Budget i3 Game Machine

[Thund3rball]

I have to update my friends machine that I built some years ago (AMD 64x2/7900GS). I haven't built in a long time and am not up to date with the latest stuff. He is looking to spend maybe $500-$600 on new parts. Here is what I can salvage from his current machine.

• PSU (OCZ 550W)
• DVD
• SATA HDD (Question: Is an SATA 6G slot compatible with an older SATA HDD?)
• Generic Case

I have my eye on these new components and need help with Ram selection. I was thinking 4GB or 8GB if it's cheap. I am also open to other component suggestions if you have them.

NCIX Core i3 Gaming Bundle - $200
NCIX Bundle Deal Intel Core i3 3220 Dual Core CPU & ASUS P8B75-M LE Motherboard

Asus GTX 660 OC - $230 w/rebates
ASUS GeForce GTX 660 OC DirectCU 1020MHZ 2GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card

Thanks for your help gearheads.

[great_big_abyss]

Looks like a good bundle for the motherboard/processor.

Pick up 8GB of 1600Mhz DDR3 RAM. Something like this would work.

Instead of the GTX660 that you posted, may I point you towards the Powercolor Radeon PCS+ HD7870 Tahiti LE for $249.99, $219.99 after rebates.

Instead of being a regular 7870, it's actually a 7950 with a quarter of the GCN modules disabled, and 2GB of memory instead of 3GB. Either way, it will be quite a bit faster than a GTX660, and you'll get two free AAA titles: Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider.

[Thund3rball]

Oooo that ram looks fancy! And a good price too. Thanks.

That ATI card sounds great and the games are a huge draw for me, but I am a bit hesitant about an ATI card just because I am used to the green team, and I am usually also tech support for my buddy, know what I mean?

But I will keep it in mind. Thanks for the suggestion.

[great_big_abyss]

Originally Posted by Thund3rball

Oooo that ram looks fancy! And a good price too. Thanks.

That ATI card sounds great and the games are a huge draw for me, but I am a bit hesitant about an ATI card just because I am used to the green team, and I am usually also tech support for my buddy, know what I mean?

But I will keep it in mind. Thanks for the suggestion.

Honestly, both AMD and Nvidia are in real good places right now. I would probably give the edge to AMD with their gaming bundles, especially since they revamped their drivers. I'd have no problem going with either one.

Typically, for the price in the lower range, AMD is holding a commanding lead. Especially with this Tahiti LE chip that they have. I don't think that can be beaten, bang for the buck.

[Thund3rball]

I will keep that Red card in mind. Probably going to order parts within a day or two. I like the boosted performance even if my buddy doesn't really care too much. He plays a lot of strategy games but not necessarily new ones, lol.

Is there any issue with an older SATA drive and a new SATA 6G slot on this MB? Might be a dumb question but I'd just like to know before I order parts.

[Bond007]

You are good to go with your chosen parts. The mentioned 7870 will be faster, and does include the free games (worth a bit if they are games that are of interest). The only down side to that 7870 is a bit more power consumption. There is definitely a bang for buck advantage on the red team in that price range, but there isn't anything wrong with the 660 either. Your call. 8gb 1600mhz is what I would recommend as well (its pretty much that standard right now).

[LHN91]

Shouldn't have any problem with the older SATA hard drive on a newer board. Just bear in mind that the drive will be fairly slow compared to even newer mechanical drives, let alone SSDs.

EDIT: Aside from that, that board only has 1 6Gbps port, the others are standard 3gbps ports. So even less chance of issues, just use a 3gbps port. The drive won't need to be used on the 6gbps port as it won't take advantage of the extra bandwidth anyways.

[Thund3rball]

Great news, thanks everyone. I am going to go for these parts and the 7870 too. Thanks again for all your help guys.

[Thund3rball]

Wow I ordered this morning and I got a Shipped email confirmation early afternoon. Now I am kinda excited for these new parts. I haven't been able to build anything for a really long time. I can't wait to load up some Tomb Raider on that 7870 Muah ha ha ha ha! I guess I actually have to give this to him, right?

[SolidCree]

Patriot Viper 3 8GB 2X4GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V Dual Channel Memory Kit - Venom Red on ncix.com

have these working on a AMD FX processor works fine and no trouble installing them Just enough space under the Evo 212 evo CPU cooler, never thought of the height between cpu fan overhang and ram lucky for me it came together

(noticed Back order label) scratch that