Overclock.net banner
Cancel

Christmas Build for a Friend

990 Views 31 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  BenRK, 
B
A friend of mine is looking into getting a new computer for Christmas. He wants to go as cheap as possible, but enough power to game. At the moment, he just wants to play WoW on Ultra settings with a decent FPS, and possibly other modern games. He'll probably upgrade the video card in the future, so the computer being upgradeable is important. He's willing to build it if it comes to that, but would rather get it all together.

So important factors right now:
Upgradeable
Cheap
Hardware decent enough to play WoW on Ultra comfortably and possibly other modern games
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
X
what kind of budget we talking about?
does he need a monitor with that?
Reply
Save
Like
B
He doesn't need a monitor, but a mouse and keyboard he will need (but those are cheap). There is no set budget, but under $400 would be preferred.
Reply
Save
Like
tenzo19
hmmm.... as a gamer, i'd say that mouse and keyboard AREN'T cheap. G9x + G15 + mousepad = ~$150-$200. also, need an OS with that or ...?

you might want to look into prebuilts. usually in this price range, prebuilts are a better choice.
Reply
Save
Like
X
Under 400$
ouch thats a hard one
Reply
Save
Like
fencefeet
For ~400 hundred bucks it will be hard to build something that can keep up with most modern games unless you skimped on the cpu a little
Reply
Save
Like
B
He's not going to be buying an overpriced keyboard just to play WoW. Same with a mouse. Most wired keyboards and mice are fine for general gaming (cept ball mice).
Reply
Save
Like
F
tell him to save up $200-$250 till christmas.
Reply
Save
Like
mac overclocker
I would buy amd i had about 300 and i built a prity decent machine
Reply
Save
Like
B
FYI, I managed to build my computer for $500, so I don't think $400 should be that much of a stretch.
Reply
Save
Like
E
You can build a decent gaming rig for $400. There's no need to get the latest and greated i7/i5/Phenom II setup with a $300 video card to play WoW and other recent games. In fact, on my sig rig, I can play most recent games maxed out.

I'd suggest:

AMD Athlon II x2 CPU ~$55-65
Gigabyte 740g or 760g mobo ~$55-65 OR Gigabyte UD3P mobo for $70 after MIR
4gb memory ~$75
Seagate 7200.12 500gb - ~$55
ATI 5750 or ATI 4870 or Nvidia 9800GTX+ or Nvidia GTX260 ~ $150-200
DVD burner ~$20
Mouse/Keyboard combo ~$50
Case ~whatever is left over in the budget

Edit: Forgot to mention that for upgradability, get either AM3 if going AMD or i5/i7 for Intel. While Socket 775 still provides an excellent value, it's days are numbered for new equipment coming out.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
X
Quote:

Originally Posted by BenRK View Post
FYI, I managed to build my computer for $500, so I don't think $400 should be that much of a stretch.
when did you build that?
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
B
I built my computer back in June.
Reply
Save
Like
B
Quote:

Originally Posted by e_dogg View Post
You can build a decent gaming rig for $400. There's no need to get the latest and greated i7/i5/Phenom II setup with a $300 video card to play WoW and other recent games. In fact, on my sig rig, I can play most recent games maxed out.

I'd suggest:

AMD Athlon II x2 CPU ~$55-65
Gigabyte 740g or 760g mobo ~$55-65 OR Gigabyte UD3P mobo for $70 after MIR
4gb memory ~$75
Seagate 7200.12 500gb - ~$55
ATI 5750 or ATI 4870 or Nvidia 9800GTX+ or Nvidia GTX260 ~ $150-200
DVD burner ~$20
Mouse/Keyboard combo ~$50
Case ~whatever is left over in the budget

Edit: Forgot to mention that for upgradability, get either AM3 if going AMD or i5/i7 for Intel. While Socket 775 still provides an excellent value, it's days are numbered for new equipment coming out.
I probably don't even need to get that video card. A mid end 4xxx should be fine I'd think.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
mac overclocker
hers a recomend http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.289571 for cpu and main board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150337 for the vid card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820178153 for the ram

$340
Reply
Save
Like
tenzo19
that build still doesn't consider the OS. and also, i'd like to point out that these keyboards are expensive because they have functions like macros, which for gamers, are pretty damn useful.
Reply
Save
Like
tenzo19
Quote:

Originally Posted by mac overclocker View Post
hers a recomend http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.289571 for cpu and main board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150337 for the vid card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820178153 for the ram

$340
so for $60, you'll find an OS, a case, a mouse, a kb, a PSU...?
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
Conley
Quote:

Originally Posted by tenzo19 View Post
that build still doesn't consider the OS. and also, i'd like to point out that these keyboards are expensive because they have functions like macros, which for gamers, are pretty damn useful.
I play all my games with a normal keyboard. I do think a good mouse is important if you're playing FPS, though. I'll get a build up in a minute...

Also people, remember to edit your posts instead of double posting.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
mac overclocker
it was a quick recommendation
Reply
Save
Like
B
Quote:

Originally Posted by tenzo19 View Post
that build still doesn't consider the OS. and also, i'd like to point out that these keyboards are expensive because they have functions like macros, which for gamers, are pretty damn useful.
And macros are worth the extra $150? Or is that just for the little screen on them?
See less See more
2
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Overclock.net
A forum community dedicated to overclocking enthusiasts and testing the limits of computing. Come join the discussion about computing, builds, collections, displays, models, styles, scales, specifications, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Hardware News Intel CPUs PC Gaming NVIDIA Water Cooling
Top