First Build Advice FF14

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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Hi there, I am looking to build my first gaming pc so that way I can play FF14. I would like to be able to play it on medium settings with the possibility of upgrading later. This is my first build so sorry I'm a bit of a noob.

Approximate Purchase Date: I plan to buy parts over the course of time, I hope to have my rig assembled by June :)

Budget Range: I have about $700~ to play with right now... I just want something that will play decently until I have more cash to upgrade to something better

System Usage from Most to Least Important: FF14, internet, movies

Parts Not Required: I have a mouse and I plan to use my puny 19" flatscreen as a monitor until I get some extra cash... I won't include the keyboard and speakers in the budget. I do need them though, and I plan to buy Windows OS

Preferred Website for Parts: newegg and tigerdirect

Country: USA

Parts Preference: I'm a noob so I don't have a preference really. Anything that works together well

Overclocking: Don't know much about it but sure... if its not too much more $$$

SLI or Crossfire: Same as above

Monitor Res: Not sure what my tv is... It was a cheap one so it's probably not that awesome

Additional Comments: I would prefer if it was quiet. A window in the case would be neat too!

I will attempt to link my current Newegg wishlist... It is above my preferred budget and like I said, I am a total noob but I just picked whatever looked good to me.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=26791968

So I am really hoping for some help/suggestions :D If you guys can come up with something better that's more cost effective or if I am missing anything, ect please let me know! Thank you!

 
Solution
geofelt
Here are the recommended requirements for FF14:
http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/media/recom/na/pc.html

A GTX460 will set you back $125:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130749

The specs say i7 which I interpret to mean a quad core @ 2.66 or better.
Here is a 2300 @ 2.8 which should do the job flr $180:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115076
The price is so close to the $219 2500K that I really would consider the 2500K. If you are near a microcenter, they will sell you one for $180 if you can walk in.

A quiet case, and a window are not a synergistic combination. The window transmits noise.
For quiet, look at the Antec solo II...
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Thanks for the link! Now will this setup play FF14 specifically at normal/decent settings? Sorry if that sounds noobish but I have heard from many people who play that FF14 is much more demanding than other games on the market so I want to make absolutely sure that whatever I build can handle it... with the option of upgrading later.
And yes, I wasn't counting the OS in the budget. :) Thanks!
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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geofelt

geofelt

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Here are the recommended requirements for FF14:
http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/media/recom/na/pc.html

A GTX460 will set you back $125:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130749

The specs say i7 which I interpret to mean a quad core @ 2.66 or better.
Here is a 2300 @ 2.8 which should do the job flr $180:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115076
The price is so close to the $219 2500K that I really would consider the 2500K. If you are near a microcenter, they will sell you one for $180 if you can walk in.

A quiet case, and a window are not a synergistic combination. The window transmits noise.
For quiet, look at the Antec solo II:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129177
For a windowed case look at the Antec 900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

For a low cost favorite, look at the Antec 300 illusion model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

Buy a quality psu, never a cheap one.
Quality units are seasonic, XFX, Antec, Corsair, and PC P&C.
A 450w unit will handle a card as good as a GTX560.
Newer 28nm cards like the 7970 or GTX680 are more efficient, and will run on a 550w psu.
This Antec 650w earthwatts green is a bargain @$50:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

For a motherboard, look for a Z68 based motherboard. Really, most any will do. Pick your favorite vendor.
Here is one for $120.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

No need for fast ram, even though it is cheap. Get a 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424

Add a dvd burner for $20 or so, and you are good to go.
 
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Both of those options sound great. I do wonder though, is there really a performance difference between an i3 and an i5 processor? (I mean for what I'm looking at, which is to play on decent settings) Great enough to justify the price difference I mean?
Also is there a significant difference in nvidia vs radeon? I don't have a preference really, I'm just curious :)
 
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kelthic

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I can speak from personal experience i can tell you without a doubt that the minimum specs for this game are not a joke. An i3 is simply not going to have the horsepower you need. a 460 is going to give you normal graphics options. To put it into perspective, i have a friend with an i7 920 and a GTX 460 1GB and he couldn't increase past standard settings without poor fps. I have an i7 960 with a GTXD 570 and i still couldn't max the settings on this game when i played.

To meet your expectations, i'm thinking you're going to have to consider a larger budget.
 
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aznshinobi

aznshinobi

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^ Hmm... I dunno, the i3's are pretty solid but my option has the i5 2400 which is a pretty good boost in games that utilize more than 2 cores. In fact the i5 2400 is probably the sweet spot for performance for a chip.

As for the Nvidia vs AMD, no there is no big difference. Mainly preference. The cards are so spread out that it really just depends on your budget. The 7770 is probably a bad choice though in my opinion mainly because it's worse than the 6870 for about the same price. Granted better in other areas, it's worse and I don't think you're going to overclock your GPU right?

You can add $60 to my $650 and get this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363
It'll give you a pretty good performance increase.
 
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Tavo_Nova

Tavo_Nova

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i5 2500k (so you can play with overclock to milk out performance when you want to in the distant future)

asrock z68 extreme3 gen 3 great mobo with great features

g.skill ripjaws x/ares 8gb (2x4gb) 1600mhz cl9

any 20-40$ case mid tower

500gb/1tb seagate barracuda 7200rpm or those samsung spinpoint

corsait tx 650w V2 80plus bronze for PSU

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850/6870 (any of these 2 will blast your eyes away with nice performance on a single 1920x1080 resolution monitor so with that games low resolution even this will give great eye candy)
 
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Ok so no i3 for sure then...

And thanks for clarifying nvidia vs radeon for me. I have friends that say nvidia is better and others that say radeon is better so I really wasn't sure which to side with.
I'll just pick whatever is more bang for my buck.

And aznshinobi, I don't know much about overclocking. I have seen something about auto-overclocking and maybe that would be good? I wouldn't mind having the option unless it costs much more to have it. But like I said, I want to be able to upgrade it later so it's not a current priority unless it's worth it right now.

 
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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I did not know the cases with a window transmitted more noise... Very good to know! Thank you! Thanks for the choices and great advice. Also, I have never heard of a microcenter. I live in Texas and according to google the next closest one to me is 4 hours away haha. I appreciate that suggestion though, it's too bad I don't live by one.
 
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azeem40

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Nvidia used to be power hungry and expensive, but now that Kepler is being released, it has turned into NVIDIA's favor.
 
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Okay... So here is what I am thinking...

Case: Antec 900- $99.99 ($79.99 with rebate)
PSU: Antec 650w earthwatts green -$59.99
Motherboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 - $121.99
CPU: i5 2500k Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7 GHz w/ Turbo Boost) - $219.99
RAM: G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) $37.99
HD: Samsung / Seagate Spinpoint F3 500GB - $85.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 - $179.99

Total: Around $800 with the rebate and some promo offers maybe a little more if I don't buy some parts today... And this isn't a bad price to me. A little over my budget but eh.

What do you guys think? Is this a solid build? Will everything work together/fit in the case I selected properly? Also is there any more suggestions on the video card? I figure I can always switch it out later for something better. :) Thanks again!
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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That looks pretty good - I'd drop the Antec 900 though to the Cooler Master HAF 912 and either invest in a better PSU (like the Corsair TX650 or Seasonic M12 II 620) or upgrade your video card to the Radeon 7850.
 
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smmartinez91

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Mar 28, 2012
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Well, I decided I would change the case to the Cooler Master HAF 922 model... It's more pricey but I'm getting it as a housewarming gift for my new apartment :) So its not coming out of my budget after all! So I went for it cuz it has all those cool lights and fans haha. Everything else though that I stated earlier, I'm getting. I have ordered my parts and they should be here by next week! The total was somewhere between the $850 And $900 mark, and that includes windows OS. However I am selling my old laptop for about $200 (and theres multiple rebates I'll be getting eventually) so I will have stayed within my budget after all! :D Thank you all so much for your advice and here's hoping I don't mess anything up during my first build! Hehe thanks :)
 
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