Possible to build gaming PC for $500-$600?

CDdude55 · Oct 22, 2008

I only game alot and go on the internet.

My monitor is a 19'' Widescreen(1440x900), so the vid card doesnt have to be top of the line.

I also need a CD drive, case(needs to fit long vid cards) and a OS.

This system needs to last me a pretty long time.

I live in U.S. so use U.S. currency.

:toast:

Katanai · Oct 22, 2008

CDdude55 said:
Possible to build gaming PC for $500-$600?

Yeah.

CDdude55 · Oct 22, 2008

Katanai said:
Yeah.

I am going to see if i can put one together on Newegg.

Katanai · Oct 22, 2008

Here it is:

RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45

SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Wolfdale

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

HITACHI Deskstar T7K500 HDT725032VLA360 (0A33435) 320GB

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner

Subtotal: $627.93

All from www.newegg.com

That system will run any games on max settings at that resolution.

niko084 · Oct 22, 2008

newtekie1 · Oct 22, 2008

The need for an OS it what kills you, the other builds haven't included one, but you said you need one, so I put together a build with and OS.

The closest I could comfortably get it and still stay in you requirements of a decent gaming computer was $669 after shipping.

CPU: E5200
Motherboards: ASUS P5Q Pro
RAM: 4GB G.Skill DDR2-800
Video Card: HIS HD4670 IceQ Turbo
PSU: FSP 500w
HDD: 250GB Seagate 7200.10
ODD: LG DVD Burner
Case: Black Rosewill Case
OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit

niko084 · Oct 22, 2008

Didn't see the OS part...

Katanai · Oct 22, 2008

niko084 said:
Didn't see the OS part...

Yeah me neither. I mean at this budget I wasn't expecting it. Oh well, my system was waay faster than yours anyway. :laugh:

I think that if he has Windows XP he should stick with it and invest in hardware. Practically if you take 200$ of off that budget you are left with nothing...

niko084 · Oct 22, 2008

Katanai said:
Yeah me neither. I mean at this budget I wasn't expecting it. Oh well, my system was waay faster than yours anyway. I think that if he has Windows XP he should stick with it and invest in hardware. Practically if you take 200$ of off that budget you are left with nothing...

Ya, but I can't STAND a cheap case, cheap power supply and no cooler for over clocking

fishnchips · Oct 22, 2008

What i have learned is that to get a good fast system that will last the distance, is to spend what ever it will cost. buy cheap you get crap no 2 ways around it

unless you buy second hand but then you could be buying intermitted problem hardware etc..

newtekie1 · Oct 22, 2008

Katanai said:
Yeah me neither. I mean at this budget I wasn't expecting it. Oh well, my system was waay faster than yours anyway. I think that if he has Windows XP he should stick with it and invest in hardware. Practically if you take 200$ of off that budget you are left with nothing...

Vista Home Premium is only $99, so you are left with a $400-$500 build. Which is cutting it really close when trying to build with quality in mind.

niko084 said:
Ya, but I can't STAND a cheap case, cheap power supply and no cooler for over clocking

The stock cooler that comes with Intel's should be good for up to 3.0GHz, though I wouldn't go beyond that, and I definitely wouldn't really up the voltages any. A core 2 Duo at 3.0GHz should be enough for his needs though.

fishnchips said:
What i have learned is that to get a good fast system that will last the distance, is to spend what ever it will cost. buy cheap you get crap no 2 ways around it unless you buy second hand but then you could be buying intermitted problem hardware etc..

I think, as long as you leave room for future upgrades, a cheap gaming machine is enitrely possible. IMO, picking a good motherboard is really the key though.

zithe · Oct 22, 2008

PC I set up for my brother: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9133692

Drop the monitor and you're set.

Woody112 · Oct 22, 2008

CDdude55 said:
I only game alot and go on the internet.

My monitor is a 19'' Widescreen(1440x900), so the vid card doesnt have to be top of the line.

I also need a CD drive, case(needs to fit long vid cards) and a OS.

This system needs to last me a pretty long time.

I live in U.S. so use U.S. currency.

If its possible, and your not in too big of a hurry, wait for core i7 to come out and pick up hardware off of ebay when everyone starts upgrading. You will be able to pick up quad cores and boards for under 100 dollars and will benefit you in the long run if your wanting to keep this rig for a few years.
Hell I have a Q6600 I'll sell ya cheap.

System Name	CDdude's Rig!
Processor	AMD Athlon II X4 620
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Cooling	Corsair H70
Memory	8GB Corsair Vengence @1600mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX HD 6970 2GB
Storage	OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD/WD Velociraptor 300GB
Display(s)	ASUS VH232H 23" 1920x1080
Case	Cooler Master CM690 (w/ side window)
Audio Device(s)	Onboard (It sounds fine)
Power Supply	Corsair 850TX
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SP1

System Name	CDdude's Rig!
Processor	AMD Athlon II X4 620
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Cooling	Corsair H70
Memory	8GB Corsair Vengence @1600mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX HD 6970 2GB
Storage	OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD/WD Velociraptor 300GB
Display(s)	ASUS VH232H 23" 1920x1080
Case	Cooler Master CM690 (w/ side window)
Audio Device(s)	Onboard (It sounds fine)
Power Supply	Corsair 850TX
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SP1

System Name	Back to Blue
Processor	i9 14900k
Motherboard	Asrock Z790 Nova
Cooling	Corsair H150i Elite
Memory	64GB Corsair Dominator DDR5-6400 @ 6600
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 3090 Ultra FTW3
Storage	4TB WD 850x NVME, 4TB WD Black, 10TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
Display(s)	1x Samsung Odyssey G7 Neo and 1x Dell u2518d
Case	Lian Li o11 DXL w/custom vented front panel
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 -> DBX DriveRack PA+ -> Mackie MR8 and MR10 / Senn PX38X -> SB AE-5 Plus
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000i
Mouse	Logitech G502x
Keyboard	Corsair K95 Platinum
Software	Windows 11 x64 Pro
Benchmark Scores	31k multicore Cinebench - CPU limited 125w

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	Back to Blue
Processor	i9 14900k
Motherboard	Asrock Z790 Nova
Cooling	Corsair H150i Elite
Memory	64GB Corsair Dominator DDR5-6400 @ 6600
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 3090 Ultra FTW3
Storage	4TB WD 850x NVME, 4TB WD Black, 10TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
Display(s)	1x Samsung Odyssey G7 Neo and 1x Dell u2518d
Case	Lian Li o11 DXL w/custom vented front panel
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 -> DBX DriveRack PA+ -> Mackie MR8 and MR10 / Senn PX38X -> SB AE-5 Plus
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000i
Mouse	Logitech G502x
Keyboard	Corsair K95 Platinum
Software	Windows 11 x64 Pro
Benchmark Scores	31k multicore Cinebench - CPU limited 125w

Possible to build gaming PC for $500-$600?

CDdude55

Crazy 4 TPU!!!

Katanai

CDdude55

Crazy 4 TPU!!!

Katanai

niko084

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

niko084

Katanai

niko084

fishnchips

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

zithe

Woody112

New Member

System Name	Home built or is that bank built :P
Processor	I7 4960X
Motherboard	rampage IV Black edition
Cooling	stock standard with one xtra 120mm server case fan cooler master GTS V8
Memory	32gig ddr3 1866
Video Card(s)	GTX 780TI
Storage	1Tb sata
Display(s)	acer 42" lcd tv running thru hdmi monster cable
Case	coolmaster csx falcon CX-632 ATX full tower case.
Audio Device(s)	onboard sound
Power Supply	Enermax Galaxy 1000W
Software	Windows 7 64bit

System Name	Is rly gud
Processor	Intel Core i5 11600kf
Motherboard	Asus Prime Z590-V ATX
Memory	(48GB total) 16GB (2x8GB) Crucial Ballistix Sport 3000MHZ and G. Skill Ripjaws 32GB 3200MHZ (2x16GB)
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3060 12GB
Storage	1TB MSI Spatium M370 NVMe M.2 SSD
Display(s)	32" Viewsonic 4k, 34" Samsung 3440x1440, XP Pen Creative Pro 13.3
Power Supply	EVGA 600 80+ Gold
VR HMD	Meta Quest Pro, Tundra Trackers
Software	Windows 10

System Name	Woody's MBP
Processor	2.4 C2D
Cooling	Frikin Air
Memory	Munskin 2x2 gig 1066mhz
Video Card(s)	9400gt/9600gt W/512mb
Storage	1TB WD scorpio blue
Display(s)	15.4" on lapie/ 24" Acer P241w on the wall/ 52" LCD TV
Software	OSX/ Win 7