Please help build the best 700 dollar gaming desktop

Brett Orsborn · Oct 30, 2014

Hello everyone, i have been searching the last few weeks on finding the best possible 700 dollar budget gaming pc. I would consider myself a hardcore gamer. Everything from 2d sidescrollers to mmorpgs to graphics intensive games such as Metro, Shadows of Mordor, BF4 and everything in between. However i usually buy my desktops or laptops pre built which is a huge rip off. I spent 2200 on this older Intel I7 quad core running at 1.7 ghz and an old crappy GTX 460m. Most games barely play on medium and modern games such as metro i have to play on low with shadows and aa off..

So that is my goal to make a 700 dollar budget desktop capable of playing most to all modern games on ultra.

I have a few builds but they were all made around July of 2014 so I'm sure better can be done. Keep in mind i do not need an OS i already have one on my flash drive. I don't really have a preference as far as Intel vs amd, whichever has the best current hardware for gaming. Your help is much appreciated.

dariens007 · Oct 30, 2014

trying to play most to all games on ultra with a 700 dollar budget....you need more money....how about 900? 1000 would be much better to work with. just because your aiming for ultra, i'm assusming 1080p

TomThePotato · Oct 30, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB DUAL-X Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $701.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-30 23:07 EDT-0400

You can.. try this.

(Don't play games on maxed settings though..)

Outlander_04 · Oct 30, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Prime SD1484 90.3 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 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: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $687.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-30 23:29 EDT-0400

A mild OC and the cpu out performs the intel quadcore everywhere , and the graphics card is a good step up too

TomThePotato · Oct 30, 2014

That's also good.. Though, I don't think it'll out perform a 4790k, even with a "mild OC".

Brett Orsborn · Oct 30, 2014

Thank you outlander and everyone. Outlander i am really liking that build and FYI i run my games at 720p so i shouldn't have a problem maxing 90%of the games i play. If anyone has a better build than outlander i would still appreciate the feedback but i do love that build so far

filippi · Oct 30, 2014

This is a gaming build for ultra settings:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 970 4GB XLR8 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $734.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-30 23:51 EDT-0400

RazerZ · Oct 30, 2014

Outlander_04 :

I don't agree

filippi · Oct 30, 2014

A highly oced FX-8320 should out performs a stock intel quadcore (i5-4440). OP needs a good 990fx motherboard and a strong 3rd party cpu cooler though. (gaming build).

TomThePotato · Oct 31, 2014

filippi :

It'll be harder for a 6300 to outperform one though..

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

filippi :

Depends on the game. Even with a high overclock it wouldn't be worth it as he would be spending more money on a cooler/mobo setup when he could get a locked i7 or Xeon 123x V3.

Outlander_04 · Oct 31, 2014

RazerZ :

It will certainly outperform the intel quadcore suggested in this thread

and since the cooler I managed to include is an exceptional quality cooler with a large fan , and the mb is an 8+2 phase board with good heatsinks it should be easy to hit 4.6 - 4.8 Ghz

And there is so much money left in the budget the better graphics card means the stock intel i5-4440 will get sand kicked in its wimpy face

filippi · Oct 31, 2014

TomThePotato :

This is because FX-6300 is like a 3 core cpu as far as games are concerned: just 3 FPU's.
Its like a three-legged dog.
Not really

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

Outlander_04 :

RazerZ :

It will certainly outperform the intel quadcore suggested in this thread

and since the cooler I managed to include is an exceptional quality cooler with a large fan , and the mb is an 8+2 phase board with good heatsinks it should be easy to hit 4.6 - 4.8 Ghz

And there is so much money left in the budget the better graphics card means redacted will get sand kicked in its wimpy face

Ok. The locked i5 will dominate the oc'd 6300 in every area of performance.

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

Umm yea? Just google any cpu comparison benchmark between the two cores we are discussing. The numbers speak for themselves...

Outlander_04 · Oct 31, 2014

http://www.techspot.com/review/734-battlefield-4-benchmarks/page6.html

The FX 6300 will encode better too

and the more powerful graphics card will let the AMD build dominate in a head to head comparison

Outlander_04 · Oct 31, 2014

RazerZ :

And that is often the problem . People read a few online benchmarks and think it makes them experts . Nothing could be further from the truth .
Having some actual experience with the hardware makes all the difference

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

A benchmark of BF4 means nothing to me, considering you can get similar performance with an A10 and that title is clearly GPU bound.

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

Outlander_04 :

Now why would I go out and buy the hardware when I can see the results online for free?

I'm not saying all benchmarks are to be trusted, but after you read a number of them and their reviews you get an idea of how well the part performs.

Plus there are people here that have owned both and have posted their opinions on them. I learn from their experiences.

Brett Orsborn · Oct 31, 2014

Now I'm confused and torn heh

TomThePotato · Oct 31, 2014

Gah.. Another one of these 6300 vs Intel debates.. (I'm rooting for intel....)

filippi · Oct 31, 2014

Outlander_04's build is very good. A stock fx-6300 is not in the same league w/ a Intel Haswell i5 like i5-4440.
However a highly oced fx-6300 is a great budget option and it will keep up w/ a stock Haswell i5 in almost any game.
That been said, you will achieve a highly oced fx-6300 w/ hard work, some skill and a little luck. Its fun to overclock though.

MSI Radeon R9 290 for $230 is great. As gtx970 for $330.

My suggestion? You already spend $2200 on a bad gaming build. Now buy a great one for less than $750: Haswell i5 + GTX970.
Easy build, high performance, low power.

RazerZ · Oct 31, 2014

I'd go for something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card ($242.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $748.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 01:02 EDT-0400

If you needed it $50 cheaper you could get a h81 motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($40.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card ($242.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $690.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 01:33 EDT-0400

EDIT: If you are playing at a resolution of 1280x720 you could do with a cheaper graphics card around $200 or less, but the price of this R9 290 is hard to beat for the performance it offers.

Brett Orsborn · Oct 31, 2014

Ok thanks filippi I will add the parts and see how much the total comes too but I have a feeling after tax the build is going to easily break 800 dollars. I spent the 2200 when I was in the military and had the money to piss away, now I have a wife and son so my budget is very very strict. If it breaks 800 i'll have to go with a cheaper graphics card if possible but I thank you for the help

filippi · Oct 31, 2014

I see. This is a great $700 build w/ no Mail-in Rebates attached. Sometimes Mail-in Rebates are no more than headache, aren't they?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($40.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card ($242.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.22 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $701.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 01:32 EDT-0400

Anyway good luck mate

Please help build the best 700 dollar gaming desktop

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