Opinions on 10 Gaming Builds (Various Budgets)

zeke15 · Feb 24, 2016

EDIT: Some of these builds are currently over so any suggestions to get them udner budgets would also be nice. Also, if you feel a component should not be part of a build, don't just call it out, please give a suggestion for something that has a similar price, and better or similar performance. I would also like to specify better here the intents of these builds. They are not true "bang for budget builds". They are more intended to be the best possible build you could want at that price point for gaming and general use. Factors that go into this are speed/performance, looks, overclocking ability (factors into performance), as well as how loud it is. This is the reason for more expensive parts than necessary in some areas.

So I am working on putting together a tutorial that will help PC builders get the best [strike]bang for their buck[/strike] computers at various price ranges. I have spent time doing research and putting together part lists for builds with budgets ranging from $500 up to $2000, these builds are meant to be the best PC to be had with the money available at each specific price range, but the budgets are strict. I am only allowing myself up to $10 over budget to still allow the build. Here are then ten lists I have so far as well as their budgets:

$500 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/jwqj4D

$600 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/cYL323

$700 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/q3HCmG

$800 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/XyVkcf

$900 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/VNvXsY

$1000 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/wzXD4D

$1250 Gaming Build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/zXdypg

$1500 Gaming Build:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/qkqj4D

$1750 Gaming Build:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/wcBkcf

$2000 Gaming Build:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/RhinoPC/saved/NsPZxr

What I need from you guys here on Tom's Harware is your opinions on each build. I want thought out suggestions and opinions, as well as any ideas for what I should change. Most importantly though, I would like any responses to be well thought out and organized. I will be updating this as suggestions are made, so you may not see the same thing another user sees depending on when they looked at the part lists.

Thanks!

CTurbo · Feb 24, 2016

I haven't looked at every build yet, but I can already see where you're going wrong if "best bang for buck" is your goal.

Here are some examples.

An i3 is a better option than any AMD cpu.

Overclocking is never the best idea for bang for buck.

Buying a cpu cooler and Z motherboard are the opposite of bang for buck in builds under $500, 600, 700, and maybe even $800 budget builds.

Paying extra for Gold rated psus is also not bang for buck oriented.

USAFRet · Feb 24, 2016

1. All of your builds except 2 are more than "$10 over budget"

2. How invested are you in keeping this up to date?

3. An SSDNow V300 should not be specified in any build.

CTurbo · Feb 24, 2016

After taking a closer look, I see you are using cheaper Z170 motherboards, but there's still no reason to opt for Z boards at those budgets. Also, the EVGA Supernova NEX psu you keep using is not very good and is a terrible choice for a big budget build. I feel like a +$100 water cooler is anything but "bang for buck".

You are relying on rebates to stay under budget when in reality, all of these builds are way over budget BEFORE rebates.

zeke15 · Feb 24, 2016

CTurbo :

Here is my thought process. For a build under $600, an FX is the best CPU option because of its multicore performance. This is for gaming, and it is really absurd to put anything less than 4 threads in a gaming machine, as most developers are beginning to add multicore optimizations. As for the Overclocking, minor overclocks on processors improve the worth of them, so if you can overclock without really haveing to spend that much extra, it is really worth it, because it improves the performance. Buying a cpu cooler and Z170 motherboards is mainly for the aspect of overclocking. the CPU cooler is also more for appeale, as no one wants to listen to a train of a stock cooler whirring all the time in their case. Also, a $75 Z170 motherboard vs a $60 crap one. $15 extra for the abiulity to overclock to a speed worth $30 extra. As for the gold rated PSU's, that was more of a side aspect. I want all the builds to atleast have a semi modular power supply to remove the annoyance of non-modular, and the idea was also to get a quality PSU so taht it wouldn't need replaced in a year and a half.

zeke15 · Feb 24, 2016

USAFRet :

As for keeping this up to date, I am unsure at this point. I hadn't even descided yet if I would post it here on Tom's. My original intention was to post it as build guides on PC part picker and update then every couple weeks.

Also, I am currently updating lists and removing the SSDNow's after reading your comment and some more comparisons. Any other similar priced SSD's you would suggest?

CTurbo · Feb 24, 2016

Here is my thought process. For a build under $600, an FX is the best CPU option because of its multicore performance. This is for gaming, and it is really absurd to put anything less than 4 threads in a gaming machine, as most developers are beginning to add multicore optimizations. As for the Overclocking, minor overclocks on processors improve the worth of them, so if you can overclock without really haveing to spend that much extra, it is really worth it, because it improves the performance. Buying a cpu cooler and Z170 motherboards is mainly for the aspect of overclocking. the CPU cooler is also more for appeale, as no one wants to listen to a train of a stock cooler whirring all the time in their case. Also, a $75 Z170 motherboard vs a $60 crap one. $15 extra for the abiulity to overclock to a speed worth $30 extra. As for the gold rated PSU's, that was more of a side aspect. I want all the builds to atleast have a semi modular power supply to remove the annoyance of non-modular, and the idea was also to get a quality PSU so taht it wouldn't need replaced in a year and a half.

We have been hearing for a few years now that "most developers are beginning to add multicore optimizations." yet the i3 still flat out beats the 6 core FX6300 in almost every game, and the 8 core FX8350 in a lot of games. The FX6300 is already 4 years old and it's only getting older. There is not going to be a point where it's all of a sudden better. Minor overclocks on Intel cpus add zero extra performance. Even huge overclocks only add a little extra REAL world performance gain, but that comes at a great cost. A cpu cooler is still not a good investment on a tight low budget. It is also something that could easily be added later. A $75 Z170 is not going to give you a very high overclock, and a small overclock will go unnoticed. Efficiency had nothing to do with a psu's quality. The EVGA NEX 650w is a low quality psu no matter what it's rated. Having a semi modular psu is nice, but on a low budget, it should not be important. I would rather have a non modular high quality Bronze rated unit than a full modular Gold rated low quality unit.

CTurbo · Feb 24, 2016

I appreciate the time it took you to do this. I'm trying to offer you constructive criticism. Don't take it personally.

zeke15 · Feb 24, 2016

CTurbo :

Here is my thought process. For a build under $600, an FX is the best CPU option because of its multicore performance. This is for gaming, and it is really absurd to put anything less than 4 threads in a gaming machine, as most developers are beginning to add multicore optimizations. As for the Overclocking, minor overclocks on processors improve the worth of them, so if you can overclock without really haveing to spend that much extra, it is really worth it, because it improves the performance. Buying a cpu cooler and Z170 motherboards is mainly for the aspect of overclocking. the CPU cooler is also more for appeale, as no one wants to listen to a train of a stock cooler whirring all the time in their case. Also, a $75 Z170 motherboard vs a $60 crap one. $15 extra for the abiulity to overclock to a speed worth $30 extra. As for the gold rated PSU's, that was more of a side aspect. I want all the builds to atleast have a semi modular power supply to remove the annoyance of non-modular, and the idea was also to get a quality PSU so taht it wouldn't need replaced in a year and a half.

We have been hearing for a few years now that "most developers are beginning to add multicore optimizations." yet the i3 still flat out beats the 6 core FX6300 in almost every game, and the 8 core FX8350 in a lot of games. The FX6300 is already 4 years old and it's only getting older. There is not going to be a point where it's all of a sudden better. Minor overclocks on Intel cpus add zero extra performance. Even huge overclocks only add a little extra REAL world performance gain, but that comes at a great cost. A cpu cooler is still not a good investment on a tight low budget. It is also something that could easily be added later. A $75 Z170 is not going to give you a very high overclock, and a small overclock will go unnoticed. Efficiency had nothing to do with a psu's quality. The EVGA NEX 650w is a low quality psu no matter what it's rated. Having a semi modular psu is nice, but on a low budget, it should not be important. I would rather have a non modular high quality Bronze rated unit than a full modular Gold rated low quality unit.

Changes made, thanks!

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Opinions on 10 Gaming Builds (Various Budgets)

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