[DIY] Need some help in building a budget computer

[siaokia2806]

A total computer noob here. Would be glad that if someone can help me out. Just need a normal setup that enable me to play dota 2 at max setting. Thanks in advance.

 

[Alternative X]

1) Budget?

2) Monitor, KB&M ?

 

[siaokia2806]

1) Budget?

2) Monitor, KB&M ?

Budget between 600-800 want to keep it as low as possible if can. Max can stretch 1k.

Only need cpu, don't need monitor or kb and mouse.
Thanks

 

[Alternative X]

Half-decent budget gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK H81M-HDS + G3240 (156)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (50)
GPU: ZOTAC GTX 660 SYNERGY EDITION (189) (lazada.com)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: THERMALTAKE SMART SE 530W (75)
Case: CM K282 / K350 / K380 (55)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $838

Ultra cheap, barebones basic gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo:MSI FM2 A75MA-E35 + A6-6400K (198)
RAM: 2X KINGSTON PC 10600/1333MHZ DDR3 CL9 VALUE RAM (2GB) (80)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: FSP 300W 80% ATX PSU (39)
Case: HEADWAY ATX CASING (30)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $561

Unless otherwise stated, buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) Not sure how cheap do you want to go, but both rigs are capable of playing DOTA 2 at max settings. Pick one.

 

[siaokia2806]

Half-decent budget gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK H81M-HDS + G3240 (156)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (50)
GPU: ZOTAC GTX 660 SYNERGY EDITION (189) (lazada.com)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: THERMALTAKE SMART SE 530W (75)
Case: CM K282 / K350 / K380 (55)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $838

Ultra cheap, barebones basic gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo:MSI FM2 A75MA-E35 + A6-6400K (198)
RAM: 2X KINGSTON PC 10600/1333MHZ DDR3 CL9 VALUE RAM (2GB) (80)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: FSP 300W 80% ATX PSU (39)
Case: HEADWAY ATX CASING (30)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $561

Unless otherwise stated, buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) Not sure how cheap do you want to go, but both rigs are capable of playing DOTA 2 at max settings. Pick one.

Do you have stock for the zotac gtx 660? Or must I order online and bring it down to your shop?

 

[Alternative X]

Do you have stock for the zotac gtx 660? Or must I order online and bring it down to your shop?

Erm.... I neither own a shop, nor am I selling anything.

 

[siaokia2806]

Erm.... I neither own a shop, nor am I selling anything.

Ops. Hahaha sorry. Thought you were the shop owner or something. Anyway I went to download pc themes brochure and come up with a setup. Can you help me see again whether is it value for its price or is there tweaks to done or should I stick to the half decent budget setup that you recommended? Thank you once again


CPU+Mobo: Asus b85 pro gamer with i3 4160(325)
GPU: Zotac gtx 750 ti 2gb ddr5 (219)
PSU: Super flower leadex 650w gold fm (139)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
Casing: Cm k282/ K350 / K380 (50)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) X2 (100)
DVD-RW: LG DVD-RW SATA OEM (25) 24X
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost $1146

 

[ocping]

Ops. Hahaha sorry. Thought you were the shop owner or something. Anyway I went to download pc themes brochure and come up with a setup. Can you help me see again whether is it value for its price or should I stick to the half decent budget setup that you recommended? Thank you once again


CPU+Mobo: Asus b85 pro gamer with i3 4160(325)
GPU: Zotac gtx 750 ti 2gb ddr5 (219)
PSU: Super flower leadex 650w gold fm (139)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
Casing: Cm k282/ K350 / K380 (50)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) X2 (100)
DVD-RW: LG DVD-RW SATA OEM (25) 24X
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost $1146

don't think you need 650w gold psu for this rig

u can use any ~500w bronze, it's more than enough

can either save the difference or try up gtx 750ti to 760

 

[liewhl]

Ops. Hahaha sorry. Thought you were the shop owner or something. Anyway I went to download pc themes brochure and come up with a setup. Can you help me see again whether is it value for its price or is there tweaks to done or should I stick to the half decent budget setup that you recommended? Thank you once again


CPU+Mobo: Asus b85 pro gamer with i3 4160(325)
GPU: Zotac gtx 750 ti 2gb ddr5 (219)
PSU: Super flower leadex 650w gold fm (139)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
Casing: Cm k282/ K350 / K380 (50)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) X2 (100)
DVD-RW: LG DVD-RW SATA OEM (25) 24X
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost $1146

just compare your set up and royfrosty set

ASRock H81M HDS + i5-4460 ~ $299
Crucial 8gb Value Ram ~ $100
WD Blue 1tb ~ $68
Plextor m6s 128gb ~ $99
Zotac GTX970 4gb Dual Fan ~ $458
Xigmatek Tauro 500w 80+ Bronze Semi Modular PSU ~ $70
Xigmatek Recon Chassis ~ $45
LG DVD Drive ~ $21

Total ~ $1160. Buy at tradepac

although his rig is cheaper than you but his set up can manage a better gameplay than your by a lot

 

[Goodshot]

For me i would buy a New i5 4590 + h81 mobo = $320
Used msi 7970ghz/ r9 280x = $220
Psu Seasonic S12II 620W = $105

the rest anyhow cheap cheap can liao cos not really important for gaming
,i think $800 in total is enough . Cheap and powerful for most of the game

 

[MoneyFace =p]

Half-decent budget gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK H81M-HDS + G3240 (156)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (50)
GPU: ZOTAC GTX 660 SYNERGY EDITION (189) (lazada.com)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: THERMALTAKE SMART SE 530W (75)
Case: CM K282 / K350 / K380 (55)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $838

Ultra cheap, barebones basic gaming rig

CPU+ Mobo:MSI FM2 A75MA-E35 + A6-6400K (198)
RAM: 2X KINGSTON PC 10600/1333MHZ DDR3 CL9 VALUE RAM (2GB) (80)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: FSP 300W 80% ATX PSU (39)
Case: HEADWAY ATX CASING (30)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $561

Unless otherwise stated, buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) Not sure how cheap do you want to go, but both rigs are capable of playing DOTA 2 at max settings. Pick one.

How sure are you that HD 8470D can max out Dota 2? What screen resolution are you referring to here?

 

[trento]

when buying these items, i know these shops will fit the cpu to mobo if requested. How about the cpu cooler?

 

[shadow84]

when buying these items, i know these shops will fit the cpu to mobo if requested. How about the cpu cooler?

That may be considered assembly and may b charged for it. Also, if u request to mount cooler and bring cpu+mobo+cooler home, the foot print is very big amd prone to be damaged. Better off reading the manual amd do it at home.

 

[trento]

thnx for info. tats the thing. trying to get into diy. seen some videos and the cpu cooler mount looks to be quite tricky. need to apply paste and all.

 

[Alternative X]

How sure are you that HD 8470D can max out Dota 2? What screen resolution are you referring to here?

I am very sure that the HD 8470D is capable of maxing out DOTA 2 at 1920X1080 resolutions. Check out these GPU benchmarks of DOTA 2:
Free-to-Play Games Benchmarked: 4 Popular Titles Put to the Test > Dota 2 Benchmarks - TechSpot
Results: High Details, 1920x1080 - Dota 2 Performance, Benchmarked

Granted that you are going to get about steady 30FPS during DOTA 2, but DOTA 2 is more of an isometric view strategic game than a FPS, 30FPS should be playable for DOTA 2. Of course, if you think that multiple characters using their skills or being bombarded by various AOE spells is not going to do wonders to the framerates, please sound off.

 

[Alternative X]

Ops. Hahaha sorry. Thought you were the shop owner or something. Anyway I went to download pc themes brochure and come up with a setup. Can you help me see again whether is it value for its price or is there tweaks to done or should I stick to the half decent budget setup that you recommended? Thank you once again


CPU+Mobo: Asus b85 pro gamer with i3 4160(325)
GPU: Zotac gtx 750 ti 2gb ddr5 (219)
PSU: Super flower leadex 650w gold fm (139)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
Casing: Cm k282/ K350 / K380 (50)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) X2 (100)
DVD-RW: LG DVD-RW SATA OEM (25) 24X
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost $1146

Erm... if you wanted something more powerful, you are kinda doing it wrong. You spent too much of your limited $$$ on a mobo that does not actually help contribute to overall system performance, and the GTX 750Ti is actually a downgrade. (Don't look at the GTX 660 like machiam old old cheap cheap one, the GTX 660 is actually faster than the GTX 750Ti.)

If you wanted something more powerful, take the half decent budget setup, pay $164 more for an i5 4460 ($320 with Asrock H81M-HDS), pay $96 more for a Sapphire R9 280 Dual-X ($285, at lazada.com), pay $50 more for a single stick of Kingston/G. Skill 8GB ValueRAM, and the half decent budget setup now becomes a full fledged budget gaming setup that is actually capable of playing most AAA games at high settings in 1080p for just $1148.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

I am very sure that the HD 8470D is capable of maxing out DOTA 2 at 1920X1080 resolutions. Check out these GPU benchmarks of DOTA 2:
Free-to-Play Games Benchmarked: 4 Popular Titles Put to the Test > Dota 2 Benchmarks - TechSpot
Results: High Details, 1920x1080 - Dota 2 Performance, Benchmarked

Granted that you are going to get about steady 30FPS during DOTA 2, but DOTA 2 is more of an isometric view strategic game than a FPS, 30FPS should be playable for DOTA 2. Of course, if you think that multiple characters using their skills or being bombarded by various AOE spells is not going to do wonders to the framerates, please sound off.

Avg framerate doesn't indicate the overall quality of gameplay as it doesn't indicate how low fps can go, which ultimately dictate the smoothness of gameplay.

Plus, R7-240 is still slightly ahead of HD 8470D. HD 8470D also require higher speed RAM to maintain at those benchmarked performance. Hence, RAM recommended at stock will push its actual performance even lower, marring the overall DotA gameplay further down.

On the other hand, notebookcheck does prove the inability of the iGPU to cope with max setting (at just 16.2 fps):
AMD Radeon HD 8470D - NotebookCheck.net Tech

 

[MoneyFace =p]

Budget between 600-800 want to keep it as low as possible if can. Max can stretch 1k.

Only need cpu, don't need monitor or kb and mouse.
Thanks

Cheapest DotA 2 PC for true max PQ gameplay:

CPU+MB: Intel Celeron G1610 + ASRock B75M-DGS @ $117
Even lowest end Ivy Bridge desktop counterpart blows AMD dual cores out of water.
RAM: Crucial DDR3-1600 CL11 4GB @ $49
Does not affect frame rate of discrete graphics as significantly much as for iGPU.
GPU: PowerColor HD 7730 2GB [DDR3] @ $85
Simply underclocked R7-250.
Capable of maxing out DotA 2 at strictly above 30 fps for total smoothness.
XFX R7 240 and R7 250 vs GT 640 and GT 630 eSPORTS Performance Review - Page 5 of 7 - HardwareHeaven.com
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB @ $68
PSU: FSP Hexa+ 450W [80 Plus] @ $46
3 years warranty for slight more.
CASE: Generic ATX Chassis @ $20
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit [OEM] @ $115

Total: $500

Optional:
ODD: Samsung 24X CD/DVD Writer [OEM] @ $21
If you really need one.

Buy and Build from Tradepac, #05-19. Haggle for discounts.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

Ops. Hahaha sorry. Thought you were the shop owner or something. Anyway I went to download pc themes brochure and come up with a setup. Can you help me see again whether is it value for its price or is there tweaks to done or should I stick to the half decent budget setup that you recommended? Thank you once again


CPU+Mobo: Asus b85 pro gamer with i3 4160(325)
GPU: Zotac gtx 750 ti 2gb ddr5 (219)
PSU: Super flower leadex 650w gold fm (139)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
Casing: Cm k282/ K350 / K380 (50)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) X2 (100)
DVD-RW: LG DVD-RW SATA OEM (25) 24X
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost $1146

You can double the number of real physical CPU cores and SSD NAND capacity, and upgrade GPU and PSU to next higher tier at nearly no additional cost.

CPU+MB: Intel Core i5-4460 + ASRock H81M-HDS @ $296
RAM: Crucial DDR3-1600 CL11 8GB @ $96
GPU: PowerColor R9-280 3GB TurboDuo @ $265
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB @ $134* (Lazada Singapore)
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB @ $68
ODD: Samsung 24X CD/DVD Writer [OEM] @ $21
PSU: Super Flower Golden Green 500W [80 Plus Gold] @ $88
CASE: Corsair Carbide SPEC-02 @ $73
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit [OEM] @ $115

Total: $1156

Buy and Build from Tradepac, #05-19. Haggle for discounts.

*Price after DBS/POSB $25 OFF