Hi guys, I'm looking into building a budget comp (~$500).
Present System: Pentinium Duo @ 2.8Ghz w/ Radeon 1600x graphics card and 3.5GB DDR2 ram
New build likely for school use and some gaming & video editing (I don't plan on playing at maxed settings, etc)
What do you think of my probable build here: Any alternatives for lower prices? (trying to get under $500)
[external image: Posted Image]
I am very new at building so this will be a first, but I am currently researching & learning.
Your advice would be great so I appreciate it and thanks
Hey Aznlotus161,
Welcome to the WTT forums.
That list looks pretty good to me for an mid entry gaming rig.
Only comment I would make is on the motherboard. Is there a reason why you wanted to buy a micro ATX motherboard? By the looks of the case, it should house a normal sized ATX motherboard. That way you get a few more PCI slots to play around with.
I would also consider looking at Phenom II instead of the Athlon II's, the extra cache might come in handy.
That list looks pretty good to me for an mid entry gaming rig.
Only comment I would make is on the motherboard. Is there a reason why you wanted to buy a micro ATX motherboard? By the looks of the case, it should house a normal sized ATX motherboard. That way you get a few more PCI slots to play around with.
I would also consider looking at Phenom II instead of the Athlon II's, the extra cache might come in handy.
Hey Nahumi, I appreciate the post! About the mobo, honestly I have no idea it seemed cheap and reviewed enough to consider.
Would you have any recommendations from Newegg.us?
Also, Do you mind taking a look at my modified build (I've learned recently that my budget can be stretched a tad) Here it is:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion
Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz
Mobo: ASUS M4A78LT-M LE Micro ATX AMD
Video Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3
HDD: WD Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" SATA
Optical?Drive: Sony Optiarc DVD Burner w/ LightScribe Black
It's a touch more, though. If your budget doesn't stretch that, then go for the Athlon II x4. (The x2 and x4 stands for how many cores it has. The more cores, the better.)
3. The mobo is a tricky one, but I have found two alternatives for you.
Both have ATX form factors. The ASRock Motherboard has a couple of bad reviews, but if you link it up with a ATi GPU, it should be fine. I'd go for the second one simply because of the chipset. The AMD 790GX is a better chipset for gaming than the AMD 770
4. GPU looks fine. Should be able to play most of the games without a hitch.
5. The PSU should be fine as long as you don't overclock anything. Personally I would go for a less well known manufacturer with a higher wattage. That's a bit of a sticky issue though because sometimes build quality isn't as good.
If you want to calculate what should be enough, head over to :
It's a touch more, though. If your budget doesn't stretch that, then go for the Athlon II x4. (The x2 and x4 stands for how many cores it has. The more cores, the better.)
3. The mobo is a tricky one, but I have found two alternatives for you.
Both have ATX form factors. The ASRock Motherboard has a couple of bad reviews, but if you link it up with a ATi GPU, it should be fine. I'd go for the second one simply because of the chipset. The AMD 790GX is a better chipset for gaming than the AMD 770
4. GPU looks fine. Should be able to play most of the games without a hitch.
5. The PSU should be fine as long as you don't overclock anything. Personally I would go for a less well known manufacturer with a higher wattage. That's a bit of a sticky issue though because sometimes build quality isn't as good.
If you want to calculate what should be enough, head over to :
Wow, this really helps, thank you.
I'll definitely look into it and for the CPU I was kinda hoping to
unlock the 2 inactive cores so it would be a Phenom II x4 lol without the cost ofc
God I'm so cheap…
Yeah, a lot of people try that and end up being disappointed.
My advice in that area is pay the money for the CPU you really want. You are never guaranteed in unlocking the other two cores. Usually it only applies to the first batch of the X2 or X3's. AMD didn't have the yield to make enough real triple cores, so they just disabled one core and shipped it out anyway. Same goes for the dual core Phenom. You might end up being lucky and having two locked cores, or you might get unlucky and have two broken cores, or an actual fully fledged dual core Phenom.
Yeah, a lot of people try that and end up being disappointed.
My advice in that area is pay the money for the CPU you really want. You are never guaranteed in unlocking the other two cores. Usually it only applies to the first batch of the X2 or X3's. AMD didn't have the yield to make enough real triple cores, so they just disabled one core and shipped it out anyway. Same goes for the dual core Phenom. You might end up being lucky and having two locked cores, or you might get unlucky and have two broken cores, or an actual fully fledged dual core Phenom.
Good point, but I really try to conserve so I think I'll take my chances. If unlocking doesn't work I will be very happy with the Phenom dual core.
Thanks a lot again!
(trying to get under $500)
That list looks pretty good to me for an mid entry gaming rig.
Only comment I would make is on the motherboard. Is there a reason why you wanted to buy a micro ATX motherboard? By the looks of the case, it should house a normal sized ATX motherboard. That way you get a few more PCI slots to play around with.
I would also consider looking at Phenom II instead of the Athlon II's, the extra cache might come in handy.
it seemed cheap and reviewed enough to consider. 
