Entry Level Gaming Machine $650

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pcarawan

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Aug 3, 2013
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I am trying, very painfully, to put together an entry level gaming machine for my 12 year old. Below are the specs....any advice would be appreciated.

:) Confused Mom

Processor/Motherboard: Intel Core i5-4570/ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Combo $276.99

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 2GB GV-R785OC-2GD W/ 2 free games $149.99
Power Supply :SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified $59.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB $59.98
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $55.99
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus $34.99

Less $45 for buying through cell phone and using Google Wallet



Total Cost With Promo discount :$592.92



 
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pcarawan

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Aug 3, 2013
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:)I'm very new at this.....why the 4670K ....
 
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pcarawan

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The mobo is the Asrock z87....
 
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Jack Revenant

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The 4670k is the overclockable version of the 4670. The Z-series boards are designed for overclocking, so he was recommending you get an overclockable CPU to maximize value.

I would actually not recommend using that build, to be honest. It has a solid CPU, but GPU matters more for gaming. This would be my suggestion at $650:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($175.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $649.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-18 09:53 EDT-0400)

PSU is pretty big overkill, but a sale leaves the 750w level with the 550w in price,

Edit: Alternatively, focusing even more on GPU over CPU:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $652.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-18 09:54 EDT-0400)
 
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pcarawan

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I looked at the Radeon 7870 card but it looked like a lot of people were having issue with blue screening or cards dying after a year. It actually is on sale for 169.99 but was worried about quality.

As far as the i5 4430....is this a better CPU than the 4570? It is a bit cheaper.

Would you recommend keeping the 4570 and just replacing the video card?
 
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Jack Revenant

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The 7870 is of at least equal build quality to the 7850, if you buy it from a reliable brand. The one I linked is from Sapphire, which is quite good.

The 4430 is weaker than the 4570, but honestly you don't even need an i5. The build I would really recommend (which is quite similar to one I constructed recently myself) is my second suggestion, which has a very strong GPU (GTX 760, which is a little better than the 7950) and a passable CPU (FX6300 is about level with the i3-3220, but six cores is better for gaming than the two in the i3), which makes for an efficient gaming system when you're on a budget.

If you can afford the 4570 and a 760, or at minimum 7870 GHz Edition, sure. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. CPU, as said, is the less important element of a gaming system.
 
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pcarawan

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It was the sapphire that I looked at.....and really had in mind to buy all along.....there were just quite a few complaints on New Egg about the card.

What do you think about MSI Radeon HD 7950 Video Card - 3GB GDDR5 for $199

My end goal is to have a system that will last several years and will be upgradeable as my sons needs change and his ability to work on his machine grows. I anticipate that he may want to get into overclocking and running dual cards as he ages. Which might mean I should spring for the K version....not sure where to draw the line and save my budget. :)
 
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Maxime506

Maxime506

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Apr 22, 2013
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Should be Z87,it's typo, sorry for this.

Maybe u could ask ur son what he think. Maybe a 12-yr-old kid won't play such intensive games, plus a lot of intensive games like FPS games has age limitation (violence, inappropriate contents etc) .
 
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Pavel Pokidaylo

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I think a 7870Ghz should be pretty close to a 7950 for performance. Which model MSI were you looking at? And that is a great price for a 7950.
If it has a good cooler on it then I would go with the 7950. I have a Sapphire 7950 Flex and waiting for a second one to arrive. I think for AMD Sapphire and Asus are best but Sapphire is cheaper. A good 7870ghz wouldn't be bad either though.

It's always good to have the option to overclock even if you don't plan on doing it. I'd go for the K if it's not too much more money.
 
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Pavel Pokidaylo

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Jack Revenant

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Well, Sapphire has a solid reputation as a brand, and there aren't any outstanding issues with the 7870 GPUs that I'm aware of. In your shoes, I would consider that card trustworthy.

Would that be the Twin Frozr or reference cooler 7950? If the former, it's a solid choice. In the latter case, I wouldn't advise it. Reference-cooled cards run very hot.

Honestly, I wouldn't try to plan too much for the future. If your son isn't planning on dual cards or overclocking in the next year or two, he'd be buying a new CPU and motherboard by the time it comes up, allowing you to make the decision then. Building and upgrading a computer creates a constant cycle of alternation, and if you or he feel something is missing down the road, you can simply add it in the next revision.
 
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pcarawan

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OK....what do you think of this?

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $229.99 Amazon
Motherboa ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 $92.98 SuperBiiz
MemoryCorsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $56.99 Newegg
Storage Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $59.98 Outlet PC
Video Card Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB $184.60 Newegg
Case Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower $34.99 Newegg
Power SupplySeaSonic 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $59.99 (Purchased)
Total: $719.54

Would love to cut $50 off of it but not sure where.
 
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Jack Revenant

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In your shoes, I would cut it off the CPU. Drop down to an i5-4430, since that H87 motherboard can't overclock you won't be losing anything.
 
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