Hey guys,
I see many gamers here with low end systems that either won't run modern games or run them very poorly.

I have put together, or upgraded several systems on a budget that are very capable gaming rigs.

Keep in mind that the following is based solely on my experience, and other builders will have differing opinions!!!

This is what has worked very well for me:
(I built AMD systems for years but, but now build Intel and this is the best value for performance at present .. IMO)

Check out the Intel E5200 CPU.
$69.99 shipped.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16819116072

Stock speed is 2.5 GHz, but this is basically a core 2 duo .. Wolfdale .. 45 nm core.
They can easily be overclocked to well over 3 GHz with stock cooler, and stock voltage .. and the ones I have built (or used in rebuilds) idle at 40c or less.

Check P31-P35, P43-P45 MB's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...me=Intel%20P43%2fP45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...me=Intel%20P31%2fP35

I just rebuilt 2 systems using P45's from Asus and Gigabyte.
The most recent Gigabyte was $94 shipped, but you can find cheaper boards.
Just verify that they support 45nm core.

2 GB G-Skill PC2 8500 Memory.
Around $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...%20%282%20x%201GB%29

This is all you need for a rebuild if you have a decent video card.
If you need a card, you can find several good ones in the $100 range.

Here is a GTS 250 for $104.99 after rebate with free shipping and free COD WaW game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16814130468

Other cards to consider would be 9800 series, and if you like ATI based cards, maybe a 4850 to stay in the same price range.

DON'T skimp on the video card.
You will be sorry later.

If you are building a new system, hard drives and DVD burners are cheap.
250 to 500 GB SATA 2 hard drives for under $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...me=250GB%20-%20320GB

Lots of DVD burners under $30:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...53&name=DVD%20Burner

Make sure you have a capable PSU.
That is more important than most people think and a poor quality or underpowered PSU can cause many problems.

I only use Newegg as a reference and suggest you research all components before making a decision.
I have purchased thousands of dollars of components from Newegg and they have great support.

Watch for sales and free shipping.
Also, spend time reading user reviews.
Some MB's don't overclock well.

The last rebuild was just under $200 shipped for MB, CPU, and memory!
That makes a nice low cost upgrade!
Everything was free shipping when I ordered.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16813128372
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16819116072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16820231144

This system scored 44,949 on 3D Mark 2001

3D Mark 2001 is a fun and helpful little benchtest tool for older systems.
It will also work well on newer systems but caps at 999 fps on default settings.
You can increase resolution and settings, but this free version is limited on some functions.
It is still a great tool to see if you are gaining on performance!
http://www.futuremark.com/download/3dmark2001/

The charts here might help with decision making.
http://www.tomshardware.com/ch.../Far-Cry-2,1174.html

I hope this helps if you are thinking of upgrading on a budget.

This has to be the most imformative post I have seen since I have been here. Thanks again Lethal for putting together a post that you obviosly spent a lot of time researching.

Now I know where I am going to purchase my next gaming computer (which may be soon). What is the company name Lethal? Lethal Interprizes has a nice ring. Just joking my friend. I know you do it as a hobby ( little butt kissing for a better deal).

Just keep in mind most of us are not as computer savy as yourself. I for one get scared when I remove the side panel to blow out the dust. Just to many wires and unused plugs to suit me. But to any of you with the knowlege and will power you have been offered an oportunity to put together a good gaming computer at a reasonable price. Good luck to all that go on this adventure. And please keep us posted on your headway. And if you have problems you can always bug Lethal.

Nice post Lethal 1940!

I would agree with everything and especially the part about a good graphics card and more importantly (IMO) a good PSU.... If you cheap out on a PSU then you risk blowing up your lovely new PC...

I have these lying around in my bookmarks and they could be useful for anyone looking to build (or upgrade) a PC.

This one gives 12V ampage outputs for most brands of PSU... Try to buy a Single 12V rail PSU. A litle research will soon tell you how many rails a PSU has. I just visited the manufacturer sites and looked the products up after...

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763

This next link is for a 12V calculator. You can just input your components and it'll give you a ballpark figure for how many amps of 12V you'll need to run your system. If your specific CPU isn't listed then go for the nearest one and 'overclock it' ( i.e for the unlisted AMD 6000+, just overclock a 5000+ to 3.0GHz) I guess the same goes for all the other components too, especially case fans/HD's/ DVD's etc. Remember it's just a ballapark figure! Find it here:

http://web.aanet.com.au/SnooP/psucalc.php

DISCLAIMER: I take no responsibility if anybody blows up their PC after reading this. This information is just a starting point for your own research!

Happy building!

GREAT POST!

I hate to disagree, but as far as PSus go, nowadays, it is best to get one with 2 12v rails due to the fact that video cards require so much power. You want drives and video cards on seperate rails. Also, never consider one with less than 20 amps on the 12v rail either.

PC Power & Cooling and Antec make great PSUs. The former tend to be more expensive, but they have a great reputation and solid preformance.

If the information helps anyone, it is worth the time!!
I have seen many gamers in this forum who are unable to run Vegas 2.

WhiteKnight, I have to agree with you!!
I always use PSU's with multiple 12 volt rails.

I have used many Antec's, OCZ, Thermaltake, Corsair, Cooler Master, and a few others.
I am also gaining respect for some products by Rosewill.
630 and 650 watt Rosewill PSU's have 4-12 volt rails with 20 amps on each, and you can usually find them on sale plus free shipping!
They also have active PFC and are quite heavy.

Just used this OCZ in a build, but caught it on sale plus also free shipping.
4-12 volt rails - 18 amps on each
Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16817341002

This isn't for a budget build!

You can usually tell a good PSU by weight.
If you can use it for a boat anchor, it likely is good quality.
Cheap PSU's are very light weight!

Note:
I do NOT like mail-in rebates!
Which brings me to one draw back with Newegg!
If you remove the UPC code from the box for a rebate, Newegg will no longer except the product for refund or replacement!!
You must contact the manufacturer!

Note: Note:
If you sign up for Newegg's newsletter, you will receive 2-3 sales a week with special promo codes that aren't on their web site!

Guys, respect to your opinion regarding dual 12v rails! However, I'd like to make a couple of points if I may.

My first is that nearly all (there are exceptions I know) 'dual' 12v rail PSU's are really single 12V rail models that have been 'split'. That is, they actually give you less combined 12V amps down both rails than a single rail. They may be 'safer' as a fire risk, but they could cause problems/crashes etc. if one component or components (you know who you are GPU's!!) pulls too much juice.

My second reason for recommending a single 12v rail, is that this post was about building a budget PC. Whiteknights point about ' video cards require so much power' is kinda redundant considering Lethal was suggesting 9800/250GTX/ 4850. Also, most budget PC builders ain't gonna have the money for loads of extra HD's/DVD's/SLI etc.

Basically, that's why I suggested the single rail PSU. Not only that, but unless somebody is using a serious amount of internal peripherals or overclocking or whatnot, they ain't gonna get close to overloading a single 12v rail on a decent PSU. If so, they would probably be beyond the realms of a 'budget PC' anyways!

Ultimately, I would say as long as it has enough amps/wattage and it can power your PC, then it doesn't really matter if a PSU is single or dual rail. I completely agree about the weight/ boat anchor point tho... if you can't break windows with it, it's not good enough! As a side note, it's also worth considering that budget builders may not have the knowlege or inclination to work through the single/dual argument.

/endrant

I DO actually agree with you guys regarding dual rails but only really for high end setups (serious O/C, SLI, RAID etc.). If I were building a high end PC I would go for a dual rail PSU, but I would go for a 'true' dual rail PSU and then we're talking some proper money for the whole rig and it would be worth spending the extra.

Hope that made sense....

Good points triggagnomic, and I do respect your opinion.
I did state that the OCZ I recently used was not for a budget build.

Your Corsair has 52 amps on a single rail, so I certainly wouldn't have a problem with that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16817139005

But, it also isn't for a budget build, and it is hard to find a good PSU with enough amps on a single rail at a budget price.

I would prefer something like this OCZ with dual 12 volt rails .. 18 amps each (total 36) for $39.99 after rebate .. even though I hate rebates.
$89.99 -$30 off -$20 rebate = $39.99
I would consider this a decent PSU at a budget price.
(Don't know how long that price is good for)
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/foru...1021386/m/9191030177

But then, as I mentioned at the beginning of this thread .. everyone has their own opinions when it comes to computers.

I suggest as always that everyone do their research and come up with what works best for them.
There are tons of hardware sites out there to help confuse all of us!!

Thanks Lethal.

I only bought the Corsair because I'm looking @ the PhenomII 940 & maybe a GTX 260/285 later on... when I bought the PSU for this system originally I went for a Hiper type M 580 with 30 amps down a single rail. To be fair though, I did sit down and do my sums first and came to a load of 27/28 amps combined, so I gave my self a little room to play with when I got the Hiper...

I'd agree about the bang for your buck with the OCZ tho... It's such a bargain! For me tho, I'd always stay with Antec or Corsair.. they are a bit expensive but sooo solid!

Also, as I mentioned, my info was just a starting point for research, it's much more fun to go and learn this stuff yourself!