Cheap Motherboard And CPU?

Question

Hi i am a gamer and i am in the proses of building a new gaming computer, i am only 15 years old and i am really tight on money right now but i need to have this computer be able to play CD4 and maybe crysis on medium... (Or low) Here is what i am looking to buy, the motherboard has to have VGA until i save up to get the XFX 8600 GT x*x, and or 8800.

my budget on the motherboard and cpu together is at max 245$ has to be a ATX style so it will fit in my case which is this.

Raidmax Sirius Silver Mid Tower Case

Link:http://shop1.frys.com/product/5275987?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Here is the motherboard and CPU i am looking into buying.

XFX nForce 750a Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.60GHz Processor Black Edition

Link:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3948277&sku=MBM-750A-5000B

i would love a 780i but they our allot of money and don't come with a CPU and when they do they our over 400+$

so i would love some help and links to trusted sites like tigerdirect, FRYS, or even compUSA.

Thank you all so much and i hope i will be able to see you all in games soon!

Answer 1

Sorry to burst your bubble, but $245 will get you a machine that can only play CoD2 on all low settings.

If you want to play CoD4, you would need a better graphics card than a GeForce 8600 or 8800. Maybe a GeForce 9800, which alone is about $100-200 depending on the model.

You also need to think about RAM, power supply unit, hard drive, operating system. Those 4 alone would cost you about $250 and you don't even have a graphics card, motherboard or processor.

I would advise you to not build a system until you save up more money, at least $800 for Crysis. But if you still want help, you can always send me an IM, just check my profile.

Answer 2

@Akaru

An 8800GT 512MB will most certainly run CoD4 at max settings up to 1600x1200 with very playable framerates.

A 9800GT is just a refresh of the 8800GT. Get your facts straight before suggesting a "better" card.

Stay away from the 8600GT. You will be very disappointed if you get it.

The 9600GT is a great choice though for budget gaming.

For the motherboard and CPU, I'd like to recommend the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L ($100) and an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache ($120). The E7200 easily overclocks to 3.6GHz and can probably go high with the right settings.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

Raidmax cases may look nice and shiny, but they definitely fall behind in terms of cooling performance and durability.

This Antec Nine Hundred Case + Antec Basiq 550W high efficiency modular PSU combo for $120 is an amazing deal.

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToC...

OCZ Platinum 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 RAM for $20 after rebate ($50 before $30 rebate)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

While you're at it, might as well order the XFX Geforce 9600GT from the same site to save on shipping costs. It's the same price too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

A 500GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive will cost $80.

A SATA DVD Burner will cost ~$30.

Answer 3

1.A Micro-ATX mobo,(Motherboard), will fit in an ATX computer case. There are provisions on the support plate for installing an ATX form factor motherboard, or a Micro-ATX form factor motherboard. Just thought you should know.

2.Nothing wrong with the XFX nForce 750a mobo, or the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition. I think you'll be well pleased. (This is coming from an Intel user!)

Don't forget the ram! http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...

That's 2GB's of high-performance DDR2 800MHz Corsair ram.

$32 bucks after mail-in rebate.