Need help on an Intel Build $650

[animest4r]

Newbie here. Just joined yesterday! I would appreciate someone's help on this new build. Hopefully i got all the information you need for this build. I thank you in advance for the help.


I need to build a new pc for myself after my amd phenom 2 black died last week after 5 years. It ran 24/7 since i built it. I have Coolit ECO ALC as my processor cooling. I have the Cooler Master CM690 case and i have 4 140mm fans on it and 2 120mm fans.

Now i want to build an Intel PC this time around. And i would like this PC to last me 5 years or longer (sort of Future-proof) so if i want to upgrade i can upgrade within 2-3 years. I can re-use my case, hard-drive, keyboard, mouse, monitor. I Would like to use SSD for my Operating System. My monitor is an LG Flatron W2052TQ with a Native Resolution of 1680 x 1050. When i watch Videos (Game of Thrones) i plug it to my LG TV using HDMI. I will be using this PC for Gaming (Counterstrike), Watching Videos, Downloading Stuff, Listening to Music as well as plugging my guitar for recording using my Line 6 UX2 Digital Guitar Interface.

1) Gaming, Watching Videos (G.O.T.), Listening to Music, Download, Recording Guitar Tracks

2) $650

3) Canada

4) NCIX, Newegg, whatever you recommend! By the way, i have no accounts with any of these vendors

5) Intel (not a fanboy), Nvidia or ATI (whichever you think is better)

6) I will be re-using my Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, PC Case, Hard-drive (2pc 1TB, 1pc 2TB, 1pc 3TB)

7) I will run Overclock if i am playing games otherwise it will run in default speeds.

8) i have no idea what resolution i will use for it. Maybe the resolution of my monitor (1680 x 1050) or i might use 1024 x 768.

9) ASAP (Yesterday)

X) I have my own Windows 7 Software. I would like a recommendation of a great Blue-Ray drive/writer.

 

[DSF]

Are you sure that your Windows 7 license is transferable to a new machine? If it's the copy you used on your last build that may not be the case. If it's a new copy you've already purchased, then obviously disregard this comment.

Do you intend to play any games besides Counter Strike? CS's requirements are pretty modest by today's standards, so you should be able to run it at your native resolution with no trouble. For that matter it shouldn't be necessary to overclock just for Counter Strike.

What you're probably going to do is put together a hybrid of these two builds:
mfenn's $1,000 gaming build:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841
NewYorksFinest's $500-600 build:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2381565

Before we lay out specific parts though it would be best if you could answer that question about gaming. Do you intend to play anything more demanding than Counter Strike?

 

[animest4r]

I will definitely play other games besides CS!

 

[Ken g6]

OK, here's a build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.41 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($39.95 @ Vuugo)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $654.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

You can't afford an OCing Intel processor on this budget, but you can get a board you can OC one with, and upgrade later. With future upgrades I'd suggest a PSU upgrade as well. And I don't know how good that BD drive is; it's just the cheapest.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.41 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($39.95 @ Vuugo)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $654.82

That's very solid, but I do think that 270 is a bit overkill for Counterstrike. If you don't play anything more intense, I'd see if I couldn't get a good deal on a 260(X) or 750TI, and use the saved cash for a low-end i5. Both should handle 1680x1050 without issue.

As for bluray drive, I can whole-heartedly recommend the Pioneer BDR-209EBK/BDR-S09XLT (same drive but notice the E, the DBK does not have BDXL support). Reads and burns everything I've thrown at it.

 

[mfenn]

OK, here's a build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.41 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($39.95 @ Vuugo)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $654.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

You can't afford an OCing Intel processor on this budget, but you can get a board you can OC one with, and upgrade later. With future upgrades I'd suggest a PSU upgrade as well. And I don't know how good that BD drive is; it's just the cheapest.

Very nice! :thumbsup:

 

[animest4r]

I think i can use My power supply unit. It is a Silencer 750 EPS12V SLI

 

[Ken g6]

OK, without a power supply, there are a couple of options. You can fit an i5 with a fairly good graphics card. Which isn't a bad idea considering you're willing to game at 1024x768!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($195.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R7 265 2GB royalQueen Video Card ($139.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $659.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Note: The GPU is a weird brand, but I think they're big in Europe or something.

Or you could stick with an i3 and upgrade to an R9 270x.

 

[animest4r]

What do u guys think about the Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card

 

[Ken g6]

Hm, it's very power-efficient. It's less powerful than an R7 265. If you mean this one, it's more expensive too.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Is CS more CPU dependent or GPU dependent? I would build around that component first, and upgrade the other down the road.

 

[DSF]

Is CS more CPU dependent or GPU dependent? I would build around that component first, and upgrade the other down the road.

As far as it concerns modern components, neither. The game is pretty easy to run with any recent hardware. That's why I asked if he was playing anything more demanding, and there was never a very specific answer.