Hi all,
Just trying to buy something for under $300. I mainly use it for:
I noticed even with $300 I cant really get anything decent for desktops, I have an old desktop with a C2D 5200 cpu/ASUS HD 4850 card/4GB ram. But cant really upgrade it further i believe as it's too old.
So which do you think I should buy? Laptop? or desktop?
Many thanks in advance! :)
as mgowen stated in that deal
You jest (refering to poor gaming capabilities), but pair it with one of the cheap 7850s from this deal:
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/122471
…and I bet it will run a lot of new games nicely on high settings (some medium, but some even on ultra - my i3/7790 maxes out Valve games).
The CPU isn't exactly slow, Tom's puts it on the same tier as the i3-550 for games:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overcl…
A gaming pc for $420 is marvellous if that's all your budget allows.
thanks so guessing this 7850 is way better than my 4850??
Much better.
Thanks ninjutsu, but would this mrpcgeek deal better than my current desktop (spec found in later threads)..
A laptop is out of the question. You can't even buy a Core i3 Ivy Bridge laptop for $300, and the minimum spec your games demand is a dedicated graphics card.
You're looking at a desktop, but with $300 the only thing you can get is possibly a CPU, motherboard and RAM.
You will have to re-use your current GPU. I believe it'll suffice for some of your games.
Recommendations:
ASROCK LGA1150 mobo $66
http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=11521
Intel Core i3 4130 $138
http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=11514
4GB Kit 1600mhz RAM $52
http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=7276
$256 total.
I personally would go with the AMD FX x6 for this price range, it's my favourite in the category to be honest, which goes:
<$100 - Celeron/Pentium
$100 to $150 - FX x6
$150 to $250 - i5…etc.
Good call. 6 core FX6300 is pretty good value.
Laptop comes with screen, keyboard, trackpad and IPS. You have to take that in consideration.
You should probably ask yourself whether you want mobility or not… if not i'd go for the desktop as it would be better for gaming.
Though if you go with desktop, you might as well upgrade your old one… get a new cpu and mobo and it may run most games on low settings with decent fps
EDIT
Just saw a review on the ASUS HD 4850… 85fps on 1080 for COD 4 isn't too bad… just get a new CPU and Mobo and you should be fine.
actually i should've mention, I think the PSU on the desktop may be dead/dying. cos when I boot up the PC would be in a reboot loop where there were two LEDs lit up on the back of the VGA card (D1601 & D1602). Did a bit of googling and ppl seem to suggests the PSU is failing. So to save money I might just buy a new PSU, but the problem is I dunno if it IS the problem, I dont wanna just buy a new PSU if it's not the problem.
Do you think I could refund the PSU if it turns out it's not the problem?
How old is your power supply and what model or brand is it?
There could be other problems with your computer as well. For instance, it could be the card itself that is actually faulty or dying, and not the PSU.
Or could even be a motherboard problem, or even something as trivial as dust buildup causing shorts or overheating.
I suggest buying the CPU / RAM / Mobo first and building the desktop. Then if your computer still enters a reboot loop, try using integrated graphics and see if the problem remains.
That way, you can work out if your GPU is causing you grief, or if the PSU needs replacing.
PC was purchased in 2008 (was a decent PC back then) - paid almost $1k! :)
ASUS Vento TA-863 with 400W PSU
BTW this is the spec of the PC:
LA01201 1xParts Assembly-1 Year Parts&Labour Warranty 1 $70.00 $70.00 10.00
CPUI99807 Intel E7300 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo 1 $180.00 $180.00 10.00
MBIGB99974-2 Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4P (Pro) 1 $195.00 $195.00 10.00
RAM85993 Kingston Value 2GB DDR2 800 1 $32.00 $32.00 10.00
HDDSG008-ST16 Seagate SATA 500GB HDD 1 $89.00 $89.00 10.00
VGAPAAS9999-11 ASUS PCI-E 512MB 4850 1 $239.00 $239.00 10.00
RWLG9798 LG GGC-H20N/L Retail Blu-Ray Combo 1 $129.00 $129.00 10.00
CASEAS9996 ASUS Vento TA-863 with 400W PSU 1 $75.00 $75.00 10.00
COOL02101 Coolermaster 80mm System Fan 1 $5.00 $5.00 10.00
I think your power supply may be reaching the end of it's usable life. 5 years is about the limit of what even most manufacturers would give warranty for, and PSU's that come with cases aren't generally that great quality.
I would replace it anyway. Don't skimp on a power supply either, spend at least $50 on a good Antec or Corsair.
Try
http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=9907
or
http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=8638
mate, do you think this deal is better than my current setup?
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/122686
For everyday use, yeah… for casual gaming, i don't think so… intel graphics has come a long way but its still really bad. Maybe spend <$150 on a good GPU, then it would be ideal for you but then it'd go over your budget
Well if you're lazy to buy your own parts and build your own desktop that's definitely one option.
There is no option for CPU upgrade which is a shame, and all of the upgrade options don't seem very good value for money (e.g addition of 7770 graphics card costs more than 7850 in this deal) Only the base configuration is worthwhile — you can buy the additional upgrades you require for cheaper from MSY.
Don't forget shipping adds $19 to the total cost.
I would still prefer the re-use and recycle option — your case and Blu-ray drive can still be reused (don't have to buy new) meaning more of your budget can go towards a better processor and power supply.
Basically 2 options
PC Geek Build
$318 delivered, lower performance Pentium
Buy your own parts and re-use current case and Blu-ray drive
$256, higher performance i3
+ Antec PSU Upgrade $56 = $312 total
I haven't really used a desktop for the last 10 years. Laptop these days are "fast enough" for most non-gaming tasks, and to me mobility is very important (sometimes need to work when on holidays, sigh).
However in your case with small budget, you'll be throwing a good kit away if you go with a laptop. You'll also be getting a slow CPU + integrated graphics on $300 laptops. I wouldn't even call "sleeping dogs" as casual gaming as its graphics is actually quite demanding.
Maybe also upgrade to 64bit windows, so you can get 8gb ram installed.
Windows 7 or 8 that is,
PC was purchased in 2008 (was a decent PC back then) - paid almost $1k! :)
ASUS Vento TA-863 with 400W PSU
BTW this is the spec of the PC:
LA01201 1xParts Assembly-1 Year Parts&Labour Warranty 1 $70.00 $70.00 10.00
CPUI99807 Intel E7300 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo 1 $180.00 $180.00 10.00
MBIGB99974-2 Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4P (Pro) 1 $195.00 $195.00 10.00
RAM85993 Kingston Value 2GB DDR2 800 1 $32.00 $32.00 10.00
HDDSG008-ST16 Seagate SATA 500GB HDD 1 $89.00 $89.00 10.00
VGAPAAS9999-11 ASUS PCI-E 512MB 4850 1 $239.00 $239.00 10.00
RWLG9798 LG GGC-H20N/L Retail Blu-Ray Combo 1 $129.00 $129.00 10.00
CASEAS9996 ASUS Vento TA-863 with 400W PSU 1 $75.00 $75.00 10.00
COOL02101 Coolermaster 80mm System Fan 1 $5.00 $5.00 10.00
The problem here is the lack of RAM and the slow 500GB hard drive. My advice would be to go with an AMD build.
Keep your case, take out your PSU, motherboard, RAM and CPU.
Get an AMD FX 6300 CPU, AM3 motherboard, 8GB of RAM and an SSD and you'll be set for $300 in my opinion. Re-use everything else.
thanks mate, I'm leaning towards your suggestion! :)
that card is ok, i don't think you can play sleeping dogs on high settings with it though
A lot of really good comments but your missing one
Have you ever thought buying at 2nd PC ?
I just sold my gaming laptop for $300 on eBay . It work prefect and managed to play battlefield 4 on the lowest setting .
A lot of ppl (myself included ) update yearly . ( I do it for the tax and employer benefits )
There were a flood of Asus g73 on sale last time I looked . Also "catch of the day" & "grey online" and even on ozbargin I have seen some cheap (every day not gaming ) laptop new for sub $400
Have a look on eBay for "bitcoin miner " a lot of ppl are getting out of bitcoin as it not profitable .
They are normally high end gaming cards but you run the risk of old faulty stuff - as they mostly run 24/7 , hot , push to the max to get the most bitcoin .
I think i'm leaning towards the Fx-6300 option based on the comments above and some googling:
AMD FX-6300 : $130
8GB RAM 1600Mhz (2x4GB Patriot signature): $88
M/B (Asus M5A78L-M LX V2): $64
PSU (Thermaltake OEM LitePower 500Watt PSU): $46
???????? Case: reuse old case??? (would USB3.0 works on the old case?) ?????
Total: $347
Vs
$317 with the Mrpcgeek deal with Intel Dual Core G3220
BUT the only thing is I have to assemble the whole thing myself if I go MSY…unless they could do it for free… :)
I don't normally go to MSY because their crap service and its not really that much cheaper compared to ARC or Mwave (both sydney based)… Anyway i don't think there are any stores that do assembly for free.
Your case has no front Usb ports.
Don't buy the Thermal take, go for a budget Corsair or Antec. Antec vp450 is sufficient.
but i was trying to buy a bigger PSU in case I want to upgrade to a newer VGA card later on…
A good 450 power supply can easily handle a higher end GPU. Radeon 7850 for eg.
Total Power Supply Wattage is not the crucial factor in power supply selection. Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most critical factor.
no idea what that means….i will have a look their prices…. Thanks mate! :)
youtube how to build a PC and save on assembly if you want :P
Looks good to me, but yeah, I agree with Scrimshaw here, go for a budget Corsair PSU, something like their VS series. I've been using Corsair for a while and they're great.
Also, what Scrimshaw is trying to say is that it's not the wattage of the PSU that is important, but it's the quality as well. Just think of it like buying a car, just because a car has the biggest engine doesn't mean that it will be the fastest one.
Notebook comes with a free screen, a free backup power supply (aka a battery) for when the power goes out so you don't lose your work, and portability. It also comes with a free keyboard and trackpad, but for comfortable use for long periods on a desk, you might want to buy a separate one of each anyway, as well as probably a USB hub.
Desktop comes with more bang for your buck from every component, in general more connectivity, and generally more opportunity to upgrade a piece at a time instead of the whole thing at once, particularly if you find one particular component is the bottleneck on performance.
I've noticed, as you have, that notebooks (or even netbooks) tend to go a lot lower spec than desktops, and are easier to find at lower prices - it seems that manufacturers assume that if you want a desktop these days, it's because you want a fair bit of performance, not just a base level machine. Some good suggestions in the above comments though.
Was just trolling through gumtree coz i recently put a corsair K90 up for sale… theres a gaming rig (tower only) going for $600 negotiable… not sure how much he will let it go for but the parts are decent and should last for another 2 to 3 years if you aren't too fussed about graphics. The thing is, its in VIC so yeah…
Heres the link
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/craigieburn/desktops/i7-2600k…
have a look at it if you're interested
FX 6300 is rubbish if some games need single threaded grunt, and its a dead socket, nothing in AMD's lineup in 2014 lists Steamroller coming:
http://gamegpu.ru/action-/-fps-/-tps/saints-row-iv-test-gpu.…
FX 6300: 38/51
i5 2500K (not even current): 61/84
If you want a box that lasts, get an i5 minimum.
But from what I read,.more games are probably gonna be written to work with more cores anyway. So wouldnt having 6 cores better than 2 (pentium/i3) or even 4 for that matter (eg. i5/i7)?
Intel's cores and architecture is so far ahead of AMD its not funny anymore. So no. 4 Intel cores, or 4 + 4 hyperthreaded would be sufficient.
for $300 and your card, you are unable to play demanding games as it is, let alone any games in the near future :(
I agree, if you can stretch your budget another $100 go for an i5.
For the price though, it beats an i3.
For $300, you probably aren't going to be playing those games you mentioned with any reliable framerate.
Its pretty much impossible to buy a laptop that can play 3d games for $300 (even for second hand) go for a desktop. Not only will you get more more powerful parts in it, (laptop parts are more expensive because their size has to be reduced to a mobile version so part companies charge much much more) there is more space for cooling and if one part breaks its much easier to open the computer and replace the part.
btw, of gumtree. I bought a FAST gaming pc for $340 with i7 920 (2.67ghz turbo boost to 2.8) and radeon 5830 graphics card.
A laptop with similar specs will go for $800ish second hand
GO FOR A DESKTOP UNLESS IF YOU NEED PORTABILITY
Not suitable for gaming. Also as scotty said, it would be a waste not to utilize his existing kit.
He has a graphics card, atx case and BD drive that can be re-used. Buying a laptop means either tossing those away or selling the parts for pennies.
Thanks for all your help everyone! I think I will just buy the AMD FX-6300/mobo/ram and reuse everything else.
Check out the deals from mrpcgeek http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/122686 not too sure if that would meet your requirements but I am assuming you would favor speed and storage over portability so I assume a desktop would be best for you considering you game and there very few laptops under $300 that are worth gaming on. Hope this helps