1200$ Gaming & Software Dev Machine

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

bluebeanie

Honorable
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
10,640
Hey Everyone!

Im currently setting up a build to purchase on pc partpicker. I want a build that ll last me through college, I dont think Ill do any sli or crossfire I don't want to upgrade my cpu till another 4 years, but other components like the gpu I don't mind at all. It ll be mainly for gaming, (arma 3 ultra) and coding (computer science student) and youtube. If possible, Id really like my system to stay cool and be as silent as possible, Ill be in a dorm with another person and dont wanna bug anyone while there sleeping. Thanks everyone!! I will need keyboard, mouse, and all the other peripherals.

Note: My previous build was an amd system. It had an FX-6300 and my baby sister spilled milk all over it :c
I managed to salvage the gpu though so thats all good

Heres what I "think" I need. But your the professionals so you'll know.



[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dr9VmG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dr9VmG/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) | $229.99 @ NCIX US
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14) | $69.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z97mplus) | $126.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2a1600c9) | $89.66 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $80.99 @ NCIX US
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $54.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Core Edition Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx785acnl4) | $0.00
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefminibl) | $99.99 @ NCIX US
**Power Supply** | [Apevia 680W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/apevia-power-supply-atxib680wbl) | $56.30 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $808.89
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 20:37 EDT-0400 |
 
Solution
mrmez
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

This should tell you all about CPU price/performance. $/performance is the real metric here. Yes, an AMD system will be cheaper, but will also be slower. According to the above charts, if you want to save money and buy a cheaper CPU, Intel will still be the faster choice. Even considering the higher mobo cost. There is an article somewhere on Toms covering this.

Running two cards always places far more load on the CPU, further promoting the Intel (and K) CPU choice.

As for Arma 3... I don't know. You'll have to search for benches to get an idea of what fps you can expect.
One thing to consider, XF-ing a 290 will require a bare minimum 750w PSU.
Also check for...
Sort by date Sort by votes
mrmez

mrmez

Splendid
Aug 15, 2006
2,852
2
21,460
Depends on exactly what you'll use it for.

For most games today with a 7850, no. You won't see any improvement from an OC.
When you buy a new card in a year or 3, the more powerful card will need more cpu power, and you can start over clocking more and more to keep your system ahead of the curve.

My Q6600 is ~6 years old now. It's well out of date, but with a solid OC (2.4 -> 3.2Ghz) it isn't holding back my 280x much, and I can play almost anything on max @ 1080.

Short answer, definitely get the K.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

bluebeanie

Honorable
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
10,640


Wow ok, Ill get a K then. Before I go ahead and make my purchase, do you think I should go ahead and purchase an i7 instead? I plan to sell my 7850 and get a r9 290 in the a couple months.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

bluebeanie

Honorable
Nov 19, 2012
57
0
10,640


Ok Thanks, youve been WAYY more then helpful so you get best solution lol. But this will be the last thing. Arma 3, is the game badly optimized? Part of why I'm building is to play the game, I figured I can save money and build and amd system and crossfire 290's. What do you think?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
mrmez

mrmez

Splendid
Aug 15, 2006
2,852
2
21,460
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

This should tell you all about CPU price/performance. $/performance is the real metric here. Yes, an AMD system will be cheaper, but will also be slower. According to the above charts, if you want to save money and buy a cheaper CPU, Intel will still be the faster choice. Even considering the higher mobo cost. There is an article somewhere on Toms covering this.

Running two cards always places far more load on the CPU, further promoting the Intel (and K) CPU choice.

As for Arma 3... I don't know. You'll have to search for benches to get an idea of what fps you can expect.
One thing to consider, XF-ing a 290 will require a bare minimum 750w PSU.
Also check for XF benches. Some games so great increases with XF, others show almost zero increase.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom