Budget gaming pc

[4eyed]

I'm planning on getting a new pc, that will be used mostly for gaming.

Approximate Purchase Date: In 2-3 weeks

Budget Range: 500 euros ( 550 if it'll make a big difference )

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, multimedia, everyday stuff

Parts Not Required: Monitor, OS and HDD

Preferred Website for Parts: amazon.de

Country: Serbia

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU ( 'cause they work better in my favorite game, WoW ( or so i think )) and a p67 or z68 mobo.

Overclocking: If the processor allows it

SLI or Crossfire: Possibly, but probably not

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: Quiet and pretty

EDIT:

This is what i've come up with:

CPU: http://www.amazon.de/Intel-Prozessor-i5-2400-Cache-Sockel/dp/B004FA8NS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324928520&sr=8-1
GPU: http://www.amazon.de/GigaByte-NVIDIA-GeForce-Grafikkarte-Speicher/dp/B0050MUTUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324928548&sr=1-1
RAM: http://www.amazon.de/Corsair-Vengeance-Arbeitsspeicher-PC1600-DDR3-RAM/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324928560&sr=1-1
PSU: http://www.amazon.de/Corsair-Serie-Netzteil-PSU-600W/dp/B00453OIPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324928584&sr=1-1
Case: http://www.amazon.de/Xigmatek-CPC-T45UC-U01-Asgard-II-Geh%C3%A4use/dp/B003D05WBG/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324928605&sr=1-3-spell
Mobo: http://www.amazon.de/Asrock-Z68-Sockel-Mainboard-Speicher/dp/B0050DQT6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324928635&sr=1-1

PC: 563 euros which is not exactly perfect for my budget... But if i put an i3 2100 in that will lower the costs significatly and should still be a decent pc.

 

[g-unit1111]

PC: 563 euros which is not exactly perfect for my budget... But if i put an i3 2100 in that will lower the costs significatly and should still be a decent pc.

Stick with the quad core - the dual core won't do much when it comes to games.

Overclocking: If the processor allows it

Only the 2500K will allow for OC'ing. The 2400 will not.

This would be a far better case for the price (Xigmatek is pretty bad from what I've been hearing around here) - http://www.amazon.de/Antec-Three-Hundred-Gaming-Geh%C3%A4use/dp/B0017Q8IAA/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324936516&sr=1-1

Otherwise it's a pretty solid build, I say go for it.

 

[4eyed]

Ok. But since i won't be OCing, maybe i should go with a h61 motherboard? It will lower the costs for around 30€ which i could use to get a better gpu, maybe the gtx560ti or hd6950? Would i lose a lot by downgrading the mobo?

EDIT: What about AMD? I know that i3 2100 uotperforms the phenom ii x4, but for a budget build the P II x4 955 looks pretty atractive because it's quad core and is easily overclockable. I mentioned the phenom because i'm on a budget and i'm really trying to spend the least possible amount of money and still get a good machine. Also, would an am3+ socket mobo offer good enough "upgradeability", because bulldozers seem to absolutely suck in gaming.

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok. But since i won't be OCing, maybe i should go with a h61 motherboard? It will lower the costs for around 30€ which i could use to get a better gpu, maybe the gtx560ti or hd6950? Would i lose a lot by downgrading the mobo?

Not necessarily. H61 is meant for basic PCs where you will not be doing a lot of upgrading or tweaking. If you go H61 you'll sacrifice a ton of features that the Z68 and P67 motherboards offer (like smart SSD caching, ability to SLI/Crossfire, and so on).

EDIT: What about AMD? I know that i3 2100 uotperforms the phenom ii x4, but for a budget build the P II x4 955 looks pretty atractive because it's quad core and is easily overclockable. I mentioned the phenom because i'm on a budget and i'm really trying to spend the least possible amount of money and still get a good machine. Also, would an am3+ socket mobo offer good enough "upgradeability", because bulldozers seem to absolutely suck in gaming.

First off you're comparing a dual core against a quad core. The quad core is going to win every time in terms of processing power and the number of tasks it can handle. Of course the i5-2400 will handily beat both of those but that's a different story.

I'm certainly not knocking the i3-2100 - it's a great CPU and it's what I use in my workstation build. But if you're on a budget AMD certainly isn't a bad way to go - especially if you want to overclock. There's no i3s that can be overclocked, and only the i5-2500K and i7-2600K and 2700K can be.

My system that I use at home is an AMD Phenom II X6. Intel vs. AMD is basically a matter of personal preference. You can get a quad core+ full system on AMD for less than $800 (US), versus the comparable Intel quad core system will run you more than $1K (US). With AMD the board, RAM, and CPU I got was only $375 (US) vs. the Intel build I got for my workstation was nearly $435.

 

[4eyed]

The only reason i don't want to go with AMD is because of the upgrade path. Bulldozers seem to perform horribly in games... Say i got a worse gpu ( hd6770 ) and a cpu that will last a little longer ( 2400 ), would i be able to game with decent ( 40+ ) fps on medium/high for about a year, probably 2 and then upgrade? Would it be a better option than 2100 + gtx 560 ( because it seems i can't really afford the 2400 and this gpu )?

EDIT:

Here's an i5 pc that'll fit perfectly in my budget:

i5 2400
MSI P67S-C45
Kingston Genesis Grey 8Gb
Sapphire Radeon HD 6770
Antec 300
Chieftec CTB-650S 650w

Would this be an ok gaming pc for 2 years, after which i'll upgrade the cpu and gpu?

 

[g-unit1111]

The only reason i don't want to go with AMD is because of the upgrade path. Bulldozers seem to perform horribly in games... Say i got a worse gpu ( hd6770 ) and a cpu that will last a little longer ( 2400 ), would i be able to game with decent ( 40+ ) fps on medium/high for about a year, probably 2 and then upgrade? Would it be a better option than 2100 + gtx 560 ( because it seems i can't really afford the 2400 and this gpu )?

The 6770 is actually one of the best GPUs you can get for the money right now - and it's certainly not a bad way to go. If you can find a 6790 (it looks like they're being discontinued - Newegg has it deactivated) - that would be a better GPU. The 6850 is also a really good choice as well.

Honestly probably the best option would be i5-2400 + 6770 right now - when the time comes to upgrade you could always get a second 6770 and go Crossfire.

You're right about Bulldozers - I think it's a work in progress definitely - AMD certainly rushed the first batch. The second batch of CPUs should be a huge improvement over the first - I hope.

 

[4eyed]

Ok. Thank you. I will try to get another 50 euros for the hd 6870, but if i can't, this is the pc i'll get.

 

[4eyed]

I've browsed the internet, searching threads similar to mine, and in almost all cases ppl recomend a slower cpu and a better gpu, and since i'm a gamer ( not a very rich one ), i think that a better gpu will serve me better than 2 extra cores. Sandy Bridge i3 still is a pretty fast cpu, surely fast enough not to bottleneck the gtx 560. So, this is the 3rd build i've come up with:

i3 2120 ( a couple of mhz more won't hurt )
Gigabyte GTX 560 OC
MSI P67S-C45
8gb corsair vengeance ddr3 1600mhz
Corsair CX500 500w
Antec 300

 

[g-unit1111]

I've browsed the internet, searching threads similar to mine, and in almost all cases ppl recomend a slower cpu and a better gpu, and since i'm a gamer ( not a very rich one ), i think that a better gpu will serve me better than 2 extra cores. Sandy Bridge i3 still is a pretty fast cpu, surely fast enough not to bottleneck the gtx 560. So, this is the 3rd build i've come up with:

i3 2120 ( a couple of mhz more won't hurt )
Gigabyte GTX 560 OC
MSI P67S-C45
8gb corsair vengeance ddr3 1600mhz
Corsair CX500 500w
Antec 300

That's much better except I'd recommend this for your GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610 (EVGA is a better brand of video card than Gigabyte)
And this for your motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506 *OR* http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

 

[4eyed]

Thanks, but the gtx 560 ti is 40 euros over my budget... Though it would be pretty nice... As for the motherboard, i was considering the asrock one, and, in all the mayhem of system-making and benchmark browsing, i simply forgot about it. So the system i'm gonna get is the one in my previous post except that mobo will be excanged with the asrock one. Ok. Sweet. Ty.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks, but the gtx 560 ti is 40 euros over my budget... Though it would be pretty nice... As for the motherboard, i was considering the asrock one, and, in all the mayhem of system-making and benchmark browsing, i simply forgot about it. So the system i'm gonna get is the one in my previous post except that mobo will be excanged with the asrock one. Ok. Sweet. Ty.

Yeah that'll be a much better choice than MSI or Biostar in the long run.

 

[4eyed]

I decided to sacrifice a liitle more money ( 100€ ) for a pc that will last me longer and i certanly didn't regret it. This is what i bought:

i5 2500k ( oh yeah )
MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr ( very, very nice )
Asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3
Kingston Genesis Grey 8gb ddr3 1600mhz
Antec 300
Corsair CX500 500w

I'm amazed with it. It performs beautifully in games. Finally i can max out skyrim!!!

Peace out.