build advice

[sr71000]

Hey guys. Looking for a little build advice for a gaming rig.

I have a budget of about $450 to $500.

parts I already have that can be reused:

sata hard drive
cd drives
case (optional - not against replacing if there's a phenomenal case for a great deal)
4 gb ddr400 (again optional)
2 pci-x evga geforce 7800 gtx (optional, but would rather stick with these for now unless again a great deal)
fx-57 socket 939 amd processor.

The mobo fried and the psu is a silverstone which I've never heard of so I figured the psu should def be replaced. No monitor or peripherals necessary. No OS necessary. It will be running xp home for now but an upgrade to win7 in the next year or two is likely.

Now, given the state of socket 939, motherboards are tough to find. Rather than just replace the mobo, I think it would be more cost effective to upgrade to an intel based system with at least a core 2 duo or better. Now I'm not sure if that falls into a 500 dollar budget. I'm ok with staying on par with the performance of the fx-57 so long as there is a LOT of headroom to upgrade, but naturally faster would be better. The guy I'd be building this for seems to be interested in constantly upgrading the machine now that he's able to so headroom is a must. It's been forever since I've gotten new parts and I'm really out of the loop in terms of price & performance. I really appreciate any help you guys can give.

-Kevin

[Whir]

You can build a moderate machine with those parts (minus the RAM) on an Intel base for $500. Probably end up with a generation back of CPU, but still Core2Duo. Be faster than an FX57 and upgradeable for a good year or three.

I've been using Gigabyte motherboards for the last five or six machines I've built for people and I really like them. They've got everything in the spectrum from inexpensive to loaded with options.

Been sticking with OCZ RAM as well. Usually well rated and not too expensive for the speeds. 4GB DDR1200 is dirt cheap these days.

And if you don't need the FX57, I'll take it. I'm still using a 64 3000+. Hehe.

[sr71000]

It's funny you say that because I actually tested it in my 3000+ machine and that's how I know it was good. I'll keep you in mind though as I may sell the machine. If I do I'll see if you're still interested.

-Kevin

[sr71000]

Hey guys. I was hoping you could suggest some specific parts. I guess I'm really wondering if you guys know of anything you'd consider the best bang for your buck, or a specific part/model to stay away from.

-Kevin

[Aaron_8015]

Silverstone is a good PSU manufacture so it should still be good....

Mobo
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
$109.99

CPU
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Processors - Desktops
$139.00 Free shipping

Memory
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Desktop Memory
$49.99 Free shipping

$298.98

Leaving enough for a gpu upgrade or case.... mabye even newer hdd.

That will be a mobo, cpu and hdd upgrade. You can use PSU, HDD's, DVD drive etc..... from the old rig.

The mobo supports sockett am2, am2+ and am3 so you can throw in a newer cpu if you wish.

[KarmaKiller]

Yeah, actually Kevin silverstone makes quite a lot of the popular PSU's that are out. They are normally rebadged to other brands. They are VERY good units. If you can stick with it, it wouldn't hurt anything.

As far as the parts already on hand.

Quote:

sata hard drive-I'd reuse
cd drives- obviously not gonna make a difference, I'd reuse it also
case (optional - not against replacing if there's a phenomenal case for a great deal)- I'm sure I could probably fit a new one in with your budget, so I guess your call
4 gb ddr400 (again optional)
2 pci-x evga geforce 7800 gtx (optional, but would rather stick with these for now unless again a great deal)
fx-57 socket 939 amd processor.
Now for the remaining 3, I'd honestly do away with them. Here's why.
1. A ~$100 CPU will literally triple the performance that FX-57can give. Not only that, but your limiting yourself a good bit by trying to find an already outdated motherboard. Plus the RAM is pretty outdated, but I know you know that already. Again, limiting your choices.
And the GPU's.... I use to have a 7800, and while it was a good card for it's day, again, a ~$100 GPU will match the performance, or beat the 2x 7800's in SLI. Not only that, but older SLI boards didn't scale near as well as the newer boards do.

Not only that, but really with your budget you could get a new CPU/RAM/Motherboard/Case/GPU combo easy, and still have money left over. Plus in a newer system, you won't have to worry about bottlenecks (which I'm almost certain the FX chip would even bottleneck the 7800's in SLI)

Plus I also believe to find a motherboard to fit all your current parts, your most likely looking at buying used goods. Which I guess it's nothing bad, but you could really build a modern kick ass gaming rig with what you have for a budget.

I'll make a list of all new parts, then I'll try to dig up a motherboard that'll work with the parts you have listed. Maybe I can find something on the cheap that will get you by if you don't wanna spend the doh now.

EDIT:
Forgot the most important thing, a new rig will get you mucho PPD.

[Flying JJ]

Can't you guys find the guy an i7 rig for under $500. It was just pointed out in another thread i7 cores are $199 at Micro Center. That leaves $300 for mobo and RAM. Don't know if his ps would handle it or could work in the GPU to it.

[sr71000]

Thanks for confirming karma I'm not sure if you read the rest of the post but my assumption was that a fresh build would be best :-D

Like I said I'm looking toward at least an intel C2D or C2Q if possible at those prices.

I'm not too up on hardware & performance comparisons, which is why I asked here. I'd prefer the list of new parts!

Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it!

-Kevin

[KarmaKiller]

First I want to say sorry, I totally missed that last paragraph of yours.

With a $500 budget, you could get a C2Q,C2D, but you'd sure be pushing it.

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$190

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
$135 ($115 after MIR)

Newegg.com - OCZ Blade Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Desktop Memory Model OCZ2B10664GK - Desktop Memory
$65 ($55 after MIR)

Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGEGTS2501024E GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$140 (free call of duty:World at War game)

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
$50 (free shipping)

------------------------------------------------------
^^That's $580 not including rebates and shipping.^^
------------------------------------------------------
If you want cheaper

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$168

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
$80

Newegg.com - Patriot Extreme Performance Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PGS24G6400ELK - Desktop Memory
$44

Newegg.com - XFX HD-485X-ZDFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$120
---------------------------------------------------
^^That's $462 no shipping or rebates^^
This system won't fold as well, because ATI cards aren't the best for folding. But it's still a very capable rig.

And still yet, the AMD combo aaron put up is a great bang for buck combo too, so that's still something else to consider.

@JJ
I think an I7 rig would really be out of his budget, after GPU is factored in.

[sr71000]

The psu is about 5 years old and he's a heavy smoker so everything in the case is all gunked up. Do you guys really think I should stick with the psu?