Budget Desktop

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-=Punisher=-

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Dec 2, 2008
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Hey all, Im still around and looking to rejoin now that I don't work odd hours and weekends anymore lol.. I bought a laptop for school a few years ago and sold my desktop since it was doing me no good sitting. Im looking to build again but Im limited on budget and was wondering what everyone could come up with. I haven't built a PC in about 5 years so Im still trying to figure out what's "HOT" and what is the best now.

Core i5 M460 @ 2.53Ghz
4G DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5470
500g HD
17" screen

Thats what Im currently running and I really enjoy the way intel works, I have had AMD in the past and wasn't happy with it. Although I do envy their graphic cards. Id like to keep it around $400 max. Ive got a spare case and a 480W PSU sitting here along with a 1TB SATA hd. So those I wouldn't really need.
 
Im in a similar position as you are at this point and I myself have had to accept the fact that, these darn electronic boxes are expensive. But my personal opinion to you would be try to save up a little bit more. I dont really know what your income is but if you had say 600$ instead of 400$ that it would go a long way in terms of performance and quality. Of course though you should do what you think is best, I wish you luck though man!
 
Well I have some thoughts of my own, pretty good if I may say so, but Im unsure as to whether it is up to par.
MSI H61M-E33/W8 Intel H61 Motherboard - MicroATX, Intel H61 Chipset, 2x DIMM, DDR3, Socket 1155, PCIe, SATA, USB 2.0, LAN, VGA, HDMI, DirectX 11
Asus AMD Radeon HD 7750 HD7750-1GD5-V2 Video Card - 1GB, DDR5, PCI-Express 3.0, 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 1x Display Port, 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, CrossFireX Ready, Overclocked
Crucial Ballistix BLS2KIT2G3D1609DS1S0 Destop Memory Kit - 4GB (2x 2GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 240-pin DIMM, 1.5V, CL9, Non-ECC, Unbuffered
Intel Core BX80637I53470 i5-3470 Processor - Quad Core, 3.2GHz, 6M Cache, SSE4.1, Core i5, LGA 1155 (Refurbished)

And to add, I do have a DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drive sitting in this old tower.


....AND I was a student :P but my GF still is, so I can get her to use her student email and get me a Student Priced copy of Windows 7, so theres some savings there if they are still as cheap as I remember lol

BTW, this is $376 shipped to my door.
 
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-=Punisher=- said:
Well I have some thoughts of my own, pretty good if I may say so, but Im unsure as to whether it is up to par.
MSI H61M-E33/W8 Intel H61 Motherboard - MicroATX, Intel H61 Chipset, 2x DIMM, DDR3, Socket 1155, PCIe, SATA, USB 2.0, LAN, VGA, HDMI, DirectX 11
Asus AMD Radeon HD 7750 HD7750-1GD5-V2 Video Card - 1GB, DDR5, PCI-Express 3.0, 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 1x Display Port, 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, CrossFireX Ready, Overclocked
Crucial Ballistix BLS2KIT2G3D1609DS1S0 Destop Memory Kit - 4GB (2x 2GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 240-pin DIMM, 1.5V, CL9, Non-ECC, Unbuffered
Intel Core BX80637I53470 i5-3470 Processor - Quad Core, 3.2GHz, 6M Cache, SSE4.1, Core i5, LGA 1155 (Refurbished)

And to add, I do have a DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drive sitting in this old tower.


....AND I was a student :P but my GF still is, so I can get her to use her student email and get me a Student Priced copy of Windows 7, so theres some savings there if they are still as cheap as I remember lol

BTW, this is $376 shipped to my door.
Click to expand...

It will do good but spending that much on the processor you could get an i5 2500k for $20 more which will enable much better performance from overclocking, but then you might have to get a better motherboard and power supply to get a good overclock so the costs can quickly escalate. If you don't care about overclocking then that processor should be fine.

7770 for the same price as that 7750 and less after rebate, been eying it myself.
 
If you want value, you might want to see if there is a microcenter store near you. The Intel i5-3570K 3.4ghz quadcore is $189.99 @ Microcenter, in-store only, versus $250 @ newegg. You could also get the 2500k there for $160.

---------From my latest ad/email from microcenter. ------------
Check Out This Special Bundle DEAL
$50 OFF ANY Z77 Motherboard with the purchase of a 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 3570K or Intel Core i7 3770K Processor

They always have this deal running, and if you are near a microcenter, it is great.

So the build would look more like this.
3570k $190
ASRock Z77 Pro3 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard - $95- $50 for the combo deal = $45
A 550ti - $132
Any 8gb of ram they have a hot sale on. :D At most - $40-$50
Grand total of $417.
 
I would go with huckle's suggestion.
3570k $190 - Microcenter
ASRock Z77 Pro3 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard - $95- $50 for the combo deal = $45 - Microcenter
560ti - $140 - NCIX
That brings the total to $375. If you go to microcenter you can find 4gbs of ram for under $25. The reason I'm not specifying any kind is I would buy what they have on sale to get the most bang for your buck.
 
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I've been thinking I may up the price to $600 with my birthday coming in just a week or so. With that I've been looking at the 3570 i5, the 7770 GHz Edition and 4Gb of G.Skill 1600mhz ram. But well see what happens in the next week.
 
I would go with this.. maybe some different memory but I'd say that's gonna keep you going for a long time. Also.. Border lands 2 coupon O:<

You could drop the price like 40$ though if you kept your 4GB that you have now and another 15$ if you removed the artic silver compound and remover.
setup2.png
 
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That recommendation is amazing right there! That was the same cpu/mobo combo I had recommended I believe though the link seems to have changed now. 660 Ti is going to be very impressive and free borderlands 2 is awesome as well! You eventually will want an aftermarket cpu cooler as well such as the coolermaster hyper 212+.

If you really need to stay in budget, the next best gpu down would be a 7870 at around $250 AR. After that, the 7850 for $200 AR (I also see a 6950 on newegg for $200 or $170 AR which is pretty good. About on par with 7850 though it is a bigger card using more power).

One thing to note which I don't see mentioned is the make and model of the psu? Definitely need to make sure it is a quality 480W unit.
 
Yeah, my post kind of got lost in the mix. I am glad you posted it as well reinforcing that great deal. Definitely a solid setup for an impressive price. MIR makes it that much sweeter.

Looks like the deal is over for that mobo. However, there are some decent deals on a couple other evga motherboards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188081
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188097

Reviews aren't the greatest (though people are more likely to review if there is something wrong with a product). However, with evgas well regarded customer service, you might end up with a better motherboard as a replacement if something is wrong.

As for a combo deal, this option is the next best thing:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1047795

$15 rebate and a $10 gift card that could be used to purchase other components. Of course, deals are likely to come and go, but depending on when you buy, this gives you a good idea of what you can expect to get price wise.
 
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Isn't that just the same combo deal but they took off like $20 from it and then added the newegg gift card o.O

Damn newegg and their tricks lol
 
Well I keep looking at this and redoing it over and over lol... I will be making 1 purchase this Friday and Im thinking it will be the video card since its something that I could get now and use in this crappy desktop I have atm. I will be going with the GTX 660 unless someone has a more convincing GPU. But does anyone have experience with fitting these newer, bigger cards into an Antec 300? I have the case already but if its not fitting Ill be getting another.
 
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