The Build:
The Intel Core i3-550 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor is a great processor for the moderate gamer. It is priced fairly competitive, is highly threaded and is very versatile
The XFX Radeon HD 5770 HD-577X-ZNFC Video Cardhas been one of the top budget video cards for a while now, but thats because it rocks for its price point. Great 1920×1200 resolution in most games, and as quoted by Toms Hardware “an excellent starting point for the serious gamer”.
I find the ASRock P55 PRO/USB3 ATX Intel Motherboard a very attractive intel 1156 P55 motherboard as it does have 2 PCI Express 2.0 slots, and well a USB 3.0 port. This is very good for its $100 price tag.
In this build I included a high quality G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory, a SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
, a SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W Power Supply
, a good ASUS 24X DVD Burner – Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
, and chose the COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Computer Case
.
All parts have a set of constituent products under “Budget Yielding Alternatives” that you may feel like considering if you want to go with something a little different (especially with computer cases), or better (as in a hard drive with more space, power supply with more wattage for future use, or higher quality RAM).
Required Hardware:
| Processor: | Intel Core i3-550 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor |
$130 |
| Motherboard: | ASRock P55 PRO/USB3 ATX Intel Motherboard |
$100 |
| Graphics Card: | $135 | |
| RAM: | G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory |
$50 |
| Hard Drive: | SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive |
$65 |
| Power Supply Unit: | SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W Power Supply |
$85 |
| Optical Drive: | ASUS 24X DVD Burner – Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS |
$19 |
| Computer Case: | COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Computer Case |
$55 |
| ~SUBTOTAL (Before taxes): $633 |
Visual Representations:
*Note: I try to include parts that will be of best quality within a given bracket, so if you notice a hardware part that may be of greater value within the same price bracket as any of these hardware parts do not hesitate to notify me. I’m always looking to improve, so any critic is welcomed.
Budget Yielding Alternatives:
| Processor: | none |
RAM:
*Note: When purhcasing RAM in quantities of 2+ memory sticks, remember to check how many 240 pin memory slots are available on the memory board you are purchasing |
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory |
| Optical Drive: |
Blu-ray Optical Drives:LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray Reader SATA Model iHOS104-06 LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner – Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support |
For prices in Canadian please visit:
ca
Comments 0
It’s crazy seeing how parts are changing everyday. I also put together computer builds for my website and I recently wrote an article describing a $600 build and comparing your $600 build with mine really says a lot about the advancement of computer parts and how prices are lowering everyday. It’s quite a phenomenon that really helps with us budget builders. Good article though.
Author
Thanks Budget Builder! I checked your build out and I would reccomend it. I need to do a refresh on most of my builds, and this only further proves that 😛
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