I need help with a Budget Gaming PC

Bman13 · Oct 1, 2014

Hello everybody, Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area. I am brand new to this and need all the help I can get. I'm interested in building a computer to do some gaming( league of Legends, Counter Strike, Call of Duty Zombies, etc) not sure where those fall on the scale or even know what's needed to run them. I don't need the computer to do any video editing or 3D modeling. Just a basic gaming computer. Like I said I'm brand new and don't know much about computers so please be understanding. My budget is around 600 but I'm flexible if it's worth it. Also I do not need an OS.

maestro0428 · Oct 1, 2014

Cutting it close, but 600 is doable. Focus on the gpu. As for the cpu, an Intel i3 is probably the way to go. Keep the memory at 8GB and get one of those Hybrid hard disks from Seagate. You will get some bonus speed there on the cheap. For motherboards, I exclusively use ASRock these days. They are a great value. Ill will head over to Partspicker and see what I can come up with.

maestro0428 · Oct 1, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/V4CsMp I didn't make it. 698 bucks with no case or optical drive. Maybe downgrade to a 750ti 2GB from EVGA. That is the only corner I would cut.

plywrlw · Oct 1, 2014

This is $607 without rebates and $592 with rebates. If you're willing to consider a build that's $600 with rebates then I can probably upgrade a couple of parts?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($73.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card ($144.50 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT WH ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.92 @ Amazon)
Total: $607.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 14:58 EDT-0400

plywrlw · Oct 1, 2014

maestro0428 :

Your build has a laptop HDD in it. Despite its name it will be dreadfully slow

maestro0428 · Oct 1, 2014

plywrlw :

Youre right, picked the wrong one. Either way, the small SSD built into the Hybrids does a lot for speed.

maestro0428 · Oct 1, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DBPtkL

All better, even on budget. No case though, you can pick that out yourself.

Kaisei · Oct 1, 2014

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R3bNsY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R3bNsY/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $582.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 15:19 EDT-0400

Bman13 · Oct 1, 2014

plywrlw :

Is the intel processor really worth it? After doing some reading wouldnt it make some sense to get an AMD and then maybe a better graphics card? And how many cores do you think ill really need? what is optimal for a build that i am looking at? And yeah go for it with the rebates

Bman13 · Oct 1, 2014

After talking with someone who has built computers this is my rough draft, is there anywhere i can save some money becuase i went over my original budget

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rJQ8P6

Kaisei · Oct 1, 2014

Bman13 :

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYxDnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYxDnQ/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S241HL bmid 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Mech5 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Etekcity Scroll X1 M555 Wired Optical Mouse ($16.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $800.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 22:42 EDT-0400

Much better build for cheaper. Did not include speakers because monitor has it built it to save a little. Even with speakers it would be the same price, but all the specs on my list is higher than the ones he picked out for you.

Nugget712 · Oct 1, 2014

This is what I would get if I were you. I just built a similar computer but ended up going with the Gigabyte R9 280 3GB Windforce last minute instead of the vapor x R9 270x because it was the same price.. my card was bad and a replacement card is on the way to my house now though

.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $189.98 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97pro4) | $88.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbxl) | $72.00 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $54.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l) | $168.60 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-lineglow) | $51.97 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $12.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $689.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 23:13 EDT-0400 |

It's a little bit over you $600 original budget, but you did say you were a little bit flexible.. and I say go with the i5, I hear so many good things about it being THE CPU for gaming these days. 4 cores is all you need.
You could always change up the case, and GPU as well if you wanted. The R9 285 and the new Nvidia cards have come out since I built mine, but the 270x is adequate for anything 1080, and especially the games you stated.. I want to add a SSD eventually as well, and if you can afford to add it I would, but again is not needed.

plywrlw · Oct 2, 2014

Nugget712 :

This is what I would get if I were you. I just built a similar computer but ended up going with the Gigabyte R9 280 3GB Windforce last minute instead of the vapor x R9 270x because it was the same price.. my card was bad and a replacement card is on the way to my house now though

.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $189.98 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97pro4) | $88.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbxl) | $72.00 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $54.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l) | $168.60 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-lineglow) | $51.97 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $12.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $689.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 23:13 EDT-0400 |

It's a little bit over you $600 original budget, but you did say you were a little bit flexible.. and I say go with the i5, I hear so many good things about it being THE CPU for gaming these days. 4 cores is all you need.
You could always change up the case, and GPU as well if you wanted. The R9 285 and the new Nvidia cards have come out since I built mine, but the 270x is adequate for anything 1080, and especially the games you stated.. I want to add a SSD eventually as well, and if you can afford to add it I would, but again is not needed.

That build is $750 without rebates so quite a bit over budget I'd say

Bman13 · Oct 2, 2014

is there any real benefit to getting an 8core processor for my purposes?

Kaisei · Oct 2, 2014

No there is not. But check the prices. The 8320/970mobo combo after discount is cheaper than your 4350/970mobo combo.

plywrlw · Oct 2, 2014

For a build now, I'd strongly recommend an i5 build for gaming. The games you want to play benefit from strong single threaded performance. The FX 8350 and 8320 have relatively poor single thread performance to the extent that EVEN in games like BF4 that like many threads they give the same (or similar) performance to a 4-core i5.

The chipset that the FX series uses is super-old and whilst it may have features like USB 3.0 and SATA 3 these are in the form of add-ons rather than built into the chipset which can cause headaches with drivers etc.

The FX chips run hotter, slower and consume more power and I simply wouldn't recommend them for anything other than a build where the user was willing to overclock them or the build was for rendering or similar where the extra threads would be useful.

This is a great i5 build for your budget and I hope you'll consider it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $614.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-02 08:24 EDT-0400

Nugget712 · Oct 2, 2014

plywrlw :

Nugget712 :

This is what I would get if I were you. I just built a similar computer but ended up going with the Gigabyte R9 280 3GB Windforce last minute instead of the vapor x R9 270x because it was the same price.. my card was bad and a replacement card is on the way to my house now though

.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $189.98 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97pro4) | $88.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbxl) | $72.00 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $54.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l) | $168.60 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-lineglow) | $51.97 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $12.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $689.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 23:13 EDT-0400 |

It's a little bit over you $600 original budget, but you did say you were a little bit flexible.. and I say go with the i5, I hear so many good things about it being THE CPU for gaming these days. 4 cores is all you need.
You could always change up the case, and GPU as well if you wanted. The R9 285 and the new Nvidia cards have come out since I built mine, but the 270x is adequate for anything 1080, and especially the games you stated.. I want to add a SSD eventually as well, and if you can afford to add it I would, but again is not needed.

That build is $750 without rebates so quite a bit over budget I'd say

From the OP: My budget is around 600 but I'm flexible if it's worth it.

Nugget712 · Oct 2, 2014

plywrlw :

Nugget712 :

This is what I would get if I were you. I just built a similar computer but ended up going with the Gigabyte R9 280 3GB Windforce last minute instead of the vapor x R9 270x because it was the same price.. my card was bad and a replacement card is on the way to my house now though

.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hbNsY/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $189.98 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97pro4) | $88.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbxl) | $72.00 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $54.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l) | $168.60 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-lineglow) | $51.97 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $12.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $689.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 23:13 EDT-0400 |

It's a little bit over you $600 original budget, but you did say you were a little bit flexible.. and I say go with the i5, I hear so many good things about it being THE CPU for gaming these days. 4 cores is all you need.
You could always change up the case, and GPU as well if you wanted. The R9 285 and the new Nvidia cards have come out since I built mine, but the 270x is adequate for anything 1080, and especially the games you stated.. I want to add a SSD eventually as well, and if you can afford to add it I would, but again is not needed.

That build is $750 without rebates so quite a bit over budget I'd say

From the OP: My budget is around 600 but I'm flexible if it's worth it.

plywrlw · Oct 2, 2014

I know, I know, I was mainly joking. It just amused me a little bit when you said it was "a little bit" over budget but it's actually $150 over budget. I'm not saying it's not a nice build don't worry

Bman13 · Oct 5, 2014

I think this is the one im finally going with, just think its worth it to spend the extra on an intel cpu and a good graphics card, everything look good?

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Bmann13/saved/xBKscf

plywrlw · Oct 6, 2014

No, that's an old i5 chip and motherboard, they're yesterday's news and that hdd is also an older model. Can I adjust your build for you keeping it in budget?

plywrlw · Oct 6, 2014

Here, same price, much better parts

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($198.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S241HL bmid 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Rosewill RGM-300 Wired Optical Mouse ($18.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $871.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 01:58 EDT-0400

CAaronD · Oct 6, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $179.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 02:05 EDT-0400

Wouldn't it be better to just get an R9 280 over the 4GB R9 270X?

plywrlw · Oct 6, 2014

I'm honestly not sure what will be of most value in games 1 or 2 years from now... I've a feeling we're gonna be seeing 4gb of vRAM as a minimum. I also considered suggesting a 280....

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