Alternative to my primary...around $600?

[Poltregeist]

Hello all, I recently used you guys to find a great build for around $700 (actually licked $800) and now I think I may need something slightly cheaper. I love the AMD Phenom II X4 965 used in this build! Since it is only $100, I would like to keep it included. I am a gamer, running games like BF3 and Planetside 2, currently some of the most graphically intensive games out there. To run these games on my current PC, all low settings, and moderately low resolution. I live in Pennsylvania and will be buying in the next few weeks. I have a monitor and yes to overclocking. Newegg has looked to be the best to buy from, and SLI/Crossfire would be a plus, but if goes over budget is not needed. My native resolution is 1920x1080. If the budget reaches $650-$700 for quality parts, that is fine. Preferably the total is WITHOUT rebates, because most likely I will forget. And I will be using another's credit card, so most likely won't get the money back and/or It will not be significant. Any help or suggestions appreciated!

 

[songorocosongo]

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
MOBO: ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
HDD: Seagate ST1000DM003 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102983
CASE: Rosewill Blackbone http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023
PSU: Rosewill Stallion Series RD700 700W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182278
DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

TOTAL: $685

 

[zared619]

This build includes a better GPU, and a cpu cooler, which is almost required with the 965 because the stock fan is really loud.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jjdM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jjdM/by_merchant/


CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.73 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($312.86 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $727.51

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

It is $765 before rebates.

 

[excella1221]

Here you go,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $646.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

$671.92 before rebates.
Better get them fast, discount promos on the casing,RAM,and CPU.
You can add another 7870 anytime with this setup, and you won't need a PSU upgrade.

 

[willyroc]

This i5 outperforms the 965:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2310 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $644.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) If you want an SSD, you could step down to a 7870.

Or consider the new A10-5800K. See how it compares against an i5 here:
http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-trinity-a10-5800k-vs-intel-ivy-bridge-i5-3470--discrete-gpu-gaming-performance/17272.html

Related Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $630.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Last but not least, the Phenom II X4 965, which is not as powerful as the other two:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $604.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Personally, I would go with the first or the second build.

 

[nanzer]

This i5 outperforms the 965:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2310 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $644.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) If you want an SSD, you could step down to a 7870.

Or consider the new A10-5800K. See how it compares against an i5 here:
http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-trinity-a10-5800k-vs-intel-ivy-bridge-i5-3470--discrete-gpu-gaming-performance/17272.html

Related Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $630.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Last but not least, the Phenom II X4 965, which is not as powerful as the other two:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($38.27 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $604.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Personally, I would go with the first or the second build.

Great Build, +1
Personally, I would recommend the 1st one with 1 mod :
The case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R ($79.99 @ Newegg.com)
Trust me, the price difference is well worth it.

 

[Poltregeist]

Best answer selected by Poltregeist.

 

[Poltregeist]

Thanks! I will probably go with the 2nd AMD build, considering I prefer AMD over intel.

 

[Poltregeist]

Would you have a good CPU cooler to recommend? I don't think that the A10-5800k will exactly be the coolest when running at 4.2Ghz...And I am also upgrading to a 1TB if It doesn't, with the cooler, break $700-$720ish.

 

[excella1221]

A Hyper 212 EVO would be a good investment.

 

[songorocosongo]

A Hyper 212 EVO would be a good investment.

+1 best bang for the buck

 

[Poltregeist]

What about this case? Looks better, and has better reviews than the 430.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066