|
|
|
|||||||
 |
Gaming | Online | O-T |
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:25 PM)
 |
GAF'S ultimate $500/£400/$650 CAD budget gaming rigs + bonus high end configs!
#1
****Please take time to read through all of this post, you will find a lot of helpful general PC gaming and building advice linked or explained towards the bottom of this post. This includes benchmarks that help demonstrate what these machines are capable of.***
As some of you might know I spend most of my time here, helping out fellow GAFers with their PC hardware problems and queries. Well as many of you may not be aware there's been a seismic shift in the PC hardware market in the last year (particularly on the GPU side) with hardware prices falling through the floor whilst performance continues its march forward. The incredible position we're in now, with gaming grade PC hardware at the lowest its ever been means that, possibly for the first time ever, $500/£400/$650CAD can buy you a gaming class rig that will run every game (yes, including Crysis) at high or max settings at 1680x1050 with very good framerates, quite often in the 60fps range. As such, I've put together configs for UK, US and Canadian GAFers that I feel use the absolute best value components on the market, each and every component is from a highly regarded manufacturer and is chosen for the great value they offer. These configs are at the absolute peak of the "price:performance" curve as far as PC gamers should be concerned, not a single penny is wasted. Whilst these configs will play many games at 1080p just fine, the GPUs chosen weren't built for extreme high resolution play, so instead I've offered some suggested upgrades for players that would prefer to play their games at a native 1080p resolution. This is all in the spirit of offering you the best performance for your money afterall, and making the suggested changes ensures that you stay at the peak of that price:performance curve even though you're playing at 1080p. The GPU upgrades suggested are a great place to spend any extra cash, I highly recommend them, but these rigs are great even without them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** CLICK HERE FOR GAF'S ULTIMATE $800/£600/$1000 CAD HIGH END GAMING RIGS. Must See. *****
Originally Posted by High end rig post:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OS and Windows 7 section Windows 7 RC is free to use for another 9 months and is fully featured, it is highly recommended to GAFers putting together a new build at this moment in time. For a limited time you can preorder Windows 7 at half price, which can bring it down to as little as $49. Details here, this is strictly time limited so I encourage anyone looking to upgrade to Windows 7 to snap up this great offer. Students: You may be able to get a free copy of Windows (and other Microsoft software) see Firestorm's post for details. Linky. If you do not qualify for a free copy you can still get hold of Windows for a cut down price at the Ultimate Steal. Currently £41 for Vista Ultimate in the UK and $65 for Vista Ultimate in the US. Its expected that this offer will encompass Windows 7 shortly after release. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Posted by ME:
Total: $592.93 + $55 MIR =$537.93 I'm aware that the price of this machine has slipped above the original $500 target but the offers in the next price bracket were just too good to ignore. You're getting a monster rig here, much better than I had ever originally planned for, this will tear through absolutely anything you throw at it @ 1080p, gaming or otherwise. You're getting a top of the line gaming machine with a full quad core running at 3ghz for your $550 here, no half measures. Now as a bonus, here's a superb $400 machine that is all you need to play all the latest games at high settings with absolute minimum cost. I absolutely recommend the previous rig first and foremost, but on a really tight budget, you'll be delighted with this machine:
Originally Posted by ME:
[/b] Optional 1080p monitor: ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200 +$20 rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236059  Total cost of 1080p gaming rig with 1080p monitor = $803.93 +$85 MIR = $718.93 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UK GAF'S ULTIMATE £400 GAMING RIG. Just like the rig for US posters, I've put together a config that uses the absolute best "bang for buck" components whilst sticking to a strict £400 budget. The basic components are similar but I've used parts that are better priced at Ebuyer in order in come in on budget. [Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66) [CPU (Athlon ii X3 435 2.9ghz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176043 (65.67) [RAM (Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333mhz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463 (£80.79) [GPU (XFX HD 4870 512MB)]:http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169206 (£91.20) [DVD (22X Sony DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/170014 (£15.89) [Case/PSU (Coolermaster Elite 330 and Coolermaster eXtreme Power Plus 460w PSU)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135101 (£54.99) [HDD (Samsung F3 500GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252 (£42.54) Total cost = £400.74 delivered Optional monitor: 22" 1680X1050 DVI-D/VGA LG: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152124# Total cost with monitor = £412.97.91 + £119.98 = £532.95 Recommended upgrades for 1080p gaming [GPU (XFX 4890 1GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167969 (£140.73) Total cost of 1080p gaming rig = £453.70 Optional 1080P monitor: Samsung 1080p Gloss Black DVI/VGA (£163.04): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158382 Total cost of 1080p gaming rig + 1080p monitor = £616.74 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Posted by Firestorm:
Unlocking the mysteries of triple buffering; this is essential reading for any PC gamer, and following this guide can be the equivalent of a free GPU upgrade for many. Half Life 2: Episode 2 CPU benchmark (notice how the $100 550 wipes the floor with the Core i7 920?  ): GPU performance benchmarks to demonstrate the excellent performance of the 4870 512MB used in these rigs (note these use a different CPU but since we're in a GPU limited situation performance will be very similar):    *Yes, that's right, a solid 30fps at 1680x1050 in Crysis with max DX10 shaders can be yours for just $500, these days!* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlocking the extra two cores of your Phenom ii X2 550 (note this is not guaranteed, but worth trying anyway, who doesn't want a $100 quad core? ):http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu..._15.html#sect0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Handy "how to build a PC" video. This is a much watch for any new PC builder, I recommend reading a few guides as well, though motherboard manuals (and motherboards themselves) are packed with helpful information these days. Its a lot easier than you'd imagine. Nice guide here at Tech Report as well: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671 And here at the Ebuyer forums (signup to see the images): http://forums.ebuyer.com/showthread.php?t=19603 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now now you know the hardware is cheaper than ever, what about the games? Check out Adrian Werner's excellent PC games list to see what you've been missing out on and what's to come then get ready for your backlog to increase tenfold. 2007's ultimate PC games list. 2008's ultimate PC games list. 2009 ultiamte PC Games list. 2010 ultimate PC Games list See the astonishing visuals these rigs can pull off in the PC screenshot thread. Last edited by brain_stew : 11-18-2009 at 10:21 AM. |
|
(06-24-2009,
07:35 PM)
 |
#7
Awesome thread! I'll be keeping up with it. Do you plan to keep it updated to represent the best possible $500 PC at any given time?
This is a minor note, but could you possibly space out the main component list with the actual name of the components on their own lines, or bold the component names, or something to make that big block of text more readable? |
|
(06-24-2009,
07:35 PM)
 |
#9
Goddamn.
PC Gaming is so awesome. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:36 PM)
|
#10
Originally Posted by Chris Remo:
I'll try and keep it updated as best I can, thanks for the idea on making it easier to read, I'm no good at stuff like that, just doing my best. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:37 PM)
 |
#11
Originally Posted by pr0cs:
I run Windows 7 (beta, now RC) all the time, but I have most of my actual installs and data on a larger Vista partition. Also, just a warning (and brain_stew feel free to give your input on this), I have a 512MB 4850, and possibly the same memory and hard disk there. Unless my e8400 is what's limiting me, 1680x1050 -will- tax that video card on high settings in some games. I have both the e8400 and the 4850 at stock speeds, though, and even then I should probably invest in a $30 cooler replacement for the 4850. I've been meaning to ask, actually, since I'm not sure if I should simply upgrade the card, or whether it's worth continuing to spend money on that. Another case fan should also help me, I only have the two that came with that case. Of course, that card also gets super-hot, though that cooler in the picture might help. I think that's the same cooler that I've heard has an annoying whine on some systems, so your luck may vary. I built my full system including monitor and OS for a tiny bit over $1000 (same case too), so it's nice that the price has fallen so much. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:37 PM)
|
#12
Originally Posted by mr stroke:
..
Originally Posted by Gully State:
|
|
Perfectly able to grasp the inherent value of the fishing game.
(06-24-2009,
07:38 PM)
 |
#13
Originally Posted by mr stroke:
Anyway, great thread brain stew, only one slight issue, your URL for the case in the UK rig section is wrong. It should be this: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146338 |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:38 PM)
|
#14
Originally Posted by mr stroke:
Buying a Windows OS at this moment in time is a very bad move. You can use Windows 7 free for 9 months, not only does it help space out the cost, but for most its a necessary future purchase for things outside of gaming.
Originally Posted by Stop It:
Thanks. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:39 PM)
 |
#15
Here's Newegg/Tom's Hardware's $600 Micro-ATX Gaming PC which is actually a bit fancier than you need
|
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:40 PM)
 |
#18
Originally Posted by Blizzard:
|
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:40 PM)
|
#20
Originally Posted by brain_stew:
|
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:40 PM)
 |
#21
Originally Posted by Stop It:
The release candidate is good till next july, plenty of time to save up. Great thread, it really is an excellent time to get back into, or jump into PC gaming. Tons of RPG's, FPS's, MMO's, awesome casual games like Plants VS Zombies, etc. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:41 PM)
|
#23
Originally Posted by Blizzard:
Get this for your 4850. Best VGA cooler on the market and it's fanless. My 4850 now runs at 50C 100% load after installing this VGA heat sink. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186016 |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:41 PM)
|
#24
Originally Posted by Blizzard:
You're "supposed to" but absolutely can do a straight upgrade, as you could from the beta, Microsoft have already confirmed this, I believe. |
|
(06-24-2009,
07:41 PM)
|
#26
Originally Posted by brain_stew:
|
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:44 PM)
|
#28
Originally Posted by Doytch:
Any UK student can get it for a very reduced price (£40 for Ultimate) through the Ultiamte Steal, see here: http://www.microsoft.com/student/dis...k/default.aspx Stuff like this + the free RC makes me hesitant to add the cost of the OS to the build, failing all that, damn near everybody needs/has a Windows OS for a multitude of things outside of gaming. Its hardly a cost that can be directly attributed to a gaming rig. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:44 PM)
|
#30
Ooh, I'll keep posting! Also note that (unless that CPU is awesome, or overclocking stuff is implied) you will certainly not be playing crysis at maximum on 1680x1050, at least not near 60fps. I think I got 15-30 on warhead, which is supposedly more optimized?
Also "maximum" needs defined since some people use lots of AA. If I go above 2xAA or 4xAA on the highest settings in Mirror's Edge, for instance, you get graphical lag/stutters (and it again makes the 4850 heat up like crazy). I'm not sure of the exact fps since I don't typically measure it unless it's a source game. I suspect Call of Juarez near-highest settings isn't 60fps...TF2 regularly drops 120-30fps for me depending on the map area if I'm using single-core rendering. L4D is probably 45-100 fps depending on the area, again using single-core rendering. Multicore rendering means things get super hot AND zombies stutter all over the place for me. Anno 1404 highest settings, maybe the recent empire game also had issues at highest settings. I get the impression the 4850 is more of a mid/highrange card now? :) *edit* http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186016 Yeah, that's the one I'll probably get. I still don't quite understand how it can cool so well without heating up your CPU -or- using fans, and I need to make sure it'll fit in my Antec 300 case as well. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:45 PM)
|
#31
Originally Posted by Chris Remo:
According to the windows 7 FAQ you will need to do a clean install:
Quote:
But that might change... |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:46 PM)
|
#33
Originally Posted by Chris Remo:
You could definitely do it with the BETA, MS don't encourage it, though their developers released instructions on how to do so (which should work with the full release as well) but obviously you can't say either way until its released, so don't hold me to it. I'd recommend doing more of your own research but its definitely not an impossibility. I plan to add a few benchmarks to the op, to show what these components are capable of, sound a good idea? |
|
Perfectly able to grasp the inherent value of the fishing game.
(06-24-2009,
07:46 PM)
|
#34
Originally Posted by SuperEnemyCrab:
Still, that's a long time away, and it does help spead the cost. I couldn't do without my Quad Core nowadays, and I was lucky to win (mahwhwhahahahaha) a GTX275, but Brain Stew has made some good riggage here. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:48 PM)
|
#35
Originally Posted by Stop It:
Well, if you're lucky, you can actually unlock one or two cores with that Phenom ii X2. Some people have bagged a 4ghz quad core for $100 after some tweaking!!  This isn't guaranteed ofcourse, and its the luck of the draw, but there's plenty of people that have managed it, so its a lovely little bonus. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:52 PM)
 |
#38
Awesome thread, personally I'd buy from Overclockers, they offer free shipping to members of their forums and they've always been very good to me. Would be cool if someone makes, or has, a rig like this and could post some benchmarks for interested people.
Originally Posted by Classic_Gs:
You'll be getting an even better system by then. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:52 PM)
|
#39
Originally Posted by careful:
Speaking of which, what's the best Intel budget CPU these days, and are they likely to work on an e8400-compatible motherboard? |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:53 PM)
|
#41
Originally Posted by careful:
The 550 offers nigh on identical performance to a E8400 at stock but its easier to overclock due to its unlocked multiplier, is on a platform with decent future upgrade option and has the potential to unlock a couple extra cores. And its $65 cheaper to boot! AMD really own the low end and midrange now, they're Phenom ii range offers some seriously good value. |
|
bareback Jack
(06-24-2009,
07:54 PM)
 |
#42
This is not gonna be able to run crysis on max or high quality.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3553&p=5 That shows it can barely get 30fps, and that's running on an i7. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:55 PM)
|
#44
Originally Posted by skinnyrattler:
|
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:55 PM)
|
#45
Originally Posted by Ikuu:
Overclockers.co.uk have a very dodgy reputation and shipping is very expensive if you're not an active forum member. Ebuyer offer everyone free delivery if you spend £50 or more and their service is excellent, hard to argue with really, though I'm a big fan of Novatech these days. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
07:58 PM)
|
#46
Originally Posted by Tideas:
It'll manage Crysis just fine at high or with a custom config at 1680x1050 or below, Crysis is very playable at lower framerates, unlike many games. I never said it'd max out every game but "high" settings at 1680x1050 (with a couple of notches turned down here or there should be more than doable in most games, many will be maxed just fine. The 4850 is a very capable card at mainstream resolutions. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
08:00 PM)
|
#49
Originally Posted by Blizzard:
My guess: 1) Those fins on the cooler are incredibly large and have a huge surface area 2) The pre-applied thermal compound is done right (covers the entire area of the contact point b/t GPU and Heat sink while maintaining an incredibly thin layer 3) The stock 4850 HSF is applied like shit- Once you open it up, you'll be able to see. They use this rubber compound that basically hugs all the chips. It's also applied fairly thick and falls off quite easily. |
|
Member
(06-24-2009,
08:01 PM)
|
#50
Originally Posted by brain_stew:
Regarding that heatsink, I think I also heard it doesn't totally fit the 4850, and you needed to get a couple of additional small square heatsinks for the memory chips. Is that correct? (I think I took the heatsink off and used my own arctic silver 5, by the way, so if the goop was messed up it's my own fault ) |
