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Building a Budget Gaming PC for BF3 & ARMA ---- HELP!


Guest DTRON

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I'm a PC building n00b, but it's the most affordable option. I'm NOT looking for a future proof computer, but rather something that will handle Frostbite 2 and Arma II with medium-high settings. My rig will be cheaper than the rig shown because I already have a case w/ 500 watts PSU. Can I use any standard 500 Watt power supply or does it have to be "modular?" What do you guys think? There's no cooling solution besides fans so I prob. won't step u[p the GPU to a 6870..but it's under consideration. Annnny advice would be awesome as I'de like to get back into the gaming grind! (my previous Toshiba went to shit)



(edit) Found this GPU...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZOTAC-ZT-50303-10M-GeForce-GTX-560-Ti-Fermi-1GB-NEW-/120732756307?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item1c1c3ba953#ht_3549wt_936
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You can use any power supply... modular just means you can add/remove connectors, etc. That being said your power supply is very important with a big GPU, so make sure 500W is going to be enough power to run all your components. Also make sure your existing case has good cooling - I just bought a gtx 570 last month and I've had to basically replace my case (case was a piece of shit anyway) and fans to keep it running at a decent temp.

Seems like a great price for that 560..I paid almost $400 for my 570.
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Cyberpowerpc.com is great. I'm overseas for the next year and have to build. I already have a generic universal case here with 500w PSU. Cooling might have to be jimmied fans since it's hot as fuck down here. I'm leaning towards a Radeon 6870 for electricity sakes. They recommend at least 500W for the 560 ti...should be enough but I notice most new builds have 750w.
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Geezus! Those pc from cyberpowerpc.com are extremely cheap! In switzerland, a 600$ computer with all the same Hardware costs over 1'500 CHF and more (~1400$)! Im gonna ship a computer to switzerland next year! Seriously!
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Make sure the PSU has the correct amp/watt rating on the rail for the video card.

The card you chose should be fed about 24amps ON ONE RAIL on a 400w+ PSU for a bare minimum system.

btw, that card is on sale for $135 on the EVGA website.

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=01G-P3-1557-KR&family=GeForce 500 Series Family&sw=

I have to logoff soon. If you give me a day or so I'll look it over and make a recommendation. General rule tho is if going AMD then choose a Radeon card. I recomend a factory Radeon card and not a knockoff. But EVGA is a great company and my choice if going with an nVidia.
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Some info on video cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935.html

My brother had issues with that model MSI board. Your CPU pick is very good. For video I'd go Radeon 6950.

My pick has the latest chipset. Just double check the ram compatability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131754
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I agree - two things on your PC will die at some point - power supplies and hard drives. Power supplies usually die for 2 reasons:

1 - heat issues (improper case cooling, PSU fan dies, etc)
2 - no UPS or other power protection used between wall outlet and PC
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Great news my bidget's increased a bit allowng a new power supply and a little more. I'm still in build limbo...I'm on the fence on almost all components. Toms hardware just released guide for building on a budget. It recommends an i3 dual core + sandybridge over the Phenom II 955 Quad core (SAME PRICE.) Being in Nicaragua I can't rely on OCing much for now and I don't expect to buy coolers. I'm going for the gtx 560 ti over HD 8970 as well. What's the best cpu+mobo combo for $220 or less? Any other suggestions..every day I wait to buy...well is another day I can't game! :D
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DTRON, I love everything in that pic but the HDD.
As you may know, I'm a big advocate of RAID and faster hard drives for true gaming performance.

Remeber, bottlenecks. If you have a great GFX card, RAM, MB and CPU, you want your HDD to load the data to them as fast as they can perform. I worry that the 8MB buffer on that one drive will be your bottleneck, preventing you from seeing the full potential performance of the above named parts.

I highly recommend Seagate Barracuda's. The 500GB w/16MB buffer is only $56. I use 2 in RAID-0. That way, it reads twice as fast, and has 2 16MB buffers to assist in that data transfer.

I have a 6790, an older AMD Phenom X4, and 8GB DDR3. I tried this config with one 1TB Barracuda w/32MB buffer and then with 2 500GB w/16MB buffers (in RAID-0). The RAID configuration was at least 3 times faster. So, I returned the 1TB drive to Best Buy and I'm happily getting a solid 75FPS in ArmA 2(not in the desert, but in action with smoke and explosions).

To conclude:

If you can only afford one now, just know you can add a second later and reinstall everything. You can also do this with your GFX card, someday when affordable, if you have the power and cooling. I believe PITN uses 2 GFX cards on an "older" system, and that make it possible to keep up with modern game demands.
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http://www.staples.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Computer-Case/product_729953?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-Shopping-_-Technology%3EPc_Components-_-729953-153003&cid=CSE:GoogleBase:Technology:Pc_Components:729953:153003

Here's a good example of a standard ATX case with good airflow, and filtered intake with a decent price tag. Might wanna shop around, though.
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First, thanks everyone for their help and input. I found a nice case here with a 120mm fan on the side. Spot for 1-2 on the back and I was considering putting some fans on top. For now it's the waiting game for shipping. Can't wait to join you guys on the battlefields.
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