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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC

By | January 26, 2010, 12:19pm PST

Summary: Excellent question in today’s hardware 2.0 mailbag: I want to upgrade my existing PC so it’s able to play the latest games. What upgrades do you recommend? By the way, I’m on a budget of about $600 … Let’s take a look!

Excellent question in today’s hardware 2.0 mailbag:

I want to upgrade my existing PC so it’s able to play the latest games. What upgrades do you recommend? By the way, I’m on a budget of about $600 …

Let’s take a look!

Check out the image gallery that accompanies this post!

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz AM3 125W quad-core

For a long time I didn’t think that AMD had much to offer those looking for high-end performance, but the new Phenom II X4 quad-core pieces are well worth taking a look at.

Right out of the box the X4 965 offers fantastic performance for the price, and if you want you can always overclock to squeeze more power out of it (4.0GHz is quite doable, but you’ll need to replace the cooler).

Excellent piece of silicon for the price!

Price: $185

Motherboard: Elitegroup ECS A780GM-A Ultra AM2+/AM3 AMD 780G

A basic but still pretty well thought out motherboard to pair with your Phenom II X4 quad-core. It’s not as fancy looking as some motherboards, and doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles (most of which you’ll never use anyway) but if you’re looking for a solid, reliable part, this is worth taking a look at.

Network support, plenty of USB ports, and even an on-board ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU … what more could you ask for!

Price: $75

The rest of the upgrade –>

More from “Hardware 2.0”

Topics

PC, Quad-core, Power Supply, Gaming PC, Motherboard, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Radeon HD 5670, Games, Desktops, Processors, Personal Technology, Hardware, Semiconductors, Components, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Don't mess with BFG
stano360 23rd Feb 2010
I don't know about others experiences, but you can get an OCZ or even a top tier power supply for the same money. about 6 months ago (an eternity in pricing) I got an OCZ 700W modular (80% efficiency) for $60.
View in thread
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That's not an upgrade
s_souche 26th Jan 2010
that's a whole system
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Re: That's no an upgrade
Nitz_Walsh 26th Jan 2010
...sans case, monitor and OS.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Loverock Davidson 26th Jan 2010
Isn't 125w on a cpu considered pretty high nowadays?

Should we wait on buying motherboards until they start coming with a USB 3.0 port?
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Well...
Stuka 26th Jan 2010
It is on the high side depending on what you compare it too. Mode 3GHz+ CPU's are in the 100-125W range. Intel and AMD alike. Unless you are wanting to spend extra cash. Intel has some higher clocked Xeon's that are 80W, but you pay big $$ for them.

As for USB 3, I guess that depends on how much you will use it. Personally I greatly prefer eSATA for hard drives, as the controller has less overhead and there is no translation that needs to happen. And it will be some time before other devices (video/audio equipment) start to support USB 3.
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125W TDP is not 125W consumption..
Aussie_linux_user 27th Jan 2010
this is the biggest misconception around.. this is a thermal spec not a power consumption spec.. the AMD's actually scale very well with power consumption..
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Good idea, though there are several out already with
mjolnar@... 27th Jan 2010
USB 3.0. It really increases speed, from what I have read, it will allow data transfer speed of 10 fold, that of USB 2.0

Just buying a board with USB 3.0 won't do the trick though, as Windows is over a year away from supporting this. As of right now, only Linux supports this technology. Think about external SSD on a USB 3.0 cable

Here is a link.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/11/superspeed-us-1/
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Nitz_Walsh 26th Jan 2010
Yikes. 2GB in a gaming system is going to cut it pretty close for some games. The processor as well is a little overkill, especially combined with the GPU and limited ram, basically it comes out to a somewhat unbalanced system.

Nothing wrong with the 5670 for its price, it's a good card and will run most games at 1080p at very good framerates if you can skimp on the AA, but there are better matches, especially if yuo're going to the expense of getting a high-quality PSU like that. The 5670's main advantage (aside from price) is that it doesn't require a PCIE power connector so it's great for OEM rigs - DIY machines though, there are better matchups.

Amd just released an excellent low-end CPU; the new X3 440 saves you $100 over the Phenom II. 99% of games will show barely any difference with a triple vs. a quad core, hell 95% of games barely show any difference with a double vs triple/quad, especially at the resolutions most PC gamers expect to play at.

That's more than enough to upgrade to 4GB and get a better card, such as a 1GB 5750 at Newegg for $140 which is significantly faster than a 5670 for only $30 more, and still come in under the price of your system.

Far more balanced, and there's a chance you can even unlock the 4th core of the 440. happy
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re 2gb
I Hate Malware 27th Jan 2010
it may sound low but if the motherboard has sideport memory then it should be ample combined with the 1gb version of the gpu.
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That'll work. Send it over.
D.T.Schmitz Updated - 26th Jan 2010
I'll install Ubuntu Server on it and run everything in kvms.

You've done that, haven't you Adi? Yes?
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Dietrich?
Cylon Centurion 26th Jan 2010
Is that you?
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No no nooo. Nicholas.
D.T.Schmitz 26th Jan 2010
I am The Linux Advocate.

That's who. Yes? Yes!
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Love that MoBo
TallTomD 27th Jan 2010
This is me. Who is you?

I've been running an ECS A780 motherboard for a while. Not sure why he said it's not as attractive as others, because I think it's a lot MORE attractive than others! Show me another mobo with a black PCB. The cool "Black Series" heat sink. The color coded RAM slots. It's one bad mama jama!
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That's pretty bare bones
jscott418 26th Jan 2010
I think that is pretty bare bones. Why even do it when PC gaming is dead for the most part. Heck you will have to spend at least $200 for a decent video card. Sorry but I went to a gaming platform like Xbox 360 and stick with the cheap PC's for everything else.
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Consoles suck for a lot...
Stuka 26th Jan 2010
...of games. Namely FPS. I enjoy playing Modern Warefare 2 with friends sure, but I will take, fast, accurate mouse control over a console controller any day of the week.

And there are a lot of games that are PC only.

Personally I hope all the game makers that have switched to making console games instead of PC games crash and burn. Especially when you look at Modern Warfare 1 which was a PC game ported to console, and had awesome multiplayer. And then Modern Warfare 2 which is a console game ported to PC and has the worst multiplayer setup ever.
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Have you looked at the specs on the 5670?
djchandler 26th Jan 2010
What do you think is necessary?
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PCs for gaming dead?? I don't think so
brad1000 26th Jan 2010
FPS games are way better on the PC, and every friend I know who has a console game (both PS3 and 360) says the graphics are much brighter and better on the PC.
I only play FPS so I will only speak for those games (Left 4 Dead I & II, Call of Duty 2 & 4 & Modern Warfare II, Unreal Tournament).
Another reason PCs are superior over console machines is that the games can be modded, patched, and addons come quicker. People like me can make maps, campaigns, and other things while xbox users can only hope xbox live releases patches & such and which are usually limited and cost money.
Do not get me wrong, consoles are nice as I myself have an xbox 360 with a bunch of games but it does have its limitations.
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You don't need a $200 video card
Nitz_Walsh 27th Jan 2010
That sub-$100 5670 will play console ports *far* better than their native console platforms, this is a fact. A $200 card will absolutely blow them away.

You're simply out of touch with regards to PC technology. The days of $1500 being required to build a decent gaming PC are long gone and have been for some time.
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Why Limit Yourself?
V1CE Updated - 27th Jan 2010
I try not to limit myself and own gaming consoles AND a great gaming PC. I buy a console usually when it has an interesting game that is not on PC though. But I disagree that PC gaming is dead cause I spend more time on the PC than my consoles. Just as another post here stated, "There many mods & addons to be had for PC games long after the console games have ended". Also, Never forget, Your console games are programmed on a computer.

But Really... Why Limit Yourself?
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PC Gaming dead? Uhhh, I don't think so.
wcb42ad 27th Jan 2010
Tell that to all the subscribers to World of Warcraft, Everquest II, and all the other MMORPGs out there.

Consoles have their place. So do PCs. I don't see either ever being 'dead' in their respective markets.
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beautifully said. I agree completely (nt)
fritzendugan@... 27th Jan 2010
nt
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For a few dollars more.
mjolnar@... 27th Jan 2010
POWERCOLOR PCS+ AX5770 1GBD5-PPG Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express
($152.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate pdf

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO/U3S6 AM3 AMD 785G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$119

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

$90.99

OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)


$94.99
($74.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card

Western Digital AV-GP WD10EVDS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

$89.99

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified


$74.99
($49.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate Card


That is 577.95 after rebates on a very fast Dragon. The 550 BE Phenom II X2 will usually allow the other two cores to be turned on. I run mine at 3.7 on air with all 4 cores. That is only $28 more. All the parts are solid and work together.
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I like the choices
djchandler 26th Jan 2010
That rig can handle pretty much anything in terms of games. It would be nice to have 4GB if you want to run x64 version of Win 7.

But if you find the right vendor, there's one offering a $21 rebate besides on that MB. It does have the 750 SB. That's a great MB for $54 and free shipping.

And the same vendor has 2x2GB PC8500 RAM for as little as $94 with great specs (5-5-5-15) if you don't mind 2.0-2.1 volts and free shipping. It's not Kingston, but it's a brand I've seen some okay reviews on lately.

Same price as Adrian's quote and free shipping on the CPU, same for the video card but shipping ($7)added,same price and free shipping on the HD, and same price with shipping after $10 rebate on the PS.

So except for the RAM, everything else is the same exact product from a certain vendor. Now with 4 GB of RAM instead of 2GB, you are still under $600 @ $570, including shipping costs but no tax, and you have to wait for a couple of rebates. Without the rebates you are over by just $1 @ $601.

Good job Adrian. All your choices are great with my only difference of opinion being more RAM.
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Nice rig
Cylon Centurion Updated - 26th Jan 2010
Not bad. happy Similar to my first build which is now
serving me well as a server I set up to play
around with.
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Good choices, but...
Stuka Updated - 26th Jan 2010
Personally I would ditch the quad core and go with an Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz BE. Quads don't do anything for games right now. So save 100 bucks, go with the dual core (very very small difference in gaming benchmarks between the two), and use the extra money to move up to 4GB of RAM, and move up to a Radeon HD5750.

The performance would be noticeably better.
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exactly!
eddmo 28th Jan 2010
Great suggestion here, Stuka - more ram and GPU will make a "gaming only" PC perform much much better than a slightly better processor!
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It's a good chip
stano360 23rd Feb 2010
Mine opened up to 4 cores and overclocks easily to 3.5Hz, though honestly, I haven't put much effort into it. I know there are a lot of people taking them to the high 3's and low 4's.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Gunt Punter 26th Jan 2010
Wet socks
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Adrian, since you talk about the future in some respects
chrome_slinky@... 27th Jan 2010
I wonder why you chose a 780 motherboard, instead of a 790, or a 770 motherboard, since you are showing a video card anyway - no need for the 780 built in video.

Also, I just bought a Gigabyte motherboard with 770 chipset, and it offers more overclocking possibilities than any 780 board I am aware of (by design). Also, my DDR3 memory is slightly faster, and also slightly cheaper, further keeping price down, and obsolescence low.

Anyway, congrats for finally seing that AMD has a lot to offer!
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Good Point
Stuka 27th Jan 2010
I skipped over the fact that that was a 780 mobo. My next machine will be a 790GX (building in the next week or so). The 770 would be a better choice than the 780 too, but really, a 790 should be chosen. There are plenty of them out there.
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Looking for a different video option
theberidox 27th Jan 2010
Any sugestions for a Nvidia video card instead of the Radeon HD 5670.
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Currently Nvidia cards cannot match AMD/ATI cards
IE9 27th Jan 2010
You might forget about Nivdia for the next 3-6 months or so. It is unlikely they will have serious competition for this AMD/ATI HD 5670 card in that period.

You could in that pricerange try the Nividia 9600 GT but that is basicly a revamped very old architecture card with higher powerusage and without DX11 compared to the the HD 5670.

Not a good choice.
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Thanks (nt)
theberidox 27th Jan 2010
nt
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nvidia?
I Hate Malware 27th Jan 2010
Or wait for the fermi cards to be released.
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Who cares about DX11?
GoodGuy729 28th Jan 2010
There are no DX11 games out there, it's a marketing gimic at best at this point. Look at benchmark tests - Nvidia still holds their own against ATI.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
prviglupan 27th Jan 2010
Having a 5400 RPM hard drive as your system drive is not very smart. Replace it with a 7200RPM 500GB single platter Samsung Spinpoint F3 for like 50 bucks!
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Does this motherboard/cpu combination really work?
terryc@... 27th Jan 2010
I haven't read all the other comments, so someone may
have already said this but the motherboard specs say it
will only support a cpu up to 95W
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possibly
I Hate Malware 27th Jan 2010
If thats the case then an x3 would be the next logical choice.
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ECS A780GM-A Ultra
djchandler 28th Jan 2010
This manufacturer has several similar models. Their website says the one Adrian specified handles up 160w on an overclocked CPU.

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?detailid=944&CategoryID=1&DetailName=Bios&MenuID=0&LanID=0
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
cjc82s 27th Jan 2010
silly question time: what about those of us using SFF slim machines that can't use full height graphics cards?
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
I Hate Malware Updated - 27th Jan 2010
The original question was for suggestions regarding an upgrade for gaming. What processor, motherboard, os was he using?
You sound like a salesman trying to sell him unnecessary items when all he might need is a decent graphics card.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Jimster480 27th Jan 2010
it looks like a great PC. i have a Phenom II X3 710 and
it flys through games on my 4850. I have about total $800
in this machine over the period of 2.5 years now (with a
new CPU/Mobo & Video card in the last 1.5 years).
The current price of my parts is around $400. People who
don't know about the power of AMD are missing out. You
dont need a Core i anything to play games, even at super
high resolutions. Its just spending more money for no
reason.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Clayman1000x 27th Jan 2010
I think that it's a good looking set of parts for a new machine, however, I would drop down to a dual core CPU (AMD all the way), upgrade to 3g of ram (that is all XP can handle, I won't use win 7 or vista), switch out the video card with Nvidia one.
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
I Hate Malware 27th Jan 2010
I'm still waiting for Adrian to answer the original question. What upgrade does he recommend for an existing pc?
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Upgrades
Clayman1000x 27th Jan 2010
What do you have now?
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re upgrades
I Hate Malware 27th Jan 2010
the original question wasn't mine, but that's what i was wondering.
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Upgrades
Clayman1000x 27th Jan 2010
OK, but it would still come down to what someone is starting out with in their machine now, all kinds of upgrades can be done.
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Adrian has hefy discount
laman 27th Jan 2010
Don't think many people would be able to get all he lists for $550. Samsung 1TB for just $70, he needs to tell me where I could find it. Did a search on staticice for "BFG Tech GS-550" and similar return nothing. And the cheapest price on staticice for "GIGABYTE GV-R567OC-1GI" is $149, not $110.
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Don't mess with BFG
stano360 23rd Feb 2010
I don't know about others experiences, but you can get an OCZ or even a top tier power supply for the same money. about 6 months ago (an eternity in pricing) I got an OCZ 700W modular (80% efficiency) for $60.
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FINALLY... thankyou Adrian..
Aussie_linux_user 27th Jan 2010
This is the first time I've seen you include an AMD setup in your review (for CPU that is... )...

I have AMD's and Intel's in my network (4 Desktops and 1 server and 2 laptops)... and it's basically a case of what suits best at the time of purchase... .. it's good to see you are finally adopting the same attitude..
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RE: Build a $550 bare-bones gaming PC
Skyu 28th Jan 2010
ECS with AMD?come on...I subscribe to "that's not an upgrade".This could fit into "search for problems when you have none"

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