New rig for about $500

[killthenakedcat]

Well I'm on a tight budget right now but am looking into stepping up into the quad core game finally. Also I would like a new graphics card that is capable of playing GTA 4 and the likes but nothing more.

My current rig is in my sig but its an amd64 x2 5000+ BE 2.6 Ghz, abit kn9 ultra mobo, 2 Gigs OCZ platinum ram, 300 Gig Seagate Barricuda HD, Antec 900 case with additional 80 mm fan, nvidia 8500GT graphics card and 500 watt power supply.

I work and go to school so money is tight and no birthdays or holidays coming up so there is no quick cash on its way to me other than my tax return which is $1200 in the bank(might be able to grab about $200 from there).

Currently I have about $300 and add the $200 from the tax return and that brings me to about $500. So two questions here. How much do you think I could get if I sold my current PC(I figure maybe $200 or so?) and if that sounds about right then could you build me something from newegg or tigerdirect for $500 to $700? I have a monitor so don't need one but will need all the components of a computer. I know I am asking a lot but YOU GUYS know a lot more than I do and you know what is good for the price and what's compatible together.

Thanks in advance, Josh

 

[Kage]

All you really need to do is buy a new processor/motherboard that will run with the DDR II ram you have, and sell that graphics card, and buy a new one.
You could re-use the RAM, and the case, etc.

So, buy a AM3 motherboard, and a Phenom II X4

The only issue then though is, if you want it future proof, because, it'd be best opting for a motherboard that supports DDR 3 ram in that case, but if it was a rig that was going to stay with you, and you'd only want to upgrade the graphics card over time, and not the processor; you could do it that way, and get a cheaper motherboard that would do everything you wanted, now.

It'd make it a much cheaper build, and you could sell the individual parts, like the processor, and motherboard, but keep the rest.

That is how I would plan it out.

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...27&cm_re=phenom_x4_965-_-19-103-727-_-Product
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
$180.99

The motherboard, I'm not too sure about, because like I said, it would be best opting for DDR 3 ram, which may only be available to you, using a processor like the one above...

People will be here to help shortly I'm sure, but if you were to sell the RAM also, you could get a motherboard like this:

Fully upgradeable motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435
GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H
$139.99

Or, go for a cheaper motherboard that may not be as future proof, but still support DDR 3 ram...

Total so far $320.98...

Its up to you, but I would probably opt for a cheaper motherboard that may not be as future proof, so you can spend more on the graphics card...

I'm hoping people will be here to help in a sec

 

[killthenakedcat]

well how much do you think I could get for my current PC? That sounds like a good idea definitely. How much difference is there between the 965 and the 955?

 

[Kage]

Only an extra 200mhz I believe, but its better for overclocking, if you ever wanted to experiment with that. But for an extra $20, is an extra 200mhz really worth it? You could opt for the 955 for sure.

As for the price, its hard to tell

 

[killthenakedcat]

I only asked because there is this bundle at tigerdirect
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6045756&CatId=3586

Can this support DDR3 RAM? It says DDR2/DDR3 controller but in the specs it says RAM type: DDR2

 

[Kage]

It only seems like a DDR II motherboard, but even so, not bad if you want a cheap build. That'd leave quite a lot of money for a graphics card, if you used the old RAM in the build you have now

 

[killthenakedcat]

and sorry to be annoying but one mor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5838468&csid=_34

I love nvidia cards but I wouldn't mind giving the ATI a chance, is the HD5670 any good though?

 

[Kage]

One thing you should know, is that you'd have to opt for DDR 3 ram if you picked that bundle up.

As for the graphics card; it isn't bad, but its by no means amazing:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_5670_IceQ/11.html

It would however play GTA 4 fine, and is around 10fps off the Radeon 4850, which is still considered an alright card, even if it "only" supports Direct X 10 and not 11.

 

[killthenakedcat]

would it be better to get that bundle with the ATI or go your original route and get a different card...what kind of card do you suggest?

 

[foothead]

If you have the money to spare, get a HD 5750.

It would also be nice to know what resolution you will be gaming at.

Only an extra 200mhz I believe, but its better for overclocking, if you ever wanted to experiment with that. But for an extra $20, is an extra 200mhz really worth it? You could opt for the 955 for sure.

They are the same chip, but the 955 does overclock a small bit better. My guess as to why is because the 965 is higher binned chips, which are typically lower leakage. Higher leakage chips typically can overclock better than lower leakage ones, thus the 955 is better at it.

The steppings could also be different, but idk about that.

It would however play GTA 4 fine, and is around 10fps off the Radeon 4850, which is still considered an alright card, even if it "only" supports Direct X 10 and not 11.

Best to get a DX11 card right now. When all the game developers start switching to it, there is no way they are gonna develop three versions of the game, for DX11, DX10, and DX9, and too many people are still on XP, so they are gonna cut DX10. The result is that if you have a DX10 card, you will be playing DX9 games.

BTW, I suggest going for a 790X board to save some money. You can get them in DDR2 or DDR3, but it could save you enough money to be able to buy some DDR3.