# Building a gaming computer



## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

Can you guys give me a full system that i can build for gaming I like to play certain games like COD, L4D and L4D2, Borderlands, Mass Effect those kind of games AMD or Intel build is fine, i know there's a thread where they posted some systems but i need one around $500-$600 that can play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 dead and Left 4 Dead 2. Thanks


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Well this build should do fine for what you need:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304695
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H
CPU - AMD Athlon II x2 240 2.8GHz
Heatsink - Arctic Freezer Pro 7
RAM - G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2 800 CL5
GPU - XFX Radeon 4670 1GB
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB
$294.19

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&Tpk=Corsair CX400W
PSU - Corsair CX400W
$49.99 - $10 MIR = $39.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=Antec_two_hundred-_-11-129-070-_-Product
Case - Antec Two Hundred
$39.95


TOTAL: $384.13 - $10 MIR = $374.13

That's a very cost-effective gaming build, should get better graphics performance than a console. Anything up to $450 won't be much better than this (it's a solid build, and you're saving $50 over what it would cost separately). However, you can get better by going up to $600, it's your call.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

An DVD optical drive would need to be added unless you have one.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=liteon_dvd_burner-_-27-106-339-_-Product
Liteon DVD burner
$27.99

TOTAL: $412.12 - $10MIR = $402.12


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

what's an intel computer i can build and that system that you posted is good enough for the games i want to play?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Mobo-ASUS P5QL/EPU $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131393

CPU- Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache $64.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

SAPPHIRE 4670 for $5 more than the XFX brand.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102855

Add the other hardware that Phædrus2401 posted.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

for the video card with that build and i like it but about the video card my monitors plug is blue and the video card is red


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

XFX uses oddball colors. The XFX card has two DVI outputs so you will have have to use the supplied VGA to DVI adapter if your monitor is VGA only.
The Sapphire brand I linked to has VGA and DVI connectors.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

is there any other video cards with the AMD build cause i need a video card with VGA adapter


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

SimonHuynh95 said:


> for the video card with that build and i like it but about the video card my monitors plug is blue and the video card is red


The color doesn't matter. The type of connection does. The card has both VGA and DVI (and HDMI if you want to hook it to an HD TV), so no matter what type of monitor you have it should work.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

well i was making sure cause my plug is blue and the radeon 4670 video card has a red plug and it's dual dvi there's no vga plug


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

nvm the video card comes with a dvi to vga adapter thanks guys! =D i love the build you guys posted =D but this will be able to play the games i want to play right?


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

i don't really use newegg but i just use tigerdirect.ca cause i bought stuff from there before some of the stuff you showed wasn't on the site but there were some other good stuff and thanks once again guys =D


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Tyree said:


> The XFX card has two DVI outputs so you will have have to use the supplied VGA to DVI adapter if your monitor is VGA only.


Newegg is linked to because of their reliability and excellent support. Tiger Direct is not because of their practice of substituting parts (owner's expense to return) and not so great support.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

SimonHuynh95 said:


> nvm the video card comes with a dvi to vga adapter thanks guys! =D i love the build you guys posted =D but this will be able to play the games i want to play right?


Most of the games you named are also on the Xbox 360, and the computed we specced is more powerful than that so they should run great. It's isn't a top-end gaming build, but it is more than adequate for your needs.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

I might try using newegg or just go with tigerdirect but you guys are awesome thank you, that's all for this thread thank you


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I agree with Tyree also, to many hassles with tiger direct on RMA issues and I dont like paying shipping charges to return a substitution I didnt approve!


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## raitono (Dec 3, 2009)

im also looking to bulind a new gaming computer from scratch, this is my first one. what i've gathered from the discussion is that the better site to use would be newegg? and i am assuming that with the games that SimonHuynh95 has asked about an online fps such as combat arms or america's army 3 will run just fine? ive been surfing around the net for ideas on where to start building but i believe i've mainly come across sites that are building the more high end stuff that i don't necessarily need. recently ive had problems with combat arms freezing or lagging too much to play. nexon, the company who made the game, told me to use a wired connection rather than wi-fi. when i switched i still had the same problem. with AA3 i couldn't even get it to start because it ran so slow. i was told my computer's specs were below the minimum. with these in mind i decided to build a new one from scratch. i also would like to save as much as i can, but also have the ability to upgrade later and for this computer to last me for a while. the site i am using as a basis for my first trip into the world of computer hardware is build-gaming-computers.com and they seem to recommend tigerdirect.com as the source for the parts. 

in a much shorter version, i wish to build a newe computer from scratch that will allow me to play online first person shooters without lag and have the option to upgrade later while still lasting a while before i need to. the computer will mostly be used for online gaming but occasionaly i watch videos or play music. not video and audio editing, jsut enjoying them, though i suspect that the parts best for these games will also be able to handle video and music with absolutly no problem. im counting on you guys to guide me through this first experiance


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

First-starting your own thread would be a better way to receive help. 
The above posts reflect my opinion, and presumably linderman's, of Tiger Direct. Newegg has the best support period and you will ALWAYS get what you order.
That being said, do you have a budget in mind?
Asus & Gigabyte are top quality Mobo's
Seasonic and Corsair are top quality PSU's.
WD Black series Hd's have a64MB Cache (faster) and a 5 yr. warranty.
I don't game but, from what I understand, ATI GPU's offer the most bang for buck. Sapphire & PowerColor are good ATI chi[pped GPI's that offer good support.
OCZ-G.Skill-Corsair are good quality performance RAM. Cases are a personal choice. CoolerMaster and Antec make quality cases with good airflow at reasonable prices.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

What OS should I use, Windows XP or Windows 7, not many games or stuff is compatible with Windows 7 but it's a lot faster, on this computer i upgraded to Windows 7 and my webcam and my video card is not compatible with windows 7. As well some games weren't compatible with Windows 7 as well.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

@ SimonHuynh95 it's impolite to hijack a thread. Starting your own thread is preferred and a better way to receive help in a timely manner.
I believe most newer games are 7 compatible and I don't know of any GPU's that aren't compatible. The webcam manufacturer "might" have updates later.


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## raitono (Dec 3, 2009)

what about the online games im planning on playing? should they be compatible with windows 7?


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Yes.

Going from Windows Vista to Windows 7 isn't like going from XP to Vista, or even 2000 to XP. The architecture is very similar, every program that runs in Vista will run in 7. And thanks to the XP virtualization mode, the handful of XP programs that were incompatible with Vista _are_ compatible in 7, as well as many Windows 2000/ME/98/95 programs. 

Windows 7 may be the most "compatible' Windows operating system ever. 99% of anything you would ever want to use is compatible with it, except for hardware, and if you hardware isn't compatible now it should be soon.


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## SimonHuynh95 (Nov 30, 2009)

That's awesome thanks. =D


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