Decent gaming setup?

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Blue_Pigment16

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Sep 15, 2013
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So, I'm new to building PC's. I've kind of looked around and learned a lot of new stuff, but I'm still not extremely knowledgeable in building a PC. For my first build, I'm going to be making a personal gaming PC. Along with the OS, which will be Windows 7 64-bit, I want it to be as cheap as possible while still able to play games like Battlefield 3 or Skyrim on high settings, and some future games like Battlefield 4 and Ghosts and maybe some Elder Scrolls Online.

The specs I'm wanting, as of now, are listed below.
CPU-i3-3220 Ivy Bridge $130
GPU-HIS Radeon HD 7850 1GB $170
MoBo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157329 $75
HDD- Some sort of 500Gb Western Digital $55
Power Supply- A Rosewill Stallion 600W $70
I havent decided on RAM either. I would like at least 8...
And I havent quite decided on a case...

I want to make it cheaper, as with the OS, its around 650 dollars. I want really good performance though. I could go down to a Radeon 7770, but I heard it would kind of bottleneck the i3...

I know this is a pretty shabby set up. That's why I'm here, for help. I want it cheaper but with good performance. Any help would be appreciated. I could probably sub the CPU for an AMD...
 
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Blue_Pigment16

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Sep 15, 2013
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For a case around $40, which is about what that'd be off sale, I saw a couple with windows in the sides and blue LEDs in front. I like blue :3
I would like to make the whole thing cheaper. I dont know how much wattage I'd need for the whole thing, but I have a 600W picked out I think, for just in case.

Could the whole rig run games like Battlefield 3 on High to Ultra settings at a playable FPS? Hell, even medium settings would be nice. Battlefield, Skyrim, Civilization, and maybe Metro last Light if possible, Assassins Creed, some Dead Island: Riptide, and COD are going to be the main games I play.
 
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bob hays

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Nov 21, 2012
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The 7770 will DEFINITELY bottleneck the i3. Especially in the games he is talking about which are GPU dependent. The i3 will only lower the gameplay by a few percent lower than an i5 (the best gaming cpu). The i3 is the better choice for gaming until a 7950 which starts falling behind because of the i3.
 
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bob hays

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Unless you plan on running two graphics cards at some point, 500w will be enough.
Get a power supply from a quality brand because the whole system relies on it and you don't want to skimp on the power supply

Good brands are Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, and XFX.
 
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Blue_Pigment16

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Ok. I don't plan on using another card, not for a long time anyway. I may crossfire when i can get a better budget. Would I be able to upgrade to an i5 later on if I want? Or would I be better off waiting and buying an i5 to start?
 
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bob hays

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Yes you can upgrade to an i5 later on, but if I were you I would either build a new computer and give this one to any friends/family who need it when you think this one is too slow, or just get an i5 from the start. Also have you thought about getting haswell cpu's? Thats the 4th generation latest intel processors. They are about 10% faster that the last generation which isn't much but if you can get them for the same price you might as well.
 
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Blue_Pigment16

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the thing is, an i3 is about $130, and an i5 is around $215+ at the sites I looked at. And the haswell is like $240...It'd be cheaper to wait and get the i5, instead of buying the i3 and then upgrading, but I don't know if I cant wait to save up an extra $120. Thats a whole paycheck for me, as I"m only 16. Is it worth it? I know the 7850 does better with an i5, but I don't know how much better...

After a bit more looking, I found some i5's for around $170-$200, but they all have different numbers and either S or P or K after them. i know K means it can be OCd, but I don't know which one would be best for playing games...
 
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bob hays

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S means that it is low voltage (basically for use in extremely power efficient systems). The P means that the processor doesn't have integrated graphics which doesn't matter since you are using a video card.

Also, unless you plan on upgrading to dual 7850's, or doing some other heavy duty work, the i3 should last for quite a long time. Atleast until the next couple of refreshes of intel cpus. If I were you I would stick with an i3.

P.S I am planning on doing a very similar build quite soon. I am gonna go with an i3 haswell, and a 7850 as of right now, but I am waiting for October for when AMD releases their new GPU's. Depending on the reviews/benchmarks I will either go for the new ones, or hope that their release lowers price of old cards and see which option is more cost effective.
 
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