First 700$-1k Build. Should I switch out the Core? Any tips?

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Fair Farooq

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I'm building my first gaming rig. I have done quite some research and this is my result. I need some help to cut costs, as I don't think I'll need a i5 Quad-Core for the games I'm gonna play. Maybe an i3 Dual-Core will suffice.

I will be using this computer for gaming and general school use. I will not be playing super intensive games, but I want 60+ FPS on Medium/High for games like Minecraft, Ark Survival, Portal 2, Skyrim, and Borderlands 2.

A 1k rig is pretty expensive, so I'd like to cut the costs by 200-250 dollars max, while still retaining good performance.

I will be using a Wireless Internet Connection, and the Blu-Ray drive is a must. I will not be overclocking as I don't know if I need to.

I will be using a freight service to get my parts from the US to Middle East.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.56 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($30.02 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $958.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-09 15:34 EDT-0400
 
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utgotye

utgotye

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Jun 8, 2015
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.88 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.56 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($30.02 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $833.29

Dropping to an i3 might save you another $30 or so but how long are you planning on having the PC? 5 years = $6 to have a true quadcore. I'd take that in a heartbeat.
 
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Fair Farooq

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This PC will be used for about 5 years or more. And how would the computer preform on games like Portal 2, Ark Survival, Borderlands, and Minecraft?

I think I'll switch out the 950 for XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB for about 60 more bucks. I don't think so anytime soon

I'm cool with the motherboard, and what is the CPU you'd give me for 6 more bucks?
 
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utgotye

utgotye

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The 280X is a solid card. I have one myself. It will best the 960 in many things, specifically things that require more VRAM.

I can't speak to Ark or Minecraft performance but I would imagine fairly well. Depends on how you have them setup and what exactly you are doing, especially with Minecraft. Both Borderlands 2 and Portal should rock mid to high pretty much indefinitely. I have an i7 with my 280X and I can probably max both games out though I can't say for sure atm. I'm not really a graphics whore (not saying you are either) so that kind of thing doesn't matter as much to me as to others. I usually find the highest settings that are still very playable and back off a little bit to keep it smooth.
 
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utgotye

utgotye

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That is a pretty solid deal but there's a reason it's that cheap. The CPU is over 2 years old and the architecture and chipset are even older. That said for things that are multithreaded, they are fairly close in performance. If you OC, you can probably manage but AMD CPUs come with hidden costs in that you basically have to get an aftermarket cooler, even at stock since the stock cooler is so noisy.
 
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Fair Farooq

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I'm gonna set up a build from your recommendations and I'll see how it'll turn out. Should I comment it here or like message you or something? I'm new here :p

 
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Fair Farooq

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TADA!! I switched the SSD for a Cheaper one, everything else is good :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.88 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($199.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($30.02 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $856.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-09 16:32 EDT-0400
 
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why_wolf

why_wolf

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quick question by school do you mean college/university? If so you usually can get a student discount for windows through your school.

I'd stick with the i5 it will serve you better in the long run. Have you though about getting a tiny SSD for just your OS and using the HDD for everything else? That could save you a little bit. A 60 gig would be big enough for your OS and a few other programs like Office, Chrome etc.

You might also consider going the linux route for free. But that can open up other problems for you that you might not be willing to deal with. But if you really want to save money it's an option. It looks like all the games you mentioned work on linux already.

You don't need to buy thermal paste if you are getting your CPU brand new. The factory heatsink already has thermal paste applied to it. Same for the optical drive other than installing windows for the first time do you actually still use one? I know most people don't these days.
 
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Fair Farooq

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Actually, to be honest, I'm just 13. I am going for the i5-4460, and I'm gonna ask my teacher/professor if I can get Windows cheaply and Microsoft Suite for free.

Linux is too advanced and I don't like it as most programs are unsupported :(

 
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utgotye

utgotye

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Because of the more power hungry card, I'd consider getting a bit more power.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.88 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($199.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($30.02 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $860.20
 
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why_wolf

why_wolf

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Aug 28, 2015
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Never hurts to ask you might get lucky. If you need Office for school and you can't get a full copy for free try the online version which is a cut down free version (most people don't actually need the full Office anyways) or Libre Office which is a free open source Office like program (though its visual style is from the XP era). Good luck.
 
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