Building Budget Gaming PC

[ysoserious]

I'm looking at building my first pc. I plan to use it for all the latest games and some older ones as well. I'd really like to be able to run even the most graphic intensive games. I will also be using it for web browsing, typing papers, watching videos. Originally my plan was to stay around 500 but I feel to get a good value you need to spend more than that. I don't want to spend much over 700. I will only spend that much for a very good value. This budget is just for the tower, so not including os, monitor or anything like that. Cheaper is better value is key. I tend to favor nvidia, but I'm open to listen to what you all have to say. Thanks for any responses in advance.

[ysoserious]

I plan to buy this somewhere in the next week or two. In the US. I'll be using a 1920x1080 screen. I think this is all the information needed but if I left something out I apologize. Thanks

[Ken g6]

You didn't mention whether you want to overclock. You probably can't afford to overclock a CPU, but OCing your GPU is probably a good idea.

Stolen from Mfenn's thread and extensively modified:
i5-3350P $170AP ($10 more after Monday, "P" means no onboard graphics.)
MSI B75 mobo, $53
PNY 8GB $40
dual-fan 7850 2GB $185 AR
Samsung 840 120GB $93
Seagate 1TB $80
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17
Corsair CX430 $20 AR AP
Corsair 200R $35 AR
Total: $693 AR AP

[ysoserious]

I could get an fx-6300 CPU with a asrock 970 extreme4 for 180. With the money I save I could upgrade to an nvidia gtx660ti. I also would drop the ssd for now to lower the price, but if I go amd I would have to get a bigger psu, here is what I'm looking at, somewhat based on what you said http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B5Eg subtract about 50 from the total. Will this work, I also think this overs more opportunity to o/c the cpu

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by Ken g6

You didn't mention whether you want to overclock. You probably can't afford to overclock a CPU, but OCing your GPU is probably a good idea.

Stolen from Mfenn's thread and extensively modified:
i5-3350P $170AP ($10 more after Monday, "P" means no onboard graphics.)
MSI B75 mobo, $53
PNY 8GB $40
dual-fan 7850 2GB $185 AR
Samsung 840 120GB $93
Seagate 1TB $80
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17
Corsair CX430 $20 AR AP
Corsair 200R $35 AR
Total: $693 AR AP

I pretty much have to agree.

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by ysoserious

I could get an fx-6300 CPU with a asrock 970 extreme4 for 180. With the money I save I could upgrade to an nvidia gtx660ti. I also would drop the ssd for now to lower the price, but if I go amd I would have to get a bigger psu, here is what I'm looking at, somewhat based on what you said http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B5Eg subtract about 50 from the total. Will this work, I also think this overs more opportunity to o/c the cpu

Would it work? Yes. Would I recommend it? No.

If you want to drop the SSD, then this is what I would do:

i5-3350P $170AP ($10 more after Monday, "P" means no onboard graphics.)
MSI B75 mobo, $53
Sapphire 7950 3GB $280 AR - comes with 2 free games
PNY 8GB $40
Seagate 1TB $80
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17
Corsair CX500 $50 AR
Corsair 200R $35 AR
Total: $725 AR AP

This gets you a faster CPU and a faster GPU (in most cases). If you really love BF3 above all else, then you should switch the 7950 to a GTX 660 Ti.

[ysoserious]

Originally Posted by mfenn

Would it work? Yes. Would I recommend it? No.

If you want to drop the SSD, then this is what I would do:

i5-3350P $170AP ($10 more after Monday, "P" means no onboard graphics.)
MSI B75 mobo, $53
Sapphire 7950 3GB $280 AR - comes with 2 free games
PNY 8GB $40
Seagate 1TB $80
Lite-ON DVD Burner $17
Corsair CX500 $50 AR
Corsair 200R $35 AR
Total: $725 AR AP

This gets you a faster CPU and a faster GPU (in most cases). If you really love BF3 above all else, then you should switch the 7950 to a GTX 660 Ti.

I know the 7950 probably has the edge, though they are very close in most cases, I feel safer going with nvidia, for some reason I have trouble trusting amd. I could get the i5 3570k for like 30 more is that worth it?

[Ken g6]

Originally Posted by ysoserious

I could get an fx-6300 CPU with a asrock 970 extreme4 for 180.

Are you near enough to a Micro Center to get their in-store deals, then? It looks like they're bundling 3570K's with B75 mobos this time, so maybe you could get a $25AP Gigabyte B75 with a $190 3570K. You still can't afford to overclock, but you're closer.

If they don't do that bundle, go ahead and get a 3470 there for $150.

[Termie]

I like the suggestions above a lot. I personally would go with the SSD because it will make the whole computing experience much, much better, but if all you care about is framerates, then mfenn's build above is a great setup.

In regard to your question on the AMD CPU, what you have to understand is that the FX-6300 is not in the same class - yes, you save money, but it's not comparable to the i5-3350P, not even in the slightest. It competes against Intel's dual-core CPUs. Furthermore, I would not recommend pairing an FX-6300 (or an Intel dual-core) with a 660Ti. Not enough CPU to drive some modern game engines. You said you wanted to play the latest games - you want something more than the FX-6300 then, especially with $700 to spend.

[lehtv]

For a pure gaming build on this budget, I think dropping the SSD altogether is necessary. Loading times in games are far less important than frame rates; besides, loading times are just fine on a 7200RPM hard disk. Doing this will make it possible to do exactly what you want: run even the most graphics intensive games at 60 fps.

i5-3350P $170 AP
MSI B75 mobo $53
Crucial 2x4GB 1600 1.35V $44
Sapphire 7950 3GB Boost $280 AR
Seagate ST1000DM003 $77
Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Antec Neo Eco 520C $30 AR AP
Corsair 200R $35 AR

= $707 AR AP

This is similar to mfenn's build - changes include a similar quality PSU for $20 less and better RAM for $4 more.

I feel safer going with nvidia, for some reason I have trouble trusting amd.

As an owner of the 7950 I can only strongly recommend it. A superb card for the price. Most overclock well enough to rival a stock GTX 680. And you get the use RadeonPro which is an excellent app that integrates CCC overclock profiles and image quality options, dynamic vertical sync and a host of other useful tweaks, fps limiter, CPU core affinity settings, SweetFX, SMAA, and OSD monitoring all in one package. The only issue I've had is some artifacting in The Witcher 2, but this is not nearly important enough to make me regret the purchase.

Regarding BF3, I can run 64-player conquest at 60fps on the highest settings with a 1.1GHz overclock, but your stock clocked i5 may become a slight bottleneck once in a while. In almost all games though, there will be zero CPU bottlenecking.

[ysoserious]

Yeah I'm close enough to microcenter

[ysoserious]

Originally Posted by Ken g6

Are you near enough to a Micro Center to get their in-store deals, then? It looks like they're bundling 3570K's with B75 mobos this time, so maybe you could get a $25AP Gigabyte B75 with a $190 3570K. You still can't afford to overclock, but you're closer.

If they don't do that bundle, go ahead and get a 3470 there for $150.

It seems microcenter is doing 50 off any mobo with the i5 3570k, any recommendations I should go for

[Ken g6]

Well, you seem willing to blow through that $700 budget, so get at least an ASRock Z77 Pro3, so you have the potential to overclock.

[lehtv]

Originally Posted by ysoserious

It seems microcenter is doing 50 off any mobo with the i5 3570k, any recommendations I should go for

My recommendation, combined with other parts from my above post:

Asrock Z77 Pro3 $45 in combo with 3570K $190.

Total = $719 AR AP

The Z77 Pro3 is a solid entry level Z77 board. Best paired with an affordable 120mm tower heat sink such as Hyper 212 Evo (you can get it later). This will allow you to reach a 24/7 stable 4.2-4.4GHz overclock.

[ysoserious]

What about this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B6uG

I can get the CPU and mobo for about 65 less, so the total comes out to like 740, alittle steep, but maybe doable, I don't know, maybe I can find a way to lower the price.

[lehtv]

The Crucial 1.35V RAM I linked is higher quality and just $2 more.

The Seagate drive is faster than the Caviar Blue, it's newer tech.

The 7950 is a better performer and overclocker but if you must have NVIDIA, then go with NVIDIA.

The 600W PSU is unnecessary. Bet you were thinking about overclocking headroom. You won't even use 250W at stock when gaming. Add +50W or so for moderate OC's on the CPU and GPU. The Neo Eco 520C for $30 AR AP is the best deal out there right now, grab it.

Other than that, looks good.

[Hubb1e]

There is a lot of value in the i5 3570K and a z77 motherboard. And if you're close to microcenter it is almost criminal not to get that. Being able to put an overclock on it to 4.4ghz or so will extend the life of your computer 1-2 CPU generations. Its a very fast CPU and will serve you well in the long term. If you're even considering an i5, then you should spend the extra few bucks to go i53570K and z77.

The FX6300 isn't as bad as the previous poster said. It competes with the i3 some benchmarks, but it also has 3X the cores. As games get more threaded the FX6300 will outperform the i3. We are already seeing this with new game engines. The FX processors can maintain playable framerates in every game out there right now so it isn't a big deal and can save you some cash if you need to save some cash. But, with microcenter nearby that advice is only good for people on tight budgets and no microcenter.

Then just get whatever GPU your budget will allow since you'll upgrade this at least once since your CPU is awesome.

[Skott]

Late to the discussion but I'd have to agree with lehtv dropping the SSD is a very good idea. The money saved can be put to better components or just getting the price down to the $700 budget. SSDs are nice but they are certainly not necessary for a good gaming experience.

[sandorski]

As far as video cards are concerned, don't forget about the Game Bundles

[ysoserious]

Alright you all have been so helpful, I will definetly consider that build, but I also want to have a lower end build to consider, can you guys help me pick out a build for around 500? I may just go cheap for know then eventually slowly upgrade it. Thansk

[lehtv]

Well, the PSU, case and DVD drive are already down to the bare minimums, so let's keep those for the $500 build.

Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Antec Neo Eco 520C $30 AR AP
Corsair 200R $35 AR

I'd keep the 2x4GB RAM as well, although the build would work with only 4GB. Unless space is of immediate concern, drop to a 500GB hard disk.

Crucial 2x4GB 1600 1.35V $44
WD Caviar Blue 500GB $50

Now, for optimal gaming performance you should get an i3, a B75 board, and the fastest graphics card with the money left. But you can also play it another way - get the 3570K and the Z77 Pro3 so you'll have a CPU fast enough to handle a proper next gen card, then buy the fastest GPU with the money left. Either way works, just be committed to upgrade the GPU to something twice as fast sooner rather than later with option 2, otherwise you're just wasting money on the 3570K.

Option 1:

MSI B75MA-E33 $53
i3-3220 $124
Sapphire 7850 1GB $155 AR

= $509 AR AP

Option 2:

Asrock Z77 Pro3 $45 in combo with
3570K $190
MSI 7770 $90 AR

= $502 AR AP

[ysoserious]

The only problems with this build is that the combo for the mobo w/ CPU ends today, and I can't get to microcenter today. I'm currently considering this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BfUw I decided I want to get the absolutely best gpu I can get. I think with this build I can buy everything but the gpu for like 400, build it without the gpu so ill have a functional computer, then once the sting of this purchase where's off in a couple weeks get the gpu.

[lehtv]

You're better off with the i5-3350P and the MSI B75 motherboard for roughly the same cost. The FX-6300 won't be as good for gaming even if highly overclocked (which would require a better motherboard than the one you picked, and an aftermarket cooler as well).

Why do you still have the Corsair CX600 in there? What's wrong with the Neo Eco 520C I've recommended? The CX600 is twice as expensive.

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Listen to what lehtv is saying. Don't get the FX-6300; it will bottleneck an HD 7950 even if overclocked. The best balance is to get the cheapest Core i5 and a B75 motherboard, and the fastest GPU with what you have left over. If having to pick between the HD 7950 and GTX 660 Ti, I'd for the 7950 10/10 times. The GTX 660 Ti is a neutered card and will only get slower as new games come out and use more memory bandwith and require higher rendering output.

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by lehtv

You're better off with the i5-3350P and the MSI B75 motherboard for roughly the same cost. The FX-6300 won't be as good for gaming even if highly overclocked (which would require a better motherboard than the one you picked, and an aftermarket cooler as well).

Why do you still have the Corsair CX600 in there? What's wrong with the Neo Eco 520C I've recommended? The CX600 is twice as expensive.

Originally Posted by LOL_Wut_Axel

Listen to what lehtv is saying. Don't get the FX-6300; it will bottleneck an HD 7950 even if overclocked. The best balance is to get the cheapest Core i5 and a B75 motherboard, and the fastest GPU with what you have left over. If having to pick between the HD 7950 and GTX 660 Ti, I'd for the 7950 10/10 times. The GTX 660 Ti is a neutered card and will only get slower as new games come out and use more memory bandwith and require higher rendering output.

OP, please listen to these guys. They are only trying to get you a better computer for your money.

Originally Posted by ysoserious

The only problems with this build is that the combo for the mobo w/ CPU ends today, and I can't get to microcenter today.

MicroCenter has been running some variation of their i5 + compatible mobo combo for the past couple of years (since at least the i5 2500K introduction). While it's certainly possible that they will discontinue it, I find that extremely unlikely.