my first budget gaming rig

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

so this is my first gamin rig, is it good enough to play at 1080p or higher at ultra settings ? also i dont need an hdd and anything that isn't mentioned. i can also spend about 50$ extra max so what do you think ? http://pcpartpicker.com/user/chiron.brar/saved/qWFbt6

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

It's a good build, except for the cooler. I can recommend this one instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $29.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 10:53 EDT-0400

Y0GI · Sep 9, 2014

I don't know much about AMD mobos, but I do know that MSI 970 mobos are crap! Do not get this board!

Along the same lines, do not get a Corsair CX series PSU. The CX has bad caps and cheap construction. Pick out a PSU in Tier 1 or Tier 2 in this list: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

Yogi

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

Y0GI :

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/chiron.brar/saved/qWFbt6 how about now ? also i plan on overclocking in the future do i have enough colling in there to do that if not pls suggest more fans

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

That's another Tier 3 PSU.
Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.78 @ Newegg)
Total: $683.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 14:22 EDT-0400

I also swapped the RAM for a 2x4GB kit so you can take advantage of Dual Channel.

You'll have enough cooling for light to moderate overclocking.

EDIT: That's a great mobo by the way, good choice!

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

Vexillarius :

i plan on upgrading to 16 gb scince that was out of my budget right now i added only one i might have to go for a cheaper case since this is over my budget ! will post new build here shortly

logainofhades · Sep 9, 2014

chiron_brar :

This would be better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $708.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 14:30 EDT-0400

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

This is a nice budget case:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $29.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 14:30 EDT-0400

As for the RAM, keep in mind that combining RAM kits may not work, even if they're the exact same.

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/chiron.brar/saved/qWFbt6 how about now still 4$ above but that much i can manage lol ! also how much can i overclock my cpu and gpu with the current cooling ? as i plan to do so. and what about the ram wont adding the same one work ?

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

Looks good!

The amount of overclocking you can do is different with each individual CPU, but you can surely overclock to the level of the 8350, 4.0GHz, and probably 100-500MHz above that.
I don't have a clue about overclocking GPUs so that I don't know.

RAM is tested in kits to make sure the sticks work well together. Even "identical" sticks that are not in the same package can be incompatible. Usually it works, but there's no guarantee whatsoever.

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

Vexillarius :

thanks and one more thing will spending the 50$ extra on the 280x reaaly make a difference ill be gaming at 1080p or higher and at max settings i do play bf4 and some next gen games but mostly skyrim and diablo 3 so is it worth it ? and is geforce worth it

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

AMD GPUs tend to give more performance per dollar, while Nvidia's Geforce cards tend to come with more luxury features and goodies.

The R9 280x will give you ~8 frames per second extra in BF4 on ultra 1080p compared to the regular 280. The regular 280 will give you 45-47 fps on ultra while the 280x gives you about 55 fps, based on benchmarks I found.
Decide for yourself if that's worth the extra $50

EDIT: That's with a i5 3570K and BF4 is quite CPU-heavy so your own FPS will be a little different.

logainofhades · Sep 9, 2014

chiron_brar :

Gigabyte graphics cards should be avoided. They are poor quality. My build is a couple $$ less and better as I have a better CPU and GPU in it.

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

But it doesn't have an aftermarket cooler and it can't be overclocked.

Sapphire isn't without it's problems either, I've heard both bad and good things about both brands when it comes to GPUs.

chiron_brar · Sep 9, 2014

@ logainofhades could you post your build ? I chose an amd because all nextgen consoles are 8 core based and I read a lot that 8 cores the is the way to go for the future

logainofhades · Sep 9, 2014

All my AMD cards are sapphire, no issues. Do not need to overclock, nor need an aftermarket cooler either. Intel gives good performance right out of the box.

logainofhades · Sep 9, 2014

chiron_brar :

Look a few posts up, I have it there. The whole 8 core thing has been blown out of proportion. Many games are still not well threaded.

Vexillarius · Sep 9, 2014

logainofhades :

This is very true, don't go for the AMD just because it's an 8-core.

my first budget gaming rig

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