Budget Gaming Build/Upgrade

[jim]

I've got a few parts sitting around, need to put a semi-decent PC together with them . Ideally, I would like it to play CoD4:MW/BF:BC2, something of that ilk, at 1440x900 comfortably, without having to turn all the settings right down.

£200 is probably my maximum, less than that would be best though. I'll buy Windows 7 outside of that, so no need to budget for it.

Parts:

AMD Athlon X2 5000+ (fairly sure it's the new Phenom-based version)
2*512MB Crucial 667MHz DDR2
Asus M2N SLI
Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H uATX
FSP 280W PSU (no connectors beyond molex though)

Peripherals:

HP w19 1440x900 Monitor
Gigabyte mouse

So as far as I can gather, I'll need a case, graphics card, hard drive, cooler (if I don't use stock), fans, keyboard , plus any upgrades to the above that would be a smart idea - almost certainly a PSU I would imagine. And anything I've forgotten

Cheers for all advice!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Is the overclocked Q9550 and HD4870X2 not cutting it any more??

I would probably look to get another 1GB of RAM TBH.

Here are some parts you may want to consider:

OCZ 400W Stealth XStream PSU ~ £30

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152505

Kingston 1GB Kit (2x512MB) DDR2 PC2-5300/667MHz ~ £25

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/91126

Coolermaster Elite 340 Black MicroATX Case ~ £29

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coole...X-Case-w-o-PSU

Sapphire HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 ~ £55

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173705

640GB Samsung HD642JJ Spinpoint F1 ~ £41

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/640GB...ache-89-ms-NCQ

The F3 500GB is out of stock at Scan and Ebuyer.

LiteOn iHDS118 18x DVD-ROM Drive ~ £9

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190715

120MM Fan X 2 ~ £2

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/63281

Logitech Deluxe 250 Black Keyboard USB ~ £7

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119298

[jim]

Is the overclocked Q9550 and HD4870X2 not cutting it any more??

We all need change every now and again

My plan is to sell off the laptop and give this to my girlfriend.

Cheers for the build, I'll have a good look through it tomorrow

[jim]

Right, almost all bought and ready to go

Grabbed 2GB of RAM from Englander on the forums so I can keep my Crucial stuff for spares, and got an RC-341 instead of the 340 since, in my girlfriend's words, the 340 is "hideous" . I don't think the 341 is much better, but hey!

Some Scythe Slipstream fans as well to keep it quiet, should be a nice little rig, especially with Windows 7 going on it.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If you have saved some money you could get a faster graphics card like an HD5670 or a 9800GT Green Edition.

[jim]

Yeah I think I will, haven't made a decision on the graphics card yet.

It's not going to get used for gaming initially, so getting a graphics card isn't essential - and as far as I'm concerned, since graphics tech moves so rapidly, the longer I can wait to buy the graphics the better really... that's the beauty of the 785G I suppose, gives me so much more flexibility

A 5 series ATI would be nice, to keep the temperatures and noise levels right down, so I'm hoping the prices will drop a bit further on the 5670 or even the 5750 before I bite...

[jim]

Working very nicely at the moment, just need to muck around with the stock cooler to get the noise levels down and perhaps experiment with ACC if it will work??

Still holding out on a graphics card, but if a good deal comes along I'll probably snap one up