Best performance gaming build on a budget

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

There are countless threads on this type of thing, but I would like a 'personalised' answer!

I currently have an old build that performs okay on older games, but I would really like to play up-to-date games on high (or even medium) settings. Games I would like to play are things like BF3, Far Cry 3, the latest CoD's etc, all the usual suspects. At the moment, with my specs (below) I meet the minimum for CoD:MW2, but no higher in the series, I can play Skyrim decently on medium settings and I can play GTA IV on medium-high with around 15-20fps.

My current specs are:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @2.2GHz
GPU: AMD Radeon HD6450
RAM: 2GB DDR2
MOBO: MSI K9MVG-V
HDD: 1TB (2x500GB) SATA
PSU: 400W (it says COLORSit on the actual PSU itself, I'm guessing that is the brand?)

I would like to upgrade to DDR3 RAM, a quad core processor and if I need it (which I almost certainly do), a new GPU (at least 1GB). I would also like the motherboard to hold 2 graphics cards if possible, so I can eventually either X-fire or SLi 2 cards. I've heard that a sound card is a good investment, but I'm not too fussed about that.

What build would you recommend to me for around the £500 mark? I know this budget won't get me much, but I'm only a student. I would like to be able to play games like BF4 and GTA V on high settings with around 30fps when they come out on PC, and my games like Skyrim, GTA IV, Borderlands etc at much higher frame rates that I can currently.

I was thinking of an AMD FX-4130 as a starting point for a CPU, as that's probably the kind of budget I would spend on a CPU?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you guys can give, I'm always on this site when I go googling my problems! - SturmWurbler

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

Would you be re-using your hard drives and PSU? Can I also ask what brand your PSU is?

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

If they are sufficient for the new build, then yes. I just edited my main post, I believe it is a COLORSit, although personally I have never heard of that brand. That's all I can see on the PSU itself.

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

I've never heard of them either, so I'd buy a new PSU, personally.

Do you need a license for windows for this new PC, or do you have a spare copy / use a free OS such as Linux?

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

I had a quick Google of the brand and apparently they are a pretty cheap brand, but that doesn't bother me too much as long as it doesn't cause me any problems down the line (which it hasn't for the past two years). How much should I be expecting to spend on a decent PSU?

I am excluding the price of an OS from this as I have already put money aside for Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

How about this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£135.59 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£49.98 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card (£151.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£60.06 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£49.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £510.57

This will play BF3 on Ultra settings @1080p @ ~40fps. For BF4, probably Ultra settings @ 1080p @ ~30fps.

It doesn't support SLI (but it does support Crossfire) - if you need SLI, you'll need to spend a lot more on the motherboard, and you'll need a more powerful PSU.

The i5 is miles better than the AMD FX-4130.

For your information, never buy AMD's FX-x1xx series CPUs, because they're awful. Stick to FX-x3xx, for example the FX-4300 and FX-6300.

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

That genuinely seems perfect, thanks! Will the PSU eventually support two graphics cards, along with all the other parts? And am I good for stock fans, or shall I put in a little extra for some aftermarket ones?

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

It'll support all the parts, yes.

However, it won't support 2 graphics cards - for that, you'd need a more powerful PSU and a more expensive motherboard, as that motherboard doesn't support SLI.

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

How come it supports Crossfire, but not SLI? Would the GTX 660 last me a good few years? Would you recommend going for a similar AMD card so I could Crossfire it in the future, or is there no need?

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

The GTX 660 should last you quite a while - it's a powerful card.

And I don't know, it's common for Crossfire to be supported but not SLI - I'm not sure why.

I personally advise people to steer clear from SLI/Crossfire, as it's much better to stick to a single powerful card rather than 2 weaker cards.

However, if you're sure that you'll need crossfire, you can go with an AMD HD 7850 and crossfire it later. Keep in mind that the 7850 isn't as powerful as the GTX 660.

Also bear in mind that Crossfire is wrought with problems, and isn't in the same league as SLI.

In all honesty, I'd recommend that you completely forgo a dual-card build for a single-card build, but if you really want a dual-card set-up, SLI is the only viable option. Like I said though, you'd need to spend more on a more powerful PSU and a better motherboard, so it's up to you

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

That's rather strange, seems like it's practically the same concept and set-up involved!

I was just thinking of keeping up with games down the road, but if you recommend a single card set-up, then I shall go with you on this one, especially as I shall have to spend more money straight off the bat, which I simply don't have.

I'm thinking of purchasing/completing this new build in January of next year. Hopefully the price of RAM will have fluctuated a little more and reduced in price. Thank you very much for all your help, I greatly appreciate it!

realchaos · Jul 28, 2013

-It says it supports crossfire, but it only has a single pcie 3.0 slot so you won't get proper crossfire performance anyways.
-Getting a motherboard and psu to support crossfire while keeping the i5 at such a low budget will affect your performance.
-Crossfire is filled with problems.

JRAtk suggest a nice build, but I would change it a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£135.59 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£49.98 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (£163.96 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£60.06 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.86 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £522.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-28 19:58 BST+0100)

-Higher quality psu.
-Stronger gpu.

It does cost a bit more, but it's definitely worth it.

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

realchaos' build is better, no doubt. And I agree that it's definitely worth the extra expenditure.

I completely forgot about XFX - I usually recommend them (for PSUs at least - I'd never recommend their GPUs).

I would definitely go for realchaos' build - the 7870 is slightly more powerful than the GTX 660, but it overclocks like a demon, which will extend the longevity of the card. That is, in a year or so when games need more power, you can just overclock the 7870 instead of replacing it, which is handy indeed.

Since the Motherboard is MicroATX, you could choose a smaller case to reduce the cost slighty. I'd recommend the Cooler Master N200 - it's only around £35, and much more compact than the Corsair 300R.

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

realchaos :

-It says it supports crossfire, but it only has a single pcie 3.0 slot so you won't get proper crossfire performance anyways.
-Getting a motherboard and psu to support crossfire while keeping the i5 at such a low budget will affect your performance.
-Crossfire is filled with problems.

JRAtk suggest a nice build, but I would change it a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£135.59 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£62.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£49.98 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (£163.96 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£60.06 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£49.86 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £522.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-28 19:58 BST+0100)

-Higher quality psu.
-Stronger gpu.

It does cost a bit more, but it's definitely worth it.

Ah yes, the GPU is faster than the GTX 660. I do prefer Nvidia cards, but that's besides the point. Your more powerful PSU is actually a smidge cheaper than the one JRAtk suggested!

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

Would I need any extra cooling parts to deal with the overclocking of that GPU? Would you recommend a more compact case as oppose to a larger case with more airflow? Space is not particularly a problem for me.

realchaos · Jul 28, 2013

The gpu has good cooling already. MSI has some decent cooling on their cards, you should be fine.

The 300r is a great case with good airflow. Just make sure you don't block that airflow by making a mess with your cables. Keep it clean and the airflow would be fine.

I would suggest keeping a mid-tower because it will have enough room for all of your needs and provides good airflow as opposed to compact, mini-itx cases.

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

No, MSI's cooling on their GPUs is superb. It should handle some overclocking without any aftermarket fans for the case. Of course, fans are pretty cheap, so it's worth buying some anyway, I suppose

As for the case, it's purely personal preference. Personally, I like compact cases, as they're often cheaper than their larger counterparts and they don't take up as much space. I'm also a student, and a small case is beneficial to me as my apartment isn't very big (I have a Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced - tiny little thing, but sits on my desk and doesn't use much space

).

Like Realchaos said, the 300R has great airflow. Just make sure that you use the cable-routing cut-outs to keep your cables out of the way, so that airflow isn't impeded.

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

I'm quite used to space hogs (I still have a huge, off white, CRT monitor) so I think I'll stick with a mid-sized case. Yes, I'm a little OCD when it comes to cables, so I'm way ahead of you on that one

That Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced of yours is rather interesting! I haven't seen a case anything like that!

JRAtk94 · Jul 28, 2013

I am also OCD when it comes to cables. Nothing wrong with a bit of OCD though

It is interesting, isn't it? I like it though

Airflow is pretty good for such a small case as well. It was only £30 as well. Absolute bargain.

Anyway, good luck with your build, and enjoy

P.S. If you're not building your PC until next January, watch out for the new AMD graphics cards, they're coming out in October, I believe. They're going to be sooooooooo good

SturmWurbler · Jul 28, 2013

JRAtk94 :

Keeps everything in order, eh?

Not bad, bought brand new I assume?

Thanks, it'll be my first proper build, as my current build was given to me, I've just taken everything apart and put it all back together again, and I replaced the graphics card and RAM!

Ooh, I certainly will! Hopefully they won't be overpriced like a certain other new cards *cough* titan *cough*

Thank you both for your help, it's greatly appreciated! - SturmWurbler

SturmWurbler · Jul 29, 2013

I've decided to keep my old PSU, as it's capable of running the parts I want, and I've changed it up very slightly, and budgeted for an OS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£147.20 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£51.15 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£53.25 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (£163.96 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master Force 500 ATX Mid Tower Case (£36.22 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Total: £451.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 10:22 BST+0100)

Pretty good me thinks!

JRAtk94 · Jul 29, 2013

I'd recommend buying a new PSU anyway.

That "COLORSit" one could be a disaster waiting to happen - you don't want it to burn out and destroy half of your PC along with it (this happens. Quite a lot.). Considering it's an unknown brand, there is a possibility that this will happen. High quality PSUs like XFX won't burn out.

Trust me, you don't want to power a PC like that with a low-quality PSU, it's not worth the risk.

SturmWurbler · Jul 29, 2013

JRAtk94 :

Okay then, I'll try and budget for a PSU as well. Thanks for your input

JRAtk94 · Jul 29, 2013

No worries

Best performance gaming build on a budget

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