Would this be a decent gaming build for $700 (OS included)

[timnswede]

I was recommended most of this build, but I switched out some parts. Games I will be playing is the Witcher 2, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 3, and possibly minecraft.

Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core Desktop Processor $125

Intel BOXDH67CLB3 ATX Intel Motherboard $90

ASUS Radeon HD 6850 EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Video Card with Eyefinity $150

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $100

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory $38

ENERMAX NAXN ENP450AST 450W Power Supply $45

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case $43

Windows 7 Home 64 Bit $100

 

[Ubrales]

Looks fine, and I would suggest a 500 watts to 600 watts PSU - Corsair, Seasonic, Antec.

 

[Chaz21]

I was recommended most of this build, but I switched out some parts. Games I will be playing is the Witcher 2, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 3, and possibly minecraft.

Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core Desktop Processor $125

Intel BOXDH67CLB3 ATX Intel Motherboard $90

ASUS Radeon HD 6850 EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Video Card with Eyefinity $150

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $100

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory $38

ENERMAX NAXN ENP450AST 450W Power Supply $45

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case $43

Windows 7 Home 64 Bit $100

I agree. Get a better PSU. I'd go with a different motherboard too but that's just my opinion. Something like this maybe:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781
or this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Just to give you a bit more flexibility.

 

[slicedtoad]

rule of thumb, only get 80 plus rated PSUs. Enermax is a decent brand but not that PSU.

Do you plan on needing to upgrade? If not, your power requirements are as follows:
-127W+65W on the 12v rail.
-under 50W on the rest of the system.

This is a very well rated PSU that fits your needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Cons:
-might not be able to power future upgrades (like an i5 + a high end GPU)
-not modular (aesthetic value)

slightly more upgradeability:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034

If you want upgradeability and modularity, one of the following:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703035
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256065

upgradeability without modularity:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

edit: and i agree with chaz's mobo recommendations.

 

[timnswede]

rule of thumb, only get 80 plus rated PSUs. Enermax is a decent brand but not that PSU.

Do you plan on needing to upgrade? If not, your power requirements are as follows:
-127W+65W on the 12v rail.
-under 50W on the rest of the system.

This is a very well rated PSU that fits your needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Cons:
-might not be able to power future upgrades (like an i5 + a high end GPU)
-not modular (aesthetic value)

slightly more upgradeability:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034

If you want upgradeability and modularity, one of the following:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703035
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256065

upgradeability without modularity:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

edit: and i agree with chaz's mobo recommendations.

So by modularity you just mean if it looks good or not? I'll probably go with the very last one you recommended.

 

[slicedtoad]

no, by modular i mean if the cables are permanently attached to the psu or if they can be connected disconnected at will. This has little use besides aesthetics and easier cable management.

the last one i recommended is an excellent PSU that will work for any current gpu/cpu combo excluding sli/cf and dual gpu cards.

 

[Pezcore27]

This build would be stronger for $700

CASE = NZXT GAMMA - 39.99
PSU = Antec EarthWatts EA-430D - 49.99
MOBO = Intel BOXDH67CLB3 - 89.99
CPU = Intel Core i3-2120 - 124.99 ($10 off promo code HARDOCPX425B, ends 5/1)
RAM = G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) - 37.99
GRAPHICS = SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 - 149.99 ($10 MIR)
OPTICAL = LITE-ON 24x DVD Burner - 16.99
HDD = Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB - 79.99
OS = Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - 99.99

TOTAL w/ Shipping = $700.73 (Promo Code and MIR not included)

Sorry its $.73 over budget

 

[slicedtoad]

^looks almost identical to his original to me... only with a smaller hdd and a few minor changes.

 

[Pezcore27]

yeah sorry. Had a brain melt. I realize its almost the same. Im going off of 2 hours of sleep for 48 hours, so I apologize.

 

[timnswede]

Hey another question, I noticed that there are a lot of different 6850 graphics cards like Sapphire, Asus, Gigabyte, etc. Does it matter which one I get?

 

[slicedtoad]

nope, not really.

Brand loyalty, QA and customer support are the only differences. Also some of them have better coolers and different clocks.

You can ignore the clocks (no reason to pay extra for a factory oc) but getting one with a better or quieter cooler isn't a bad idea provided it doesn't cost much more.

This one is a good bargain. Powercolor is a cheaper brand but they still make good stuff.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131374

this one's cooler is slightly better and it's asus, which is a reputable brand. If you do rebates it's a good deal too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121419

same with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353

Get whatever one you want.

edit:
just thought i'd do a price check and this 6870 is only $155. It would be a considerable boost over a 6850.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161389

and you'll need all the boost you can get for BF3. It's quite a hard game to run.

 

[capt_taco]

I would never, ever buy a motherboard made by Intel. Especially for a gaming system. Sure, they have a reputation for being "reliable," but they are utter crap if you want to use anything other than basic parts at stock settings. I have had Intel boards simply shut off and refuse to work at all over things as stupid as not letting me adjust the RAM voltage. Their customer service is horrible on top of it, too. Definitely get something else.

 

[Pezcore27]

I would probably do this board over the intel one: MSI H67A-G43 (B3) - 84.99 (before 20.00 MIR)

 

[slicedtoad]

ok, the bf3 thing has been bugging me since it really sucks to buy a new computer and not be able to run your games on max. I put together the following hoping to fix that. The cpu might limit you to less than ultra but it will definitely be better than your current list.

Also it's a suggested build. There were sacrifices i made to maximize gaming performance so tell me if you want something changed.

NZXT Gamma - you could our original choice but this one is better in general.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

combo rosewill hive 550W with 8GB gksill value - This upgrades the psu without spending any more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.904256

combo i3-2120 with ECS mobo - This is a very budget mobo. It is stripped of features like usb 3.0 and sata 3.0 and can't oc much. But it is good quality and won't hurt gaming performance in any way. Tell me if this is unacceptable to your needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.882524

Hitachi Ultrastar 500GB - good HDD. Upgrade when hdds are cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145434

windows 7 home premium - having this as part of your budget is annoying lol.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

*drum roll*
GTX 480 for $210 - excellent deal. This is a lot stronger than a 6870.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759

Comes to $680 before taxes and shipping. A little room for a better mobo if you need it.

 

[Chaz21]

Just to give you an idea of how demanding BF3 is look at these "recommended" system requirements:

http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield3/1/bf3-faq
at the bottom of the second column. Of course if everyone actually met those "requirements" there would be a lot less players.

 

[Pezcore27]

lol @ recommended settings.

 

[timnswede]

ok, the bf3 thing has been bugging me since it really sucks to buy a new computer and not be able to run your games on max. I put together the following hoping to fix that. The cpu might limit you to less than ultra but it will definitely be better than your current list.

Also it's a suggested build. There were sacrifices i made to maximize gaming performance so tell me if you want something changed.

NZXT Gamma - you could our original choice but this one is better in general.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

combo rosewill hive 550W with 8GB gksill value - This upgrades the psu without spending any more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.904256

combo i3-2120 with ECS mobo - This is a very budget mobo. It is stripped of features like usb 3.0 and sata 3.0 and can't oc much. But it is good quality and won't hurt gaming performance in any way. Tell me if this is unacceptable to your needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.882524

Hitachi Ultrastar 500GB - good HDD. Upgrade when hdds are cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145434

windows 7 home premium - having this as part of your budget is annoying lol.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

*drum roll*
GTX 480 for $210 - excellent deal. This is a lot stronger than a 6870.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759

Comes to $680 before taxes and shipping. A little room for a better mobo if you need it.

Looks really good, I don't know if I would want that motherboard though. Are there any other combo deals with the i3-2120? I'd say max spending budget is $750.

 

[megamanx00]

For the price of that Intel motherboard you enter Z68 territory which is important to consider if you ever want to upgrade to a k series CPU latter on. I say you look at this motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270

If you think you might consider crossfire down the line you will have to invest a little more in the motherboard ^_^

 

[timnswede]

About that gtx 480, from just 10 minutes of research it looks like it need a lot of power. Are you sure 550w is enough?

 

[slicedtoad]

i'll list some other mobo combos in a second.

gtx 480: TDP of 250W
i3-2120: TDP of 65W
that means you need 315W of power on the 12v rail. The hive 550W provides 456w.

Around 20% overhead is nice, which you exceed.

If you were to later upgrade to an i5-2500k it would add 30W. Still perfectly acceptable.

It's not enough for sli/cf but I don't believe in buying overpriced parts that you may want in the future with your kind of budget.

And yes 250W is a lot of power. It's a very hot card and a bit loud. If you monitor temps you may notice it going up to 95C on load. It's made to run at this temp though so no worries. Also it's on a 3 year warranty from evga (they actually honour their warranties). Unless you are acoustically sensitive, the noise shouldn't bother you too much.

This is a good review:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/30297-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480-review.html
Keep in mind that they are reviewing it when it cost $499 though.

 

[timnswede]

I think I'll go with the 6870, my room gets warm with my ps3 running, so heat would be a problem. Also I don't care about graphics that much, I'd be happy with medium settings.

 

[slicedtoad]

lol, i just noticed that the ECS board, after combo savings and rebates costs $18. And it's not a bad board either, just a bare one.

If you need some more features, here's a list:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.900332
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.900319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.900321
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.900322
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.900308
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.882200

The ASrock extreme4 and Asus P8Z68-V LT are the best. Asrock is z77 too, which is a bonus.

But those two are also the most expensive, so feel free to choose any. I believe they all have USB 3.0 and Sata 3.0.

edit: ok, the 6870 is fine.

 

[timnswede]

Thanks for all the answers, especially slicedbread who provided a lot suggestions. I'll be getting a new psu and motherboard.

 

[timnswede]

Best answer selected by timnswede.

 

[slicedtoad]

slicedtoad* lol
np