First PC build (500-700$)

[miniking96]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better) This week.

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) Before / After Rebates; Before / After Shipping- I can do 500-700, the lower the better

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies) Gaming > anything else

Are you buying a monitor: Yes / No Planning on using my tv as the monitor so HDMI capability is a must



Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

Do you need to buy OS: Yes / No
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.
No, currently have a copy of XP

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing) Anything with the best price located in the US

Location: City, State/Region, Country - we need to know where these parts are being assembled and whether there are good store-only deals available Merrick, NY, US

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU) Open to anything just looking for the best bang for my buck whatever brand that may be

Overclocking: Yes / No / Maybe: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / No / Maybe: To be honest I am not sure what this is

Your Monitor Resolution: (e.g.: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200 or if you're upgrading please state what you'd want to get): I never changed it its still on the standard whatever is normal for HDTVs

Additional Comments: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC. Please also list specific software or games you're using) Really unsure on my build it's probably horrific but all I want is the cheapest possible build that can play on max or high, high really is good enough for me on most games and is able to be upgraded in the years to come.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: (e.g. I'm having trouble running game X or my PSU broke) Attempting to make the switch from console to PC gaming


Heres what I was thinking about so far keep in mind everything can be changed and I am open to change 100% so please give me some feedback

Graphics card: HD 6950 2GB (250)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

Processor: I think I may go with AMD because they seem to be much cheaper AMD 965 4 Core (109.99) but I am open to going with Intel if it would be better for gaming
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Motherboard: Unsure as I am still unsure about AMD or Intel I believe this depends on which one in order to be compatible so i'll leave this blank for now

Ram: Crucial 8 GB RAM (42$) I've heard anything more than 8 GB is just overkill
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148543

HDD: All i'm keeping on this is games so I feel 750 GB or 1TB is far more than enough
Seagate 1TB ( 89.99$) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148764

Case: Not sure

PSU: Was looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152035 (50$) But really unsure

 

[g-unit1111]

The 6950 is an excellent GPU, but for the same price the 7850 is newer and uses 1/2 the power. Do not get anything manufactured by Raidmax, though. Their cases are complete junk, and I don't trust their power supplies at all. Yeah the AMD is cheaper but even the i3-2120 in most games outperforms an FX-8150. Two solid cores are always going to be better than four crappy ones. You are definitely correct on the RAM.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($246.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $737.87
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

A little over $700 but includes a far better power supply and the current 7850.

 

[Star72]

If one of the pc games you intend on playing is Battlefield 3 then I'd stick with the Phenom II 965 that you had picked out. It would be better suited for BF3 from what I've heard, & it's no slouch of a cpu anyways.

 

[miniking96]

If one of the pc games you intend on playing is Battlefield 3 then I'd stick with the Phenom II 965 that you had picked out. It would be better suited for BF3 from what I've heard, & it's no slouch of a cpu anyways.

No intentions of playing BF3 so thats not problem, thanks for the input though.

 

[g-unit1111]

If one of the pc games you intend on playing is Battlefield 3 then I'd stick with the Phenom II 965 that you had picked out. It would be better suited for BF3 from what I've heard, & it's no slouch of a cpu anyways.

Here's a comparison between the two: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/811/AMD_Phenom_II_X4_965_%28140W__BE%29_vs_Intel_Core_i3_i3-2120.html

The Intel has a greater edge in some areas over the 965, but on areas where the 965 edges - it's only slightly.

 

[miniking96]

The 6950 is an excellent GPU, but for the same price the 7850 is newer and uses 1/2 the power. Do not get anything manufactured by Raidmax, though. Their cases are complete junk, and I don't trust their power supplies at all. Yeah the AMD is cheaper but even the i3-2120 in most games outperforms an FX-8150. Two solid cores are always going to be better than four crappy ones. You are definitely correct on the RAM.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($246.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $737.87
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

A little over $700 but includes a far better power supply and the current 7850.

Interesting, how would this build fair when playing games like skyrim, mw3 and diablo 3 as those are the main games i'll be playing , what abound upgradability; say in about a year if I wanted to change out the parts i'd be able to do that right? and is there anyway to cut the price a bit WITHOUT sacrificing any performance? Thanks so much for the help!

 

[macgreen]

How much are you hoping to cut the price by? You could change the case, if you wanted, but the HAF 912 is tried and true for gaming from what I've heard (Rosewill is cheaper and likely not nearly as good, but they're usable). You could switch down to a 500gb hard drive, but the savings there would probably just be a couple bucks.

At the price and the components already chosen, there's probably not much else that could be changed that wouldn't sacrifice any performance. The case is probably the closest thing, since you won't be overclocking at all. You could probably switch the power supply with some 550w, but I think the one that g-unit listed is a pretty good choice in and of itself.

Otherwise, try and see if you can find any Daily Deals or Shell Shocker deals on Newegg (or you could try your luck on Amazon or something). Those are some ways to also cut the price a bit. Whether or not it happens is anyone's guess, though.

 

[miniking96]

How much are you hoping to cut the price by? You could change the case, if you wanted, but the HAF 912 is tried and true for gaming from what I've heard (Rosewill is cheaper and likely not nearly as good, but they're usable). You could switch down to a 500gb hard drive, but the savings there would probably just be a couple bucks.

At the price and the components already chosen, there's probably not much else that could be changed that wouldn't sacrifice any performance. The case is probably the closest thing, since you won't be overclocking at all. You could probably switch the power supply with some 550w, but I think the one that g-unit listed is a pretty good choice in and of itself.

Otherwise, try and see if you can find any Daily Deals or Shell Shocker deals on Newegg (or you could try your luck on Amazon or something). Those are some ways to also cut the price a bit. Whether or not it happens is anyone's guess, though.

Yeah you're right, How would this game do against games like skyrim, diablo 3, mw3 and other modern games, like graphics wise med, high, could I max? By the way could I use my hdtv as a monitor via HDMI with this build?

 

[macgreen]

Depends on the resolution your TV runs at. If it's at 1080p, then it'll probably run your mentioned games at around... I'd guess at least high. Not sure about maxing them, but it should be pretty close (again, depends on the screen resolution from what I've seen). The 7850 would pretty much max out Star Wars: The Old Republic, from what I've read around the 'net, so I would think you'd at least get high settings from most of the games you've listed, if not maxing them out. If your TV is 720p, I'd think you could max the games out.

 

[miniking96]

Depends on the resolution your TV runs at. If it's at 1080p, then it'll probably run your mentioned games at around... I'd guess at least high. Not sure about maxing them, but it should be pretty close (again, depends on the screen resolution from what I've seen). The 7850 would pretty much max out Star Wars: The Old Republic, from what I've read around the 'net, so I would think you'd at least get high settings from most of the games you've listed, if not maxing them out. If your TV is 720p, I'd think you could max the games out.

My TV is 1080p is there any way I can toggle it down to 720p?

 

[macgreen]

Considering you're using the PC, just change the resolution in the settings there. Should be fine. But by all means, feel free to give it a shot at 1080p. You should be fine there. I don't have a 1080p monitor or TV at the moment, so I'm curious myself as to how well the 7850 will work with high/max settings with your games. From what I've read, it should do really good at 1080p resolution.

 

[g-unit1111]

Interesting, how would this build fair when playing games like skyrim, mw3 and diablo 3 as those are the main games i'll be playing , what abound upgradability; say in about a year if I wanted to change out the parts i'd be able to do that right? and is there anyway to cut the price a bit WITHOUT sacrificing any performance? Thanks so much for the help!

You'll be able to achieve ultra on the 7850 without breaking a sweat. The 7850 is an excellent GPU and it's the best bang-for-buck option out there right now.

The i3-2120 is the best CPU you can get for that price - if you go lower to a G860 you'll sacrifice a bit of performance.

 

[miniking96]

You'll be able to achieve ultra on the 7850 without breaking a sweat. The 7850 is an excellent GPU and it's the best bang-for-buck option out there right now.

The i3-2120 is the best CPU you can get for that price - if you go lower to a G860 you'll sacrifice a bit of performance.

Someone told me the i5 is worth the extra 100$ for gaming is this true? Or should I stick with the I3?

 

[miniking96]

Best answer selected by miniking96.

 

[miniking96]

Oh god didn't know that voting a best answer puts the thread as solved..

 

[g-unit1111]

Someone told me the i5 is worth the extra 100$ for gaming is this true? Or should I stick with the I3?

Some cases it is, some cases it isn't. But a stronger CPU shouldn't cut into anything else you're getting for that budget.

 

[miniking96]

Some cases it is, some cases it isn't. But a stronger CPU shouldn't cut into anything else you're getting for that budget.

Ok, so now just what would you say is better 570 GTX or the 7850?

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok, so now just what would you say is better 570 GTX or the 7850?

I'd go for the 7850. I have a 7870 and it's a great GPU.

 

[miniking96]

Thanks so much man I think I am going to go order all these parts, I am pretty sure they are but just making sure they're all compatible right?

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks so much man I think I am going to go order all these parts, I am pretty sure they are but just making sure they're all compatible right?

Yup - you shouldn't have to worry about that. Although get the Sapphire model instead of the Power Color - better cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

 

[miniking96]

Ok thanks i'll pm you if I need some help later thanks man.