Gaming PC Build Recipe:
| Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 450 | Motherboard: MSI AM3 870A-G54 motherboard |
| Graphics Card: MSI ATI Radeon HD6670 | RAM: Crucial 4GB 2GBx2 240-pin DDR3 |
| Hard Drive: Western Digital 500 GB | Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt |
| Computer Case: Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Case | Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD±RW Drive |
| Estimated Price: $ 498 |
September’s Gaming PC Build ( < $500 ) Overview:
The September 2011 (< $500) Gaming PC has had a few changes such as the upgrade to the AMD Athlon X3 455 Processor since there was a slight drop from the AMD 450 which can be a slight performance boost; a switch of motherboard to the MSI AM3 870A-G54 motherboard due to the quality for price value of this board (this board is very future proof); and the switch to the Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Case because of its significant price drop this month as well as it being a very good gaming computer case (great cooling and expansions).
Note* All of the products below link back to the Newb Computer Build aStore, an affiliate store linked to Amazon. If you have any questions or hesitations please let me know. Any purchases of these products are done so through Amazon.com.
The Gaming PC Hardware: Overview
AMD Ahtlon II X3 455 Processor
Last month we used the AMD Athlon II X3 450 since it is one the best entry level gaming CPUs out there, however this month prices have dropped slightly and so one upping the 450 to the 455 is well worth it. The AMD Athlon X3 455 Processor comes in at 3.3 GHz, and a 1.5MB Cache.
MSI AM3 USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s 870 Chipset AMD Motherboard 870A-G54
Last month we used the MSI AM3 NVIDIA nForce ATX AMD Motherboard as it was loaded for its price range, however this month we have switched over to the MSI AM3 870A-G54 motherboard as this is a fantastic AMD AM3 board for ~$94 with great reviews. It can support up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, has loss-less 24-bit Audio / 7.1 Channel HD Audio, USB 3.0, and SATA 6GB/s
MSI ATI Radeon HD6670
The MSI ATI Radeon HD6670 graphics card was also used in last months build, but it is still the best in its price range and quality. The Radeon HD6670 is a great entry level gaming PC graphics card with a Video Memory: 1GB DDR5 Memory Clock: 4000 MHz, Memory Interface: 128-bit Bus: PCI-Express 2.1 x16 RAMDAC: 400 MHz, Max. Resolution: 2560 x 1600 Connectors: VGA; DVI; HDMI Thermal: Fansink(Dual PWM Fans), Support Microsoft Windows 7 Support ATI CrossFireX Technology, and Support AMD Stream Technology Support Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Crucial 4GB 2GBx2 240-pin DDR3 RAM
The Crucial 4GB 2GBx2 240-pin DDR3 is a basic 2x 2GB RAM stick totaling 4GB of RAM with a DDR3 PC3-10600 memory type. 4GB of DDR3 has gotten so cheap, and you cannot go wrong with a reputable company like Crucial.
Western Digital 500 GB Hard Drive
The Western Digital 500 GB is a great starting hard drive for any gamer. For one: Western Digital is a very reputable hard drive manufacturer, and Two: 500 GB is a good place to start in term of space to store all your games and software. If you need more in the future, then all you need to do is get more! These Western Digital hard drives are SATA, 7200 RPM speeds, 16MB buffer size, come with a fantastic 3 year warranty, and have great consumer reviews.
Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt Power Supply Unit
The Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt power supply has more than enough juice to power this entry level gaming PC, and Corsair has always been a great power supply company. This PSU could last you even into your next PC build if you wanted it to!
Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Computer Case
The Cooler Master Elite Mid Tower Case was the very affordable Mid Tower ATX computer case we used last month, but this month I chose the Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Case, not only because it has dropped in price by about $15, but because it has great air flow / efficient heat removal & isolation (including 120mm Blue LED rear exhaust fan with ability to upgrade up to 4 more fans), tons of expansion (10 drive bays (4 x 5.25″ ODD bays, 1 front accessible 3.5″ bay, 4 internal 3.5″ HDD bay, and looks really cool.
Asus 24x DVD±RW Optical Drive
The Asus 24x DVD±RW Drive is your basic DVD drive that will support all of your CD/DVD media and comes at a decent cost, and good consumer reviews. Beyond this the only upgrade worth doing is a Blu-Ray drive. Its getting to the point where optical drives (DVD / CD etc.) will become obsolete as software is becoming increasingly downloadable, however its probably best to still install your OS etc. via DVD.
Conclusion:
If you ever have any questions please do not hesitate to leave a comment or message me. As well, if you have any other suggestions for hardware that would fit into this September 2011 Gaming build of the month, then let me know via comment!
Check out the Other September 2011 Gaming Builds:
- Gaming PC Build of the Month (< $500 ): September 2011
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ($500-$1000 ): September 2011
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ($1000-$1500): September 2011