k (learn to overclock with these sandybridge K cpu's 4.2Ghz no problem) $220 canadian
MAINBOARD a p67 or z68 mainboard, so you can overclock the K processor, $100-120 canadian
RAM, 8GB of 1600Mhz DDR3, dont worry about timings (go for something cheap from a manufacturer that you can get hold of if it fails, corsair or crucial) $40-50 canadian
PSU, Corsair CX600V2, doubt you'd need more even if you bough a single top end graphics card, at $70 canadian isnt bad
Case, you choose it you have to live with it, but 3-4 120MM fan holes is never a bad thing, neither is a 200MM side panel fan
CPU heatsink, Coolermaster hyper 212 plus is pretty good, but search for a upto date 1155 heatsink roundup $35 canadian

thats the minimum i'd go for. it would last you longer than any other combination. And sell your surplus on ebay to offset costs

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:25 am

But what resolution are we talking about? Remember that I'll be able to save up for a better card than the 4670 later on.

1280x1024
Just don't go crazy with antialiasing,the card has plenty of shading power but limited bandwidth

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:46 am

CPU, base it around a 2500k (learn to overclock with these sandybridge K cpu's 4.2Ghz no problem) $220 canadian
MAINBOARD a p67 or z68 mainboard, so you can overclock the K processor, $100-120 canadian
RAM, 8GB of 1600Mhz DDR3, dont worry about timings (go for something cheap from a manufacturer that you can get hold of if it fails, corsair or crucial) $40-50 canadian
PSU, Corsair CX600V2, doubt you'd need more even if you bough a single top end graphics card, at $70 canadian isnt bad
Case, you choose it you have to live with it, but 3-4 120MM fan holes is never a bad thing, neither is a 200MM side panel fan
CPU heatsink, Coolermaster hyper 212 plus is pretty good, but search for a upto date 1155 heatsink roundup $35 canadian

thats the minimum i'd go for. it would last you longer than any other combination. And sell your surplus on ebay to offset costs

Do you (or anyone else) have a recommendation for a good case?

» Mon May 14, 2012 10:22 am

Do you (or anyone else) have a recommendation for a good case?

I'm pretty happy with my http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042.

The case has a good amount of space inside and a good airflow (with 2 fans already installed and slots for more) and it's a decent price.

Only negative I can remember is that it doesn't look very interesting and when dust settles on the top it's very visible.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:00 am

CPU, base it around a 2500k (learn to overclock with these sandybridge K cpu's 4.2Ghz no problem) $220 canadian
CPU heatsink, Coolermaster hyper 212 plus is pretty good, but search for a upto date 1155 heatsink roundup $35 canadian

Of course, if you're not looking to overclock, you can shave off some $ by dropping to a 2500 (no K), or even a 2400 (a couple % less performance, $20 less price. That's a good bit when you're on a 400 budget); and drop the extra heatsink.

Just a thought. :shrug:

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:28 am

Of course, if you're not looking to overclock, you can shave off some $ by dropping to a 2500 (no K), or even a 2400 (a couple % less performance, $20 less price. That's a good bit when you're on a 400 budget); and drop the extra heatsink.

Just a thought. :shrug:

Yeah, I've never overclocked, I'm not sure. Would it be worth it on a $400 computer anyway? I don't want there to be any danger of screwing anything up. Thanks for the advice.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:21 am

I recommend saving for 600, it would be really worth while. Right now the PC market is pretty good in terms of price. Lots of powerful parts for cheap because the current generation of consoles are still around like ancient dinosaurs. Most games are designed to work for those. If you can save for 600 it will get you much much further than 400 alone could and then buying parts sequentially. Also you may wish to check out NCIX.ca They can have some pretty decent deals too.