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View Full Version : Is it possible to build a gaming computer for under $500?



gymophett
February 14th, 2010, 07:32 AM
I really want a gaming computer, but it seems they are quite expensive.
Is it possible to build one for $500 or less? Maybe $600.
Or can I just buy a $400 desktop and put in a $100 graphics card?
Help needed.. Thanks. (:

texaswriter
February 14th, 2010, 07:41 AM
That highly depends on what kind of gaming you are going to be doing. Technically, the only requirements of a game these days are a multicore processor with lotsa ram and hdd. To QUALIFY as a gaming machine however, a dedicated graphics card must be installed with 512 DDR3... Depending on what game you are playing YMMV.

hemimaniac
February 14th, 2010, 07:44 AM
get something like this http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.328160

then grab a case somewhere cheap

VeeDubb
February 14th, 2010, 07:49 AM
It just depends on what you expect out of it.

A wicked fast system that will play all the latest games if everything turned to the max, triple cross-fire video cards, 12gig of DDR3....


...not a chance.



If you want a decent box that will play newER games at good playable settings, then absolutely.


The first thing o do is figure out what you have that can reuse.

Is your hard drive big enough?

Is your case a standard ATX case or some non-standard piece of junk from dell?

Is your power supply big enough, and does it have the connections you need?

Optical drives, peripherals, you monitor?


There's a good chance that you can keep all of those things, and upgrade your computer to a passable gaming rig with nothing more than a new motherboard, CPU, ram and a new video card.

xuCGC002
February 14th, 2010, 07:51 AM
I really want a gaming computer, but it seems they are quite expensive.
Is it possible to build one for $500 or less? Maybe $600.
Or can I just buy a $400 desktop and put in a $100 graphics card?
Help needed.. Thanks. (:

Depends. I put together a decent system with 4GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, a 1GB Geforce 9, and a 2.2Ghz dual-core for around $400. But if you want cutting-edge, get yourself an i7 system with two Radeon 5870s in Crossfire, and 6GB of DDR 3. Might run you around the thousands, though.

gymophett
February 14th, 2010, 08:21 AM
I have no need for any 12 GB of ram. I expect to put around 4 gigs of ram, multi core processor, around 2.4 to 3.0 GHz. At least a 500GB HD. And a 1GB graphics card. I've found those on newegg for around $100, which is doable.

Also, I had no idea they had bundles like that. Thanks for pointing me to that. :D

EDIT: I am willing to go over $500, but not much over $600. Just somewhere in that range. I built a computer about 8 years ago, which had pretty good specs for that time being, for around $800, and it has lasted until now, and probably still for years to come, with Linux at least. 1.5 GB ram, ATI 9200, anyway, offtopic.

nrs
February 14th, 2010, 08:53 AM
Go to newegg, piece together a system, and find out. :P I built mine for around ~$650 USD. But I stole the harddrives + case + DVDRW from my old system, which is running in a cardboard box.

ElSlunko
February 14th, 2010, 09:00 AM
I'm sure you can. I'll see what I can whip up on newegg. The two big X factors is what type of gaming do you want to do and are you willing to sacrifice not running at max settings.

hessiess
February 14th, 2010, 09:07 AM
Buy a console, games made for some console will always be playable, no need to get into the endless upgrading.

p_quarles
February 14th, 2010, 10:03 AM
My current system does fine with games, and it cost me less than $500. The base system was an off-the-shelf Compaq, with an Athlon Dual-Core 7550 and 3 GB of RAM. This cost $320 at the time. I added an nVidia 8800 GTS with 640 MB of VRAM, which is $80 on Newegg currently.

I've played a pretty wide variety of recent games (Left 4 Dead 2, Fallout 3, GTA IV, Team Fortress 2) and haven't had any problems. I play games at native resolution, with pretty high graphics settings.

Yeah, it could be better, but you can definitely get an adequate gaming setup for less than $500.

Zoot7
February 14th, 2010, 10:17 AM
Firstly look for an offer where a case is bundled with a PSU, that should save a bit of cash.
Go for an older CPU, a great one would be the Intel E8400, last time I checked that was great value for money.
Then opt for a DDR2 motherboard with a chipset like the Intel P45 if you can find one.
Lastly a great graphics card that's going dirt cheap right now is the HD4850, although you might want an nvidia one for its ease under Linux. In that case the GTS 250 would be a great choice.
That would go a long way to getting it under 500.

I build my own system for roughly €550. But that was minus a graphics card, Windows licence, CD drive and hard drives which I had from my old system.

BuffaloX
February 14th, 2010, 10:40 AM
The days of +2000$ game rigs are over IMO.

I have an old dual core Athlon 64 2.2 Ghz with ATI 4770 graphics and 2GB RAM and WD 500GB Black HD.

Everything I've tried works with native monitor resolution @ 1920x1200.

I just played Divinity II through on highest settings, and that is a bran new game. :shock:
I think most new games have graphics optimized for Xbox and PS3, and those specs are quite low by todays PC standards.

There are tons of high quality cheap components out there, take some time to piece the best offers you can find together, and you'll easily have a very nice game rig for 500$. :D

BigSilly
February 14th, 2010, 12:33 PM
I agree. It's quite easy to buy a very good gaming PC now for a relatively small amount as long as you manage the compromise properly. My spec below has been fantastic for games, though realistically I don't expect it to run Crysis or GTAIV, since the processor isn't really powerful enough, but it's been great for many other modern games and runs Windows 7 fantastically too.

The nice thing about PC gaming rather than the console equivalent for me is also the ability to add new bits in over time to improve things. As well as the obvious things like changing a CPU/GPU, there's the little things that make a difference too. I've just bought a new cooler for the graphics card (Akasa Vortexx Neo), and a new PSU (OCZ Fatal1ty 550W) too, and the performance benefits are marked. Once your Xbox 360 has got the red rings, that's you waiting on Microsoft. With a PC, you're in control. :)

texaswriter
February 14th, 2010, 08:34 PM
Depends. I put together a decent system with 4GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, a 1GB Geforce 9, and a 2.2Ghz dual-core for around $400. But if you want cutting-edge, get yourself an i7 system with two Radeon 5870s in Crossfire, and 6GB of DDR 3. Might run you around the thousands, though.

Is 1GB of memory on a graphic cards necessary now? I know 512 has been out for along time... but that is alot of memory. I would imagine, given a relatively stable resolution gamut, that memory requirements on graphic cards would level out.

Above is just my thoughts though, definitely interested in the opinion of those who have some experience...