BleepingComputer.com: $500 gaming PC

Thank you for the advice everyone! I have combined your advice with advice from different sources, and have come up with a system that is ATX as well as with a PSU that actually puts out what it claims to put out.

Also, the reason that card says it requires a 450watt PSU is so that it can run all the other stuff as well. This video card has a maximum power consumption of 108 Watts by itself.

Here is the config, please comment:

CPU+Mobo combo:
AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz Boxed Processor
MSI 785G-E53 AM3 785G ATX Motherboard
$139.62 - $20MIR = 119.62 in store pickup

Optical:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B
$18.99

HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$54.99

GPU:
SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card14-102-873
$144.99

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
$80.99

Case+Psu combo
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$99.94

Newegg Total: $410.63
Newegg MIR: $25
Microcenter total: $139.62
Microcenter MIR $20
Total before MIR: 550.25
Total MIR: $45
Total: $505.25

I can't find how many SATA cables come with the motherboard. You will need two.
That PSU doesn't come with a power cable.
You might want to get one or two 120mm fans for the front.

EDIT: Disregard, see below
I was hoping to get two of these while I was in the microcenter store picking up my cpu+mobo : http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0264495

Is "open box" worth it?

Also, I am thinking about getting this mobo instead: MSI 785GM-P45 AM3 785G mATX Motherboard, but it still says nothing about sata cables. Should I pick up two of these (4 total) as well? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0327129

This post has been edited by DukeJP2010: 25 August 2010 - 06:18 PM

I made a few changes. I will be buying the following system (times two) if there are no further cautions. Please comment!

Microcenter:

CPU+Mobo combo: http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promot...ce=ACT_BYO&
AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz Boxed Processor
MSI 785GM-P45 AM3 785G mATX Motherboard

HDD: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0340804
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7,200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive – OEM

(also, Link-Depot US - 3 Prong Computer Power Cord OPEN BOX http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0264495 )

Microcenter total: $180.71 (in store pickup)
Microcenter MIR: $20


Newegg:

Optical: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827118039
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B
$18.99

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102873
SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card14-102-873
$144.99

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231253
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
$80.99

Case+Psu combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.458433
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$99.94

Newegg Total: $353.71
Newegg MIR: $25


Total before MIR: 534.42
Total MIR: $45
Total after MIR: $489.42

Open box, IMO is not worth it on Motherboard, there just to many small things that can be wrong and someone might not care enough to check everything upon return of that board.

s1lents0ul, on Aug 26 2010, 06:05 AM, said:

Yes, I would never open box a motherboard. I believe the open box deal only applies to the power chord, which I think is pretty safe to open box.

EDIT: I have a specific question. The Samsung Spinpoint F4 is the fastest non SSD out there, according to some reviews. Newegg has it for about $50 shipped. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152244

Would this make a nice addition? It's only $5 more than the F3, and I doubt I'll need more than 200GB (my main computer uses less than that), much less 320GB.

This post has been edited by DukeJP2010: 26 August 2010 - 08:36 AM

open box refers to anything that was opened and returned, and doesnt have to have been in a box. it also refers to items in the store that were opened by someone who wanted to see what it looked like for some reason, the picture on the box wasnt good enough for them. i bought an open box monitor just recently, it had no stand, or any cords in the box! so i had to go online an purchase the stand accessories. the monitor works perfectly tho ;)

i clicked ur link, it says

"Thank you for visiting Newegg.com. We apologize for your inconvenience. The page you requested is unavailable."

whats the RPM of the drive. most 7200rpm drives will suffice, there are 10000rpm like the Velociraptor, personally the Caviar Black are great IMO.

This post has been edited by s1lents0ul: 26 August 2010 - 09:43 AM

Here is the link to the F4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...=spinpoint%20f4
What do you think?

I think the CPU and Mobo combo is new in shrink wrap, and just the power cord is open box, which I am OK with.

The open box cord is much easier to deal with if broken, there like 20$ at any store that would have them.

The HDD, from customer reviews, looks really decent, nothing bad to say about it.

They were out of open box, so I just got a normal one.

I am pleased to tell you I bought the whole thing yesterday. It was $10 more than expected because a MIR for the cpu/case is no longer listed, but no big deal.

I went to microcenter and got the chip, mobo, power cord, and HDD. The mobo only came with one SATA cable, so I bought another while I was there.

Now, on to building it when all the parts come in!

Thank you everyone for all your help making this dream a reality.

Your Welcome, goodluck!

Everything has arrived, and I put it together much quicker than I thought it would. So far it works great!

It plays Starcraft 2 at 1600x900 with all settings on ultra at about 45 FPS.

Here are some pics (best camera I had around was my iPhone, sorry)!

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3

Can anyone recommend any benchmarking, diagnostic, or system info programs to make sure everything is working correctly? Also, are there any "must have" tweaks?

Thanks again to everyone! My friend who bought the exact same build is putting hers together now.

This post has been edited by DukeJP2010: 02 September 2010 - 04:40 PM

You may want to add one or two [quiet] 120MM fans in the front if you haven't already.

This post has been edited by RainbowSix: 02 September 2010 - 10:25 PM