Gaming Custom PC - Needing advices, perhaps new builds?

JustANewUser · Feb 27, 2014

So, a long time ago a forum user suggested me this rig. The budget was 1000€.
http://es.pcpartpicker.com/p/2FMKb

But then, I saw in a post an user with my same budget (and in €!) having a build with better CPU (an i5-3570K, though it's not Haswell), better motherboard (Z77, the mobo from above is B85... Both were GIGABYTE. Here I've a question: are GIGABYTE mobos good?), the same GPU and a better PSU from the same brand, SeaSonic. So now I started to think: am I really getting the best for my budget? Is the i5-4430 making the build worse, because Haswell hasn't as many compatible components as 3rd gen does? Also, the build from above (Haswell and B85) has a good Zalman case, it's pretty nice... But it hasn't USB 3.0. It has USB 2.0.

I'm from Spain.

Thanks. I do accept new builds, of course. The budget is 900-1000€.

Karadjgne · Feb 27, 2014

Well, my question for you is, what do you expect from your build. Something to tinker around the internet on? something to play latest games on etc. Its easy to just throw parts together for a build, but to tailor that build to a persons needs is a little more challenging, especially without parameters. Are you stuck on Intel, or is AMD an option? Are you looking to overclock, a little, a lot? Any information you can think of would be extremely helpful. Also, are you stuck for one particular store etc. like Amazon Espana.

lmaonade200 · Feb 27, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (€163.41 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (€55.49 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (€74.20 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€51.38 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (€273.84 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (€49.40 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.30 @ Amazon Espana)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (€115.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Keyboard: Cherry G83-6104LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard (€31.28 @ Amazon Espana)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse (€19.43 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €922.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

tweaked it a bit, a B85 motherboard is really just a business equivalent of a H81, and Asus makes good motherboards so this one is no exception (Asus is the largest manufacturer of motherboards in the world while Gigabyte is #2)

much stronger video card, a GTX 760 is an excellent mid ranged GPU.

JustANewUser · Feb 27, 2014

I'm stuck with Amazon España (Amazon Spain), since Spanish hardware sites are in Spanish and do not have English version xD

The use would be gaming.

To the question 'Are you stuck on Intel, or is AMD an option?'... Hmm... I don't really know. I heard AMD isn't as good as Intel for CPUs (like 8-core AMD works as 4-core Intel?) and that it is bad for gaming... I prefer Intel, but if this makes a huge difference, AMD is always an option. Why would you think I could be stuck on Intel? What's the real bad side of AMD CPUs? I really wonder this.

Greetings.

bigshootr8 · Feb 27, 2014

I have used gigabyte, msi, asrock, asus, abit back when they were around. I will say that ASUS probably has the most solid feel out of all of them from my personal experience. And I would also say that Gigabyte is good but their customer support isn't great. The GPU is stronger certainly. This keeps you within your budget of 1000.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (€163.41 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (€66.08 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (€72.54 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€51.38 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (€292.91 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (€49.40 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.30 @ Amazon Espana)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (€115.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Keyboard: Cherry G83-6104LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard (€31.28 @ Amazon Espana)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse (€19.43 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €950.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-28 01:07 CET+0100)

Karadjgne · Feb 27, 2014

its a 'six of one, half dozen of the other' question. There is absolutely nothing 'wrong' with AMD. They just think differently than Intel. AMD is usually cheaper cost wise, and most of their cpu's are unlocked (overclockable), whereas only the 'K' series of Intel cpu's and 'Z' rated motherboards will be overclockable

bigshootr8 · Feb 27, 2014

Karadjgne :

^ Agreed. You certainly could go AMD as well if you wanted to. Something like a 8320 would be appropriate for your build.

Cases are a very personal choice. What I normally do is see if I can find a review or pictures of what the inside of the case looks like and figure out how easy or how difficult the build may be depending on the case.

Bad_Kitty13 · Feb 27, 2014

here is a z77 build with a 60gb ssd and is overclockable

PCPartPicker part list: http://es.pcpartpicker.com/p/31hKs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://es.pcpartpicker.com/p/31hKs/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://es.pcpartpicker.com/p/31hKs/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (€187.08 @ Amazon Espana)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-T4-18PK-R1 70.0 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler (€23.66 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (€120.22 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (€72.54 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (€45.59 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€51.38 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card (€192.17 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (€49.40 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€89.30 @ Amazon Espana)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (€115.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Keyboard: Cherry G83-6104LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard (€31.28 @ Amazon Espana)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse (€19.43 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €997.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-28 01:34 CET+0100)

Ankur Jyoti · Feb 27, 2014

Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card is a medium end graphics card and not suitable for latest games. If you want to play modern game in ultra settings with decent fps in your budget go for a ATI radeon r9 280x 3GB or nVIDIA GTX 770 2gb. For hardcore gaming a powerfull graphics card is necessary.

http://es.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5

http://es.pcpartpicker.com/part/club-3d-video-card-cgaxr928x7

As for CPU go for a i5 4570 for better performance, if you are planing for overclock go for i5 4670k. it is a very good processor for gaming. If you are taking i5 4570 then go for Gigabyte GA-H81 Amp motherboard. B85 motherboard is not necessary. try to save the money for the expensive GPU.

Haswell processors are better then 3rd generation ivy bridge CPUs. they are faster, cooler and required less power compared to previous generations.

Good luck for your PC buddy.

Karadjgne · Feb 27, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (€95.80 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard (€91.48 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (€80.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (€62.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€51.38 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (€292.91 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (€49.40 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€132.16 @ Amazon Espana)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (€115.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Keyboard: Cherry G83-6104LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard (€25.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse (€19.43 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €1016.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-28 02:44 CET+0100)

only 1 thing missing which pcpartpicker didn't list, but amazon.es carries is a coolermaster hyper 212 evo, 29 euro. The only reason I add this is if you decide to overclock this chip, the stock cooler will sound like a freight train on your desk.

However, it has an excellent board, one of the best AMD overclocking cpu's, the GTX 770 is an outstanding deal, as is the seasonic psu which was upgraded from 520 to 650w because the GTX 770 requires 48A and 600w and the 520w version will not supply that. Personally I prefer the zalman z-12 case, but it costs more.

The mobo still has 2x USB 3.0 ports on the rear, but the case will have to be hooked up to USB 2.0 headers, no worries, there is not all that much USB 3.0 out right now

beat the pants off the 4430, and is a toss up with the 3570k although this build with the GTX 770, will beat it gamewise by a long shot.
Also runs 1866 memory, more suited for AMD chips, vrs 1600 for Intel

Basically, there is nothing Intel in your Budget range that will keep up with this complete system.

JustANewUser · Feb 28, 2014

Ow, actually the builds are wrong because there should be added 100€ more for Windows 8 (97€, actually)... So that'd be 100€ more expensive. Oh, and the optical drive... Which is only 30€ anyways lol.

Bad_Kitty13 · Feb 28, 2014

JustANewUser :

mine has windows 8 os and odd

UsedTo · Feb 28, 2014

Hmm? Odd? Why'd you say that? OK, the interface isn't as good as W7's interface... But it's just that!

Bad_Kitty13 · Feb 28, 2014

UsedTo :

.

UsedTo · Feb 28, 2014

Meh, I don't get the meaning of ".", and I really do not see anything bad about W8... The opposite, some friends told me it's faster than W7 and better for gaming, and that the only bad thing is the interface.

Bad_Kitty13 · Feb 28, 2014

UsedTo :

i didnt mean to do that lol sorry. and windows 8 has a 5% performance boost with games however it has headaches and compatibility issues with drivers/games/third party devices...so i totally agree with you i run win 7 on all my machines and it wil have support for probably the next 4 to 5 years and by then there will be a new superior os out anyway

Karadjgne · Feb 28, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (€95.95 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (€63.50 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (€80.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€51.38 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (€292.91 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (€49.40 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€135.56 @ Amazon Espana)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (€18.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (OEM) (64-bit) (€143.65 @ Amazon Espana)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (€107.94 @ Amazon Espana)
Keyboard: Cherry G83-6104LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard (€25.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse (€19.43 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €1084.32
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-01 03:58 CET+0100)

This is a complete system, start to finish everything. You say you can get Win8 (64) for 97 euro, that's 45 euro off the price. Still 40 euro over budget, but I'd not drop anything lower unless you have a keyboard and mouse somewhere, then you'd come in under budget. The mobo is the 970 downgraded version of the 990, its a little older that's all basically. Still kick anything Intel has.
Included is the Optical drive and OS your build sheet said you were getting, of course prices are subject to change, sales etc, but this is as good as it gets.

JustANewUser · Mar 8, 2014

Hmm... Isn't an AMD FX-6300 bad? Wouldn't an i5-3570K do better there? But...

OK, the i5-3570K is 100€ more expensive than FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core CPU, but those 100€ could be saved from GTX 770 to Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition. Actually, I heard that SAPPHIRE is a good AMD GPU manufacturer and that HD 7870 GHz Edition is more than enough for gaming today, on High-Ultra settings.

However, I'm somewhat afraid because I just saw that a HD 7870 is 'recommended' for Battlefield 4... So, how would it play future games? Medium? High?

Is changing the AMD CPU to Intel and the GTX 770 to HD 7870 wise? I'm a bit afraid because of the AMD CPUs... I've heard their six and eight cores do not work as six and eight cores... They work worse. Is it true? If so, then how do they work?

Thank you.

Karadjgne · Mar 9, 2014

Different games use different graphics engines to power the graphics. Some games use engines tailored towards AMD chips and some towards Intel chips. BF4 is tailored towards AMD, so AMD gpus will perform better there. Skyrim is tailored towards Intel, so nvidia will perform better there. Most of this 'boost' in performance will be seen in the lower to mid range gpus as the higher end cards will have the speeds and framerates to compensate for this.

It's kind of an impossible question to answer as far as future games goes, you may not really enjoy playing BF4 and play something like Skyrim instead, and having an AMD gpu you'll suffer a small setback there, or if you went with an nvidia card and decided you prefered BF4 over Skyrim, you'd suffer a little there. It's basically a crap shoot as far as games go, as only the upper end gpus will be capable of balancing out the engines

The 3570k is a better CPU than the 6300 in general terms, but on the other hand the 770 is a better gpu than the 7870. This is on averages... In games like BF4 the 7870 will perform better, easily equaling the 770, but in Skyrim, the 770 will outshine the 7870 easily. Like I said, its a crapshoot with games. Either system will perform on average very well in any direction you go, but ultimately it will be your decision as to what best serves your needs.

bigshootr8 · Mar 9, 2014

Karadjgne :

Well to be fair from what I understood with Skyrim that more single threaded performance was preferred and I don't believe it was Nvidia that has better luck in Skyrim it was AMD. However I could be mistaken but that is what I remember from skyrim. The problem though is that you really have to identify what you are going to want to play in the future. If you plan on playing BF4 for the next year 2 years maybe 3 it may be more worthwhile to get a AMD card if you do not I would say find the best overall card at most games at the current price point that you are able to afford.

I'll use an example I have a nvidia card right now mainly because I prefer how I am able to use the features in games like arkham games, borderlands 2, metro games because I get the features out it that I wouldn't otherwise. However, once I'm done playing those games I'm not going to care.

In terms of the CPU battle though I would say that Intel is normally preferred because it has stronger single threaded performance/ memory performance via their controller then AMD. Sure their are games that are currently benefiting from something like a 8350 for example but they are small and few between.

Gaming Custom PC - Needing advices, perhaps new builds?

Honorable

Titan

Distinguished

Honorable

Splendid

Titan

Splendid

Admirable

Reputable

Titan

Honorable

Admirable

Honorable

Admirable

Honorable

Admirable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Splendid

Share this page