Building a Comp for a friend
Helping a friend build a computer. Hes hoping to spend a little over $500 on his computer currently if possible, but if he has to could spend a little more. Hes reusing all parts not listed here from his old computer.
Hes wanting to use this for gaming, but does not care about the graphics level as long as the games run fast / not slow.
Right now is not a great time to buy a computer, but his computer can no longer handle any games. It is 5 years old and his original computer wasn't that nice to begin with.
The main issue right now is picking out a processor / mobo pair. Currently I'd buy an i7 but upon looking at the mobos, the cheapest mobo is ~$230. With a $500 budget, this becomes a bit expensive to get.
I picked out a cheaper video card for him since he is planning to upgrade it to a new card once its unable to run games in the future. so before he upgrades to a new computer, he is planning to upgrade his video card.
Thoughts?
i7 processor
Processor
Mobo
Video Card
Memory
Power Supply
Hes wanting to use this for gaming, but does not care about the graphics level as long as the games run fast / not slow.
Right now is not a great time to buy a computer, but his computer can no longer handle any games. It is 5 years old and his original computer wasn't that nice to begin with.
The main issue right now is picking out a processor / mobo pair. Currently I'd buy an i7 but upon looking at the mobos, the cheapest mobo is ~$230. With a $500 budget, this becomes a bit expensive to get.
I picked out a cheaper video card for him since he is planning to upgrade it to a new card once its unable to run games in the future. so before he upgrades to a new computer, he is planning to upgrade his video card.
Thoughts?
i7 processor
Processor
Mobo
Video Card
Memory
Power Supply
0
Comments
Going with Core2duo, a mobo with a P45, and an R4850 video card should get you there.
DDR2 memory is cheap, get 4GB.
There those items come to $400. Now spend $80 on a real good 550-600W PSU and you will have a real computer.
Q8200-164.99 or E8400-167.99 or Q8300-179.99 or E8500-189.99
DFI LP DK P45-T2RS Plus-149.99
MSI 4850-134.99
OCZ2N800SR4GK-38.99
500W PCP&C-74.99
Low 569
High 589
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161260 - start with one of thsese - The 4830 is power effective, inexpensive, about as fast as that souped up 9800 for less money, wan't more kick, just add one in crossfire later.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649 - This is the CPU I game with, its all you need and then some. The multiplier is unlocked for an easy overclock. $135 is like stealing this thing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387 - High quality mobo with the newest 790NB and 750SB chips from AMD. There are less expensive boards, but if you want the latest chipset, high build quality, and crossfire support for a potential 2nd video card, for $109 its hard to ask for more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 - High quality PSU, fair price at $79, will run two 4830's plus a phenom II if he decides to add on.
Memory is a more flexible option, I have gained a liking for the stuff from OCZ lately. I will list a 2 GB kit, but you could buy more if you were planing on running a 64 bit OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227191
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK - Retail
Video card I'm still debating between the the 3 on this link all are about the same, but different companies.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000380048%201305520549%20106792627%201067940677&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16814161259%2CN82E16814127401%2CN82E16814150337
MSI R4850-512M OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Currently I'm shying away from the core 2 duo since its the cpu I bought about a year ago, hate to buy the same thing now for him. Also from what I've seen amd tends to be a bit cheaper for what you buy which is great for his more of a budget pc. If either of you guys feel very strongly about the core 2 duo please let me know. Isn't completly eliminated just feel that overall amd should give me a better buy for the price.
Your above post has a 9800GTX+ listed, mistake?
thx for the catch, updated that post now, as of now the MSI is on top then :P the cheapest and the best, why not? ^_^
I think you have made some fine selections here, and decreased your budget. If the primary function is gaming, that tri core will give you everything you need and save you some money. You might want to consider an aftermarket cooler if you want to overclock much past 3.2 per core.
You save a little on the mobo you originally selected, about a 20 spot, and a little cash up front on the PSU.
Thing you might want to ask your friend is this. Your only a little cash away from a GDDR5 fueled 4870 card. While I still think for someone on a tight budget, the 4830 is an amazing value, if your willing to spend a little extra, the 4870 is going to be a great performer, will play everything, and it will play more games if you plan on going really high res because of the extra memory bandwidth. I don't think it sounds like its a need based on your prior post, but when you consider what it costs right now, its really tempting to go full monty, GDDR5 video.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121288
Edit: Hey, what computer case will your friend use?