500-600 - Non Overclocking gaming build

[Dholio]

Hello,

I am looking to build a non overclocking gaming computer for a friend and would like some advice. The paramers are:

No overclocking
1 GPU
must be able to play current games with ease (I guess cyris, dirt3, GW2, and WoW) are good benchmarks
500$ was original budget, but if 600 can build a waaay better system its doable
Maybe look at a microatx build since there wont be a 2nd GPU installed ever

purchase date : within the month

This is a build I came up with..even though 500 was the original budget I think this is just better performance wise.

1 - Case NZXT GAMMA - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061 - 40
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 - 70
SAPPHIRE 100355L Radeon HD 7850 2GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102998 - 200
CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 - 35
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226191 - 47
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 - 115
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078 - 120

630 $

Keep in mind I will not be Overclocking or using a 2nd GPU.

1 - GPU - Maybe should look into the Nvidia 500 series for cost
2 - What are the downsides to the smaller cases and using a microATX?...seems to me as tech gets better it should get smaller!!
3 - Will the stock fan work with the i3-2100?

Overall I am looking for opinions from people who know a lot about systems that wont be using OClocking and how to build a good gaming comp for a smaller budget.

I look forward to this discussion and learning from everyone

Cheers

 

[bctande1]

You could definitely do better. Gimme a sec.

 

[bctande1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($117.10 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($237.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $619.60
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-02 22:52 EDT-0400)

Got you a 7870 Ghz edition. IMO we may have to go a little lower to get a better CPU. But it's your choice.

 

[jerreddredd]

I would lean toward bctande1's build for several reasons.

I would definitely go with the 2120 CPU it is a faster CPU as for less $ (in this case, usually its $5 more). if you friend thinks he/she may play BF3 or Mechwarrior online, then you might want to consider a quad core CPU. these games use more than 2 cores to play. the AMD FX 4100/4170 are about the same price as the the i3 2100/2120. though slightly slower than the intel CPU's the AMD's have 4 cores. Or go with a leaser GPU like the 560 and a I5 3450/2400 would be even better maybe.

the deal on the 7870 is a good one. Dropping down to a 7850 saves about $30 and still should be fine for the games you play. dropping to a GTX 560 will save more, but at significant performance cost.

as to your question on uATX cases. the only differences are; ease of access when building and the volume of air to cool components. the uATX case would have less room to work and less air to help cool. with the about rig a small case wouldn't be an issue (the MB bctande1 chose is full ATX though) . look at my SIG, my uATX cools just fine and is fairly quiet.

intel stock fans work just fine.

you should re-post about 2-3 days before your friend will be purchasing so we can look for the best deals. I would think we could drop it under $600. this is especially true for the GPU the prices are dropping on the HD 7870/50 as they compete with with the nVidia GTX 660Ti and soon the GTX 660.

 

[bctande1]

I would lean toward bctande1's build for several reasons.

I would definitely go with the 2120 CPU it is a faster CPU as for less $ (in this case, usually its $5 more). if you friend thinks he/she may play BF3 or Mechwarrior online, then you might want to consider a quad core CPU. these games use more than 2 cores to play. the AMD FX 4100/4170 are about the same price as the the i3 2100/2120. though slightly slower than the intel CPU's the AMD's have 4 cores. Or go with a leaser GPU like the 560 and a I5 3450/2400 would be even better maybe.

the deal on the 7870 is a good one. Dropping down to a 7850 saves about $30 and still should be fine for the games you play. dropping to a GTX 560 will save more, but at significant performance cost.

as to your question on uATX cases. the only differences are; ease of access when building and the volume of air to cool components. the uATX case would have less room to work and less air to help cool. with the about rig a small case wouldn't be an issue (the MB bctande1 chose is full ATX though) . look at my SIG, my uATX cools just fine and is fairly quiet.

intel stock fans work just fine.

you should re-post about 2-3 days before your friend will be purchasing so we can look for the best deals. I would think we could drop it under $600. this is especially true for the GPU the prices are dropping on the HD 7870/50 as they compete with with the nVidia GTX 660Ti and soon the GTX 660.

Thank you very much for the generous feedback !