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Budget Gaming PC ~$1200

A

aferrick

Member
Here's what i have so far. Criticism welcome and encouraged!
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.27 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.19 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($394.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1348.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-08 22:22 EDT-0400)

I have Windows 7 already, i don't need to buy an OS.
 
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My biggest criticism is the lack of a cooler (you have Z77 and a 3570K, so presumably you want an overclock), the really expensive motherboard (SLI is cost inefficient anyway, WiFi is $10 for a USB adapter, and you can get better software fan controls for free), and the comparatively expensive GTX 670 (at that price, you might as well get a 7970 instead).
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($152.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1178.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-08 23:50 EDT-0400)
 
Best to step the cooler up to at least a 212+ or the evo,their price is justifiable for sure and i have had the tx3,its ok and at most a moderate upgrade over the stock cooler.
 
Swap out the gtx 670 4gb for a 7950 3gb.
Price between 1tb and 2 tb drives are pretty close and 1tb can fill up pretty quick.
Yes, get the Hyper 212 Evo and give yourself room for a modest overclock.
DDR3 1600 2x4gb.
 
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Mnewshaw: why are you recommending such an expensive PSU but such a crappy SSD? I's recommend stepping up to the $90 Sandisk Ultra Plus and step down to a more reasonable PSU like the Corsair CX500 or CX600.
 
meh, anything over the stock cooler is better, the hyper 212 is better, but simply because it is slightly larger, (92mm fan vs. 120mm) it isn't really all that much better over all, I am assuming he just wants a simple OC anyway, not like he is looking to break some records here. Especially since the hyper 212 is about twice as expensive I assumed a small cooler which is already going to be a fairly major improvement over the stock cooler would be more than enough (it will be I promise you)

As for the 670 vs 7950, choose AMD or Nvidia, then pick one or the other. If going for Nvidia though, no need for a 4GB at 1920x1080, 2GB is more than enough.



And dont listen to they guy saying get 1600Mhz RAM, the performance benefits are minimal at best and unless it's cheaper than 1333Mhz or just about the same price, you might as well just stick with the cheaper option.
 
Sleepingforest said:
Mnewshaw: why are you recommending such an expensive PSU but such a crappy SSD? I's recommend stepping up to the $90 Sandisk Ultra Plus and step down to a more reasonable PSU like the Corsair CX500 or CX600.
Click to expand...

It is a combo, the PSU comes out to around 60-70 bucks with the combo, also the SSD is just like most other SSD's it is SandForce 2241 nothing new there, we all know it, just because it is PNY does not make it crappy. You can step down the PSU to a $40-50 unit, but that price for a platinum rated unit is pretty good. Now if the OP doesn't order before the deal expires, obviously I would suggest he change the PSU to something cheaper to fit within the budget, that's why builds are best done at the last minute so you can get all the best deals at the moment.


Also, the PNY SSD is $110 bucks on newegg, it just happens to be $50 bucks off at 2 retailers (not newegg).


Kind of a moot point now though as the parts list I posted is now $1262 or so instead of $1178, waiting less than 12 hours and it's already gone up 100 bucks 😛
 
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mnewsham said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($152.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1178.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-08 23:50 EDT-0400)
Click to expand...

1) I'd take a 7950/7970 instead. You could probably make an argument that the 670 is a tiny bit faster, but I think 79xx overclocks better and you also get the Reloaded deal with free games.
2) I don't see much benefit of the Rosewell Fortress line over the Capstone line? The latter is Gold level and under $80 today at Newegg.
 
ArsenalGear said:
1) I'd take a 7950/7970 instead. You could probably make an argument that the 670 is a tiny bit faster, but I think 79xx overclocks better and you also get the Reloaded deal with free games.
Click to expand...

I would take the 7950 or 7970 too, however OP already picked a 670, i decided to stick with it for the build as he made his choice, however the 4GB version will do nothing performance wise, so the 2GB version was a better choice.
 
IMO that's too much to spend on that PC with only 8GB memory and that monitor. I mean everything else is either overkill or these two need upgraded to be more in line with the rest... though having only 1TB total storage (after formatting) on a $1200 PC seems a little lacking too.

Is this system really, ONLY, for gaming? That might change my views a bit, though if it isn't then why not upgrade your current system instead?
 
@mindless1 Yes, it's only for gaming.. I'm not into video editing, photoshop, etc. so this build will (hopefully) be optimized for that.

@mnewsham I wasn't definitely set on the 670, that was just the current possible build :<
I'm simply looking for the best for my budget, so i'm open to any brand or card.

I do like the +games bundle with the 7950/7970, however.
 
I did not see it mentioned, just want to make sure you know the Microcenter 3570k is in-store pick-up only. If in-store pick-up then you may find better deals for a Z77 mobo as well, here is a link to the current crop of bundles.
 
skipsneeky2 said:
Best to step the cooler up to at least a 212+ or the evo,their price is justifiable for sure and i have had the tx3,its ok and at most a moderate upgrade over the stock cooler.
Click to expand...

I agree, the TX3 is pretty wimpy. The only reason to use it is if you need something that can be mounted from the front only.
 
Sleepingforest said:
My biggest criticism is the lack of a cooler (you have Z77 and a 3570K, so presumably you want an overclock), the really expensive motherboard (SLI is cost inefficient anyway, WiFi is $10 for a USB adapter, and you can get better software fan controls for free), and the comparatively expensive GTX 670 (at that price, you might as well get a 7970 instead).
Click to expand...

My thoughts as well.
 
riversend said:
I did not see it mentioned, just want to make sure you know the Microcenter 3570k is in-store pick-up only. If in-store pick-up then you may find better deals for a Z77 mobo as well, here is a link to the current crop of bundles.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. I'm not really familiar with which motherboards are better than others/more cost efficient with power/same power half price, etc. Are there any that are in the bundle section that you'd recommend?
 
aferrick said:
Thanks for the link. I'm not really familiar with which motherboards are better than others/more cost efficient with power/same power half price, etc. Are there any that are in the bundle section that you'd recommend?
Click to expand...
The MSI mobo bundled with 3570k seems nice.
 
I would say you could go with any of the first four (so not the Sabretooth, total overkill) and you should be fine. Mostly just differences in numbers of ports etc. If you tend to keep your hardware for a long time (say 4+ years) you might consider going with the AsRock since it is quite expandable and is well liked.
 
aferrick said:
Thanks for the link. I'm not really familiar with which motherboards are better than others/more cost efficient with power/same power half price, etc. Are there any that are in the bundle section that you'd recommend?
Click to expand...

The easy way to pick a motherboard is to get the least expensive one that has the features you need (note, need is not the same as "might be cool to have) and comes from one of these brands:

ASUS
ASRock
Biostar
Gigabyte
MSI

No reason to spend more than what you need.
 
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