The Build:
The AMD Athlon II X3 455 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor is the best entry level processor yet! Toms Hardware has voted this processor as the number one low level gaming CPU. This is no surprise at ~$89 for a triple core 3.3GHz processor, what more do you want? I mean…you could unlock a fourth core…?
The SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 100287VGAL Video Card is yet, wait for it…another one of Toms Hardwares picks as the Third Best for your money Graphics card for under one hundred dollars graphics cards for gaming! You can get 1680×1050 resolution for most games and 1920×1200 resolution for games with lowered graphics for most games.
The GIGABYTE GA-MA78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard is quite the motherboard for its price. At about $64 it comes with 2 memory slots for DDR3 memory (which I standard for any modern computer nowadays) , 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (for those graphics cards).
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, aSAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
, a Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous Power Supply
, a goodASUS 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: | AMD Athlon II X3 455 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor |
$89 |
| Motherboard: | GIGABYTE GA-MA78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard |
$65 |
| Graphics Card: | $80 | |
| 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 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive |
$50 |
| Power Supply Unit: | Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous Power Supply |
$70 |
| 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): $460 |
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: | AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor |
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 |