buying a gaming pc or from scratch?

For $800, you pretty much have to go with an Intel build. All GPUs that you would buy with that budget would be weakened in performance by an AMD CPU (even their so-called "top-of-the-line" 8350). Go with mfenn's $1000 build but drop to the 7950 he recommends for a $900 build.

 

An i7 does absolutely nothing for gaming. No i7 (bar ones with unlocked multipliers) clocks as high as a i5-3570K can overclock, and all i3/5/7s have the same IPC ability. Gaming can't take advantage of the extra threads in an i7 (they barely use all the cores in an i5). Getting the i5-3570K isn't cutting corners; when it comes to gaming, getting an i7 is wasteful.

 

The RAM sucks (if it can OC to 1600 without upping the voltage or timings, then sure, might want to look into that).

The motherboard won't overclock very well. (no seriously, Gigabyte has nice boards, but that's pretty much at the bottom of all Z77's... ASRock, ASUS, MSI, all have better boards in the same range)

You are severely underestimating the benefit of SSD.

You asked.

Edit: the case sucks too, cheap... you'r kinda screwed for cooling options, will probably have to get 3rd party fans, cable management is very poor (not good since you probably won't be able to cram in a semi or fully modular PSU in your price range, so... you have a lotta crammin to do) and it has bad airflow... so overclocking is going to be harder. (trust me, even if you plan on "staying stock" you won't.)

 

I'll try, but you are pretty much looking at at least $900 (for a complete build, the priority on GPU kinda makes money saving an impossibility).

I take it you don't really care about the case right?... preferably black, otherwise not concerned?

Edit: also, your existing HDD and CD/DVD are PATA not SATA?... are either of them SATA?

How big of a concern is the number of PCI-E slots (planning on SLI/CF?)... do you need or can you make use of standard PCI?

USB3, concern, no concern? FireWire, eSata?

Moderate overclocking, like 15%... or high overclocking, > 30%?

Quiet... loud?

Newegg, and/or ?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77B ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($103.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $790.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-08 21:05 EST-0500)
Newegg has a promotion with selected motherboards in which you get free RAM, hence why RAM is not listed.

Buy the Windows 7 at Amazon and the burner at Newegg for slightly more.

Stock cooler on the Intels suck though...won't get much of an overclock.

 

Yeah, plus you need a molex to 6 pin adapter.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

Corsair CX500: $39.99 after $20 rebate. Only $5 more than the CX430, and has two 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors for the video card.

 

No, there is an HD 3000 Radeon. It's an IGP, specifically the 760G/780L. It's like the HD 3200 in the 780G, but lacks the UVD feature for watching blu-rays.

 

Well, the cooling looks a bit expensive (you can get an excellent cooler, the Scythe Katana 4 for $25), and I'm not sure why you got such a huge power supply from a less well known manufacturer (500W is enough; you can get one from Newegg for about $40 after rebate). Use the savings to upgrade the hard drive to 1TB (around $60 AR).

 

If you look at Newegg's or Amazon's reviews, you'll see a disproportionate amount of negativity because generally speaking, people with a DOA unit will blame the product (there is ALWAYS a chance of DOA). Thus better units look disproportionately bad, wheras units being bought at a lower volume (500 units a year rather than thousands) have a chance of appearing much better than they really do. Look for volume of trade rather than only 5 star reviews (or use a ratio of 5-to-1 star reviews to determine rough reliability).

Additionally, Corsair has a much better PSU reputation than Cooler Master, as Corsair's units are typically Seasonic-made rebadges and Seasonic is pretty much the PSU gold standard.

As for the amount of voltage you need: my whole rig draws 300ish watts maximum while under stress tests (during most games: only 150w). I run an overclocked i5-3570K and a slightly overclocked 670.

 

Agreed, much better off with a lower wattage Corsair than a higher wattage Cooler Master. The wattage requirements for video cards are vastly overstated to compensate for exactly this problem - too many low quality high wattage power supplies. No matter how high you overclock that system you spec'd, you'd never use more than 400w.

 

Well, the selected Cooler Master is currently sold out on Newegg. Doesn't seem to be really that bad, and it is modular. There are better alternatives, though. In terms of power delivered to the computer, it is a bit excessive. It also is basically no different from the cheaper and, I think, newer Slient Pro M2 620W, except for less amps on the 3.3 volt rail.

The Gigabyte video card was reviewed on techspot. http://www.techspot.com/review/496-amd-radeon-7950/
http://www.techspot.com/review/496-amd-radeon-7950/page9.html
The test system was an LGA 2011 rig with a i7-3960X.
I believe that the power supply readings are "at the wall", so the power actually delivered to the computer is under 300 watts. This is due to efficiency, as not all AC power is turned into DC power when it travels through the PSU.

When it comes to determining how much is enough for a PSU, how many amps on the 12v rail helps determine the maximum wattage the PSU should be able to deliver to the computer. The Cooler Master is rated for 50 A, so the 12v rail is capable of deliver 600 watts. That's far more than you need. The Corsair CX500 is only rated for 38 amps on the 12v rail, but that is plenty(456 watts), and it is 35 dollars cheaper.

If you really want to spend 70 dollars on a PSU, the Antec NEO ECO 620C, which is a rebranded Seasonic, basically.

 

It's not that Cooler Master units are necessarily "OMG-it-destroys-PCs" bad; it's just that he can get a higher efficency, lower ripple, and generally superior unit which actually fits his needs for roughly two thirds the price.

 

Yes, your description is basically the same as what I think about Cooler Master PSUs in general and I did say, but in a convoluted way, the CX500 is all he needs.

But for the record, efficiency in Silent Pro M is is not bad at all(85%) on the expected loads he will be using it at, while ripple is worse (around 60 mVs) on the 12V rail. Hence, I mentioned the NEO ECO 620C, which can be had for $70 at the same price, without the risk of rebates not going through.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article936-page5.html