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New builder - budget gaming build

E

erom

Junior Member
Hello and greeting forums.anandtech! I'm on the cusp of building my first gaming machine, and was told this community is the Bees Knees for getting recomendations and review on parts choices. So, without further ado:

1. This is a budget gaming build. Modern games need to run but I only need medium settings. Secondly, I need longevity. With occasional upgrades, I am expecting this to be my primary PC for approximately 5 years.

2. Budget goal is $800
* That is somewhat flexible if there is a compelling reason - IE if a few more dollars gives me a substantial performance jump, I am game.
* I have basically everything external to the tower (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc) but other than that I am starting from scratch.
* Unfortunately, I need a windows license to fit into the budget.

3. Where am I: US, no good local stores so everything will be coming from Newegg or similar.

4. Brand preferences: None.

5. Parts I have: Nothing notable except the monitor.

6. Of course, and I have some guesses on parts filled out below.

7. Overclocking: I am planning to stick with air cooling, so no overclock or at best a very small overclock.

8. Resolution: Monitor is 1920x1080, but I don't mind turning games down as far as they need to have good framerate.

9. Timeframe: Soon. Sometime in the next month preferred. Not waiting for Ivy Bridge.

---Current parts list---

* CPU Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy 224.99
I grabbed this cause it seems to be the most recomended here and elsewhere. I don't think I really need to pay the extra 10 bucks for the K series, except that maybe I'd want to overclock it down the road. Stock cooler is probably fine for little/no overclock, right?

* Mobo ASUS P8H67-M LE 105.99 + 6.98
I grabbed this cause I see it recomended often with the above CPU but am not sure why it's awesome. USB 3.0 is nice I guess but I don't consider it critical.

* RAM G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS 39.99
It's the cheapest 2x2GB DDR3 on newegg. Since I am doing little to no overclocking, I don't need anything more than that, right?

* GPU ???? ????
I am really confused by the current state of GPUs... can somebody recomend a good midrange price/performance card? What should I be looking for? Should DX11 be a priority for future proofing?

* PSU Antec earthwatts EA500 500W 64.99 + 5.99
I know - never skimp on the power supply - so I grabbed an 80+ from a decent brand, but it seems like 500w is plenty in a single GPU, single HD, 95W processor build.

* HD WD Caviar Blue 250GB 7200 RPM 42.99
250GB is plenty, and drives are easy to add later on.

* Case GIGABYTE GZ-KF03B 19.99 + 9.99
Audio+USB on the front, side vents to add fans if I need 'em, simple+cheap.

* OS Win7 Home Premium 99.99
* OD LITE-ON SATA CD/DVD Burner 15.99 + 4.99

--- ---

I think I'm doing pretty good, since that looks like a kicking set of parts and so far I'm sitting at just shy of 650$, so I have about 150$ left for the GPU. I'd really appreciate it if people could take a look and make sure I didn't make any really stupid decisions somewhere though. And the GPU, I could really use some advice there. It seems impossible these days to tell the difference between GPUs without reading benchmarks on every single part on the market.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read + comment.
 
You can overclock the hell out of the i5-2500K on air cooling. Even the stock cooler is supposed to do a good job, but most here will recommend a better cooler. IMO, the k model is worth more than the $10 difference in price.
The rest of your hardware looks OK. Most here will recommend a better/faster HDD though.
I haven't kept up on the new HDDs, so I can't make any recommendations. (I'm still running a Seagate 250 Gb 7200.10 drive)
Unless you're planning on using the on-board graphics, go with a P8P67 based motherboard if you buy ASUS.
DirectX11 is a nice upgrade, and since you're planning on Windows 7, it makes sense to get a video card that will support that.
I bought an EVGA GTX460 1 Gb card for my new build. Handles everything I throw at it with no problems. Yes, there are better/faster/more expensive cards out, but at the ~$200 price point, it suits my needs just fine. (pay attention...some come with lifetime warranties, some don't-use the EVGA site for more info on that)

Also, IMO, get a better PSU. The quality of the Earthwatts is fine, but you should get something with more horsepower. I like the XFX PSU's. Rated "top-or-the-line" by the PSU gods at JonnyGuru.
 
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erom said:
* CPU Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy 224.99
I grabbed this cause it seems to be the most recomended here and elsewhere. I don't think I really need to pay the extra 10 bucks for the K series, except that maybe I'd want to overclock it down the road. Stock cooler is probably fine for little/no overclock, right?
Click to expand...
I would stick with the stock cooler. From what I hear, it's good enough even for moderate overclocking.

* RAM G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS 39.99
It's the cheapest 2x2GB DDR3 on newegg. Since I am doing little to no overclocking, I don't need anything more than that, right?
Click to expand...
Even if you plan on OCing, faster ram won't help, since you'll be relying on changing the CPU multiplier rather than the BCLK.

* GPU ???? ????
I am really confused by the current state of GPUs... can somebody recomend a good midrange price/performance card? What should I be looking for? Should DX11 be a priority for future proofing?
Click to expand...
BoomerD's recommendation on the GTX 460 1GB sounds good. Alternatively, there's also the 6850.

* PSU Antec earthwatts EA500 500W 64.99 + 5.99
I know - never skimp on the power supply - so I grabbed an 80+ from a decent brand, but it seems like 500w is plenty in a single GPU, single HD, 95W processor build.
Click to expand...
At that price, a Seasonic S12II 520 ($60 + $10 shipping) would be a much better choice.

* HD WD Caviar Blue 250GB 7200 RPM 42.99
250GB is plenty, and drives are easy to add later on.
Click to expand...
I highly recommend spending a bit more for something like a Samsung F3 1TB - $70. It might seem silly to spend more on capacity you might never use, but that's not the point. The point is that your chosen HDD is probably an old model with slow performance characteristics (good a few years ago, but slow compared to today's HDDs).

If you really don't want to spend $70, then there's the Samsung F4 320GB - $43 + $7 shipping. It's kinda expensive per GB, especially with the shipping, but it's fast. I'd definitely pay the extra $7 shipping just to get this over the WD Blue 250GB.
 
Thanks so much for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.

On the motherboard-
Moving from an H series to a P series increases the price by 35$, and though the large board has more room for RAM and cards, I don't see what else I gain? I know the H has onboard graphics that are waste since I'm getting a GPU, but since it's cheaper anyway, who cares? I'm not arguing or doubting your correctness, just trying to understand.

On the HD-
I'll swap up to the Samsung F4 320GB. I know the 1TB drive is a much better deal $/GB wise, but I have to make budget sacrifices somewhere.

On the PSU-
The Seasonic S12II 520 is a great idea. I guess I just missed it searching in the 450-500W category on newegg. Thanks.

On the GPU-
I guess the EVGA 01G-P3-1380-KR GeForce GTX 460 is the best deal on an EVGA brand GTX460 with a lifetime warantee (and the warantee only adds a couple of bucks, so sure)- that runs me 199.99 + 7.56 What other brands other than evga are reputable + worth price comparing?

I'm a hair over budget now (by $56.36). Will be more over if I beef up the motherboard. That's not TOO bad, but lower is always better - are there any obvious ways to trim the fat from this? I'm basically over by the cost of the windows license, which is annoying. Believe me, I wish I didn't need it.

Thanks again.
 
erom said:
Thanks so much for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.

On the motherboard-
Moving from an H series to a P series increases the price by 35$, and though the large board has more room for RAM and cards, I don't see what else I gain? I know the H has onboard graphics that are waste since I'm getting a GPU, but since it's cheaper anyway, who cares? I'm not arguing or doubting your correctness, just trying to understand.

On the HD-
I'll swap up to the Samsung F4 320GB. I know the 1TB drive is a much better deal $/GB wise, but I have to make budget sacrifices somewhere.

On the PSU-
The Seasonic S12II 520 is a great idea. I guess I just missed it searching in the 450-500W category on newegg. Thanks.

On the GPU-
I guess the EVGA 01G-P3-1380-KR GeForce GTX 460 is the best deal on an EVGA brand GTX460 with a lifetime warantee (and the warantee only adds a couple of bucks, so sure)- that runs me 199.99 + 7.56 What other brands other than evga are reputable + worth price comparing?

I'm a hair over budget now (by $56.36). Will be more over if I beef up the motherboard. That's not TOO bad, but lower is always better - are there any obvious ways to trim the fat from this? I'm basically over by the cost of the windows license, which is annoying. Believe me, I wish I didn't need it.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

No lifetime warranty on the "KR" series cards.

Only 3 years.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130596

Hmmm...wait a minute...newegg's page says 3 years, EVGA says lifetime:

http://www.evga.com/products/moreinf...0-KR&family=23
"Product Warranty
This product comes with a Limited Lifetime warranty with registration within 30 days of purchase."
 
fffblackmage said:
I would stick with the stock cooler. From what I hear, it's good enough even for moderate overclocking.


Even if you plan on OCing, faster ram won't help, since you'll be relying on changing the CPU multiplier rather than the BCLK.


BoomerD's recommendation on the GTX 460 1GB sounds good. Alternatively, there's also the 6850.


At that price, a Seasonic S12II 520 ($60 + $10 shipping) would be a much better choice.


I highly recommend spending a bit more for something like a Samsung F3 1TB - $70. It might seem silly to spend more on capacity you might never use, but that's not the point. The point is that your chosen HDD is probably an old model with slow performance characteristics (good a few years ago, but slow compared to today's HDDs).

If you really don't want to spend $70, then there's the Samsung F4 320GB - $43 + $7 shipping. It's kinda expensive per GB, especially with the shipping, but it's fast. I'd definitely pay the extra $7 shipping just to get this over the WD Blue 250GB.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was going to say!
 
erom said:
On the GPU-
I guess the EVGA 01G-P3-1380-KR GeForce GTX 460 is the best deal on an EVGA brand GTX460 with a lifetime warantee
Click to expand...

Hell no. Do not buy a $200 GTX 460. Get this one for $155 AR instead.

First off a 2-3 warranty is fine for a GPU. After 3 years, it is going to be practically worthless anyway.
 
Keeping in mind that you want the PC to last you for about five years:

* I think USB 3.0 is something you will want in this build, maybe not critical but you should always strive for the latest in your build.
* I would go with 8GB RAM http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ram-memory-upgrade,2778.html
* Definitely get that Samsung F3 1 TB; game installs aren't getting any smaller, plus it'll be way faster than that 250GB drive.
* Mid-range card; as others have said - either the GTX 460 or HD 6850.
* I also would go for the i5-2500K CPU; that way you can overclock it in the future when you need more horsepower.
 
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