Help for my first gaming setup

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

Hi, I wanted to make my first gaming setup and asked a friend to help me out. My budget for this computer is about 800$. Most of the links will be on direct canada because I live in canada and the shipping is free. Here are the specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K Unlocked Quad Core 3.4GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 6MB Cache Retail
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-HDS mATX LGA 1150 Dual DDR3-1600 1XPCIE3.0X16 1XPCIE2.0X1 Motherboard
Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL Ripjaws 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1333 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN DIMM Memory
Storage: 1TB AV-GP Sata Intellipower 64MB 3.5IN 6GB/S
Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti OC 980MHZ 1GB 5.4GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI VGA PCI-E Video Card
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Series CA-PH410-B3 Black/Orange Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Orange Trim Computer Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX600M 600W ATX 12V 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply

i7Baby · Jun 15, 2014

Get a Z97 (overclockable) motherboard to go with the overclockable cpu.

tiny voices · Jun 15, 2014

It is pointless to get an overclocking CPU (K series) with a low end, non-overclocking motherboard.

Also, that GPU is too low end to justify an i5. I would change to an fx6300 and use the saved money to get a better GPU.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

This ASRock Z97 PRO3 LGA1150 ATX 4XDDR3 1XPCI-E-16 2XPCI-E-1 2XPCI 6XSATA3 USB3.0 Motherboard would fit better in my build?
And also would you have an exemple of GPU that could fit with that other CPU you suggested?

i7Baby · Jun 15, 2014

Any - depends on your budget. The GXT650Ti is OK but not great.

Peruse - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html and see what you can afford

Obnoxious · Jun 15, 2014

Firstly before I suggest any builds, are you planning to overclock your CPU? If you are not planning to overclock your CPU, then you can save costs. Otherwise if you are planning to overclock, first ensure you have a compatible motherboard. Motherboards which support overclocking have the prefix "Z" on their chipset, such as (but not limited to) the Z87 or Z97.

After selecting a compatible motherboard, you'll need an appropriate CPU. Any CPU which ends with the letter "K," such as the Intel Core i5-4670K you've selected will be suitable. The i5-4670 (notice no "K" on the end) on the other hand would not be suitable for overclocking. The K edition CPU's have unlocked multipliers, therefore are designed for overclocking.

Could you please reply whether you are planning to overclock or not? Thank you.

All the best.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

I switched the CPU and the graphic card for:
CPU: AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Desktop Processor FD6300WMHKBOX
Video card : EVGA 02G-P4-2763-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card

But i didn't really intend to overcloak.

i7Baby · Jun 15, 2014

What motherboard? The FX 6300 needs an AM3+ mobo. Also, its' nowhere near as good as the i5 4670k -

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-4670K-vs-AMD-FX-6300

but it is cheaper

Got an overall budget in mind?

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

I got a budget of 700-850.

i7Baby · Jun 15, 2014

Try Tom's - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-budget-gaming-pc,3780.html

or Google 'Tom's $800 build'

You'll get much better than a fx6300 and gtx760

Obnoxious · Jun 15, 2014

If you're not planning to overclock, that's not an issue at all. In that case, do not purchase a Z or K variant of a motherboard or CPU respectively; otherwise it would be waste of funds.

Honestly I wouldn't go with AMD, let alone the FX6300. It's a decent CPU, but for a new build I'd go Intel since AMD haven't been able to compete with Intel in terms of performance recently.

Within your budget, 700-850 CA Dollars I've curated the following. I've included a SSD for better responsiveness, however if you don't want it, you can take it out and spend more on your CPU (perhaps the Xeon E3-1230 v3, which provides a similar performance to an i7) or GPU if you desire. You're free to change whatever you want with the build, especially the case if you're not fond of it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.88 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R9 270X 2GB royalQueen Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.45 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $833.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-15 22:44 EDT-0400

Let me know what you think of the build.

All the best.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

I did change the case, removed the SSD and upgraded the graphic card(i think):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.88 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($269.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Azza Orion 202 EVO ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $850.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-15 23:36 EDT-0400

i7Baby · Jun 15, 2014

That looks OK

Pringlesbbq · Jun 15, 2014

What if i traded the gtx 760 for a gtx 660? That would be a 100$ save.

i7Baby · Jun 16, 2014

And a downgrade. Work to your budget.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 16, 2014

My final build should be:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.88 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Azza Orion 202 EVO ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $741.43

tiny voices · Jun 16, 2014

You are taking a pretty big hit on the GPU there. An i5 is pretty overkill for that GPU. Most people would consider it uneven for a gaming build for sure. Usually I don't recommend anything lower than a 760 to be paired with an i5. You are wasting the i5s power by pairing it with a lower end GPU.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 16, 2014

Is the difference between a 760 and a 750 that big?

i7Baby · Jun 16, 2014

Oh yeah. Maybe try an Intel Core i3 4150 3.5GHz Dual Core CPU instead and use the change to get a 760

tiny voices · Jun 16, 2014

http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1130?vs=1038

The 760 is ALOT more powerful than the 750ti.

Pringlesbbq · Jun 16, 2014

The price went up a little but here are the changes:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.41 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB ACX Video Card ($269.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Xion AXP970-001BK ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.52 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $802.50

i7Baby · Jun 16, 2014

Looks better

Pringlesbbq · Jun 16, 2014

What if i switched the i3 for the i5? Would it be a waste?

tiny voices · Jun 16, 2014

No, the 760 is a decent card to pair with an i5, and you would see a gain in performance in games that actually use more than 4 cores.

Help for my first gaming setup

Honorable

Titan

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Distinguished

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Distinguished

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Share this page