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[Ampersand]

In general, if you want to keep your prices low, here are the manufacturers you should be looking at.

AMD - CPUs
ATI  - Video Card
SimpleTech(brand of Hitachi) - Harddrive

For motherboards, just get one with a socket that fits the CPU, but avoid ECS like the plague. They're disposable motherboards, cheap and not very good.

With 500 american dollars, you can get a fairly decent rig.

[KaelGotDwarves]

Okay so... I went a little overboard. $600

Let's just say including shipping, and if you live in a state like CA/NY where you get fucked for sales tax (what state do you live in?) and a GREAT monitor...

I built you a computer that runs crysis on medium/high, for $600.

Yeah, I need to know more specific info from you, but I'm trimming things off as I type this. I don't think you need that sort of power. If you can acquire a used monitor for cheap or from somewhere else, that'll save you $120+.

[Zironic]

If you live in the US, got $500, and access to a credit card, you can build an AMAZING computer for $500 as long as you have the basics already.

Having Frys or Microcenter close by helps too. let me see...

I can run up a build on newegg if you ask/need me to.

Heck, adding to my old computer, I spent less than $460 on my i7 gear.

If you understand what you are doing. Currently, I'd need to upgrade my video card if I want to upgrade my cpu - because my current cpu is agp. All new stuff is not - in any way. So I'd need to basically get a whole new computer. Which for 500 dollars, now days, is like the perfect gaming rig of last year.

[Magnnus]

Okay so... I went a little overboard. $600

Let's just say including shipping, and if you live in a state like CA/NY where you get fucked for sales tax (what state do you live in?) and a GREAT monitor...

I built you a computer that runs crysis on medium/high, for $600.

Yeah, I need to know more specific info from you, but I'm trimming things off as I type this. I don't think you need that sort of power. If you can acquire a used monitor for cheap or from somewhere else, that'll save you $120+.

That sounds fantastic, thank you very much. Where can I see it?

I may be able to use an old monitor, I'm just not sure if my family will need it. It's a good monitor also.

I live in Massachusetts by the way.

[KaelGotDwarves]

BWAHAHAHA it runs crysis. See attached spoiler. No monitor, but you can get one for $120ish, small monitors for $100. I plugged in a MA zip code so that's shipping included.

Anyhow, if you invest slightly more money, you can get a better CPU that's more overclockable, but the problem is stock cooling is never that good. meh. I hear AMD's stock coolers are far better than intel's though. If you want to make it even better by investing slightly more, let me know and I can suggest other parts.

As a general rule nowadays, intel and nvidia has the best higher end stuff, but because they're much more popular than AMD/ATI they charge a price premium, so going AMD/ATI route allows us to build a great computer for cheaper.

I picked an odd choice of motherboard, a cheap decent one which also has on-board video. Onboard video generally sucks, but as you said you wanted a cheap build, this means you could lose the $100 graphics card and this computer would have still worked for basic (old) 3d games/2d games while working perfectly for normal computer usage/web/video. $400 build. The board also has 1 pci-E x16 slot for your graphics card.

I went with a decent PSU, because most people don't realize it, besides motherboard, the power supply unit is the most important part of the computer. It directs power where a fuck up could mean frying your computer or even causing case fires/explosions (in the case of Rosewill PSUs) This one should suit your needs while being reliable. It isn't an overclocking monster like the Corsair TX650w. More important than wattage is brand (reliability/reading reviews), and ampage to the 12v (stability to CPU). Most people also don't realize this. Never buy a PSU with LEDs in them as i've seen those explode. hurr the benefits of working in a tech store, see all the stupid shit.

Quad core is overrated/pricier right now unless you plan on using applications which fully utilize it. Video editing, games like GTA4/ArmA2 which are CPU eaters, server/multitasking, so I just skipped it and went for a fast dual core. It'll run DF better anyhow

www.newegg.com

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Building a computer for the first time isn't that bad. Just have access to internet for info, build on a table or floor with no static (no carpet), wear plastic gloves, it's like playing legos with parts worth a hundred bucks.

Good luck!

[Magnnus]

That looks awesome, but I'm unfamiliar with some of those parts. How does it compare to the laptop that I linked to? We're trying to build one that's just as good. Also, you mentioned that the motherboard is kinda cheap, of course we're on a budget, but we still want a good computer. Would that motherboard hold it back at all?

[KaelGotDwarves]

It's hard to compare intel/AMD, but the base clock speed is about .5 ghz faster on the one I suggested. Take that as you will.

Double the space memory wise on the harddrive, video card is no contest. You can't really run 3d games well on integrated graphics solutions. An ATI 4850HD is the best value for that much money at this time. It can run most current games and other 3d programs on high (depending on resolution).

RAM is faster as well, 4 gigs 1066 mhz versus 4 gigs 800 mhz.

Overall it's a much better build for less. Remember that what you get when you play for a laptop is mainly portability in design, not just parts, so it isn't a fair comparison.

A better one would be to look up HP/Dell desktops at that price. As a general rule, if you have access to OS and a few other parts, it's much better to build your own. Quality for less $$$

[Magnnus]

I just edited my post as you responded... Anyway...

Also, you mentioned that the motherboard is kinda cheap, of course we're on a budget, but we still want a good computer. Would that motherboard hold it back at all?

[KaelGotDwarves]

It's a good motherboard for the price. You don't have any need for a crossfire/SLI setup for hardcore gaming/3d rendering, so we can forgo usage of a motherboard with 2 pci E x16 slots which are typically more expensive. You're not buying a second graphics card anyhow. Also it helps that AMD motherboards are generally also cheaper than their intel counterparts.

Gigabyte is a respectable brand and overclocks well. I own one

[Magnnus]

Just thought of something, I don't see a soundcard on your components list. Does that mean that it has an onboard soundcard, and if so is it decent or would to suggest an upgrade if budget allows.

[KaelGotDwarves]

Onboard sound has progressed to the point that you don't need a sound card unless you are an audiophile and use $500 headphones (or plug a badass system into it) anyhow.

Give a few years before onboard graphics reach that point.

[Magnnus]

Onboard sound has progressed to the point that you don't need a sound card unless you are an audiophile and use $500 headphones (or plug a badass system into it) anyhow.

Give a few years before onboard graphics reach that point.

As it so happens I am an audiophile, and although my headphones aren't 500 dollars they are quite pricey. Luckily however this computer is for my girlfriend not me, and she won't need audiophile quality.

I think that's everything I need to know. Thank for all the great help, and I'm looking forward to seeing this bad-ass $500 computer in action.

[userpay]

I'm curious, based on the set up you gave with onboard sound would it support headsets? I could use a new computer and based on the info given that setup looks good but for whatever reason my comp doesnt like the mics on headsets (or at least the jack ones) and I'd be irritated if i were to get a new comp and the mic portion still doesnt work.

[Darkone]

As said before, if you have certain parts, you can build a monster rig for 300-500$. I would suggest against getting a 'cheap' brand of harddrive or graphics card, as that tends to bite you in the ass. WD is great, high quality stuff. As for ATI graphics, SAPPHIRE has very good quality, and tend to use higher end fans even on their cheaper cards, Although I will point out that the 4850 you linked is running the same fan and 'sink as my 4830. DO NOT FORGET PASTE. The stuff that comes with the stock sink is crap. 15-20$ more will get you an HD4870.

As for heatsinks and crud, if you feel up to it, lapping your heatsink and processor gets better results than buying a high end cooler. Also, if you can find it cheap elsewhere, the ASROCK A780 FullHD is a great little motherboard which I got for about 50$. High quality, and has lots of tasty OC ability from what I've heard.

[Magnnus]

A tech geek that I met came up with an alternative setup.

Unfortunately I don't know how to show the email he sent me with the setup. Anyone want to enlighten me?

This is the best I can do:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Cart Item List:

Qty.   Product Description   Savings   Total Price
1   

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B

Sony Optiarc DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B
Item #:N82E16827118030
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
      $29.99
1   

Rosewill R363-M-BK Black Ultra High Gloss Finished MicroATX Computer Case with 400W ATX 2.2 12V Power Supply

Rosewill R363-M-BK Black Ultra High Gloss Finished Computer Case
Item #:N82E16811147099
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
   -$15.00 Instant
   $64.99
$49.99
1   

Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Item #:N82E16822136358
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
      $54.99
1   

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820227289
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
   -$4.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
   $71.99
$67.99
1   

POWERCOLOR AX4870 512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

POWERCOLOR Radeon HD 4870 AX4870 512MD5 Video Card
Item #:N82E16814131140
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
   $10.00 Mail-in Rebate
   $126.99
1   

Rosewill RCX-TC060 Thermal Compound

Rosewill RCX-TC060 Thermal Compound
Item #:N82E16835200052
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
   -$5.00 Instant
   $14.99
$9.99
1   

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor
Item #:N82E16819103680
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
      $102.00
1   

BIOSTAR A785GE AM2+/AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

BIOSTAR A785GE Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813138156
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
      $69.99
Grand Total:   $511.93