Build a Kick-Ass $500 Gaming PC, Play Crysis at 40FPS!
Posted 04/22/09 at 11:30:00 AM by Florence Ion
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9. We Need Power!
There’s no other way to fire up your newly assembled computer without adding some power to your parts. This is the home stretch of the PC building process; just remember not to leave any components unplugged.
Make sure that the PSU is not plugged into a wall socket and that the switch on the power supply is set to “—“, meaning it’s off. Grab the 24-pin connection from the power supply and connect it to the motherboard’s power connector, located to the right of the memory slots. Pop it into place and gently tug to make sure it’s locked in securely.
Locate the four-pin ATX power connecter and hook it up to its appropriate socket; this will supply supplemental power to the processor.
We ran into a bit of an issue when connecting power to our GPU. The power supply we received only had one PCI-E power cable, so we hooked up an adapter to convert a 4-pin molex cord into the second six-pin PCI-E cable that the Radeon 4870 needs.
Lastly, plug in the thin SATA power cables into the hard drive and the optical drive. These are the flat power cables that resemble longer versions of the SATA data cable.
10. Operate Your System
Now that you’re finished building your PC, you’ll need to install an operating system. If you want to use Windows XP and you don’t have an old disc lying around, you can purchase an OEM version off of Newegg for $100.
Since we didn’t factor in the price for the OS, the choice is yours; XP, Vista, or even the readily available Windows 7 Beta. We chose to use an old XP key from a previous build to install and run our benchmarks, which we believe is what most budget-minded builders would do.
Check the following before you decide to install an operating system:
- All the parts are properly seated
- All the cables are in place
- Double check that the front panel connections are correct
- Plug in the monitor, keyboard, and mouse
- Plug in the power cord to the PSU
- Flip the PSU switch to the on position
When everything is read to go, press the power and voila! Hit the DEL key during startup to be taken to the BIOS screen.
Go to Advanced BIOS Features – Boot sequence and select the CD/DCD optical drive as your first boot device. Press ESC to go back and disable the Full Screen Logo Display to enable Quick Booting and increase your boot time. Once you’ve made the necessary changes, press F10 and select Yes. The PC will restart and during reboot, insert your Windows CD of choice into the optical drive and setup will begin. Follow the instructions to successfully install Windows.
After Windows has installed, head back to the BIOS set up and change the boot sequence to set it up so that the hard drive boots first and then the optical drive. Find the manufacturer’s CD that came with your MOBO and be sure to install all the appropriate drivers, as well as the drivers that came with your GPU.
Hooray! Now you’re all finished assembling this PC. That wasn’t so hard, now was it?
Benchmarks
Benchmarks
| Zero Point | $500 Budget PC | |
|---|---|---|
| Premiere Pro CS3 | 1,260 sec |
1,500 sec |
| Photoshop CS3 | 150 sec |
164 sec |
| ProShow | 1,415 sec | 1,728 sec |
| MainConcept | 1,872 sec | 2,920 sec |
| Crysis | 26 fps |
WNR* |
| Unreal Tournament 3 | 92 fps |
122 fps |
Our current desktop Zero Point test bed consists of a quad-core 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700, 2GB of Corsair DDR2/800 RAM on an EVGA 680 SLI motherboard. We run two EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX cards in SLI mode, Western Digital 150GB Raptor and 500GB Caviar hard drives, LG GGC-H20L, Sound Blaster X-Fi, and PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750 Quad. OS is Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.
*Crysis would not run in"Very High" quality settings in this system build, since we were using Windows XP, which does not support DirectX 10.
Crysis (DX 9 High Quality)
| Resolution | Framerate |
|---|---|
| 1280x1024 | 44.42 FPS |
| 1680x1050 |
42.57 FPS |
| 1900x1200 |
36.22 FPS |
Performance Analysis
We put our lean and mean $500 gaming rig up against our standard zero point machine to compare its performance against a rig that costs three times as much (when we first built it). The zero point system, equipped with a Core 2 Quad and a Velociraptor edged out our substantially slower turtle in nearly every race. Premier Pro tests showed a 4 and a half minute difference and with Photoshop we only had a 14 second difference. Photodex ProShow Producer showed only a 5 second difference while MainConcept Reference showed the true power of four cores, citing a 17-minute difference from our zero point. Still, the $500 PC did better than average in our tests -- definitely better than a comparably priced notebook -- and proves to be a really decent and affordable desktop computer.
We had some high expectations in the gaming department from our budget system, especially compared to the weak scores our last $500 PC delivered two years ago. Our pick of a 4870 graphics card came through when the lean machine delivered 122 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III, 30 frames per second more than the dual-8800 GTX-equipped zero point.
The big test, of course was Crysis, which is still the most GPU-intensive PC game. We ran our Crysis tests at three different resolutions: 1920x1200, 1680x1280, and 1280x1024; each one gave us a smooth picture and was void of any choppiness. At 1280x1024, the standard resolution for most 19" monitors, Crysis ran at over 44 frames per second -- an impressive number that's more than playable. Even at 1900x1200, Crysis didn't stutter and pushed out 36fps. Not bad at all!
However, we could only run the benchmarks at a DX9 High detail settings in Windows XP, as opposed to Very High with DirectX 10, which is only available on a Vista machine. This is why we’ve labeled it ”WNR” (Would Not Run) on our zero point comparison benchmark chart. But even with that caveat, we believe that most people who are building and gaming on a $500 PC will be using Windows XP, and on monitors that probably won't run higher than 1680x1050 resolution. And with those settings, this rig is nothing to scoff at. If you're a hardcore gamer who demands nothing less than DX10 gaming on "Very High" detail, you probably aren't building a sub $800 machine.
It is clear that there is a noticeable performance difference between our budget system and our zero point, but if you’re a budget-constrained gamer who wants to test the waters with an affordable system, and still be able to do everyday tasks—like edit photos, video, and run more than a few processes at a time—this $500 PC is a strong bet.
Have a different $500 PC config that you think would perform better than ours? Post your specs in the comments section below!
Now I find this
Submitted by Rider660r on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 3:11pm
Well just did my new system a few weeks ago,and now I come across
this.After my mobo went south (been on 24/7 for 6-7 yrs exect a reboot
once a week or updates) on the last system I had to get anotherup and
goin quick.Took a day looking at Tiger and Neweeg,and Decided what I
wanted I was getting from Tiger.Recieved the items 3 days later.He is the list I ordered
A barebones kit: Power Up Black Mid T ATX Case w/450w PSU $37.58
EVGA GeForce 9500 GT 1GB PCIe w/VGA & DVI
$54.35AMD Athlon II X2 215 2.7Ghz AM3 CPU OEM $53.15
ASUS M2N68-AM SE2 GeForce 7025 Socket AM2+ MB $56.82
Got them to take out the 1 or 2GB of RAM and swap it for:
OCZ Blade 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (2x2048MB) $63.99 - 20? for the swap
Ok that sit for the barebones I added:
Seagate 80GB Serial ATA HD 7200/8MB/SATA-3G $39.99 just for the OS,main Pgrams
Seagate 500GB Serial ATA HD
7200/16MB/SATA-3G $54.99 other Pgrams,games, pics/vid, paging
file,etcThermaltake iBox 5.25 Drive Bay Storage Box $9.99
Speeze Thermal Gel Resealable Tube 4x Applications $5.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm fan CPU Cooler $19.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32Bit Dvd OEM $109.99
I had to reuse my old case due to the CPU heatsink was way to large
for the BB kit box,and then it was still to big for the one I had.Just
had to dremel out 6 holes in my side window for the heatpipes to fit
through.Also reused my old PS (brand forgotten atm) at 550W.Read bad reports on the 450W after buying it in the kit.
Got Tiget to swap out the 1-2GB RAM in kit and take the price off the 4gb OCZ...think it was $18-$20
Had the old opticals to reuse and all the wiring.
Left the onboard sound enabled and didn't add my soundblaster 5.1 yet,might not IDK yet.
Think thats all and for only 503.93 +0.00s/h
Could have sent the case and PS back for a refund of 37.58 but will use it for a cheap surfer for someone.
I could have done without the 80GB drive and storage box in optic bay. saving another 64.98 for a total of $401.37
Win 7 gave me a prob at 1st with the BSOD but it was a driver for
ZoneAlarms FW,but it's better than any of M$ other systems.Got the
Home Premium cause I didn't need what the Pro and Ult only
offers.Didn't need the 64bit.But may get later down the road.Would like
to have the extra 1GB RAM but this is working great as it is.Ran WOW at maxed settings and had 60 FPS with 18" Gateway EV910
monitor 1024x768 cloned to 36" TV via S-video into RGA.Monitor is 10
maybe 11 yrs old now and still works great.
Submitted by dwinhofer on Sat, 09/12/2009 - 8:56am
Can I use a dell dimension e510 case with this build?
Submitted by kingweb356 on Fri, 08/28/2009 - 12:25pm
Hey all, this is my second time building a pc, first gaming computer, so I'm just wondering...Could I exchange the graphics card used in this guide with my geforce 9500 GT and not come across any compatibility issues? My other question is will I still need a sound card with this rig or is it included here somewhere and I just havent found it yet? My last question: anyone know of a good optical drive to replace the one in this guide, seeing as it's been discontinued? Thanks everybody
Submitted by ready4war on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 8:12am
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4948134&csid=_22
Submitted by ready4war on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 8:03am
SomeTIMES Tiger Direct has good deals on FULL barebone kits you GET EVERYTHING including an VIDEO CARD.
They have an identical optical drive but its an SH-S223B for $30 BUCKS!
$460
Submitted by cfmwarren on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 8:07pm
These parts can now be had for around 460 on newegg... and under the graphics card, the "customers also bought" box is filled with these exact parts.... great guide guys.
PII 940 Oc'd 3.85 GHZ
Radeon 4850
MA790X-Ud4P
2.5ghz processor??
Submitted by jrz895 on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 4:32pm
2.5ghz isnt really kick-ass, but i guess anything to fit the budget.......
________________________________
Amd AthlonX2 64 3.2ghz
SLI Nvidia 9800 GTX/ 9800 GTX+
4GB DDR2 Ram
500GB and 1TB HDs
Submitted by Obsulete on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 2:26pm
I just bought a computer from Staples. It may not have a ot of cores or a high end graphics card. It has an AMD 2.7 ghz proc. and a geforce 8200 gpu. It doesn't play new games at high resolution. But itr did come with Vista Home Premium and comes with 2 gigs of ram. I know people these days are looking for something more but I feel comfortable playing with this machine. I think it is not alor of money and a monitor for around $250 and you have a pretty good game machine if your willing to put up with lower resolutions.
Submitted by u5urp3d on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 7:18pm
the picture shows 8 sata connections, but you stated that there are 6. it would be nice if you either checked the specs, or made sure that the hardware referenced matches the pictures. i say this only because you guys generally rock. you don't need someone assuming that you have no idea what you are talking about and going elsewhere or getting bad advice.
Submitted by Invincer on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 6:04am
I tried the build on this recommendation pretty much and followed all the steps. It made it very easy for someone who was only building their 2nd computer ever. I upgraded the motherboard to a P45 Neo2, 4GBs of RAM and the GPU I purchased was a Radeon 4890. Also, a Segate 1.5 TB HD (and would like to put a 2nd one in there). But after setting everything all up, it powers on and everything seems to be working, even the GPU fan works, put no image comes up on the screen. I tried 2 seperate monitors, tried the video card on another system and it works, and even put the other systems Radeon HD 4850 in this one and it still doesn't give me any kind of image at all.
When I leave work today I could run by BestBuy and get a higher wattage power supply if anyone thinks this might be the reason no image is coming up. But if it's the PSU the 4850 should have worked shouldn't it as it takes much less juice. I don't know, just a guess. Normally I would never get something like this at BestBuy, but I want to work on it this weekend and if I need to return it they are right down the street.
Anyone have any other suggestions of what might be causing this?? Thanks
Submitted by visibly_stealthy on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 8:54pm
probably need to switch the primary graphics in the bios.
In the hands of a master, any object can become a field improvised, lethal weapon.
Submitted by alarson5 on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 3:20pm
Ok I have wanted to get a new pc for awhile as I still have a old HP computer that I upgraded the ram and video card awhile back to some AGP ATI 256 card and dont think my comp can take much more before I need a new psu and cpu ect. ect. Anyways I have never built my own computer though I know where everything goes and how it all works and such. This article makes me want to build my own pc but I dont neccesarily need to be under a 500 dollar budget. Yes thats awesome. But I could throw a extra 100-200 dollars down for a REALLY sweet machine. I dont really want to scrap my old machine either to save money, I would rather keep it as a pc for internet and work and then have my gaming machine.
And I dont need to worry about the OS since my mother works for microsoft and I can pickup a version of vista for like 30 dollars.
My questions are, if I order this in parts will I have any difficulty putting it together. And who can send me an email with a REALLY Bad-ass computer in between 500-700 dollars give or take? I would love your guys input feel free to email me at anytime.
Temp
Submitted by Lilrockerdude on Sun, 07/05/2009 - 2:13pm
How does it run on idle and load temputure wise? Also with the rebates, you can add a couple of fans to cooler it off cause the way the picture and hardware are I bet this rig runs hot!
Submitted by Chris-UK on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 11:43am
Charles Odom owes me $471.95 for graphics card never sent , he emptied his paypal and cannot afford to repay what he owes . Please guys DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY .
Submitted by CompWiz on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 11:09am
If you're willing to shop arond, and not just buy everything at newegg, you can get a much better system for under $500.
Here's a configuration I set up, using all currently offered deals:
CPU: AMD Athlon II(Phenom II based)X2 250 (3ghz)
$78 at newegg after coupon code: AMD691GPU: HIS Radeon 4890 1GB
$121.99 at ZipZoomFly.com after - $30 off $100 with eBillme for New Customers and $20 rebateMotherboard: any one of the AM3 motherboards on newegg for under $110(including shipping), pick whichever one you prefer, maybe the ECS Black 790GX for $99 after rebate + $7 shipping.
RAM: OCZ 3gb kit (1gb x 3) 1600mhz 8-8-8-20 240-pin ddr3 dimm w/heat spreader
19.99 at MWave.com w/ $40 rebateHard Drive: 1TB Hitachi 7200RPM
$67 at newegg with coupon code: EMCHDD10ACase: Cooler Master Case Centurion 5 Case
$40 at newegg with $10 rebate and coupon code: EMCLTMM67Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223Q/BEBN Black 22X DVD burner w/ lightscribe
$20 at zipzoomfly w/ $15 rebatePower Supply: OCZ StealthXStream 500watt PSU
$40 at newegg after $20 rebateTotal: $492, all prices include shipping.
You get a faster CPU, much bigger hard drive, faster graphics card, faster and more DDR3 RAM, better power supply,and a nicer case. What's not to like?
Plus, the Radeon 4890 is very overclockable, and the AMD Athlon II's can sometimes be unlocked into being Phenom II X4's, so you may even get a quadcore out of this. If some of the disabled cores are a bit less overclockable, you can independently overclock each core using AMD's software.
that sounds like a pretty
Submitted by DarkDeity on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 10:34am
that sounds like a pretty decent system! what would you say is your best resource for finding these codes, rebates, and coupons?
nice work again!
Submitted by robwert2020 on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 9:13am
So, I had my entire rig all setup and ready to go using this build, my virtual shopping cart was full and I was ready to complete the order at newegg - and I hesitated. As a result, the Powercolor graphics card recommended with this build is now out of stock.
Can anyone recommend a comparable graphics card for this build in both power and price? I would be more than willing to go got +/- $30 or so.
Thanks in advance!
Here you go. Video Card: HIS
Submitted by SniperXX on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 9:35pm
Here you go.
Video Card: HIS Hightech H487F512P Radeon HD 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161236
Or if you wanted to spend about $200 on the video card, check out the ATi 4890s.
Does it really work
Submitted by jjengel123 on Sat, 06/13/2009 - 8:16am
Okay im new to building computers (actually me and my dad didnt even build it yet) but i got unreal III and i was wondering it said that it was garenteeded to play unreal III but does it play it on high graphics or does it just barely have the specs to work??
Plz i need an answer before i build so i can get a better video card or watever i need to make it work
Oh and does this build play WoW very high graphics or does it just do enought to get by??
Submitted by Superbiz2 on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 5:05pm
Yes it will run whatever it is you want to throw at it. WoW, Unreal Tournament 3 etc. It says it plays Crysis at 40FPS (probably on high) which is good, because crysis is a hardware killer. Anyway, I own an HD4870 and it runs Unreal tournament 3 very well. So yes, it will run pretty much all your games.
Submitted by ka0tix on Mon, 06/01/2009 - 2:48pm
Rosewill and Powercolor? It's only less than 500 dollars because it's full of cheap components. Also, AMD has a better bang for the buck, and at that level, you could get a better processor for the same price.
Submitted by bgdaddy55 on Mon, 06/01/2009 - 1:22am
OK.
I have read the articles, and the comments. First of all, thank you all for being so smart.I'm not a huge gamer, so I couldn't see myself going crazy with an almost $200 video card.
It is more important to me that this computer last me a while, so I wanted to buy the almost top end of everything else. Well, maybe not top end, but at least above average. Here is what I came up with:
RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case
- Retail
$10.00 Instant
30.00 Mail-in Rebate
89.99
79.99
AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX -
-$30.00 Instant
119.99
89.99
ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail
10.00 Mail-in Rebate
78.99
HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... -
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
79.99
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664AA800 -
$49.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM-
10.00 Instant
69.99
59.99
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
24.99 Subtotal: $463.93
Tax: $38.27
Calculate Shipping
Zip Code:
GOShipping: $35.48
Grand Total: $537.68
-$50.00 for Mail-In Rebates
New Total is $487.68. I found a clean copy of Microsoft XP on eBay for $85.00, but I would really like to know how to copy my Microsoft XP onto my new computer from my current one. Even if you add in XP, it's about $570.00. I'm not a huge gamer, but I like to have my Youtube videos flow. What do you think? Would this work?
In addition, I would appreciate any advice (links) on copying my XP over from current computer to new one. Thanks!
WHAT !!!!!!!!!
Submitted by mojosico on Mon, 05/25/2009 - 8:13am
MOJOSICO scratches his head on this one???? i know this is maximum pc , but serouily how many people actually just chuck out their old pc's when building a new one without using some of the old parts in the new pc??? now mojo can relate if you buldeing for a relative , or a friend . guess i dont have anything to complain about after all??
lol!!
Submitted by linux_dork on Wed, 05/13/2009 - 8:58am
This is not how we make budget gaming computers in today's world. A few years ago, maybe, but not today. Here is what we do today:
BUDGET: $500
$250: Biggest widescreen LCD you can find (HP 23 inch from Office Max for $240+tax)
$150: Some used computer from Craigslist with decent specs. Talked the guy down from $300, because he needs to make rent. Make sure it has Vista, probably comes with speakers, keyboard, monitor, etc.
$50: Buy some more RAM
BONUS! If the computer you got from Craigslist came with anything like a monitor, printer, scanner, etc... sell it on Craigslist and buy more RAM (and maybe the cheap video card mentioned in this article!
MAIN POINT: A big awesome screen is way more important than pure specs.
Did it right
Submitted by ozarkpcs on Tue, 05/26/2009 - 3:25pm
I don't agree with knocking MaxPC on this one, seriously, this is just a quick way to build a pc for cheap, they don't need to include a monitor, lets just picture this, you are a do it yourself, and you don't own a monitor, your an idiot at that point. Everyone and their grandma has a monitor. So let's just admit that yeah it would be awesome to have a pretty kick ass pc with a monitor for 500 bucks, but thats not going to happen. The point is just showing off some parts for dirt cheap and a good starting point. Nothing more.
Submitted by null0byte on Thu, 05/21/2009 - 5:59am
No, no, just NO.
1. Computers on Craigslist rarely (if ever) show pictures of the inside of the computer, so, unless they post the make/model of the motherboard used in the computer, you'll have little idea what the computer will support. Unless you want to assume (what's that someone said about "assume" oh yeah....), you'll need to contact the seller to get more details.
2. If it is an OEM computer like a Dell, Gateway, etc. the warranty and support do not follow it, so you'll be on your own for support if anything breaks. (this IS a second-hand computer we're talking about here, you have no idea what the original owner really did with it, regardless of what they tell you)
And to those people saying "But you don't need Windows, Linux is FREEEE!!!" (knee jerk) :
We are talking about a GAMING PC. Sadly, with the currently reality that is Linux, you're going to find yourself facing a lot of little gotchas when it comes to gaming. Telling people that if you want to do gaming "just get an emulator" is incredibly arrogant and condescending. You DO realiz that Crossover Games costs money too right? Your only other options here are to either: Bang your head constantly against a wall getting WINE up and running and configured properly, or, use an unused license of Windows you have laying around (if you have one), or, just pony up the dough for a cheap copy of XP.
Gaming on Linux as it currently stands involves a LOT more effort and headache just to play a subset of the games available for the PC. (not to mention the fact that graphics card drivers on Linux are even worse than the drivers on Windows)
Actually, the warranties do
Submitted by big_montana on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 9:26am
Actually, the warranties do transfer with Dell systems. The original owner needs to contact DEll and they will transfer teh warranty to the new owner (not that I Would ever purchase or recommned a Dell).
Submitted by DoubleHogarth on Tue, 05/12/2009 - 12:07pm
Anyway we can add more than just the 2GB or ram? Maybe 3GB or 4Gb?
Submitted by sedwards on Wed, 05/06/2009 - 7:09am
ok seriously guys stop dinging maxpc for not including an os, monitor, keyboard, etc. first off this probably isnt your first computer if your checking out the maxpc site so you probably already have a monitor keyboard etc that already works so this is a great guide if your problem is performance and all you really want is to upgrade your box. i realize that this makes it a bit of an issue for games (get an emulator) but if you need to factor in an os cost then just get linux. oh look now you can include an os and still be under budget.
secondly, to buy a legit windows license, monitor, keyboard, etc could cost up to like $500 easy. so wheres the rest of the budget for the guts of your computer? obviously you can't buy both for $500 and if you did buy everything for under $500 bucks I would be more worried about trying to type in ms word without it looking like a slideshow let alone playing crysis at 40fps. so at least be realistic about what they could actually build. who wants to read an article about building a pc that may include "all" the parts but the challenge is to actually boot vista or something instead of actually running a game well.
Thanks to MaxPC for the article.
Wait a minute......
Submitted by Mangoman232 on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 8:16pm
Ummmm... Surely, you've got the box and all the cool innards to call it a PC, but ummm.. let's say you get it all together, click the l/0 rocker switch to l, hit the power button on the front of the case, and .........what are you going to watch all these cool games on???? As far as assuming there's an operating system at hand, remember that when you break down the word "assume" you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me". That's an assumption that may or may not be applicable.
Also, to not factor in the price of a monitor doesn't make sense in the scheme of having a 'puter. Hell, yeah, it's downright wonderful that you can buy a real nice 21.5" Asus monitor right this minute at Newegg for less than two C notes, but there ya go... ya gotta have it to play Crysis at 40 FPS. Are we to also "assume" that a mouse and keyboard are just laying around too? I play Crysis with a very nice Deathadder mouse and the MS Natural Keyboard 4000, neither of which were free. I'm just curious as to why these items are not factored into the final cost of building this PC. None of them are options we can do without, and they're obviously parts that should be included. Yes, we can build the box and stuffing, but we won't be able to do a damb thing with it without the mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
Submitted by Cerberus049 on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 9:45am
This seems like a very find budget build computer. Although assuming we have a copy of Windows on hand seems kind of lame - not quite cardboard PC case lame, but still. That's an extra chunk of money we have to shell out. Unless we go with a Linux distribution.
That being said, I was curious how your budget build here stacks up to $500 gaming machines available on NewEgg? These rigs already have Windows 64 bit as well as more RAM and larger Hard Drives. Plus you get a manufacturer's warranty on the system. Is making a computer at a $500 budget even practical anymore??
Thanks.
Submitted by big_montana on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 9:57am
Like the author said, you should have a copy of Windows lying around, I do as I upgraded to Vista so I still have my original copy of XP Pro going unused. Plus as far as warranty goes, every part has a manufacturers warranty on the component parts if it should fail (anywhere from 1 to 5 years depending on the vendor) so that is not a concern. If you are still worried, than surf on over to squaretrade.com and purchase a warranty for the system as the remaining $40 price will more than cover a 3 year accidental damage warranty for the system. In teh meantime quit moaning and take the article in the vain it was written.
Great Idea
Submitted by matthew.ickstadt on Mon, 05/18/2009 - 12:56pm
I think this is a great idea. It helps to ccompare/see if it is worth it to build your own at $500. I looked at newegg and now I think it's really worth it. For about $675 you can get a comp with a bigger harddrive and more ram but it has a athlon X2 7750and a 9600gt. On the other side there are $550 w/Q8300 & 7050gt. My cheapo laptop has a 7000m gt and can run world of goo at 20 fps all low settings and 720x480 (yeah, I know, good thing I have a desktop).
The MaxPC build has more money spent on the GPU and thus gets better results for gaming, but the RAM is limited and extras are too.
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I may not know as much as I think I don't.
Submitted by Brad1776 on Sat, 05/02/2009 - 9:49pm
I can't give you a specific number of frame rates for WoW. But, if this thing will play Crysis at 40fps, you will have absolutely no problem play WoW with this system.
Submitted by Ohteedash on Sat, 05/02/2009 - 5:22pm
Hi, could anybody tell me when FPS this would run at on max setting on World of Warcraft?
Any help would be fantastic
Submitted by Lightning_Storm2 on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 3:26pm
Can you guys tell me if this is all compatible? Also, should i go with the PSU from MaxPC's rosewell, because i am not sure if it will power everything. If not, how much wattage should i get if i need a new PSU? This is the specs i have--
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Open Box: POWERCOLOR AX4870 1GBD5-PPH Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
MSI P43 Neo3-F LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
Crucial 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory - Retail
Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM
Im using the same parts as MaxPC except the CPU, Videocard, 1 more gig of RAM, and a bigger harddrive.
I know this isnt a $500 rig, but im new to building pc's and could use some help!
Any comments are appreciated!
Submitted by cfmwarren on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 4:12pm
Use the help me buy/help me build section.
AMD Athlon X2 5400+ OC'd 3 GHz,2 9600 GTs OC'd 700,4GB DDR2-800 OC'd 870,X-Fi Professional Fatal1ty Ed
Submitted by tdk650 on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 4:37pm
CPU - AMD Phenom 8750 Toliman 2.4GHz - $87.00
Board - GIGABYTE GA-M61PME-S2P - $49.99
Memory - Kingston HyperX 2GB DDR2 1066 - $25.99
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200 - $44.99
Video Card - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 - $139.99
Optical Drive - HP 20X DVD+R SATA CD/DVD Burner - $21.99
Case - HEC Mini Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply - $54.99
Subtotal - $424.94
Tax - $35.06 (California Central Valley) - (City of Manteca)
Grand total with shipping to where I live is $470.52
I have built a rig with this Tri-core, and to say they least when paried with a very similiar video card, the preformance was darn good. Leave some comments to tell me how this rig shapes up.
Submitted by Comp_Nub on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 10:08pm
Since that video card is unavailable at Newegg.com; these are some items I replaced/added...I just wanted to check if it's a go....=]....
GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200 - Retail
Total: $616.92
+$10.55 Shipping...
= $627.47
*I didn't add rebates*
Noteworthy comparison
Submitted by 457R4L on Tue, 04/28/2009 - 8:43pm
here is Arstechnicas comparison. http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/04/ars-technica-system-guide-april-2009-edition.ars . I actually think the MaxPC build is more respectable but now you have a display to consider.
Submitted by Wolfy78 on Tue, 04/28/2009 - 8:31am
This Rig isn't quite $500 but I believe true gamers on a budget will spend the extra $20.
CPU - AMD Phenom 9850 2.5GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - OEM $140
Mobo - Foxconn A7VMX-K AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $55
GPU - SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 $150
Memory - OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $39
HDD - Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive $50
DVD - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM $23
Case - Rosewill R6426-P BK ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $26
Power Supply - Broadway Com Corp OKIA-BLACK-600 600W ATX 12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $30
Total - $513 + shipping
Submitted by hentaiboi on Mon, 04/27/2009 - 7:03pm
this baby men is rock solid. i've read the original amd build but this one pars better i think.
but again my modifications:
GTX 280 OC BFG
ram 2x2GB ddr 2 800
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Submitted by Comp_Nub on Mon, 04/27/2009 - 2:11pm
Hey, I'm new to building computers, but I was wondering: Could I buy another pack of the Crucial RAM to have a total of 4 gigs with this set up (The MaxPC setup). Thanks.
Submitted by Lavos666 on Mon, 04/27/2009 - 12:02am
Intel Core2Duo E5200
$87.99
Asus P5KPL-CM
$76.52
Corsair XMS2 6400C5 2x2GB
$39.99 after $30 MIR
CoolerMaster Elite 330
$52.25
Corsair 400CX
$49.99 after $12 MIR
Western Digital 320G
$62.16
Samsung SH-S223F DVDRW
$30.23
Evga GTX260 core216 55nm
$219.99 after $20 MIR
Total
$619.12 CAD
$509.31 USD after conversation. You could easily save 10$ by going with a cheaper case. This system would be much better option if crysis was your only concern.
No OS?
Submitted by winmaster on Sat, 04/25/2009 - 12:31pm
Everybody is posting comments on this story about better rigs that they can build for $500, but nobody, not even Maximum PC, is including an OS in that figure. $100 dollars for an OS makes a big difference when you don't have $17,000 to spend on a machine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Submitted by Capttylor34 on Sat, 04/25/2009 - 7:12pm
The reason noone includes a OS, is because this is based on the assumption that you dont want to upgrade to Vista or Win7. Everyone has different needs when it comes to a new system, old harddrives, old dvd drives, old cases. Most people have a system that has XP on it, so most people can just use that copy on a newer system. If you don't have an OS, just add $85 dollars to the totals. If you really have an urge to hit that $500 dollar price point, then your talking about knocking about dropping down a tier in the processor, video card, motherboard, and power supply. But again, it's all about individual needs.
That, and Linux is
Submitted by AntiHero on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 11:28am
That, and Linux is inexpensive. (Free!)
I don't like Microsoft, I associate with it.
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