Budget gaming PC: GPU choice

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July_Anna

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Oct 27, 2013
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Hello,

I’m trying to put together a reasonably priced gaming PC and this is what I’ve come up with so far:

CPU: i3 3240 3.4 GHz
Mobo: Asus P8B75-M
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
PSU: (probably) Xilence XP550.R3 550W
COOLER: Spire Storm 954
(running Window7 64 bit if it’s of any consequence)

What I’m really agonizing over is the video card: GTX 650 GDDR5 2 GB vs. HD 7770 GDDR5 1 GB. (planned resolution 1080p max)

The reviews floating around suggest HD is performing better by ~15%.
On the other hand the GTX has the 2 GB VRAM on its side which might prove more serviceable in the long run.

Anything else is sadly over my budget T_T

Any and all feedback on what card would go better with this build is welcome; doubly so if it also says why card A vs. card B :)

Thank you!

P.S. I give FPS games a very wide berth so reputed GPU resource hogs like Battlefield, Metro or Far Cry series are out of the equation.
 
Solution
coozie7
1: No more than 500Watts, no less that 430, and check it has at least one 6 pin PCI-E lead-the HD7770 requires one. Don't be too worried about getting a 'low power' unit, quality is more important, good quality units deliver their rated (advertised) output, cheap ones usually do not and the requirements give by graphic card makers reflect this by being more than is really needed.

2: Easily, although like I said, you could skip it for now and use cash saved elsewhere.

3: CPU as requested :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
A motherboard :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130637
A cheaper MB :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504
Some memory...
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ed d

ed d

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Oct 10, 2013
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The 650 beats the 7770 in two games (Batman and Starcraft), but the 7770 is better overall.

the 7770 is a great budget card. If you don't care about getting max graphics then it's a great choice. You should get medium-high on most games. Besides games like crysis etc... which I presume you already know.

You should upgrade to a 2gb 7770 just as it isnt a horrendous amount and will benefit you in the long run http://
 
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bdiddytampa

bdiddytampa

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Dec 2, 2012
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
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1. If you will not be running FPS type games, I suggest you build initially, planning to use the integrated graphics of the 3240.
It should be sufficient to run a game like civ 4.
You can then determine better if you need a discrete graphics card or how strong a card to buy.
2. Whatever you do, buy a quality name brand psu. I do not think xilence would qualify. Look at Seasonic, corsair and the like.
Check this list:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
300w will run a card as good as the 7750. 500w would run a card as good as a GTX660ti or 7950.
3. if you buy a discrete card, ignore vram as a selection criteria. it makes almost no difference, even with high end cards.
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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Agree with Geofelt on the onboard graphics-you can always drop a graphics card in if the performance is not up to your expectations or requirements.
Would suggest looking at a 450-500Watt PSU with at least one 6 pin PCI-E lead: Corsair, Silverstone, Seasonic, XFX, OCZ, Antec and FSP are all good names and you'll only save a few (local currency here) by dropping down below 400Watts anyway. A larger supply will also have room to expand if you decide to upgrade later on in the systems life.
If you're staying away from FPS games as Geofelt says, VRAM is not really an issue, 1Gb is enough, even at 1080, but I'd suggest you look carefully at the specs before you buy, some cards carry slower GDDR3 memory and that will make a difference.
You're wasting money on that Spire cooler-even if it fits the new sockets it's little better than a stock cooler, if you want better/quieter CPU cooling look for something like the Coolermaster 212 Evo.
I've recently had a play with my rig and found that in most cases 4Gb of memory is enough for even quite demanding games and if you're not going to do anything memory intensive you could shave a little off the cost by dropping down to a single 4Gb memory stick.
 
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July_Anna

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Oct 27, 2013
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Thank you for the great advice coozie7! :D


After some more deliberation the i3 CPU has been declared unfit for future gaming and now I'm considering an AMD FX-6300.

Do you think the HD 7770 will mix well with this CPU?
Any risk one would limit the other?
 
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ed d

ed d

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Oct 10, 2013
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Obviously it would be nice to get a more powerful GPU but the question is about a BUDGET build.

I'd love to have a watercooled titan for my new build but economics is always a factor
 
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rolandzhang3

rolandzhang3

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Sep 28, 2013
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That's a no brainer, but given that cards a little step up like a 650 Ti or a 7790 aren't too much over the budget, a little wait and saving can help, I'm well aware it's a budget build, plus a titan+ 6300 isn't a great idea :D

The higher up you go the more diminishing returns of course, but that extra $20 or $30 would probably last you a few months longer, utility over time counts as economics as well, short term (saving that $30 to go towards something else) vs long term (better gaming performance/experience over the time period) benefits

All in all, the 7770 isn't the budget gamer's best friend for nothing that's for sure :D
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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A FX 6300/HD7770 is a nice combination for non graphical intensive games and can actually play THOSE at reduced settings-if you want. ;)
Only thing I will suggest is you look for the most powerful CPU your budget can get, even if that means dropping to 4Gb of RAM and skipping the extra CPU cooler.
Reason: You can always add RAM, a better cooler or even upgrade the GPU later on while a stronger CPU will give the system a longer lasting foundation.
EDIT: I think Rolandzhang3 just got in ahead of me and said the same thing-in different words.
 
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July_Anna

Honorable
Oct 27, 2013
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Thank you all for being so helpfully :)

1. PSU: I'll search for one one the brands mentioned above, but for how many watts? 500, 550 or 600W?

2. Will the CM 212+ be adequate?

3.Ummm.....would it be too much to ask for a MB recommendation on top of it all? ^_^''
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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1: No more than 500Watts, no less that 430, and check it has at least one 6 pin PCI-E lead-the HD7770 requires one. Don't be too worried about getting a 'low power' unit, quality is more important, good quality units deliver their rated (advertised) output, cheap ones usually do not and the requirements give by graphic card makers reflect this by being more than is really needed.

2: Easily, although like I said, you could skip it for now and use cash saved elsewhere.

3: CPU as requested :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
A motherboard :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130637
A cheaper MB :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504
Some memory :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544
Some cheaper memory:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231474
Gold standard power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074
cheaper power :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371045
The preferred video http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127664
Cool! : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
Cheaper cool! :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103075

Expensive build: $457
Cheaper build: $370
I'm not including rebates.
The expensive build has greater expansion potential-hence the larger MB, stronger PSU and 8Gb memory.
Feel free to pick and mix.
Be aware you may not be able to use your existing Windows license on this system-you'll at the very least have to reactivate.
 
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Solution
J

July_Anna

Honorable
Oct 27, 2013
14
0
10,510
Hello and sorry for replaying this late.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice and especially thank you coozie7 for going all the way and putting together a full build.

It's parts hunt time how :D
 
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