A really interesting sale happening.

So, nVidia recently announced two new video cards, the GTX 780 GHz Edition and the GTX 780Ti. Now, because of these cards being announced, NCIX Canada and Newegg US are having sales on for the standard GTX 780.

NCIX Canada WAS having EVGA GTX 780s for 500 bucks, but they sold out. I just got the email about this at 2:20AM EST. So yea, they sold out in approximately 8 minutes at time of writing.. Sounds a lot from a budget standpoint, but it's arguably the best graphics card on the market right now. It's usually 700 bucks. Newegg has a ZOTAC GTX 780 on sale for 500 bucks too, but the ZOTAC card is usually 550, so not as big a deal, but still, it's the same chipset, just  different name and such.

If you are looking to buy these cards, you may be SOL. The Canada NCIX is sold out, but the Newegg US site appears to have them. If you're in the US, you can get the card here.

Happy gaming, everyone. I'll have a $600 gaming rig coming either tomorrow or Sunday. Work on Saturday.

And tomorrow/today is the last day of the Hallo-Steam sale. Go get your game on.

Steam sale!

Steam sale guys! No build guys, but it's always exciting when Steam has a sale on. Obviously, since it's Halloween themed, there are a lot of horror games, like Resident Evil and Slender. There are plenty of other games, though, such as The Secret World, Brutal Legend, and even Borderlands.

I highly recommend you look into it, cause this is the last huge sale until Steam-mas, which is only 2 months away, people! So I recommend looking into it. Get a good fright or play something new. Either way, it's a great way to save money.

The AMD Build of the Month!

Hello everyone. Today is going to be the day of AMD. I built a pretty good Intel based computer for around $450, so today I am going to be building an AMD based computer for around the same budget.

There are some differences between AMD processors and Intel processors. A main difference is performance/price ratio. Intel’s tend to be 10-15% more powerful, but they also tend to be quite a bit more expensive. Personally, I’m a fan of AMD processors, mainly because I’m a budget builder (and you’re probably interested in budget building too, hence why you’re here!). However, I do see why people would see the benefit of an Intel CPU. Intel is usually more future proof, since most of their CPUs use similar architectures and are compatible with the same sockets. You can upgrade to a Core i7 even if you were using a Core i3. But AMD has pushed the boundaries of onboard graphics processing, with AMD APUs sometimes beating the tar out of onboard Intel processors.

But, enough talk. Let’s dive right into the AMD budget build for $450.

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M - $70

The ASRock A88M is a very good motherboard for its modest price. It comes with the standard ASRock functionality and performance in a nice little mATX package. As an APU motherboard, it features the ability to use CrossfireX, which allows the APU’s graphics to work with a dedicated graphics card to give a boost in performance. It is the perfect motherboard for our budget, coming in at cheaper than the Intel motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157465

CPU: AMD Athlon A10-6800k - $140

I know what you’re saying; “That’s so much more than the Intel CPU in the other build!” I know. And there’s a reason for that. The A10-6800k is a quad core processor at 4.1GHz, with the ability to go to 4.4GHz under a load, such as when you’re playing the games that we’re using this rig for. Also, this is an APU, so it has both the CPU and the GPU on one chip. This saves us from having to add a dedicated graphics card right now, so you can still play games in the future. In fact, I’m running on an older, weaker version of the similar chip (A10-5700), and I can play Crysis 2 at 720p and it looks great. Futhermore, this CPU is able to overclock, so that 4.1GHz can become 4.5GHz if you have good cooling and power. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113331

RAM: G-Skill Ripjaws X 4GB 1866 MHz - $41

Even the name sounds awesome, and the appearance looks pretty cool too. The G-Skill Ripjaws X series is definitely some good RAM for the price. At just $40 bucks, you get RAM powerful enough to push the APU’s graphics forward to some excellent gaming experiences. With APUs, the graphics processor uses the memory from the system to power it. Remember how I said I can run Crysis 2 at 720p? Well, my RAM is only 400MHz RAM, so imagine how nice it will be with 1866 MHz. This RAM gives you serious bang for your buck, and I highly recommend it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231720

Case: Xigmatek ASGARD 381 - $40 on special, $50 regular

Again, cases are always personal preference, but I think the Xigmatek ASGARD has all the essentials; USB3.0 in the front, audio inputs in the front, large mesh in the front for fans. This will keep your system cool if used well, and putting a fan in the front will definitely help keep your components cool, even if you install a graphics card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811815018

Hard Drive: Toshiba 500GB SATA3 - $55

Once again, we’re going to use the Toshiba drive from the Intel build. This is a very good budget drive, and has enough space for games, music, and all the nasty stuff you people enjoy. It’s good for what we need it for, but if you’re willing to spend a bit more for more space, by all means. You certainly are saving money with this build anyway. There are similar drives out there, so if you aren’t comfortable with Toshiba, I recommend a Western Digital or Seagate HDD. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149380

PSU: Corsair CX430W 80+ Bronze – $50 regular price

Another component we can use in this build is the Corsair CX430. It’s one of the best power supplies available, and since this build will only use about 200W under a heavy load, adding a graphics card won’t be a problem for this PSU in the future. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

And there you have it, an AMD uber budget build for only $400! That’s the price of a PS4, and you’ll be using this for a lot more. And if we wanted, we could even add more RAM or hard drive space, and it would still be between a PS4 and an Xbox One. Budget gaming is a wonderful thing, and you can definitely do it with these specs.

I hope you enjoyed reading this build. Stay tuned in the next few weeks while I tackle a few other markets around the world. Next stop: Kangarooland (Australia).

Have fun.

-BennyK

An affordable Budget PC!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first configuration of my computer blog. Never thought I'd have one of these, haha. But, let's get started, shall we?

A quick overview of this build. It's a build for about $450 bucks in US currency, and mainly from the website Newegg. I may use Amazon later if I can use the affiliate program, but I will always have Newegg links as well. It's a great first build, and includes a dedicated video card. It's a build that could play most games at pretty decent settings on 1080p resolution. Games such as Battlefield 3 and Skyrim will run at around 40 FPS on 1080p, but with minimal-ish graphics. This is a dual core Intel build, so it's not the best of the best, and if you really need 4 cores, you can go with an AMD equivalent (Stay tuned for that).

Now, let's get started.

Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS LGA 1150 - $103 with rebate, 113 without
This motherboard is considered a bit of a futureproof motherboard, and offers a very upgradeable chipset. ASRock is a trusted Mobo company, and this board has all the good features, such as USB 3.0 for fast speeds, SATA3 for fast loading and boot times. With a compatible CPU, overclocking is made easy with Gigabyte's BIOS. For $70, it's one of the better mATX motherboards around, mainly because of its futurproofing. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157450

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 Dual Core 3.0GHZ Processor - $80Now, don't let the Pentium name fool you. This is still a Haswell processor, with a total of 6.0 GHZ, which means it gives you quite a bit of bang for your buck. Now, you could go cheaper for an AMD CPU, but I think I'll save that build for later. This CPU has many of the Haswell pluses, and will keep games running quite well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116950

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB 1600MHZ DDR3 - $35 with rebate, $40 without
Crucial RAM is really good, and their Ballistix series has always been fast. I like the Ballistix series and the Mushkin Stealth RAM, but the Crucial RAM is a good name, and great for the price. It wil work quite nicely with this build. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148496

Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 250 1GB GDDR5 - $90
Surprisingly, this card is only $90, which is surprising since the architecture it's based on is still $100+. But, don't just think low price equals poor quality. Sapphire makes really good cards, and the R7 250 is an excellent budget card, and will run games at decent quality, depending on the resolution. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202053

Case: SilverStone PS08B Black - $30 with rebate and special price, $35 without rebate, $40 regular
This case looks very good for the price. The open mesh front is a great place to put a fan for extra air flow, it's nice and big, so you can put a larger Motherboard if you want, and it even looks kind of cool. Now, cases are more of a personal choice, but since this is a budget build., I wanted something aesthetically pleasing and cheap. It only has two external drive bays, but since those are going the way of the Dodo, you'll be fine. Two USB 3.0 ports in the front with audio, plus a very large side port allows for great cooling. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163223

Hard Drive: Toshiba 500GB SATA3 - $55
This hard drive will be perfect for your gaming needs. SATA3 is the latest drive technology, so it may not be as fast as a Solid State Drive, but it will boot quickly. Plus, it's got 500GB, so enough for all your games and whatever else you wanna put on it... you weirdos. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149380

Power Supply: CORSAIR CX 430W 80+ Bronze - $20 after special and rebate, $40 without rebate
This is the PSU that many people boast about. Not only is it a good PSU, but it is very energy efficient. You will 100% always NEED an 80+ Bronze power supply. You can get cheaper, but your computer will blow up in 6 months. Right now, at 20 bucks, it's a steal, so even if you aren't getting this build, I recommend it from Newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026


So, there we have it. A very budget, perfectly acceptable gaming computer. Everything you need to get started on kicking some ass. I actually enjoyed writing this, and I hope someone finds this is right for them. You can also alter this as you wish, maybe change the CPU for an AMD, or get a better GPU, you name it.

I hope you all enjoy this. Sorry for it being a long read, but at least I put the price first, haha.

Have a nice night everyone. Or morning.

-BennyK

Info

Despite having pretty much no one to talk to, I might as well try to get some discussion happening.

So this blog is going to be all about computer configuration, mainly how to get more bang for your buck when it comes to gaming computers.

I'm a budget gamer myself, and I don't think we need to spend 400-500 dollars on consoles that are going to be wearing out in 3-5 years. So why not build a PC for a similar price point that can do much more than consoles, actually CAN get better with age, and plays games beautifully?

Well, that's what I'm gonna help people do. So if you see this, stick around, and maybe you can learn something, and maybe I can learn something, too.

Happy gaming.