Get the best for your budget.

rello

Taken from http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/172986.aspx , It is really a great place to look for the best computer possible for your budget, Also the prices maybe lower then he listed as it does not include any discounts that may be offered at the moment.

Hello all, this will be a work in progress for a continuation of Wasper's awesome budget quick picks.

These are different budget gaming computers from both Intel and AMD in incremental steps of $100. They are focused on mult-GPU when the budget is big enough, with a single card alternative most of the time. For parts that don't affect the performance of the system as much as the CPU/GPU/Motherboard (DVD/Case/Memory/Hard Drive/PSU), I've chosen parts that will work great and are compatible but are not nearly as high-end as the core three parts. If interested in spending a bit more on hard drive space, different style case, larger PSU, more or different memory, then all you have to do is take this increase into account when looking through the different budgets.

If you are trying to decide between a single or multi-GPU set up, just take into consideration that it is not uncommon for multi-GPU systems to be less stable than just having one GPU. If you are looking for fewer headaches with your build, I recommend getting a single GPU.

Intel's Core i7 is a new and different beast. It is a new socket since LGA 775 and requires DDR3, preferably in triple channel now. The CPUs are all quad core, and the cheapest is $300. Needless to say, this platform is for the person that has a large budget. A base budget of atleast $1000 is recommended if wishing to venture into i7 territory. Check out the i7 builds below after the AMD/Intel Budget builds.

These picks are just the tower with no Operating System, and at the bottom are accessory combinations with monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers/OS.

Make sure the OS that you choose is able to utilize all of the memory you're purchasing. If your system has more than 3GB, generally you'll want to have a 64-bit OS to properly use all the memory, however, a 64-bit OS is also perfectly fine for use with less than 3GB of memory.

Interested in overclocking? Make sure to look into after market heatsink/fan products. Make sure to check compatibility with the motherboard socket you are using. Here are some of the more popular ones for sockets LGA 775 and AM2+.

Note: All of these builds will be using Newegg's pricing. People are free to change parts and buy search at other sites, but these are just nice reference builds and ones that might give ideas to people who aren't sure where yet to start.

 

Just for fun, here is a very nice home computer build. This system will not be a great performer in the gaming arena as it uses onboard graphics. Add on my cheapest accessories bundle for a quality, cheap, family computer build.

<$400 Budget Home Use Computer (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$50 Power Suppy Unit (~400W)

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+ 780G mATX AMD Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel Memory

~$80 AMD CPU

This can be an Intel machine with this Motherboard and CPU.

 

 

$500 Budget (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+ AMD 770 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel Memory

~$80 AMD CPU

One of these GPUs:

~$100 NVIDIA 9800GT Video Card

~$100 ATI HD 4770 Video Card

 

 

$500 Budget (Intel)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3LR Intel P45 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel Memory

Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

One of these GPUs:

~$100 NVIDIA 9800GT Video Card

~$100 ATI HD 4770 Video Card

 

 

~$600 Budget (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 770 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz AM3 Processor

One of these video cards:

~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

 

~$600 Budget (Intel)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3LR Intel P45 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel Memory

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor

One of these video cards:

~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

 

~$700 Budget (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 770 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz AM3 BE Processor

One of these video cards:

~$175 ATI HD 4870 512MB Video Card

~$175 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

 

 

~$700 Budget (Intel)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3LR Intel P45 Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel Memory

~$170 Intel CPU

One of these video cards:

~$175 ATI HD 4870 512MB Video Card

~$175 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

 

~$800 Budget (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 790X Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz AM3 BE Processor

One of these video cards:

~$200 ATI HD 4870 1GB Video Card

~$200 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

 

 

~$800 Budget (Intel)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard

~$170 Intel CPU

One of these video cards:

~$200 ATI HD 4870 1GB Video Card

~$200 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

 

 

~$900 Budget (AMD) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 790X Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz AM3 Quad-Core Processor

2 X ~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

or

~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum AM2+ nForce 750a ATX Motherboard *

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0GHz AM2+ Quad-Core BE Processor

2 X ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

or

~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

*Motherboards need latest BIOS updated by AM2 CPU to support Phenom II. Check manufacturer website for details.

 

 

~$900 Budget (Intel) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$100 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

~$200 Intel CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard

2 X ~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

or

~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

EVGA NVIDIA 750i FTW SLI Intel Motherboard

2 X ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

or

~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

 

 

~$1000 Budget ( AMD ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 790FX Motherboard

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz AM3 Quad-Core Processor

2 X ~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

or

~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

ASUS M4N82 Deluxe AM2+ nForce 980a SLI Motherboard

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0GHz AM2+ Quad-Core BE Processor

2 X ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

or

~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

 

 

~$1000 Budget ( Intel ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

~$200 Intel CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard

2 X ~$130 ATI HD 4850 Video Card

or

~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

EVGA NVIDIA 750i FTW SLI Intel Motherboard

2 X ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

or

~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

 

 

~$1100 Budget ( AMD ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz AM2+ Quad-Core Processor

For Crossfire-X capability:

Foxconn A79A-S AM2+ AMD 790FX Motherboard *

2 X ~$200 ATI HD 4870 1GB Video Card

or

~$430 ATI HD 4870 X2 Video Card

For SLI:

MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum AM2+ nForce 750a ATX Motherboard *

2 X ~$180 NVIDIA GTX 260-216 Video Card

or

~$350 NVIDIA GTX 285 Video Card

*Motherboards need latest BIOS updated by AM2 CPU to support Phenom II. Check manufacturer website for details.

 

~$1100 Budget ( Intel ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

~$200 Intel CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard

2 X ~$200 ATI HD 4870 1GB Video Card

or

~$430 ATI HD 4870 X2 Video Card

For SLI capability:

ASUS P5N-D NVIDIA 750i SLI Intel Motherboard

2 X ~$180 NVIDIA GTX 260-216 Video Card

or

~$350 NVIDIA GTX 285 Video Card

 

~$1200 Budget ( AMD ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0GHz AM2+ BE Processor

For Crossfire-X:

Foxconn A79A-S AM2+ AMD 790FX Motherboard *

2 X ~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI:

ASRock K10N780SLIX3-WiFi AM2+ nForce 780a SLI Motherboard *

2 X ~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

*Motherboards need latest BIOS updated by AM2 CPU to support Phenom II. Check manufacturer website for details.

 

~$1200 Budget (Intel) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

~$200 Intel CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard

2 X ~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

EVGA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX Motherboard

2 X ~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

 

~$1300 Budget (AMD) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$130 Hard Drive (1TB) w/ 32MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0GHz AM2+ BE Processor

For Crossfire-X:

Foxconn A79A-S AM2+ AMD 790FX Motherboard *

2 X ~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI:

ASRock K10N780SLIX3-WiFi AM2+ nForce 780a SLI Motherboard *

2 X ~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

*Motherboards need latest BIOS updated by AM2 CPU to support Phenom II. Check manufacturer website for details.

 

~$1300 Budget ( Intel ) ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$130 Hard Drive (1TB) w/ 32MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$60 Memory Kit (2x2GB of DDR2-1066)

~$260 Intel CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

DFI LP DK X38-T2RB LGA 775 X38 Intel Motherboard

2 X ~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-TR LGA 775 nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard

2 X ~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

 

 

Intel Core i7 Builds

~$1000 Budget Core i7

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

OCZ 3 x 1GB DDR3 1333 Memory

~$200 Intel X58 Motherboard

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Processor

One of these video card(s):

~$200 ATI HD 4870 1GB Video Card

~$200 NVIDIA GTX 260-216 Video Card

~$1250 Budget Core i7

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$65 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

OCZ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

~$250 Intel X58 Motherboard

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Processor

One of these video card(s):

~$350 NVIDIA GTX 285 Video Card

~$275 ATI HD 4850 X2 2GB Video Card*

Extremely long, contact case manufacturer for details.

 

 

~$1500 Budget Core i7 ( SLI / Crossfire )

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$75 Hard Drive (640GB-750GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

OCZ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1333 Memory

EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 X58 Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Processor

One of these video card(s):

2 X ~$250 ATI HD 4890 1GB Video Card

~$440 ATI HD 4870 X2 Video Card

2 X ~$260 NVIDIA GTX 275 Video Card

~$500 NVIDIA GTX 295 Video Card

 

Accessory Bundles ( Operating system/Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers )

Tack these prices onto any of the builds above to get an idea of what a whole system would cost you. These are just to give you an idea, and the prices are grabbed directly from Newegg.

 

~$300 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

Hanns·G 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech X-240 25 Watts 2.1 Speaker

Logitech Desktop EX110 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

 

~$300 Tight Budget Bundle ( Wired )

Hanns·G 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech X-240 25 Watts 2.1 Speaker

Microsoft Keyboard & Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

 

 

~$350 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

Hanns·G 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 Speakers

Microsoft Wireless Laser 5000 Keyboard & Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

 

 

~$350 Budget Bundle ( Wired )

Hanns·G 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 Speakers

Microsoft Comfort Keyboard 2000

Logitech RX1000 Wired Laser Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

 

 

~$400 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

ASUS VH226H 21.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech Z-4 40 watts 2.1 Speaker

Logitech LX310 Keyboard & Laser Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

 

 

~$400 Budget Bundle ( Wired )

ASUS VH226H 21.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech Z-4 40 watts 2.1 Speaker

Microsoft Wired Keyboard 2000

Logitech MX518 Wired Optical Mouse

OS:

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- uses 4GB of RAM

or

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit DVD ( or Windows XP/Linux )

rello

I suggest going to his thread to get all the links to all the items on the newegg website.

Brif

I just bought my first rig off Newegg and I bought most of the parts he recommended just from speculation.

Cleffy

I like how balanced those rigs are.  One thing I notice is that they aren't concentrated on the best CPU possible which is a good thought.  Alot of builds make the mistake of concentrating on 1 aspect without taking into consideration all the parts.

I would personally drop Intel unless its a Corei7 right now.  Just my preference.  I am sure its possible to replace the $1200+ builds with a core i7.