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~$300 mAtx build for little brother

2K views 31 replies 11 participants last post by  ImmortalKenny 
#1 ·
This is what I have so far:

Mobo: Foxconn A7VMX-K 780v mAtx
Updated - CPU: AMD X2 7750BE
Updated - PSU: Corsair 400cx
Updated - GPU: Sapphire HD4830
HDD: WD1600AAJS
Case: Rosewill mAtx case
Case fans: 2x 120mm Xigmatek fans
Optical: LG SATA DVD Burner

Total: $387.42

As the title says, I'm building a rig for my little brother, just the tower (no OS). I also want to keep the build somewhat upgradeable too, just in case he gets a job down the road and wants a little more power. The only games he plays are free MMORPG's like La Tale, Maplestory, Runescape HD, etc. Would the HD3300 be enough for basic games at 1280x1024? Or should I stretch the budget a little and get him a video card? Like a 9500gt or something. Maybe a different mobo with different on-board video? Any other suggestions are welcome too.

^ Doesn't really apply anymore ^

Thanks guys!
 
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#4 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by justarealguy
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I know he's a kid and the budget is tight but I'd still try to at least get a 7600GT in there for him.

I'd like to get everything new, and from Newegg. Any other suggestions for a video card (around $50)? The only 7600gt from Newegg is an AGP. I have no problem getting him a video card, I just want to know if one would be necessary for the basic gaming he does. I'm not too familiar with on-board GPU's.
 
#5 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny
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I'd like to get everything new, and from Newegg. Any other suggestions for a video card (around $50)? The only 7600gt from Newegg is an AGP.

You could find a 7600GT for ~20$ used, why must it all be new?

Find an XFX one and double lifetime warranty.
 
#7 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny
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Basically, my dad is paying for the parts and I'm building it. He doesn't like buying used things off ebay for some reason, he want's everything new.

Ahh ok then, I mean really a cheap 7600 would've fit the bill perfectly, pleanty used around and they perform decent (they were beast back in the day) for their price.

I can't find anything on the egg less than 30$, I'm guessing that's what you'd want
 
#8 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by justarealguy
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Ahh ok then, I mean really a cheap 7600 would've fit the bill perfectly, pleanty used around and they perform decent (they were beast back in the day) for their price.

I can't find anything on the egg less than 30$, I'm guessing that's what you'd want


I could do ~$50 for a video card. ATI, Nvidia, doesn't matter.
 
#11 ·
#13 ·
This one is fun.. 780V chipset has the HD3100, 780G has the HD3200, and the 790G has the HD3300.

I've run runescape with no problems off of my Acer notebook with the Intel 950G graphics - and that is about as slow of a GPU on a PC you can go - so any IGP for a desktop will work if that is your goal.

That said, if you keep with the IGP, you will want to probably OC the memory a little, and I have my DDR2 1066 paired with an AMD 4850e (2.5GHz OC to 3GHz) up to DDR2 1020 and I have to say it is a bit different than when it's at 800. If you go with discrete vid, then the DDR2 800 is good.

You should not need any more case fans than the one that comes with that case (I have no issues with my case fan running almost 1/2 the speed).
 
#14 ·
Ahh! Too many GPU choices, lol.

He has mentioned in the past that he does want to get into TF2 someday, so obviously a GPU would be a must for that.

That 8600gts does look tempting, with 256mb of VRAM, it should do fine with Source games at 1280x1024, right?
But it looks like the 8600gts needs a 22a +12v rail, which the Earthwatts doesn't have, so I would need a new PSU.
 
#15 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny
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That 8600gts does look tempting, with 256mb of VRAM, it should do fine with Source games at 1280x1024, right?

At 1280x1024 it should run ok, barely any AA and it might be a little full on the framebuffer - Ideally the 512 should be obtained, but personally by then I'd tell him to pay for his own. The 8600GTS kinda sucks, but its a hellova lot better than intergrated.
 
#16 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny
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Ok, it's a toss-up between a HD4550 and a 9500gt, both around $50.

Read a review where the 4550 was a bit faster than the 9400GT. I'm not too sure where the performance lays with the 9500GT, but either or would do light gaming just fine. Make sure he has a relatively small screen, non of these cards would be able to handle 1280x1024 and above on low settings.

Isn't the HD2600XT > 8600GT?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814131057R
 
#20 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny View Post
What does everyone think of the Rosewill RP550 and RP500 PSU's?

EDIT: Swapped out the PSU and removed the RAM. I forgot I had a 2gb kit in my closet


EDIT #2: Swapped out the CPU for a 7750BE.
Thats one heck of a good machine for only 300

Any word on what graphics card your getting now?
 
#22 ·
I'm also quite surprised at what you can build for $300 nowadays.

My dad was originally going to buy my brother a $400 computer from Walmart. I had to step in and say, "NO!" I told him I could build a heck of a lot better computer for only $300-ish. I was planning on talking with him about buying a $100 video card to make the build an even $400, so if he says yes, I'll be getting a HD4830 for the rig.
 
#23 ·
I just tried my juiced HD3200 in Runescape and it looked like it ran 1024x768 with all settings maxed with AA set to 2x -- probably ran about 15-20fps (subjective test - I don't know if there is anything that can show fps in Runescape), without AA it can run about 20-25fps. I know it runs Crysis @ 1024x768 low settings smooth as silk (so minimum is at least 30fps and no hic-ups anywhere in XP).

Probably best getting a cheap mobo that can handle the AM2+ and the 4830. If you're going to run Vista or Win 7, I would really recommend getting 4GB RAM. 2GB runs XP great, but I get a bit of load times in Win 7 - serious HDD thrashing while playing Crysis - have to wait 30 seconds at times for everything to settle down again. Not a problem in XP.
 
#24 ·
Ya, if your not overclocking, a simple mobo would run just fine. Even an ECS would do just fine. Might save you a few bucks. A 4830 would do great too! A slight overclock on that puts it in the performance area of the 4850.

Just another card to consider if you can't pull in a 4830. Everything from 8600GTS and lower are crap compared to these cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814140095
 
#25 ·
I'll probably be ordering everything this week, maybe next.

So to finalize everything, the budget will be pushed to $400 which would include everything in the first post along with a Sapphire HD4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102822

The 400w PSU does 30A at the 12v rail, that should be enough for the system at load, right? According to NeoSeeker, the HD4830 consumes 188w at 100% load.
 
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