Budget Gaming Computer Specifications Review

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circularpromise53

circularpromise53

Distinguished
Mar 17, 2013
629
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19,060

that cpu would bottleneck the gpu. get an i5 3750k, or wait for haswell.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

Splendid
Oct 3, 2012
2,795
1
21,965
At this point, I'd wait for Haswell to release. However, even with that in mind, if you were buying parts right now, I'd go for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.20 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1422.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 15:36 EDT-0400)

As has been said, and proven, you don't need an I7 for gaming. Games do not take advantage of hyperthreading so the only benefit you get from that cpu is the 100mhz base clock speed upgrade.

7970's perform just as well as a 680 for less money usually(some games are the exception) and the model I linked comes with 4 free games.

Asus is a very good brand of motherboard, and I own that particular one and recommend it. I added the Swiftech cooler instead of the Corsair simply because it performs slightly better and has the option of going a full custom cooler route without hacking the cooler. Read the reviews.

The Fractal Design case is very nice. Very good reviews. Seasonic Power Supply for stability and quality, plenty of horsepower for overclocking.
 
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ksham

ksham

Splendid
Mar 29, 2013
8,398
1
29,960
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.17 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.20 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($103.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($443.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.91 @ Amazon)
Total: $1307.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 
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Marcopolo123

Marcopolo123

Honorable
Jan 31, 2013
3,460
0
13,160
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.17 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1734.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 16:15 EDT-0400)
 
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ryu750

ryu750

Distinguished
Oct 28, 2009
113
3
18,695


I could have sworn that I read before that once the resolution goes over 1920x1080 the CPU gets used a lot less and the 965 will not cause bottlenecks...!?

 
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Marcopolo123

Marcopolo123

Honorable
Jan 31, 2013
3,460
0
13,160
965 will bottleneck

Updated
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.17 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($409.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1481.07
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-30 17:14 EDT-0400)
 
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