Help building Budget Gaming Desktop

[Molsonbeers]

Hi all,

I've been out of the game (pun intended) for quite some time now and I'm looking to build a budget gaming PC to play Diablo 3 mostly. I realize there are plenty of threads and advice fully available on the internet but I'm looking for the redflagdeals perspective on good quality parts, on sale, best bang for your buck etc. I would estimate my budget at around $500 and will pretty much require everything. Lets leave the monitor out of the equation for now.

I appreciate the help!

[DavidY]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/cgIa
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/cgIa/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/cgIa/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G620 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.09 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-VS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.75 @ NCIX)
Hard Drive: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.88 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card ($125.45 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 330 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: OCZ 550W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS70 OEM DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($105.92 @ TigerDirect Canada)

Total: $523.94
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

You could spend another $20 for a 1TB 7200rpm HDD. Or save $45 by going with a HD 7750 ($80 after MIR at ME). There are slightly cheaper HD 6850, but they have slower clock speeds (775 MHz is stock). Gigabyte HD 6850 is clocked at 820 MHz. There is a MSI HD 6850 that is clocked at 860 MHz, but is $135. There is also a PowerColor HD 6870 at $120....PowerColor is an entry level brand (well known HD 6870 brands start at $150).

I didn't include a keyboard and mouse...starts at $10+.

Here's Diablo 3 with various graphics cards...you get 60+ fps with the HD6850 at 1920x1080 (highest details and AA enabled): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-5.html

A 1920x1080 monitor would be ideal for the above setup. If you want 1920x1200, you probably should go to HD 6870 or better graphics.

Dave

[Molsonbeers]

This is great! thank you DavidY!

[DavidY]

This is great! thank you DavidY!

No problem. If you post this in the Computers and Electronics section, you would get more replies/opinions.

BTW, OCZ isn't that great....their PS (ZS series) provides excellent value, but if defective, they may be hard to deal with...a better alternate is the Antec HCG-520 for $55 at CC or $58 at ComputerValley.ca (up to $20 extra for peace of mind).

Dave