600$ Gaming pc & opinion on a build my friend made for me!

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amitlin96

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Hi there!

Im going to america in a couple of days, and i wanna get myself a computer there, now, my budget is around 600$, and games im gonna be playing are battlefield 4 & planetside 2, perhaps a few more. Im definitely a horse-power over graphics kinda guy, but i dont want it to look bad.

My friend made two builds for me, one's amd and one's intel:

amd build:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1yrtc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1yrtc/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1yrtc/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($67.23 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $610.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-01 10:55 EDT-0400)


Intel build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $644.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-01 04:16 EDT-0400)

If those are good builds, could you tell me which one is better, or if you have better builds, do share :)

Thanks in advance
 
Solution
geofelt
I vote for the intel build.
1. Few games can use more than 2-3 threads. The intel cores are much faster. Most of the 8 cores on the FX-8350 will go unused.
2. Gaming performance is more dependent on the graphics card than the cpu. I like to suggest one budgets twice the cpu cost for the graphics card.
In this case, a GTX760 is a much stronger card.
3. One change I would make is to buy a 8gb ram kit of 2 x 4gb. 1600 speed will be fine.
4. The i3-3240 will work just fine without a aftermarket cpu cooler. You can omit that.
5. I will not build without a ssd for the os and some apps. It makes everything so much quicker.
Consider a 120gb, Samsung would be my current pick. If you can go to 240gb, defer on the hard drive. You...
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expl0itfinder

expl0itfinder

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I absolutely suggest the AMD build. It has awesome power for that price range. However, the Intel build does have a better graphics card, it would be held back by the i3. The CPU in the AMD build gives the i3 a firm kick in the pants, and it can be overclocked. In the games you mentioned, The CPU is much more important, as they both rely more on the CPU than the GPU.
 
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amitlin96

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Do you maybe have a better build for the buck?
 
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Kamen_BG

Kamen_BG

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While it is true that CPU power is important in both of the games he mentioned, Planetside runs mainly on 1 thread and as such does not perform as well on AMD cpu's as it does on Intel ones.
So, the AMD CPU will give you a major advantage in BF4, but it will also be a lot slower in Planetside 2.

Still though, the advantage the GTX 760 gives compared to the HD 7850 makes the second build the far superior choice in terms of gaming performance.

If however 650$ is your budget (after rebates), you can get the best of both worlds.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($109.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec GX700 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $664.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

This PC has the CPU used in the first build along with a much more powerfull graphics card.
Add in a CPU cooler and start the overclocking !
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I vote for the intel build.
1. Few games can use more than 2-3 threads. The intel cores are much faster. Most of the 8 cores on the FX-8350 will go unused.
2. Gaming performance is more dependent on the graphics card than the cpu. I like to suggest one budgets twice the cpu cost for the graphics card.
In this case, a GTX760 is a much stronger card.
3. One change I would make is to buy a 8gb ram kit of 2 x 4gb. 1600 speed will be fine.
4. The i3-3240 will work just fine without a aftermarket cpu cooler. You can omit that.
5. I will not build without a ssd for the os and some apps. It makes everything so much quicker.
Consider a 120gb, Samsung would be my current pick. If you can go to 240gb, defer on the hard drive. You can always add one later.
6. The B75 based M-atx motherboards will do the job and are a bit cheaper.
Here is one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157356
Read this older article on <$200 gaming cpu's.
Note that the i3-3240 is faster than the i3-3220 used in their benchmarks.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-processor-frame-rate-performance,3427-9.html
 
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amitlin96

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Thanks for replying!
I realize that not many games use more than 2-3 cores *currently* but with the next gen consoles having 6-8 cores for gaming, we cant expect more games to start using a larger number of cores, hence why i went with an 8 core, just to be more future proof, or am i completely wrong?
 
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expl0itfinder

expl0itfinder

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I still suggest against the i3. No overclocking ability, no serious multithreading chops, and the single core performance is not better to the point to justify giving up the cores. As soon as games begin to break out of their current core limit, the i3 will be left out in the cold. I would go with Kamen_BG. That's a pretty kickass build for the cash.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I think you are wrong.
It is much more difficult to program a multi threaded app. 2 threads is relatively easy, but "n" threads is difficult.
And... every multi threaded app has some degree of dependency on a single task to manage the rest of the threads.
The faster the threads the better. No game developer wants to limit their market by producing a game that will only work well on an expensive many thread machine.
There is no such thing as "future proofing" Buy what suits you today today.
I happen to think this 6-8 core requirement is "FUD".
Only if your main usage is a multi threaded app like rendering might a 8 core chip be competitive.

 
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amitlin96

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Of course i understand that no one will develop for 6-8 cores ONLY, but console ports will already have that option in them, and seeing as the next generation of consoles is coming, and almost all games on pc that arnt indie will also be on a console of some sort, its a safe assumption, no?

Another reason why im leaning a bit more towards the amd processor, is because battlefield 4 will be optimized for amd, unlike battlefield 3, which was optimized for intel, specifically for that reason: developers are learning to use more cores, because the consoles have more cores this gen.

Thanks for your input though, i appreciate it :)

and about the kamen_bg build, yes... that does look quite kickass, ill see if i can squeeze a bit more cash out of my wallet, poor thing... looks so empty.
 
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expl0itfinder

expl0itfinder

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You are correct about any game not being "optimized" for one brand or another. Just because it has the branding on the side of the box doesn't mean that brand will run any better than the competitor in the respective price range. And some really good feedback all around. Technology is about learning, and having a discussion about the tech involved, and the direction it may be heading is a great way to learn.
 
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amitlin96

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This card seems to have gotten some pretty bad reviews for being EXTREMELY hot, or not working at all, are you sure this is a solid choice?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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So far as I know, the guts of all 7950 cards are the same. The cards differ only in the fancy coolers and vendor support.

Synthetic fps benchmarks will look good for the 7950, but there is new research on lagging.

You might be interested in this older review comparing the playing characteristics of the 7950 compared to a GTX660ti using a new approach:
http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited
No doubt the newer drivers have helped.
 
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amitlin96

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I dont think i have the cash for that kinda gpu unfortunately, however, is there a better gpu i can get for around the 160$ mark?
 
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Kamen_BG

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You should be able to fit a GTX 660 or HD 7870 in your budget.
And yes, the GPU I chose was pretty much the cheapest HD 7950 I could find.
The reason for the recommendation was that later on, when you save some money, you could grab an aftermarket cooler and overclock it.
The HD 7950 has a lot of performance left to be gained.


As for the articles amitlin96 keeps linking, they all have a point.
The AMD CPU is not as good as the Intel in games that run on 1 main thread. True and proven.
BUT, as far as I know, no big game coming out today will lack multitheading optimisations.

Here's a link to the newest tomshardware article on CPU gaming performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/piledriver-k10-cpu-overclocking,3584-19.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-wolfdale-yorkfield-comparison,3487.html

In these articles, you can clearly see how AMD CPU's trail Intel ones in Starcraft and TES Skyrim, but otherwise performing admirably in newer titles such as Crysis 3.

And now to the frame timing issues.
Long gone for Single GPU AMD cards.
Crossfire still doesn't do quite as well as SLI though.
 
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amitlin96

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Unfortunately, my budget is really tight on this one, so here is an idea: seeing as I probably won't ever use all of the 8 cores on the current CPU,should I maybe switch the CPU to a cheaper fx 6300 and upgrade the gpu to a 7870, or the 7950 you suggested, however I'm a biy on the fence about that one seeing the number of bad reviews it got
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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With a $600 budget, you can probably allocate about $360 for the cpu and graphics card combined.
If you allocate $120 for the cpu and $240 for the graphics card, you will have a balanced combination.
Here is Tom's $650 build as an example. Prices will have changed, but you get the idea:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-mini-itx-gaming-pc,3513.html

On the cpu side, $120 or so can get you a FX-6300 or i3-3240
Here is the article on that:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-3.html

On the graphics card side, you can look at a GTX760 or a 7950 boost.
Here is that article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html

At any price point, you will get fair value on graphics cards. Both NVidia and amd have their fans.
Most like the NVidia drivers better. In playing, amd does better in fps benchmarks, and some think the NVidia cards play smoother.
Take your pick according to your preference.

On the cpu side, the dividing line between amd and intel is at your price point. Anything higher will favor intel, anything lower will favor amd.
 
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amitlin96

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Thanks for replying!

I went with how you suggested, and this is the build a got:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($67.23 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $588.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-02 12:32 EDT-0400)

one thing though, in compatibility notes, it says this:
MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports.

I've never built a computer before, will this be a problem? should i pick a different case?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Looks reasonable to me.
The motherboard also has usb2.0 headers, so just use those to connect the front usb2.0 ports.
If you need a usb3.0 device, just plug it into one of the rear usb3.0 ports.
Keyboards and mice will do better on usb2.0 anyway.
 
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amitlin96

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will the power supply be a problem?
 
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