Can you make a decent gaming computer and setup with just $500?

Daniel

Hello everyone, I'm in a bit of a predicament..
My friend would like me to build him a gaming computer using only $500.
He lacks all of the basic required parts, such as: monitor, case, keyboard+mouse, and headset; all of these parts would come out of the $500 as well as shipping.
I would prefer if all of the parts came from Newegg if possible.

Thank you for your time
(I will select a best answer)
Update1 - I've been told that the budget could go to about 600-650. The monitor and headset will no longer be a problem.
Update2 - Apparently back down to the $500 mark, the monitor and headset still will no longer be a problem. ~ Sorry for confusion

Answer
Tell him it's impossible.

A decent monitor would be at least 100-150, gaming keyboard/mouse at least 80 and headset at least 30. That means at least 200-250 bucks just for peripherals

Then, for a case at least 50.
Decent motherboard, 70-200.
Processor, 100.
Graphics card for gaming, at least 120-200.
8 gigs of decent RAM, I'd say 50.
500-600w power supply, 50-70.
500gb hard drive, 60-80.

Honestly, it's impossible to build a full-fledged gaming PC with all required parts (keyboard/mouse, headset, monitor) and decent performance (med-high most to all games) for under $500.

That's the truth, and I wouldn't bother trying and just making a lopsided machine.

If he can pay 800, that's a different story.

Good luck! If your friend can't accept the fact he needs to pay more, make him understand. It's not your problem, and you should know that.

**I will update this within the hour with the best PC you can build for what your friend can pay including peripherals, it might not be pretty but I'll see**

EDIT:
Best build for under $500.

Rosewill case with 450w Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147082
FM2 Motherboard (for use with APU): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130662
AMD Trinity APU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280
4gb Crucial 1600MHz Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148660
Seagate 7200rpm 500gb Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
Wired Gaming Keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823205027
Cooler Master Wired Gaming Mouse: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=26-570-014&ParentOnly=1&IsVirtualParent=1
DVD Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Windows 7: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
OR
Windows 8 (much faster performance in general, I'd recommend it for this build): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416550

Total comes out to around 500 bucks. Obviously, it's not ideal since there's an integrated graphics card, although it's a top-notch integrated one. If he has a 1080p screen he should tone it down to 720p for the best performance on games.

If you can spend a WEE bit more, get this motherboard instead: BIOSTAR A880GZ AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
(you'll have to look it up on Newegg, I can't include over 10 links here)

This processor:
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX (you'll have to look it up on Newegg, I can't include over 10 links here)

This graphics card:
HIS iCooler H775FS2G Radeon HD 7750 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
(you'll have to look it up on Newegg, I can't include over 10 links here)

The added parts which will go a bit above 500 will make a huge difference.

EDIT 2: Just saw your update. Sadly, this won't make a change much. Really sorry - the original build I had was without the screen for under $500, and I just was about to add it.

I really wish you good luck with this build. It's too bad there's no more money to be spent - for even another 100 dollars the build could be made so much better.

Good luck with this, Daniel!

P.S. I can't recommend the other guy's build, sadly, because the processor will severely bottleneck the rest of the system in many games, since so many games are processor-intensive these days.

Best sound setup on pc for under 500 dollars?

Right now i think im going to get the Razer Makos for 250 and the HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 for 175. Also will i regret spending this much on a sound system?
Mostly for gaming / listening to music

Answer
This system will rock a room and shake the windows!!! My son has it and it's great.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120


Good luck

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PC/Laptop gaming setup?

Can this laptop support ARMA 2? http://mobile.buy.com/ibuy/Product.aspx?sku=209674935
If not, what's a good set up that can support ARMA 2 for under $500 that will give me a reasonable gaming experience?

Answer
I don't think that laptop can. ArmA 2 is a PC killer.

Steams recommended specs are
Recommended:
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: Quad Core CPU or fast Dual Core CPU (Intel Core 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or faster)
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Fast GPU (Nvidia Geforce 8800GT or ATI Radeon 4850 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 512 or more MB VRAM
Hard Drive: 10 GB free HDD space

The main one to pay attention to is the GPU part, look for a laptop with an actual GPU (not "intel graphics HD" but something like ATI or Nvidia)

Decent Gaming PC setup?

Ryan

Okay so i am doing a build for my friend since i am computer savvy and he isnt, and i was wondering what you though about this setup. He is trying to make this as inexpensive as possible so i picked out what i thought where decent parts for his $600 limit. He is going to be playing games like Skyrim, Battlefield 3, and maybe Far Cry 3 on high/ultra at 1080p at a playable frame rate(around 30fps).

CPU
FX 4130 Black Edition 3.8GHz Quad-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor

MB
970 Extreme3 Socket AM3+ 970 ATX AMD Motherboard

GPU
Nvidia Geforce GTX 650ti

RAM
Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600

PSU
Inland Gold Series ILG-500-2 500 Watt ATX Power Supply

Disk Drive
24x Super Multi Internal SATA DVDRW DL Drive - Bare Drive

HDD
WD Black 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WDBAAZ0010HNC

The Case will be whatever we find between $30-$50 that has decent ventilation/fans.

Thanks for your opinions.
Alternate parts would be appreciated if you feel it is needed.

Answer
Hey Ryan

This isn't a bad setup. In fact, everything here is fine, except the graphics card. I would advise against the Nvidia 650ti. It's not bad, but you will get more value for money from a 660ti. The price difference is well worth the money. The 650ti DOES NOT perform well under 1080p, whereas the 660ti does. The 660ti is stronger, faster, newer, prettier, and a little bit more expensive. If his budget really is stiff, and he doesn't want to budge, he will have a good rig for gaming @40fps. If he has the 660ti, given the game has the same settings as the previous example, he ought to game @60fps.

P.S. I wish I had a friend like you since you and I both seem to appreciate both engineering and computers.

Thanks for reading =)

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Best sound setup on pc for under 500 dollars?

Right now i think im going to get the Razer Makos for 250 and the HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 for 175. Also will i regret spending this much on a sound system?
Mostly for gaming / listening to music

Answer
This system will rock a room and shake the windows!!! My son has it and it's great.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120


Good luck

Best Gaming Desktop for 500-1000 Dollars?

Bob Ramber

I don't know much about Comuters so don't come at me with all those technical terms like "Dual processors" and all that stuff.... I'm just tired of MASSIVE lag. Here are my current computer specs



http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx262/buhbewn/untitled-1.jpg

http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx262/buhbewn/untitled2.jpg

Answer
Its not a bad setup, but if you are looking for performance and modern gaming such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, you would probably want to change out your processor or CPU to a quad core. You can build a decent one for under $800 that will play most games at least in 720p with acceptable frames per second.

Here are some easy terms that you will need to know in order to understand how a gaming PC really works:

CPU or Processor- the computer's brain that does calculations in order for your game to run at the required frequency.

RAM or Random Access Memory-memory that is needed to remember and know of the games' save, configuration, maps, location, and statistics.

Hard Disk Drive or HDD-The storage of all the information needed to play the game

GPU or Graphics Processing Unit- This creates the visual from the calculated information to display onto your monitor/screen. This one puts a beating on your machine depending on the game.

PSU or Power Supply Unit-All computer components or hardware need proper voltage in order to run, the PSU regulates the voltage to each individual part.

Cooling or Heatsink/Fan- Your cpu gets hot when playing games and needs to be properly ventilated in order to run under stress. PC games put it to the extreme. Most, in cases, have aluminum fins, copper insulated tubes (to channel the heat to the fins), and a fan to push the air through through it.

Hope this helps. Its not all of what you need, but will get you somewhat familiar with PC components/hardware. For gaming, you will need to focus on these parts listed.

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Where can I find diagnostics for Windows XP?

best gaming pc setup under 500 image

whatz_upch

Where can I find a diagnostics program for Windows XP? My computer is randomly stopping various programs I have installed, and I'd like to test the operating system. Does anyone know of diagnostics programs, and if so, where I might find them?

Answer
Lavalys
Everest Ultimate Edition is a system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. During system optimizations and tweaking it provides essential system and overclock information, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities to check the effects of the applied settings. CPU, FPU, and memory benchmarks are available to measure the actual system performance and compare it to previous states or other systems. Furthermore, complete software, operating system and security information makes EVEREST Ultimate Edition a comprehensive system diagnostics tool that offers a total of 100 pages of information about your PC.

Version 2.80.534 adds support for RAID arrays, Centrino mobile 3rd generation, new benchmarks, updates hardware/software repository.

http://www.download.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition-2006/3000-2086_4-10505799.html?tag=lst-5-1

PowerStrip provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest ATI X850 and NVidia SLI solutions. It is in fact the only program of its type to support multiple graphics cards from multiple chipset vendors, simultaneously, under every Windows operating system from Windows 95 to the x64-bit edition of XP. A simple menu that pops up from the system tray provides access to some 500 controls over your display hardware, including sophisticated color correction tools, period level adjustments over screen geometry, and driver independent clock controls. A powerful application profiler can detect when programs are launched and respond by activating specific display settings, gamma adjustments, performance switches and even clock speeds - returning everything to normal when the program closes. In-game gamma hotkeys let you light up the darkest hallways during game play, and hardware control over refresh rates - with floating point precision - ensure you're never stuck at just 60Hz no matter what OS you're using. A quick setup wizard gets you up and running with minimal fuss, extensive context-sensitive help is available for all controls, and live updates are supported to ensure you're always running the latest release. Finally, an assortment of system and productivity tools - among them, extensive diagnostics, AGP device configuration, desktop icon management, a system idle thread, Windows resource monitoring, physical memory optimization, an on-screen display, and the most advanced monitor support in the industry - round out the compact 800kb package
http://www.download.com/PowerStrip/3000-2086_4-10395724.html?tag=lst-5-2

Would this be a good choice for building a gaming pc?

todo454

I am interested in building my own gaming pc, but I am not very experienced in choosing computer hardware. Does this setup look like it would give good performance on games like COD and Left 4 Dead and is worth the cost?
http://computershopper.com/feature/build-a-great-gaming-pc-for-under-1-500

Answer
great go for it (more ram though)

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How many watts of power will I need for my gaming computer?

best gaming pc setup under 500 image

Dope

This summer I plan on building my own gaming PC and assembling it at home because it is cheaper and I like to customize things myself. It is an 850 dollar computer but the specs are exceptional. For the motherboard and processor, I am following a YouTube tutorial. In the YouTube video it says only 500 watts of power are needed, but in the comment section somebody (who was picked for best answer) claims that you actually need at least 630. I am planning on getting a 750 watt battery anyways, but if I don't need to, I'll try and get something cheaper. So how much power will I need based on this setup:

Processor:
Intel Core i5-3470 Quad-Core Processor 3.2 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53470 â ($188.79)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087EVHVW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0087EVHVW&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

Graphics Card:
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 Graphics Card (2GB) â ($194.99)
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-mini-Displayport-PCI-Express-Graphic-GV-R785OC-2GD/dp/B007PJTNYS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1365971519&sr=1-1&keywords=amd+radeon+hd+2+gigabyte

Motherboard:
MSI LGA1155/Intel B75/DDR3/SATA3 USB 3.0/A&GbE/MicroATX Motherboard B75MA-P45 â ($64.99)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008S8WA18/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008S8WA18&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

Ram:
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB (2 x 4 GB ) â ($59.98)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CRSM4I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004CRSM4I&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

Hard Drive:
500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue Hard Drive â ($59.99)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00461G3MS&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20




Power Supply:
Corsair CX750 Builder Series ATX 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Power Supply (750W) â ($88.24)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092ML0MY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0092ML0MY&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

Optical Drive:
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black) â ($20.04)
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1365953829&sr=1-2&keywords=optical+drive

Tower:
NZXT Technologies SOURCE 220 CA-SO220-01 Matt Steel Mesh Front Mid Tower Case with USB 3.0 â ($68.98)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066130AO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0066130AO&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

Operating System:
Windows 7 System Builder â ($95.88)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094NY3R0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0094NY3R0&linkCode=as2&tag=c09_11-20

(Monitor:)
ASUS VS197D-P 18.5-Inch HD LCD Monitor â ($89.24)
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VS197D-P-18-5-Inch-LCD-Monitor/dp/B005PAIVII/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365972998&sr=8-3&keywords=Cheap+Computer+Monitors+Under+100

Answer
500W (or greater) power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connector recommended

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7850/Pages/radeon-7850.aspx#2

Thus, for a system with a single HD7850, a good branded 600W PSU is the ideal one to get and since your mobo does not support crossfire, then that 750W is too much for that build since Xfire is already not possible.

BTW, for Xfire, amd recommends 600W minimum, thus 700W is the ideal one to have (just an added info).

What Components Should I Use For A Custom Gaming PC?

Xenon

Okay. So I want to build my first computer, typically for gaming because my laptop sucks. I need to ask you people, who are probably smarter than me, what components I should use. I have already decided on my RAM (2 Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kits), but I want to know what CPU I should use, what the best motherboard is for it, what graphics card I should get, and so on. So here are my 'guidelines', if you may.
Graphics Card: Under $800, can handle some good graphics (Portal 2, Battlefield 3, so on)
CPU: Preferably Intel, since AMD runs really hot. Under $600.
Hard Drive: I would like an SSD, but they're quite expensive. Areound 750GB-1TB or bigger, under $500.
Optical Drive: Not as needed, but if you could recommend some good ones that would be cool.
Power Supply: Nothing special, I guess. If there are good ones that can boost performance that would be great.
If there is anything I missed, please tell me and I'll look up some.
I didn't miss the monitor, mouse, keyboard, and case, I already know what I want for those.

Answer
GPU - GTX 780

CPU - 4770K

SSD - Crucial M500 960GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT960M500SSD1 - $650

UNDER $500 - you can only get up to 512gb SSD at newegg.

PSU - 850W corsair (for SLI setup in the future) or corsair 650W PSU for a system with a single GTX 780.

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Where are the cost effective (cheaper than a PC), graphical, diskless network appliances/X terminals?

best gaming pc setup under 500 image

nonlinear

As I am looking to build or buy a new home, I started planning a home computing system for the house from scratch. What I have in my head is some beefy server and cheap workstations (graphical diskless thin-clients) throughout the house. I have read some up on the Linux Terminal Server Project and envisioned an amazing system possibly involving intercom (VoIP), home chat, controlled web access (I have kids), Myth TV, word processing, presentation and central fax & print. The software seems to be there for the right price. The hardware is another story. I have not been able to put together this architecture cheaper than just buying and networking full fledged Windows systems for each room. Isn't there supposed to be a cost savings with this architecture? Am I after a 2001 dream that everyone else knows has already failed? I am tired of spyware and viruses and updating multiple systems with various patches. Is it going to cost more for less?

Answer
This is a tough one. I know what you mean about wanting one central point for updates, and your VoIP dream can be realized no matter which platform you pick.

The cost savings for the thin client scenario I think was meant to be realized in ease of deployment, management and service. In your case, it's neither difficult to deploy, nor manage, nor service your PCs, since you are where the machines are and you don't have another location to support remotely.

It's easy to ship another Thin Client overnight to anywhere and have it up and running in no time. Or a spare can simply be kept on site and plugged in when another fails.

I've worked where thin clients were deployed, and my opinion is that they're a lot more trouble than they're worth for home use. Now, that's partly because they began to use the browser IN the thin client instead of JUST the remote desktop feature, so the performance was dismal.

They repurposed the terminals in a way that they weren't designed to be fast since many of the modern web controls run on the client side. The built-in browser was miserably slow, and everyone hated the setup.

Had they stuck with just Citrix ICA or MS RDP, I think the experience would have been far more robust as expected. If you can be firm and only use them as remote displays as they were meant to be, you might also have the good experience.

The licensing, as you mentioned, can be a little expensive. Although if you use Microsoft Small Business Server, you can kill some of the licensing costs and probably come out ahead overall.

Unfortunately, I haven't read up on the Linux TS project, so I'm not sure what that client and server system would entail.

What I do know is that if your kids are using computers at school for assignments or get homework, they will likely be working on Windows systems there. MS makes it cheap and easy for students and schools to have and use their products.

If you want them to have a more seamless experience at home, it's going to mean using Windows in some flavor. But if you do it at the SBS, that's a win. It's also unlikely that games or learning tools on their favorite web sites will work outside of MS Internet Explorer, just because when games are developed, they do it for the largest common denominator, and that's Windows with MSIE.

The one big thing I would caution on is peripherals... Will you have a way to use iTunes through remote desktop? Where does the Pod plug in? Mobile MP3 devices, CDROMs, DVDs. flash drives, cameras, scanners? Your kids have a game that requires the CD to play (nearly all games require the CD to play)? Someone's going to have to run to the big beefy server every time and swap discs. That's your blessing and your curse with a dumb terminal - all you get is redirected display, keyboard and mouse. No PnP.

That said, the Wyse S10 Thin Client looks like a good fit if you can live with the limitations.

It's priced under $300 and comes with Windows CE that supports RDP up to version 5.5.

Windows Small Business Server is around $500-$600 with 5 clients included.

You might find a used server with the SBS bundled for less if you're into bargain shopping.

I can't imagine that you'll find solid Windows desktop computers for $300 if you mean to license them legally.

I think the cost savings is there, overall, even if you decide to use Windows server and thin clients. But there's a huge tradeoff in usability when you go down that road.

One thing that can save some time if you decide to use regular Windows XP machines instead of thin clients is "cloning" software. Get 5 machines the same, build it right once, get it all patched up and happy, then clone it. Save the entire hard disk to an image file so that if you ever need to fix up a virus or spyware infested machine, you just pop in a DVD with the cloned image and forget it. You have a new machine in 10 minutes. Makes troubleshooting a moot point.

But then you have to be diligent about saving unique documents and files OFF the machine on CDs or some other media or server. One way to do this would be to redirect all the My Documents folders to a cheap RAID NAS and keeping all the files there.

It's a lot to think about. I don't envy your situation. Good luck!

My uploaded video on youtube only plays sound no movie?

Justin C

I have uploaded several gaming movies i captured using pinnacle and it works fine on that program but when i upload it on youtube it only has sound no movie playing how do i fix this? The other movies work fine on my computer but just the movies i uploaded are a problem.

Answer
To make sure that you hear sound while watching videos, please try the following:

-Adjust the volume control on your computer and speakers.
-Adjust the volume control located in the lower right corner of the YouTube Video Player.
-Ensure that the volume is up on other video players, such as Quicktime, Real Player, or Windows Media player, as this might affect the video player sound.
-If these steps don't correct the issue, you may want to try the steps below.

For Mac users:

Open "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Audio MIDI Setup"
Check the properties for "Built In Output". Make sure it's set to 44.1 KHz.

For PC users:

Click "Start".
Select "Run".
Type: sndvol32
Click "OK".
Make sure the following are not muted and the volume is up for "Volume Control" and "Wave".

Make sure you have your sound card selected as the Default device:

Click "Start".
Select "Control Panel".
Open the "Sound and Audio Devices" icon.
Click the "Audio" Tab.
Under "Sound playback" set the Default device to your sound card not your webcam/modem.
Click "OK"

If you're still having trouble, check to see if your system meets these requirements for running the video player:

Macromedia Flash Player 7.0+ plug-in
Windows 2000 or higher with latest updates installed
Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
Firefox 1.1+, Internet Explorer 5.0+, or Safari 1.0+
Broadband connection with 500+ Kbps

Videos on YouTube are streamed through an Adobe Flash player. For the best viewing experience, we suggest you install the latest version of Adobe Flash after removing any old versions you've installed.

Please completely uninstall Flash before reinstalling the latest version.

Then, restart your computer and follow Adobe's instructions for reinstalling Flash, listed here.

If your system meets all the requirements, but the video player still isn't working properly, please try troubleshooting with a different browser. Remember to test the audio on multiple videos!

If you can't hear sound within videos embedded on other websites or blogs, your computer may be blocking third-party Flash content. To correct this, follow the steps below:

Visit

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager03.html

The Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager should display.
Check the box labeled: "Allow third-party Flash content to store data on your computer."
To ensure the check sticks please click one of the tabs at the top of that box and then click back to the (Global Storage Settings Panel). The box should still be checked.
Once this is complete, close all browser windows and try playing an embedded video.
Please be advised that this action stores a Flash cookie on your computer. Flash enables this by default upon install.

If this step doesn't help, please check your Antivirus and Firewall software to see if you're blocking third-party Flash content.

I hope that it serves you, bye-bye! =).

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