Need Advice on Budget Gaming PC

[bobafett0]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within 2-3 weeks


Budget Range: 700-800 after rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, must be reliable (basic MS office work for grad school)


Preferred Website for Parts: newegg.com


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an AMD CPU & Biostar mobo with a 24" LCD and full tower case)


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: Probably not, but open to it if budget somehow affords it w/o skimping too much in other areas


Additional Comments: I messed around a bit and have a build in mind posted below; please let me know if you notice anything that's not going to be compatible or if I'll need to buy any cables, converters, etc. I'm not sure yet whether I'll invest in the SSD or just go with the single standard hard drive. This will be my first time building my own PC, and I basically haven't been paying attention to things for 5 or 6 years, so please don't hesitate to offer advice (or just say my build sucks and show me one way better given my price range). One thing though: I'm pretty set on getting a modular power supply. Also, suggestions for a decent monitor in the ~$200 price range would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX ($130)

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B ($40, combo deal w/processor)

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard ($98)

GPU: Galaxy 56NGH6HS4IXZ GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ($190 after $40 MIR, must purchase within about 48 hrs to qualify)

Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply ($65)

Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler ($34 after $10 MIR)

SSD: Patriot Pyro PP60GS25SSDR 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive ($75 after $20 MIR)

HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ($55)

DVD Drive: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B ($~15 after combo deal w/the HD)

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($89, from amazon since it's cheaper)

Total after all MIR, not including tax/shipping: $790.41

 

[008Rohit]

Processor : i5 2400 - $185
MoBo : ASRock H61M-GE - $63
RAM : 2x4GB Corsair DDR3 1333 XMS3 - $42
Graphics : MSI N570GTX-M2D12D5 GeForce GTX 570 - $270
Hard Disk : Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $60
Optical Drive : LG 24X DVD R/W - $20
PSU : CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 - $60
Case : Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower - $60

Total : $760 after rebates

Much more powerful than your X4 965 build.

 

[madchemist83]

Is there a microcenter close by?

 

[008Rohit]

@ madchemist

Why do keep posting the same thing about microcenter on every thread like a spammer?

 

[madchemist83]

hm? why posting the same build on every thread like a spammer?
don't be a hater.
Just trying to save people some money .. not everyone knows about microcenter and there r some pretty decent deals there.

 

[008Rohit]

So explain to them why you're asking them if they've a microcenter nearby. You're just dropping "do you have a microcenter nearby?" in every thread.

 

[bobafett0]

Is there a microcenter close by?

Sadly no...used to live near Boston, but recently moved away for school. I'll have to get everything shipped.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

@008Rohit, madchemist83 is right, you ARE spamming this build. i5-2400 and that sh!tty mobo with a 570? GTFO. and madchemist83 explained why he does it.

The OP's build is better. Just change the PSU to Corsair (not that Antec is bad...) and if you could somehow change to i5, that'd be great.

If the screen is not part of the build, I'd try Asus ML248H for $200. I have the ML238H and it's great.

Also, can swap the cooler for Hyper 212+

Your PSU is borderline minimum, I suggest 600W or 650-750 in order to enable SLI in the future.

 

[sync_nine]

I support Rohit on this one
i5-2400 is way better than 965 anyday.
965 is old tech and gets hot after an overclock. Plus it gives a way less performance per clock as compared to the i5-2400.
Want proof?
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=363
Most games aren't CPU intensive as they are GPU intensiive.

Rohit's build gives the OP a gtx 570 which is at least 20% faster than the gtx 560
the only limitation might be the power supply, i suggest a 600W or more psu to run the gtx 570.
I rest my case

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

I support Rohit on this one
i5-2400 is way better than 965 anyday.
965 is old tech and gets hot after an overclock. Plus it gives a way less performance per clock as compared to the i5-2400.
Want proof?
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=363
Most games aren't CPU intensive as they are GPU intensiive.


Rohit's build gives the OP a gtx 570 which is at least 20% faster than the gtx 560
the only limitation might be the power supply, i suggest a 600W or more psu to run the gtx 570.
I rest my case

Point is, the build is unbalanced. Deprecated chipset? No. He didn't include a CPU cooler. The board doesn't support SLI/CF and isn't exactly what I call future-proof!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K: $220

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard: $125

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) (free SD card, lol): $50

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3: $60

GPU: Asus GTX 560 Ti 900MHz: $250

PSU: Corsair TX650V2: $85

Case: CM HAF 912: $60

HSF: CM Hyper 212+: $30

Total: $880. I'd save up a bit more, it's worth it, IMO... or just drop to i5-2400 ($190) with stock cooler (if you don't want to OC) and a Galaxy GTX 560 Ti ($230); that's exactly $800.

EDIT: This doesn't include rebates, discounts, combos and other stuff in Newegg... I'm too lazy and the prices in US are a steal, anyway

 

[008Rohit]

@ sync_nine

I have included a 600W PSU in my build, if you look carefully.

@ amk

How can you say that my build is unbalanced? You can't overclock the i5 2400, so you dont need P67 or Z68. H67 boards usually offer RAID support as extra. and some H61 boards lack USB and SATA 3. But thats about it. Its not that H61 is bad or buggy or anything like that.
My build will completely throw your build out off the window in gaming. Want a poll, maybe? Plus, your build costs way too much than the OPs maximum budget. I just built a build within the OP's budget.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Yeah, and forgot the HSF, included an overkill GPU and deprived the OP of SLI/CF, OC'ing and ability to upgrade to Ivy Bridge (according to rumors). RAID isn't needed. Your board has no USB 3.0, no 6 Gbps SATA and from the looks of it, I'm not even sure if a Hyper 212+ will fit on it without messing with the RAM... though that's minor.

My build is also within the budget if the OP doesn't want to OC (however, he'll STILL get SLI/CF and future-proof). He can also use rebates.

My build will be thrown out of the window by your build? Cool story, maybe even true somewhat (OC'd 560 Ti is close to 570), but the OP can just spend $20 more and get a 570 with MY build and then it's yours flying outta that window twice as fast...

Don't get me wrong, good attempt for that price! But I'd stay away from it for the reasons I described above.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

I support Rohit on this one
i5-2400 is way better than 965 anyday.
965 is old tech and gets hot after an overclock. Plus it gives a way less performance per clock as compared to the i5-2400.
Want proof?
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=363
Most games aren't CPU intensive as they are GPU intensiive.

Rohit's build gives the OP a gtx 570 which is at least 20% faster than the gtx 560
the only limitation might be the power supply, i suggest a 600W or more psu to run the gtx 570.
I rest my case

Just noticed that you're contradicting yourself. Then, according to YOU, OP should stay with 965.

... which I'm about to suggest. Get the 965 and a mobo to go with it and a 570, and you're set :lol:

 

[madchemist83]

For $800
let me see:
mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502
122
CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
220
HDD - Samsung F3
60
Case+PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.722887
125
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186
53
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121466
185 (20 MIR)
DVD - any oem
20

Total before MIR - 785
After MIR - 765 ( plus shipping and taxes)
With that MIR later on u can get Hyper 212+ or any other
Low profile memory I picked will help with mounting ur cooler

Touche @ Rohit

 

[008Rohit]

@ amk

1. Forgot the HSF - An after market HSF isn't really needed with the i5 2400. The stock intel one does its job pretty fine.

2. Overkill GPU - How can you say that? A GTX 570 is just more powerful than your 560Ti, that doesn't mean its ovekill. There will be games (like BF3 coming) which your Ti will not handle pretty good at ultra high settings according to speculations. The i5 2400 is no way a bottleneck for a GTX 570.

3. Crossfire : The OP wrote in the first post "Probably Not." Why bother with 2 different cards with troubles than just use a single powerful card?

4. USB 3 and SATA III - i) They're not really necessary at this point. SATA III is only good for SSDs, and I haven't seen many USB devices with USB 3.0 support. ii) You have to sacrifice those to have a good PC within that limited budget.

5. Hyper 212+ - Isn't needed so out of questions if it will fit or not.

6. GTX 570 OC'ed will again beat 560Ti OC'ed. So no point of talking about OC'ing the graphics.

7. The most important part is that your build doesn't fit in the OP's budget.

H61 doesn't decrease performance or anything like that, I don't know why you're so angry with it. Not every one needs to upgrade to Ivy Bridge when i5 2400 is a powerful CPU.

 

[madchemist83]

Mine does and it is more balanced, and if OP decided to pick up a SSD later on he will not have to switch mobo. Which is technically u want to last longest.
I agree u have to sacrifice some features if u under budget but don't go extreme in one spot and crap in another.
U can get GTX 590 and put it into cardboard box and just throw couple cables onto power outlet

 

[spencerific]

SSDs while don't stand up to HDDs in dollar per GB, the read speed and boot up times are hard to live without after having them. You can use a 40-60GB SSD as a boot drive only for windows - makes life easier.

Is it needed? No. But it is an extremely nice luxury.

Monitors? From my personal experiences, Samsung makes an extremely nice, high-quality monitor. Plenty of other options though.

 

[008Rohit]

Mine does and it is more balanced, and if OP decided to pick up a SSD later on he will not have to switch mobo. Which is technically u want to last longest.
I agree u have to sacrifice some features if u under budget but don't go extreme in one spot and crap in another.
U can get GTX 590 and put it into cardboard box and just throw couple cables onto power outlet

Who says yours is more balanced?
No offence, but yours is a sh!t build.

Rosewill PSU? They are utter bullshit.

A GTX 560 non-Ti? Thats much worse than GTX 570. Only your Processor and MoBo is good. Gaming is most important to the OP. So your 2500K + 560 isn't much helpful to him. For the same price, my 2400 + 570 would serve him better.

 

[madchemist83]

HIVE is pretty decent one

 

[bobafett0]

Thanks for the help, all! Finished placing my orders earlier in the week, ended up calling in a favor from a friend back home to get him to pick up an i5 2500K (and cooler master hyper 212+, since it was the cheapest price I could find) from microcenter and ship it to me.

Final build:

CPU: i5 2500K ($180, microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Universal CPU Cooler ($24, microcenter)

Video card: Galaxy GeForce 560 Ti ($190 after rebate, newegg)

Motherboard / RAM: BIOSTAR TZ68A+RCH LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard / CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 ($174 combo, newegg)

PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II PPCMK2S650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active PFC Power Supply ($50 after promo and rebate, newegg)

HD / DVD drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive / LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B ($70 combo, newegg)

SSD: Patriot Pyro PP60GS25SSDR 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ($75 after rebate, newegg)

Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II Advance ATX Mid-Tower Case (RC-692-KKN2) ($80, amazon)

After thinking about it a while, I decided to bite the bullet and go a bit over in order to get the SSD. Also realized that the HAF 922 I originally wanted would've been a *really* tight squeeze to fit into the shelf in my desk I'm planning on putting the thing...it's open in the front and back, but it would've had about 0.25" clearance on the sides, and not significantly more above the top of the case. Total before shipping is about $840.

 

[008Rohit]

Very Solid build.