Decent Budget Gaming PC?

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colinlb

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Jul 12, 2013
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This will be my first computer build. I'm going for a mid level gaming platform, around $500. Here's what I have:

Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

MoBo: BIOSTAR A780L3C AM3 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138376

PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

RAM: Kingston HyperX Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX16C9B1BK2/8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104387

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871

Graphics: HIS iCooler H775FS2G Radeon HD 7750 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161427

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

I also have 2 extra fans to supplement the one in the case...:

COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP 120mm Blue LED Case cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103060

Rosewill RFA-80-BL 80mm 4 Blue LEDs LED Case cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200045

...and a Wi-Fi card:

Rosewill RNX-G300LX Wireless Adapter Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166021

Total Cost: $484.89
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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Consider this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($150.40 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $498.30
 
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Maxime506

Maxime506

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Apr 22, 2013
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I don't suggest using a DDR3 graphic card. It's too slow for gaming and a waste of your HD 7750 graphic chipset. Better get a HD 7750 GDDR5 instead. Here is the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161403, also the same price.
 
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colinlb

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Jul 12, 2013
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Looks good, I understand all the choices except for the mobo. Why is this one better than the biostar? I've heard that Gigabyte is unreliable, but is that just a rumor? Also, how would the mobo you chose compare to this one to make some breathing room in the budget?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128564
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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The CPU is a FM2 socket and your Biostar board is AM3. In addition, the A85X board has native USB 3.0 support and can support multiple GPUs and is overall superior to the Biostar board.
 
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colinlb

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Jul 12, 2013
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Let me rephrase that. I guess what I was asking was how would your processor and mobo be superior to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128564 and my original processor?
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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colinlb

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OK, but that review thread also has some negatives. For instance, the FM2 being outdated. I'm also trying to keep the price down as much as I can, so I suppose I'm trying to decide whether the extra money is worth it.
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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The only real difference in cost is the GPU. The 7850 is vastly superior to the 7750. The FM2 will end with the Richland APUs. However the likelihood that your selected 780 board will be compatible with steamroller is highly unlikely (only AM3+ has been suggested to be Steamroller compatible thus far) so you are also limited to the current generation processors. Do you plan on upgrading the CPU down the line?
 
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colinlb

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I may well end up upgrading, but not too much. I wouldn't get like a $400 processor.
 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

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Aug 18, 2009
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $483.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 12:27 EDT-0400)
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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It would support FX CPUs (I personally wouldn't recommend anything short of a 970 board). However, your gaming system would be much better equipped for gaming with a better GPU than a CPU at this budget. At the very minimum, aim for a HD 7790 and consider the GTX 650 Ti Boost or HD 7850 if you can squeeze it into the build.

Blackbirds build, while it has a slight faster CPU, has a slower GPU and a power supply that is way too large for the build and is taking away from other components especially considering the fact that he opted for the GTX 650 Ti (non-boost version) which doesn't support SLI (even if it did, the motherboard doesn't) so spending extra $$ on a 750W PSU provides no possible performance benefits to the system.

I still believe the FM2 route is the best value for the budget and would still recommend it strongly. Here is an updated build since prices have changed since the last post:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card ($121.97 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($19.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $514.83

Bare in mind that the CPU cooler is currently $18 after rebate instead of the listed $30 above which shiould bring the total to $503. Also, Newegg is providing Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, and Bioshock Infinite once again with the 7790. This card overclocks well:

perf_oc.gif


Here is a full review:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7790_Dual-X/


Assuming crossfire issues are resolved in the near future, you can pickup a 2nd 7790 down the line and crossfire them. Here is a crossfire review:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7790_CrossFire/
bf3_1920_1200.gif



If you don't intent to overclock the CPU in the near future, you can also opt to drop the cooler from the build and upgrading to a 7850:


Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $502.86
 
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