Assess my gaming PC build for 810 dollars

Maikijo

Honorable
Feb 12, 2014
10
0
10,510
Hi,

I'm going to order components from a shop which will build the PC for me.

This is what I plan to buy:

Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 /intel H81, LGA1150/
Intel Core i3-4130 /3.4GHz, 3MB, LGA 1150, BOX/
Asus GeForce GTX 660 DCII OC 2GB DDR5 192bit (1085/6008)
Kingston 4GB 1600MHz CL9 HyperX Black
Seasonic S12II-430 430W 80 Plus Bronze
Seagate 1 TB 7200rpm 64MB cache SATA600 Barracuda
Zalman Z3 Plus USB3.0 black (b/z)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium OEM 64Bit PL SP1
Samsung SH-224DB SATA (black)

I'm just wondering whether you see anything wrong in this build? Or maybe you would recommend other products?
This build costs 810 dollars (I live in Poland but it's converted) and it's basically my budget.
I want to play the latest games with it. Like even the upcoming titles like The Witcher 3. However I don't need the games to run on high visual settings. I just want to be able to run them quite smoothly. I would be able to add another 4GB RAM later in the future if necessary.

I've already posted before on another thread (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2022512/build.html), but nobody answered the latest update, so I figured I'd create a new thread.

Thanks!
Maikijo
 
How about this?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($181.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $849.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-17 06:02 EST-0500)
 

Maikijo

Honorable
Feb 12, 2014
10
0
10,510
Thanks for the answer but when I buy all those components you mention from my shop, I get way over 850 dollars, so way over my budget. And if I will actually buy the products from the links you give me, with all the shipping from USA to Poland it will get also more expensive. And then I will have to build the PC myself, which is actually not a big problem, but also it will be more complicated for the guarantee. I really would like to buy from my shop and stay at 810 dollars maximum.
So I only need recommendations for other products with the same price, or with lower price, and then if one product gets lower, I can be recommended something more expensive for another component.
 

Maikijo

Honorable
Feb 12, 2014
10
0
10,510
When using hardwareversand and putting in the basket the build you advised, I go way way over the initial budget of 810 dollars.
Regarding PSU I think that the one I considered is already of high quality, for the build I wrote. Are you really sure I should pay 20 dollars more to get the Super Flower one you linked?
Please can you also just say if the build I wrote at first is OK? Then, you can recommend something else, but I need to know if at least what I wrote is fine, and if not, I need to know the reasons why it's not fine. Thanks
 



Personally I'd avoid going with the I3, especially since you are going to the effort of getting a GTX 660. You could try going for an Ivy Bridge model instead, and possibly looking in Amazons "Warehouse" section on their website. Failing that, look around on EBay for cheap parts. How much do you have to spend in Euros (I'm in Bavaria so its easier for me to find local prices) and I'll have a scout around and see what I can find for you.
 
This is same psu as the super flower.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-CAPSTONE-550M-Power-Supply-Review/1584
Here is super flower review.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=221

SuperFlower is sold only in EU and same psu is sold in US under rosewill name.
And that psu is better than seasonic. 5year warranty. Better noise + ripple leveles. + more power.
If you think 450w is enough you can buy this.
https://www.hardwareversand.de/400+-+500+Watts/149421/Super+Flower+Golden+Green+HX+80Plus+Gold+Netzteil+-+450+Watt.article


 

I wouldn't personally trust eBay for parts, that would be really fishy IMO.
 
I see no issue with using ebay as long as you use good judgement and buy from people with an established reputation. If you want to play it safe, only buy things like RAM, cases and mainboards as these are less likely to be damaged in any way. I currently have an i5 3570K that I purchased from ebay for €160 which is way cheaper than I would have been able to get it brand new. The same goes for my previous CPU, an Ivy Bridge G2120 dual core which now powers my HTPC.

The reason I suggest using ebay, and perhaps not going for Haswell, is that there aren't enough benefits to be had, in my opinion, for your average gamer to switch to Haswell yet. Couple that with the proliferation of Ivy Bridge parts hitting ebay as the serious end user switches to Haswell and you have a veritable feast of solid but cheap parts to choose from. It would be sheer lunacy to not consider getting some parts second hand. I recently picked up 16gb of Corsair Vengeance LP RAM that would normally retail for upwards of €160 and I got it for €109. That is a massive saving that cannot be reasonably ignored.

Short version of it is this: First, unless you are a serious end user or hardcore gamer then upgrading to Haswell is pointless. Secondly, buying second hand does not mean buying stupidly or buying damaged goods, just use some common sense. If I had a budget of €600 or so like this fella, I could build a nice i7 K series heavy duty gaming rig, rather than an i3 Haswell thing.