My Budget gaming rig vs Current gaming laptop. Opinions

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singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
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Ok hey guys,

So i've been meaning to build a buget gaming rig but my funds either drop or increase whilst i decide on parts ( been selling old games, paying for weekly expenses . Recently i found a retailer selling a new gaming laptop with decent stats but just needed some second opionions on what i should role with.

what im planning on buying atm:
cpu i3 haswell 4130 133
gpu sapphire r9 270x 229
mobo asus b85m-g 88
hd $54 for 500g wd
but im planning on using my external 2b seagate. so 0
ram any compatibal 1600 2v4, roughly 94-100
psu zalman zm600 70
case coolermaster k380 54
total: 669 + 100 for monitor( some samsung 21inch) and 100 for os
new total : 869

vs

msi gaming laptop gs70 brand new $880
i7 4700hq
17.6 screen
8g 1600 ram
gtx 765m
125g ssd + 1tb hd 7200
intel h87 chipset. 4 usb 3.0
back lit keyboard and other fancy stuff, feel free to look up the model for deeper details,
there are 2 versions, all the same but the 'better' one as 2 ssd as opposed to 1.


 
Solution
Vic 40
It is doable but you would have to settle for a budget psu for now and upgrade that when you have the chance,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($132.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($78.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: GeIL DRAGON 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($215.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case...
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CTurbo

CTurbo

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Aug 27, 2013
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That's actually a pretty good deal on that laptop. Almost suspicious. You could ultimately build a better desktop though for almost $900 and it would be far more upgradeable for the future. Do you have a flat screen tv you could use as a monitor for now?
 
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CTurbo

CTurbo

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Aug 27, 2013
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This would be MUCH better than either


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qQoy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qQoy/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qQoy/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($319.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $876.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 02:10 EDT-0400)
 
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singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
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Yeah my thoughts too, but i get it cheap soo :p. The issue is $900 is supposed to include os and monitor as i need a machine asap. I do have a flat screen but id rather not use that as its in the living room
 
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singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
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great build but over 900 limit if i buy a monitor :(
 
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CTurbo

CTurbo

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Aug 27, 2013
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qR9c
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qR9c/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qR9c/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Lenovo L2251X 22.0" Monitor ($99.88 @ Amazon)
Total: $896.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 02:48 EDT-0400)
 
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singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
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Thank you very much for your consistent effort. That build works very well however im situated in australia (sydney) and prices are not the same,
i haven't checked yet but i suspect the same componoents here would not fit into a <900 category. I will check now though.

Cheapest places for parts i've found are : cpl online, umart and msy.

 
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CTurbo

CTurbo

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Ah I didn't know you were in Australia. Yeah prices are super high over there. I just got through playing around with au.partpicker and I cannot make a competitive gaming desktop for $900 with a monitor and windows included. That makes me think you should probably grab that laptop.

This is the best I could do :(

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3qSpR
Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3qSpR/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3qSpR/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($249.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: AOC E2260SWDN 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($135.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Total: $900.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 17:55 EST+1000)
 
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Vic 40

Vic 40

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Oct 22, 2013
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It is doable but you would have to settle for a budget psu for now and upgrade that when you have the chance,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($132.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($78.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: GeIL DRAGON 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($215.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: ViewSonic VA2249S 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $896.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 19:13 EST+1000)

No dvd player in this build,so if you need one pick one for yourself.

A review about the psu,
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Silverstone/ST50F-ES/
the biggest problem with this one is the to low "hold up" time.Read the review for that.Heat might be another issue.
There will probably be comments about this one so wait for those.:p

A thread about the gpu i chose,which is basically a r9 270x without the high clocks,
http://www.overclock.net/t/1449757/gigabyte-r9-270-overclocking-ability
it should overclock well,at least to r9 270X levels.
there are two differences between the r9 270 and the "X" version,
1) the first has lower clocks
2) the first normally only needs one pcie power connector
the one i chose needs two power connectors and is imo just a lower clocked r9 270X.

I included a hdd,i think that it will work better than an external one.

There 's also this motherboard which probably has the better soundchip and is more upgradable ram wise,but imo doesn't it look nice in a case with window,but that's up to you.With the asrock do you still have a free ramslot.
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gab75md3h

I changed the monitor too for one with an ips panel for better colors.From what info i can find is it a nice choice.

The cpu did i choose because of the compatibility with the psu,i don't think that the silverstone is haswell compatibel.For performance shouldn't it matter,well at least that much looking at full hd=1080p.

You could also go for the haswell and disable the energy saving measures in the bios which could give the problems,i think the C6/7 states.
That would look something like this,

PCPartPicker part list

 
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Solution
S

singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
28
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10,530



You did quite the research, thanks. Psu i'm thinking about going with the antec neo 520w for $85. The majority of the build i came up with used parts of msy thus some prices you found on pcpp are higher,

gpu wise i found a sapphire oc 270x for 229, i have found a private seller for the monitor for $100, an os from msy is $107 and what i meant by my hd was, i am going to take the Hd out of its external enclosure and stick that into my case. These savings let me use the h81m plus ( for sound/wifi card) and allow me to use 8g of ram.

think this beats the laptop? Also doing some research on my own i found it has some heating issues.
 
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singeaninja

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Dec 14, 2012
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Like i said to the guy below you, Pcpp is a little bit over Msy. The build i stated primarily came from msy thus the 'better' components.

e.g the os is $107 and i can get a monitor for around $100, ill be using the sapphire oc 270x which is 229. these savings allow me to use the h81m+ and upgrade to 8g 1600 ram. I'm also using an existing Hd.

atm its between the antec hcg 520 or the neo eco 520. which is better?
 
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singeaninja

Honorable
Dec 14, 2012
28
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10,530


Like i said to the guy below you, Pcpp is a little bit over Msy. The build i stated primarily came from msy thus the 'better' components.

e.g the os is $107 and i can get a monitor for around $100, ill be using the sapphire oc 270x which is 229. these savings allow me to use the h81m+ and upgrade to 8g 1600 ram. I'm also using an existing Hd.

atm its between the antec hcg 520 or the neo eco 520. which is better?
 
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singeaninja

Honorable
Dec 14, 2012
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10,530
Alright guys, thank you for all the responses but considering my budget i think i have a final build, yeap im not taking the laptop.

i3 4130 $133
sapphire oc 270x $229
coolermaster k380 $54
g skill 1600 2x4 ram $94
asus h81m plus $74
and a psu either antec hcg 520 or 620 either $93/$115

Just two more questions. I've been looking at ram and most have a 'qualified mobo support' How do i know if ram will fit into my mobo? And should i save some $$ and just use the antec 520w psu or get the modular 620?
If i use the 620 what upgrades will it last me? If i choose to upgrade in the future would i need to replace psu?
Or even antec neo eco 520c 520w for $80 - Is this any good?

Thanks for all input.
 
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