Curse

Erik Fox · Feb 04, 2011, 12:50 AM // 00:50

Here's my build right now: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=22322168

That's about the maximum of my budget. I have a new HDD and DVD drive already. I plan to put a card reader and upgrade the RAM later.

I have people telling me I need to go quad core, but I think for my budget and needs a dual core will more than be sufficient. The most intensive game I play is Fallout NV/Bioshock 2 and I'm not a huge graphics fan so I don't need the cutting edge stuff.

Anyone have any better recommendations or does this look pretty good?

EDIT: oh yeah, this is my first build but I have a friend who builds computers helping me out. He's already tweaked the mobo and stuff from what I originally had.

Jumping Is Uselss · Feb 04, 2011, 02:16 AM // 02:16

Can you spare another $17 and get an Athlon II x3 445?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-872-_-Product

This will last you awhile and you can unlock the 4th core on this, so instead of an athlon you get a phenom quadcore.

Haggis of Doom · Feb 04, 2011, 03:51 AM // 03:51

The GPU is way ahead of everything else. If graphics heavy is not your thing, I suggest considering a GPU more in the range of a 9800GT. Also, the mobo you selected already has an on-board video chipset.

Elder III · Feb 04, 2011, 04:38 AM // 04:38

what resolution are you going to game at? Also, that Processor will bottleneck your video card in modern games. If you game at lower resolutions and/or settings you may be better off with a lesser video card and either upgrade your Processor or just save some cash.

Quaker · Feb 04, 2011, 02:59 PM // 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumping Is Uselss

This will last you awhile and you can unlock the 4th core on this, so instead of an athlon you get a phenom quadcore.

Keep in mind that the 4th core was probably locked for a reason. All sorts of problems could arise.

Armageddon · Feb 04, 2011, 03:34 PM // 15:34

get this card instead

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127512 - MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768

only $119.99 after mail-in rebate saving you $85

change the motherboard to this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130235 - MSI NF750-G55

it has 2 extra ram slots for when you do upgrade and also an extra PCIe slot for your next upgrade - adding another graphics card (1 gtx460 is good, 2 are great)

the board costs $79.99 after mail-in rebate, an extra £15

Id also swap the cpu to this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103846 - Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition

for £89.99 which is an extra $29

Id change the ram to this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227559 - OCZ Reaper 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600

$34.99 after mail-in rebate card, saving $13

total saving $54 and you will have a much better system with a decent upgrade path

Erik Fox · Feb 04, 2011, 06:11 PM // 18:11

Thanks for the advice guys. I have a monitor that runs 1440x900 right now, but I'm saving up for a slightly bigger one. I tweaked the build a bit and ordered, and yes I did end up saving a bit of cash.

It's very confusing sorting through all the parts when you are a first time builder, that build was mostly off of a premade list of parts from a website. So again thanks for the tweaks!

BFG · Feb 05, 2011, 04:12 AM // 04:12

I came up with this, using your budget as a cap. It leaves room later on for better Core2 Duo or even a quad core, along with some additional RAM. The graphics card you selected was a bit beastly for your setup and would've been bottle-necked by the processor. This suggested Core2 Duo build will bring more balance to the system and leave room for upgrades later.
Modest Build

The only thing I would change would be to go with a Gigabyte P45 mobo like this one:
Gigabyte GA-EP45T-USB3P LGA 775 Motherboard
Now, this may break the budget, but it's really worth considering.