Running high-end games (nothing on ultra) & Multi-tasking

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

I'm not including SDD/HDD, Thermal Cooler (although any ideas would be swell), Tower.

I just wondered if this was a pretty good idea for a budget build. I don't need 60fps, 3D, Ultra-Settings. But I do want it to be able to run games smoothly on medium/high settings on a 1600x900 display, AND have the ability to multi-task (eg: alt-tab to check browser during games, transferring data from desktop hdd to portable hdd, etc.)

Games I mainly play: ARMA 2/3, BF3/4, KSP, Star Trek Online, Star Wars Online, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

$400-$700 Budget Build (Not complete list)

Motherboard: ASRock 980DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor

GPU: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9

Any thoughts?

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 · Mar 4, 2014

CPU and MB are not compatible and video is weak.

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 :

Thanks. I'll refine the question after looking some more. I didn't think to realize about the compatibility.

OrigJoker · Mar 4, 2014

The 7770 will not run games like BF3/4 smoothly. Get at least a 7850 or GTX 660 card. How much $$$'s are you working with?

For about $800 you can build a solid no-frills type gaming machine. Just decide what's important first, For me I start with the GPU and work my way down.

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 · Mar 4, 2014

Use http://pcpartpicker.com when selecting the parts. It checks the compatibility automatically.
OrigJoker advice is good. Also I'd advice GPU price > CPU price > MB price.

OrigJoker · Mar 4, 2014

Maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1413476

Then if you decide later to upgrade simply purchase a 2nd 660 card and/or an SSD drive.

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 · Mar 4, 2014

^ Really good bundle ^

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

OrigJoker :

My budget is $400-$700.

I actually have an AMD Radeon HD 6670 on some POS 300w PSU, Intel Basic trash MoBo with 6GB RAM and it runs BF3 on nearly high-settings at around 45fps. Bought that card for $40 about two years ago.

I just really wanted a decent MoBo, CPU, & GPU. But it's a little tough finding the right one with all the information people just speed write on the web.

For the MoBo, I don't plan on OC or fire-crossing two banana's together. Just want to run on a single GPU with a 500w PSU on a decent MoBo/CPU with the games I posted above.

Eduello · Mar 4, 2014

If you're going for multitasking you should consider the AMD fx-8350 or 8320. Their 8 cores are great for running multiple programs at once and they will run all modern games easily. They also offer you more bang for your buck than Intel CPUs.

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 :

Oh, wow. This is neat.

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 · Mar 4, 2014

What is your current CPU?

OrigJoker · Mar 4, 2014

Then maybe: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1569759

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 :

How about this so far?

GPU: ASUS GTX660-DC2O-2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 2GB

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor

MoBo: ASRock 980DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 :

CPU I have now is i3-2120.

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

OrigJoker :

It's my fault for not being very clear.

I actually don't need to buy a case/ram/thermal cooler, because I live in South Korea. I could go out and buy one of those high-tower cases for like $30 if I really looked at this one place.

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 · Mar 4, 2014

i3-2120 is very decent CPU. It's not worth the trouble switching to AMD one, and they really are not that good recently - check Tom's recommended CPUs, only the cheapest two are AMD. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html
Dual core Intel I3 (latest generation) matches 6 core FX in a lot of benchmarks.

Swap the PSU with a decent 500w, get a GTX 660 and the PC will work two more years at least without problem.
Try to upgrade to 4+4 memory (best from the same manufacturer), it probably is 4+2 now so most probably running in single channel.

Mark Lieberg · Mar 4, 2014

Nikola Aslanov-1338074 :

This is for a new computer that I could make for my younger brother. Sorry for the confusion. I updated the list above. It checks out on PC Parts Picker as far as I could tell.

One thing that bothered me with confusion is the PCIE 2.0 vs 3.0. I read it doesn't really matter nowadays GPU-wise, but I am still unsure.

Sorry if I write a lot. It's getting late where I'm at and I didn't want to have my post end up going to the graveyard of unsolved dilemma's.

OrigJoker · Mar 4, 2014

Mark Lieberg :

That would work for sure.

cst1992 · Mar 4, 2014

Don't worry. The people who have already written a response to your thread get notified of a reply automatically.
If you are buying new and have a choice, always go with PCI-E 3.0 card and mobo. It does not matter for a single GPU, but great for SLI/CF GPU's(doesn't matter for you though).

cst1992 · Mar 4, 2014

Eduello :

True, but for only heavy multitasking.
4-core i5's are also sufficient for many tasks and as far as gaming is concerned, all games use 4 cores at most.

Running high-end games (nothing on ultra) & Multi-tasking

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