Need help finding parts for new PC build ($500 budget)

intelguy77

New Member
Messages
6
I figured I might as well come to the experts here at EightForums for some expert guidance and support on finding parts for my new PC build. I'm working with a budget of $500. I've looked at Newegg and Amazon, trying to find the best deals, but I'm pretty lost as to what grounds to start on. I'd like to be able to run Windows 7 64-bit and play recent games like Diablo III and DotA 2 at max or recommended settings with no issues. I am excluding monitor, sound system, keyboard, and mouse from this build because I already have each of those items.

So, can someone help me find parts at a good price? :) So far I only know what case I want, which is this one here:
COUGAR Orange Challenger Black Steel ATX Computer Case with 12cm COUGAR TURBINE HYPER-SPIN Bearing Silent Fans and 20cm LED Fan - Newegg.com

I still need: Mother board, HDD, PSU, Graphics card, Processor, RAM... Am I missing anything else? I think that's it.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
That case would take a pretty big chunk from your budget as it's only $500 and the case is $74, mind if I change it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Asus z87-Pro
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (Dual Channel) (1866)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 290x
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ASUS MX279H Black 27" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 256 GB SSD (old ssd failed), Seagate external 3tb, & Seagate barracuda 1tb
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i ATX PSU
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750d
    Cooling
    Black Ice Gtx 240
    Keyboard
    Ducky Shine 3
    Mouse
    Corsair M95
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton 2014
    Other Info
    PC used mostly for home theater and gaming.
Go ahead :) What do you have in mind?

I'll put the best thing I can together and post the list here when i'm finished. :thumb:

So Dota 2 and Diablo lll, any other games you might play in the future?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Asus z87-Pro
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (Dual Channel) (1866)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 290x
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ASUS MX279H Black 27" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 256 GB SSD (old ssd failed), Seagate external 3tb, & Seagate barracuda 1tb
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i ATX PSU
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750d
    Cooling
    Black Ice Gtx 240
    Keyboard
    Ducky Shine 3
    Mouse
    Corsair M95
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton 2014
    Other Info
    PC used mostly for home theater and gaming.
Am I missing anything else? I think that's it.

Do you have a licence for Windows 7? I paid €360 (just over USD 500) for windows 7 Ultimate. That is your whole budget right there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
You haven't indicated your country. If you have $500 then buy last years model on ebay or craigslist or whatever you have in your country. Then upgrade your GPU. CPU doesn't matter much (find an i5 if you can). RAM is cheap. Spending 20% of your budget on a case is madness.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
Go ahead :) What do you have in mind?

I'll put the best thing I can together and post the list here when i'm finished. :thumb:

So Dota 2 and Diablo lll, any other games you might play in the future?
Okay, sounds good.

Um, another game I like to play is Path of Exile.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

I came up with that, using an APU is perfect for your budget as it has the GPU already inside it for a good price. That APU will run all three of those games on max perfectly with no lag, I assumed you had an OS already so I didn't add that and lastly I threw in an optical drive, if you don't need the optical drive you can take it out and get the case you wanted.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Asus z87-Pro
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (Dual Channel) (1866)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 290x
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ASUS MX279H Black 27" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 256 GB SSD (old ssd failed), Seagate external 3tb, & Seagate barracuda 1tb
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i ATX PSU
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750d
    Cooling
    Black Ice Gtx 240
    Keyboard
    Ducky Shine 3
    Mouse
    Corsair M95
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton 2014
    Other Info
    PC used mostly for home theater and gaming.
I'll put the best thing I can together and post the list here when i'm finished. :thumb:

So Dota 2 and Diablo lll, any other games you might play in the future?
Okay, sounds good.

Um, another game I like to play is Path of Exile.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

I came up with that, using an APU is perfect for your budget as it has the GPU already inside it for a good price. That APU will run all three of those games on max perfectly with no lag, I assumed you had an OS already so I didn't add that and lastly I threw in an optical drive, if you don't need the optical drive you can take it out and get the case you wanted.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

Wow, good build. Thank you so much. This is near perfect. But I wanted to suggest something. I was looking to use a modular PSU to try and eliminate excess chords and wires. Could I swap the PSU you suggested with this one?
CORSAIR CXM series CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Also, I was looking at mother boards too while you were coming up with that build. Do you prefer the mother board you chose over this one?
Newegg.com - ASUS A55BM-E FM2+ / FM2 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Wow, good build. Thank you so much. This is near perfect. But I wanted to suggest something. I was looking to use a modular PSU to try and eliminate excess chords and wires. Could I swap the PSU you suggested with this one?
CORSAIR CXM series CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Also, I was looking at mother boards too while you were coming up with that build. Do you prefer the mother board you chose over this one?
Newegg.com - ASUS A55BM-E FM2+ / FM2 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

If you can afford that PSU, yes I would suggest getting it. The motherboard I added is a bit more advanced for only a few dollars more so I would get mine if I were you. Good luck with your new PC build, you wont be disappointed. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Asus z87-Pro
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (Dual Channel) (1866)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 290x
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ASUS MX279H Black 27" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 256 GB SSD (old ssd failed), Seagate external 3tb, & Seagate barracuda 1tb
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i ATX PSU
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750d
    Cooling
    Black Ice Gtx 240
    Keyboard
    Ducky Shine 3
    Mouse
    Corsair M95
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton 2014
    Other Info
    PC used mostly for home theater and gaming.
Wow, good build. Thank you so much. This is near perfect. But I wanted to suggest something. I was looking to use a modular PSU to try and eliminate excess chords and wires. Could I swap the PSU you suggested with this one?
CORSAIR CXM series CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Also, I was looking at mother boards too while you were coming up with that build. Do you prefer the mother board you chose over this one?
Newegg.com - ASUS A55BM-E FM2+ / FM2 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

If you can afford that PSU, yes I would suggest getting it. The motherboard I added is a bit more advanced for only a few dollars more so I would get mine if I were you. Good luck with your new PC build, you wont be disappointed. :)

Does the PSU I showed you have enough ports? It's got 4 ports.

And, thanks again. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Does the PSU I showed you have enough ports? It's got 4 ports.

And, thanks again. :)

Good thing you mentioned that, they gave you all the cables for the ports and you wont need the PCI cables unless you add a GPU on to your build, so you'll actually have 1 or 2 extras. However I did notice that the 8 Pin connected to the PSU cannot be split into double 4 pin connectors and the motherboard takes a 4 pin :eek: You might have to get the regular CX430 but that case should allow you to stuff all the unused cables behind the motherboard plate.

And no problem, I like helping people. :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Asus z87-Pro
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (Dual Channel) (1866)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 290x
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ASUS MX279H Black 27" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 256 GB SSD (old ssd failed), Seagate external 3tb, & Seagate barracuda 1tb
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i ATX PSU
    Case
    Corsair Obsidian 750d
    Cooling
    Black Ice Gtx 240
    Keyboard
    Ducky Shine 3
    Mouse
    Corsair M95
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton 2014
    Other Info
    PC used mostly for home theater and gaming.
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