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New PC Gaming Build ($700)

W

WheresWilmo

Junior Member
Here's the build for the PC I currently have.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($58.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($205.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2450 24.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $958.01


I'm completely new at PC affairs and this is the first build I have completed, although I have done a fair amount of research on this one. The build is basically $700 dollars, but I need a monitor and operating system to go along with it. Does anyone have any advice on this build? (Better price alternatives, compatibility issues, etc.)

Edit: Sorry for not specifying earlier. I just want the system itself to be around $700, excluding the monitor and operating system. All parts will be bought from the US, either locally or online. This build is for mid-high end gaming, preferably on resolution of 1920 x 1200.

Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech Administrator
KeithTalent
 
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It's a really good build for $700. My only suggestions would be a 120gb SSD, mainly because it fills up so quickly. Also the M5A99X R2.0 Evo, offers better overclocking support. Apart from those items it's a really well balanced build.
 
Overall, this looks like a pretty good build. There are some minor tweaks I might suggest:

1) I would 100% stay away from this SSD model right now. They've been caught using poor-quality NAND, on top of all the usual "peculiarites" of SandForce controllers. I think with respect to SSDs on this budget, you may want to consider saving up for a larger capacity, 120 GB or 240-256 GB, SSD, and putting that towards more GPU. For about $30 more, you can move up a GPU tier with a GTX 760 for ~$235

2) I noticed your case is from Microcenter, do you actually have a Microcenter nearby? If you do, you absolutely SHOULD use them for your CPU+MoBo also. If not, you may want to look into an alternate case. The carbide 200R, for example, is the same price at Newegg right now (shipped, AR). It's an excellent case!

3) I think you're overspending on RAM also, you can save about $20 with this kit:
2x4GB of Kingston for $65
 
So, you're aiming for the entire build, with OS and monitor, to be $700? Or is the OS and monitor separate?

If $700 for everything, that's difficult. I'd suggest looking at places like Dell Outlet (and Amazon and Newegg) for a tower-with-monitor under $540, like this-but-cheaper; then add a GTX 750ti.

If you're going for $700 for just the main system, please answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread]. Now that I've seen benchmarks on an i3-4130, it could be a better choice depending on the games you play.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ B&H)
Total: $929.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 21:48 EDT-0400)
 
When you say "currently have" and "completed", do you mean that you already have those parts or that it's what you're looking to buy?
 
This is just a build I have drafted, I don't actually have any of the parts yet. I don't really plan on over clocking, so the mother board doesn't need to be amazing or anything. Is it typically a better practice to go for NVIDIA over AMD GPU's? The 660 does seem like a better deal for performance and price. How much difference is there between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 2133 if the motherboard supports both? Thanks for all the replies; I know its a lot of questions.
 
WheresWilmo said:
I don't really plan on over clocking, so the mother board doesn't need to be amazing or anything.
Click to expand...
That leans me more toward a Haswell i3. [post=36077575]Even if you're playing BF4[/post].

But you can actually fit an i5 in there. If you get a B85 mobo for $70 (this one with 4 RAM slots so you can upgrade), and drop the surplus CPU cooler, an i5-4440 is in your price range. But you might prefer an i3 if you play older games that depend more on single-threaded speed. (Or if you want to save money.)

So, again, what games do you plan to play?

P.S. Faster RAM really doesn't help gaming in any noticeable way.
 
IMO, skip the SSD for now, and get cheaper RAM and an i5. If you keep your OS install small enough, you can transfer right over to a new SSD, later, no reinstall or anything.
 
Here's my updated build based on all the feedback.

PCPartPicker part list /

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ B&H)
Total: $852.86

I decided to skip the SSD and go for some cheaper ram, along with a GTX 660 instead of the 7870.

I want the pc to be mainly used for gaming. It should be able to handle next-gen games well, like Witcher 3, Titanfall, etc., but it doesn't have to run everything at ultra-max. What kind of games could this rig not handle? Is it safe to drop the CPU cooler if I'm not over clocking? Once again, I'm pretty new so I haven't been through this before, I just don't want my parts to melt. Thanks for all the help guys.

@Ken g6
So you really recommend the i5 processor over the FX-6300? Are the intel processors better for gaming and worth the $70 extra dollars?
 
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The reason the 6300 is so cheap is because it's just not that good. At stock speeds, Intel i5 of the last three generations are doing with 4 cores what takes 6 for the 6300. That means that the Intel cores are around 50% faster. So unless the PC is fully loaded all the time, it will be much slower with the 6300 unless it is overclocked. I'd highly recommend buying a board and cooling solution that can handle overclocking if you really want that CPU.
 
Thanks crashtech. I noticed that the i5-4440 already has an integrated graphics card. Is there a cheaper intel processor that is of the same quality that doesn't have the graphics card? Or does an integrated graphics card along with the GTX 660 have better performance?
 
When you use a discrete GPU like the GTX 660, the integrated graphics on the CPU can be disabled. There is no other Intel quad core in that price range without the integrated graphics except the 3350p, which is a previous generation Ivy Bridge CPU.
 
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Here's my Intel alternative. I think I've basically narrowed it down between this and the rig in post #11.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ B&H)
Total: $881.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-11 12:25 EDT-0400)

My questions about this version regard the motherboard. Is a micro ATX motherboard any worse than the ATX version which is about $20 more? Also, is there a better case to fit with this motherboard?
 
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It's worse in the sense that an ATX size can give you 3 more slots. Otherwise, no. I somewhat like this last one. IMO, don't go crazy filling it up, then upgrade to a 240GB OS/apps SSD, later on.
 
Thanks Cerb. So the Intel build is probably better than the AMD based one? What brand of SSD do you think is the best? I probably won't get on soon, but I'll consider it later.
 
WheresWilmo said:
Here's my Intel alternative. I think I've basically narrowed it down between this and the rig in post #11.


My questions about this version regard the motherboard. Is a micro ATX motherboard any worse than the ATX version which is about $20 more? Also, is there a better case to fit with this motherboard?
Click to expand...

Intel build gets my vote. If you can swing an i5 get one, it's certainly going to outperform the amd. The rest of the build looks great, good price on the GTX 660. The GTX 660 is about the only decently priced mid range GPU on the market right now. The gtx 760 would be good too if you can afford the $60.- or so it takes to get to one.

mATX is fine as long as you don't plan to SLI/Crossfire. HAF 912 is a decent sized case, but if you do not plan to SLI/Crossfire and decide to go mATX take a look at Cooler Master N200
 
WheresWilmo said:
Thanks Cerb. So the Intel build is probably better than the AMD based one? What brand of SSD do you think is the best? I probably won't get on soon, but I'll consider it later.
Click to expand...
In 2011, I might have given a best. Quality has improved immensely, though, and seems to have somewhat plateaued in 2013.

Today, I consider Crucial (M500), Seagate (600), and Sandisk (Ultra Plus or Extreme II) good, due to competitive prices, and generally easy to get to and responsive support, if anything goes wrong. Samsung (840 Evo, 840 Pro) and Toshiba (Q/THNSNH) make excellent products, and do stand by them, but you might have to work to get the right person on the other end to get an RMA going, sometimes. Intel are good, for SF drives, but usually not competitive in their pricing
 
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OP, do you actually live near a microcenter? You've still got that case listed as from MC, and if you do live near MC, you can take advantage of a number of CPU+MoBo bundles!
 
I would go for a smasung SSD, great quality, never had one fail. Sandisk and crucial also have good products, good value and reliability.
 
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