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Need a cheap gaming rig

Post Date: 2012-04-06
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Goggles View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote Goggles Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Need a cheap gaming rig
    Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:19pm
Budget:
No higher than $1400, but that doesn't mean it needs to be $1399. The tax on these bad boys up the price enough as it is. Plus I still need to buy a monitor, keyboard, and mouse on top of this so the lower the better.

Expectations:
I'm a big fan of PC cases with a window so I can have LED fans.. just throwing that out there.

Usage:
I'd like to be able to play games like Mass Effect 3, League of Legends, Guild Wars 2, etc with minimal problems. Of course, I'll be using it for school and playing music. I realize this is tough with such a small budget, but a guy can dream, right??

Special Needs:
I am nowhere near an ethernet cable for internet, so I need to have a wireless connection.

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can offer :)



Here's what I've got so far:
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=673292

Edited by Goggles - 07 Apr 2012 at 12:31am
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:34pm
If you have a strict budget that tight, PLUS you need peripherals (monitor/keyboard/mouse), I would say the Epoch Lvl 1 is your best shot.

Digital Storm does not put together bad computers, but with your budget, your options are limited. Not to try and cut out DS on a sale or anything, but if you truly want to max out a system as much as possible for $1400 including peripherals, my suggestion would be to ask a tech savvy friend to help you build your own comp.

Again, not to say DS doesn't know their sh*t, but for the money, you'd get more out of it if you built it yourself (or with a friend).
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Goggles View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote Goggles Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:38pm
I'm sorry for not being clear on that. I'm ok with spending up to $1400 on the system. I'll take care of the peripherals on top of that. I am trying to be responsible with the money I do have though. If I could get a system for under $1400 including tax and shipping, that'd be freakin' awesome.

Edited by Goggles - 06 Apr 2012 at 11:42pm
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:47pm
Oooohhhh ok, lol.

So with that, you still are rather limited in selection. With a $1400 budget, I would recommend the Level One Dreadnought at it's stock configuration. Because you have to figure shipping into the cost, it's going to give you the best case, and a very solid base from which you can upgrade later should have some money to spend.

Now having said that, if it were possible for you to save up an extra $200, I would recommend the ODE Level One hands down, for $1600, you absolutely cannot beat it when it comes to price v.s. performance.
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:52pm
Actually wait, here's a build I made that would more than take care of you, listed just under $1300: Build 673287

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-M PRO (Intel Z68 Chipset) (Features Intel Quick Sync Technology)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Slim Slot Loading Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Corsair A50 120mm Fan High Performance Cooler
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

With this you'd be able to play all your games at decent quality, plus whenever you have money you could just buy another matching video card.

Edited by Avelict - 06 Apr 2012 at 11:53pm
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Goggles View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote Goggles Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Apr 2012 at 11:58pm
That actually looks pretty similar to what I just threw together: 673288

I just added a couple things like a wireless internet card and LED fans. Does that look ok?
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 12:09am
Looks like a decent build, but a few things:

1) Normally I'm not a loyalist to any brand, ESPECIALLY when it comes to computers, just because there's SO much tech out there. But when it comes to CPU's, I will always always always point someone to Intel over AMD, just because the overclocking potential is greater (if you ever decide to get into it). And there are a lot of known issues with AMD CPU's, to put it simply.

2) In terms of wireless internet access, you don't NEED a PCIe card for it, the standard network ports would suit you just fine plus save you $40. You can find a perfectly good wireless access USB stick at Best Buy for $10.

3) LED fans would be fine, in terms of performance, I don't THINK they do any better or worse than stock fans, but it is an extra $60 for some spinning lights, i only left them out of my config cuz of the low budget, but if you can squeeze 'em in, get as many spinny lights as you want, lol.
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Goggles View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote Goggles Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 12:16am
1) Dang, I guess I can't get an Intel CPU with this case.

2) Something sounds kinda fishy about a USB stick.. can that thing really handle online gaming? I mean, REALLY handle it? It's a freakin usb!

3) You're right, I'm gonna take the LED fan out and just keep the $10 lighting.

Edited by Goggles - 07 Apr 2012 at 12:16am
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 12:27am
Oh yeah, a USB stick works fine, it's what I use with my computer. I play WoW/RIFT online and it handles it just fine.

When you're talking about wireless internet, the biggest thing you want to look for is simply bandwidth, the PCIe card says it handles 300MB/s, and that would be awesome, IF you had an internet provider that sent you an internet connection with a 300MB/s speed. My USB stick tops out at 150MB/s speed, I'll NEVER have that much bandwidth to utilize it completely, so yeah, it works finr for online gaming.
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Goggles View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote Goggles Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 12:28am
Great, well I appreciate you saving me all that money! I have a lot to learn, haha
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 12:33am
Haha no worries, if you have any other questions, let me know, I'd be happy to help.
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Minka View Drop Down
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Posts: 75 		  Quote Minka Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 6:33pm
Hmm, idk, I'd be suspicious of a usb adapter as well..
But.. Something you haven't been told yet is that you do not need that 800w power supply. Knock it down to 500 or 600 to save some bucks. :-)
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Avelict View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Avelict Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Apr 2012 at 8:25pm
Good call on the Power Supply, I only left it at 800w should he want to go SLI in the future and not have to replace it.
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 08 Apr 2012 at 8:23am
Hi Goggles,

I think we can do better on a system for you within your budget. You don't want a 550 GPU for gaming. Especially since we can get you a 570 and stay in your budget. This is a non-SLI system.

Frank

Configuration: 673611 Cost: $1383

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V LE (Intel Z68 Chipset) (New B3 Revision) (Does Not Support SLI)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 600W Corsair CX600 V2
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology) (EVGA 012-P3-1571-BR)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Corsair A50 120mm Fan High Performance Cooler
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 08 Apr 2012 at 8:40am
To follow up on FrankW's excellant advice, here's a link comparing gaming with a gtx 550 and a gtx 570.
 
 
The gtx550Ti isn't that good.  The gtx570 doubles the frames per second in gaming.  The gpu is the last thing to mess with. 
 
Hope all this helps
 
 
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