Would this computer be ok for the games of 2011-12?

[KingEmperior]

I'm building a new computer off of ibuypowerpc.com since I can't build my own and I have less than $1000 to spend but I want a desktop that would be able to run games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim on at least medium. So here's my build:

Case: Azza Triton Gaming Case
Processor: [= Quad Core =] AMD Athlon™ II X4 640 Quad-Core CPU
Processor Cooling: Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink
Memory: 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory Module
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 - 2GB
Motherboard: [CrossFire] MSI 890GXM-G65 -- AMD 890GX w/ 2x PCI-E 2.0 x16
Power Supply: 700 Watt
Primary Hard Drive: 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive
Flash Media Reader: 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer
Sound Card: 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card: Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

So can someone tell me would this be a good build for $811? Can you help me in any way with tips and such? (I'm not very computer literate yet better than most)

 

[Kristijonas]

Sure, it would run all games on max. However, why don't you take i5 2400 and a cheap H61 motherboard ? 4gb cheapest RAM ? That would certainly be better than anything AMD has to offer at the moment.

 

[KingEmperior]

Sure, it would run all games on max. However, why don't you take i5 2400 and a cheap H61 motherboard ? 4gb cheapest RAM ? That would certainly be better than anything AMD has to offer at the moment.

Where can I order this pre-built? On ibuypowerpc they only offered AMD's for this build... I would build it myself but I don't know how.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Can you spend a bit more? For $984 you can get a "2011 Paladin E" from them with intel i5-2500K, Z68 motherboard, 8 GB RAM, GTX 560 ti graphics card. (I saved $25 by switching to a Cooler Master HAF case)

i5-2500K vs.X4-645 -- twice as fast in some games
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/188?vs=288

560 ti is 12% - 20% faster than a regular 560 (both at stock speed)
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4344/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-top-to-bottom-overclock

If that's too rich for your blood, an intel i5-2400 and H67 chipset motherboard would be much, much faster than that AMD:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/188?vs=363

If you ask this in General Hardware (and fill out the questions in the sticky thread) a bunch of people with a lot of experience doing this will chime in.

 

[Kristijonas]

I've never bought a pre-built PC, so I don't know. DaveSimmons suggestions are all very good. i5 2400 would be more than enough for the next 3 years (i5 2500k if you like overclocking) Ask in the General Hardware forum section and you will probably get even more good suggestions from more technically literate people than myself.

 

[KingEmperior]

Can you spend a bit more? For $984 you can get a "2011 Paladin E" from them with intel i5-2500K, Z68 motherboard, 8 GB RAM, GTX 560 ti graphics card. (I saved $25 by switching to a Cooler Master HAF case)

i5-2500K vs.X4-645 -- twice as fast in some games
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/188?vs=288

560 ti is 12% - 20% faster than a regular 560 (both at stock speed)
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4344/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-top-to-bottom-overclock

If that's too rich for your blood, an intel i5-2400 and H67 chipset motherboard would be much, much faster than that AMD:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/188?vs=363

If you ask this in General Hardware (and fill out the questions in the sticky thread) a bunch of people with a lot of experience doing this will chime in.

I really like this build and I'm sure it will last me a couple years but I don't know if I can spend that much money. I've keep getting told "You can make an awesome gaming pc for $500!" and "You can't get a good gaming pc for under $1000!" I just don't know who's right and what to do, especially since Skyrim and Battlefield 3 are right around the corner and I want to get my computer soon. I would definitely have to come up with some money soon if I wanted that pc :\

 

[Kristijonas]

Remember you can always buy i3 2100, 4gb RAM, GTX 460 and play BF3 and Skyrim at maxed settings with no lag

 

[KingEmperior]

Remember you can always buy i3 2100, 4gb RAM, GTX 460 and play BF3 and Skyrim at maxed settings with no lag

Really?! I thought I would at least have to have an i5 with a GTX 550 and MAYBE play it at medium. Are you joking or are you serious?

 

[zerocool84]

You never said what resolution you're going to be playing at unless I missed it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Start with the base Paladin 2011 E at $879.

Case - NZXT Source 210 = -$45 = http://www.thinkcomputers.org/nzxt-source-210-elite-mid-tower-case-review/
Heatsink = stock cooling = -$10
RAM = 8 GB = free upgrade
Video = 560 ti 1 GB = +$100
PSU = 650 watt = +$30

= $930 while keeping the i5-2500K and 560 ti.

You could drop down to an i5-2400 and save $25, but you lose a bit of speed and the ability to overclock if you decide you need more speed in a couple of years.

 

[bentheman939]

Remember you can always buy i3 2100, 4gb RAM, GTX 460 and play BF3 and Skyrim at maxed settings with no lag

He's right, you don't need $1000 to game. You MAY not be able to max out AA and other esoteric graphic features on ALL games, but put it this way: consoles need to be able to play Skyrim and BF3 as well, and they are using the equivalent of a 4 year old underpowered PC.

We also need to know what resolution you game at. Just for reference, I game at 1080p with an AMD 5850, which is more or less equivalent to the nVidia 560. I have the i5 2500k, 8 gigs of ram, very similar to the setup Dave suggested. I can max or nearly max every game out there with no problems. An i3 2100 and 460 would not be much worse.

 

[MustangSVT]

already that system will NOT play few of current games at max at all.

The weakest link is cpu. as others have said, the performance from i5 2xxx cpus are just way beyond anything amd can do at the moment.

 

[drebo]

You definitely want to go Intel this time around. The i5-2500K is great and very inexpensive.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Good thing the fan is certified. Otherwise you'd be screwed.

 

[DarkForceRising]

My current rig has an Athlon II x4 635 paired with a Radeon 4850. I can't play most games these days at my monitor's native resolution of 1920x1200 without problems.

My setup also has trouble with Bad Company 2 (also Crysis), and I think I'm running that at 1440x900. As I recall, the performance didn't really get better by raising or lowering the resolution, so it might be CPU limited? Not sure. I figured it might be that I've paired an AM2+ chip with an AM2 motherboard. Or maybe I should have reformatted when I upgraded to it.

Anyway, my recommendation would be to get a more powerful CPU.

 

[Nik]

This does not belong in the video gaming forum.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Really?! I thought I would at least have to have an i5 with a GTX 550 and MAYBE play it at medium. Are you joking or are you serious?

GTX 460 > GTX 550

Just an fyi

 

[KingEmperior]

You never said what resolution you're going to be playing at unless I missed it.

I haven't picked out a monitor yet either. What would be a good one for the 2011 Paladin E build?

 

[Texashiker]

You never said what resolution you're going to be playing at unless I missed it.

Resolution is like underwear, you can change them anytime you want.

AS for the OP, the amd 640 is an ok CPU, but there are a lot better out there. If I was going to build a system like what you are doing, the 640 would not even be an option.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Resolution is like underwear, you can change them anytime you want.

If you're gaming on a CRT maybe...

No serious gamer plays on any resolution other than their LCD's native res.

I haven't picked out a monitor yet either. What would be a good one for the 2011 Paladin E build?

For that PC you're gonna want something with at least 1080p (1920x1080), so 23" and up.

 

[wuliheron]

Resolution is like underwear, you can change them anytime you want.

AS for the OP, the amd 640 is an ok CPU, but there are a lot better out there. If I was going to build a system like what you are doing, the 640 would not even be an option.

Yeah, but using anything other then the native resolution of a monitor is like wearing dirty underwear.

 

[mazeroth]

OP, where do you live? Building a PC is very simple and maybe someone on here would be willing to meet up with you for an hour and show you the ropes. It's basically just putting a few parts into a case and running the Windows CD. That way you could get some killer parts on sale and save a ton of money.