Optimised Gaming Rig under $1200

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xibalban

xibalban

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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: (e.g.: $1000-$1200) Before Rebates; Before Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: HD-Gaming, RPG-Gaming, More-Gaming)

Are you buying a monitor: I already have a 1920 x 1080 Benq Full-HD LED Display

Parts to Upgrade: This is a new build

Do you need to buy OS: No (Will use Windows 7 Professional - 32 Bit) Update: I will manage a 64 bit version too for exploiting >4 GB RAM

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'll buy offline

Location: City, State/Region, Country - India

Parts Preferences: Intel Processor / AMD Graphics

Overclocking: Not Yet (maybe)

SLI or Crossfire: I don't know these terms yet (So, Maybe)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments:

I would like a quiet PC. I must be able to Play upcoming Games like Just Cause 3, Elder Scrolls VI, Crysis-4, etc (What I actually mean is the most demanding games must be playable at high quality settings, as much as possible at my budget)

Yes, I have read the Marathon Thread(s): Q1-2013 @ $1000

I would like to start, after reading a few threads here, by selecting i5-3570k CPU and a Single SSD Drive as Internal Storage (I already have an external 2 TB USB-3 portable storage anyways). I'd prefer a simple Cabinet that doesn't attract much attention. Other things, let us argue about those as the thread progresses.

Thanks in advance.
 
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krthush V2
Well if you aren't up for the AMD build, go with this probably:

Sapphire Radeon HD7970 3GB DDR5 Vapor-X Edition ATI PCI E Graphic Card - 35725.00

Intel DH61BF 16GB DDR3 Desktop Board - 3155.00

Intel Core i5-3470 3.60GHz Processor - 3rd Generation - 11685.00

Adata Premier Pro SP600 64GB SATA Internal Solid State Drive - Black - 4100.00

NZXT H2 Classic Silent Midtower Chassis - 6575.00

G.skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Desktop RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR) - 4710.00

Corsair Builder Series CX500 V2 500W Power Supply (CMPSU-500CXV2) - 3425.00

Total: 69375.00


Basically the same as memn's build but:

-quieter case

-better gpu

-worse mobo since you don't need that many features

-cheaper ssd
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xibalban

xibalban

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Oops!! You are right, thanks for pointing that out. The cost/build may still exclude the OS.
 
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xibalban

xibalban

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Already answered above, thanks for noticing. I'll update the original post.
 
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krthush V2

krthush V2

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Ok I've got a build for you:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R5dm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R5dm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R5dm/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.14 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($81.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.97 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1144.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 12:09 EDT-0400)


Keys Points:

-Before you start going mad about the fx-8350 vs i5 3570k, check these two videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICVeN6WEGgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4et7kDGSRfc

-I would like to have to 7970's in there but budget restricts :( Two HD 7870 xts still shall be beastly

-Got a nice and silent case for you, with minimalistic looks
 
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xibalban

xibalban

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Thank you for the time/strength devoted to responding with a build. I'm checking out the videos that you've recommended. However, do I really require 2-GPUs? And, by the way, I don't think I require an optical drive (I have one already).

Update: The cost would breach the threshold of $1200, considering shipping, customs, etc to India. Costs would be at par, even if available locally. So, perhaps we must have aimed for under $900 :??:
 
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Fulgurant

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No you don't need 2 GPUs, and in light of recent frame-latency testing, Crossfire is a bad idea at the moment. If you were to go with 2 GPUs, you'd be better off with nVidia, but I wouldn't recommend SLI for you, both because of your budget restrictions and because you're not looking to game at extreme resolutions (greater than 1080p).

Also, two GPUs generate a lot of heat. Heat and quiet computing typically go together like oil and water -- which isn't to say that you can't build a quiet dual-GPU computer, mind you, but you surely shouldn't go out of your way to add heat to a case that's supposed to be quiet.

All of that said, it's extremely difficult for most of us to plot out a build at a given price point for someone who plans to buy locally in India. All we can do is give you the prices with which we're familiar and hope that they're more-or-less the same at your chosen vendor. Prices for computer hardware vary from country to country, and there's often no rhyme or reason to the variations: some things might be cheaper here (in the US) than they are for you while others might be cheaper for you.

Hopefully someone who's familiar with your local market will chime in with a build suggestion. In the meanwhile, I'll put together something for you just for illustration.

Edit: By the way, Crossfire and SLI just refer to multi-GPU configurations. They're marketing terms: Crossfire is AMD's multi-GPU solution, and SLI is nvidia's.
 
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xibalban

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So, the suggestion involved Crossfire? Even before I knew what that "actually" means, I was recommended one. And, by the way, thank you for the stunning revelation about 2-GPUs. I didn't quite like the idea as well. Awaiting your version of the build. Thanks for the post.
 
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Fulgurant

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Heh, yeah, my bad. Please see edit in my previous post for a definition of Crossfire/SLI. They're marketing terms for each major GPU company's multi-GPU technology.

Ok, so here's a build for ~$900 on the US market:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $911.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 13:21 EDT-0400)

It's not ideal, for obvious reasons, but if you're looking for something that will game admirably at 1080p, this'll do the job -- and barring insane differences in the Indian market, it should fit in your budget comfortably. If you have money to spare, probably the first thing I'd look to upgrade is the SSD; I originally tried to shoe-horn a 256GB Samsung 830 SSD into the build, but it was too costly for the (rough) $900 budget; add $50-60 for that upgrade.

I have no personal experience with the case in question, but it seems to have a pretty good reputation; krthush suggested it, and I see no reason to deviate.

A $1200 build is forthcoming. The most obvious places to upgrade (apart from the SSD) are the GPU and the CPU. The CPU is a bit of a sticky issue, though: with an appropriate motherboard (z77 or z75 chipset) you can overclock even a non-K (locked-multiplier) Core i5 like the one recommended above. You can grab probably 500 extra MHz just through turbo overclocking a locked chip.

If you want to go beyond that, then you not only need the unlocked CPU (the 3570k), you also need an aftermarket cooler, which'll run you at least $30 extra dollars over and above the extra money you're paying for the CPU.

That's not necessarily a bad deal, mind you; I just thought you should be aware of it. If you're not comfortable with overclocking, then I'd probably skip it.
 
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Fulgurant

Fulgurant

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Ok, if you just add a bigger SSD and a top-of-the-line (single) GPU to the system above, you end up with this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($423.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1113.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 13:36 EDT-0400)

Which leaves about a $65 cushion to account for differences in the Indian market. (The $1113.90 includes a $20 mail-in rebate, unfortunately, so the up-front cost is really $1133.90.)

You could potentially shoe-horn an i5 3570k and an aftermarket cooler into the build for that extra $65, but I don't know that there's any point in posting another build with those changes made. They're fairly straightforward.
 
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Memnarchon

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$1200 = Rs. 65000
So,
Edit: It seems that I made a mistake with calculations but I found better prices so the result is the same:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K: Rs 14330
Case: Cooler Master K380: Rs 3225
GPU: Sapphire AMD/ATI HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 With Boost: Rs 23421
RAM: G.Skill Sniper DDR3 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) PC RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR): Rs 3939
PSU: Corsair VS Series VS650 650W High Performance Power Supply: Rs 3710
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 120GB: Rs 6100
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45: Rs 9880
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: Rs 2191


Total: Rs. 66796 (Inclusive of taxes)
ps: You can remove the CPU cooler and be at Rs 64000 but I wouldn't recommend it.
ps2: stay away from Crossfire at the moment...
 
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krthush V2

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Fine you don't want a dual gpu, yet you want to max future games at 1080p... good luck with that >.>
The only option you have to "Play upcoming Games like Just Cause 3, Elder Scrolls VI, Crysis-4, etc (What I actually mean is the most demanding games must be playable at high quality settings, as much as possible at my budget)" is get a Titan...
Whats wrong with sli/cf, tons of people do it, and drivers are only getting better >.>. But if you insist on extreme performance but only want a single gpu, you are left with the only option of a Titan
 
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krthush V2

krthush V2

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Anyways I'll give you a 900$ build then,

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6rx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6rx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6rx/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.14 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($81.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.97 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $972.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 14:17 EDT-0400)


Done, just remove the extra GPU..

Key Points:

-I've told you the benefits of fx8350 vs i5s.

-Swapped out the 7870 xt's for one 7950
 
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krthush V2

krthush V2

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If you have more money, then get this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.14 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($81.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.97 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($445.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1120.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 14:19 EDT-0400)

Key Points:

-all I did was swap out the gpu for a 7970Ghz
 
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Fulgurant

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High quality settings at 1080p doesn't constitute a particularly high standard of performance. Granted, we can't know what "upcoming games" will require right now; granted, at some point hardware bought today will be outdated. But by the same token, we can't say what the OP will need, hardware-wise, to game at 1080p at an arbitrary point in the future.

If he buys a good CPU (Core i5, overclockable or not) and a top-tier or near-top-tier single GPU solution (like an HD 7970 GHz, or even a 7950 or GTX 670), he ought to have a fairly pleasant experience gaming at 1080p for the next three years or so. That's a massive generalization, but it's true, to the extent that any generalization based on subjective criteria can be true.

If the OP wants to, he can buy a dual-GPU-capable motherboard and PSU now and add a second GPU later. Right now? A second card isn't necessary, and, if we're talking Crossfire, a second card will arguably hurt his gaming experience, as per frame-latency testing performed on countless review sites. (Including Tom's itself.)
 
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krthush V2

krthush V2

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Btw... I ceebs to argue this point, but if you urge me to I can just splash millions of benchmarks at you, but basically:

THE FIRST BUILD I POSTED:

-Had 2 HD 7870XT's (these cards are one of the best price vs performance cards.)

So you can note that the builds with 2 HD 7870 XTs are of a similar price of the builds contain HD 7970ghz. But 2 HD 7870 XTs utterly crushes one HD 7970, I mean, its not even a competition.

SOOOooo... I don't understand why you have this odd fear of crossfire o_O..

Ok there is a chance that i may run slightly louder, but that case I picked out for you is a very good case (in has pads which stop sound well) so it will still be very quiet, but still perform like a beast.

I trust sapphire's cooling enough that they have ensured at least two HD 7870 Xt's will run fine without overheating.

I really see no reason (unless you need to get a 900$ build, in which case get the second one I posted), for you not to crossfire... especially since you want mindbogglingly good performance.

(i.e. "Play upcoming Games like Just Cause 3, Elder Scrolls VI, Crysis-4, etc (What I actually mean is the most demanding games must be playable at high quality settings, as much as possible at my budget)" -> can't do that with one HD 7970, not at max anyways)

So ye... just stick to the first build >.> crossfire is fine :D
 
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Fulgurant

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http://techreport.com/review/21516/inside-the-second-a-new-look-at-game-benchmarking

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Dissected-Full-Details-Capture-based-Graphics-Performance-Tes-12

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-benchmarking-frame-rate,3466-13.html

http://techreport.com/review/24553/inside-the-second-with-nvidia-frame-capture-tools/9

There's more to life than average frame rates (FPS).



The OP wanted "high quality settings." To ask for the absolute max settings even in all current games would be preposterous; there are too many variables. Some games are coded badly; some games require a driver update before they'll perform well; some image-quality settings just aren't worth the performance premium (See the Witcher's ubersampling for a perfect example).

There isn't a hardware configuration in existence that is 100% guaranteed to run every single game in the world at 100% maximum image quality settings. That includes any Titan configuration; just by the law of averages, you gotta figure that at some point you'll come across a game that runs like crap for whatever reason, even if only temporarily.

Disregarding the nettlesome frame-latency problems with AMD's Crossfire, any of the builds in this thread will run most any current game admirably (that is, at high or near-max image-quality settings) at 1080p. And any of the builds in this thread should be capable of running most any game at at least medium settings (again, at 1080p) for probably the next three years.

Beyond that, no one can say. If your point is simply that the OP's request may be unreasonable, then I agree. If your point is that somehow Crossfire is the definitive answer to that unreasonable request, then I can't disagree more. Crossfire has issues right now. For that reason alone, the OP should avoid Crossfire in the short term. And since the OP is the only one who can define his subjective performance criteria, then only he can know when it might be time to upgrade with a second GPU.

Which he can do later, if he likes.
 
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krthush V2

krthush V2

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Agreed, then its probably best the OP goes with the HD 7970 Ghz if he wants hassle free good performance.

But ye, my suggestion wasn't that crossfire/sli would solve his ridiculous claim (Titan would do that), but it was to get the best performance for price (excluding all the problems with sli/crossfire, I still its a viable option, although it might be a hassle at times, also the technology/drivers are constantly improving).

So... conclusion,
Stick to this build:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R6sS/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.14 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($81.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.97 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($445.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H2 Classic Silent (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1120.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-16 14:19 EDT-0400)

Agreed Fulugrant?
 
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xibalban

xibalban

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"Hassle free good performance" - yes, that is the definitive key-phrase for me. If Crysis-3 is playable at high settings (i.e. at 1080p resolution), I take it that my build is satisfactory and probably will handle Just Cause-3 when it is released, for instance.

Overclocking is another thing that I would like to stay away from, for the time being. This prompts another question - do I require a CPU Cooler at all, then?

The Benq Display with max resolution at 1080p is what I am not likely to upgrade for a few years, so the quality/performance limit is defined more or less by the display capabilities, I suppose.

I thank you both for the build suggestions, and for helping me decide better. As a closing note, how would you compare your builds to this winner at Tomshardware?
 
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