700-800$ Gaming Pc

Hey, i cant offer much advice because im new to all this too but i just wanted tot let you know we both are looking into similar builds and you should watch my post cause i think the advice i hope to get will help you out alot.

i will list 2 build with price estimates 1 will be a AMD and 1 a INTEL and i will offer 2 choices each on the graphics card 1 NVIDIA and 1 AIT/AMD

build 1

Motherboard:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU: phenom II x4

GPU: 660ti sli or not if you want to save around 300 bucks
amd GPU: 7850

ram: as long as its DDR3 and 4gb (preferable 2 2gb sticks

case: pick one from amazon or newegg i dont recommend any cause its really a style choice

hdd: what size do you want

this build would cost (estimated HDD and case) around 700 USD with a single 660ti
and a little cheaper with the 7850

build 2

motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

cpu: i5 2500k (i dont know much about intel. someone might wanna double check the board and cpu)

ram is the same

gpu the same

hdd and case same

estimated price above 750 maybe 850 with the 660ti and a bit cheaper with the 7850

edit i left out a OS and a PSU psu's will go from 50-100 and windows is about 100

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.99 @ Computer Valley)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.87 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.91 @ DirectCanada)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.81 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($96.99 @ Computer Valley)
Total: $799.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


If you want to have the option to overclock, you'd need to shell out another $40 or so for the i5 3570k instead. I suppose you could downgrade your video card to do this, but I would not recommend it. The 3450 is going to give you stellar gaming performance, the GPU will be your bottleneck as it is. Downgrading the GPU in order to overclock would just widen that gap even further.

i wouldnt recoment downgrading the gpu for the 3570 cause the 3450 will max any game, the phenom II x4 will max any game. heck even a dual core will play any game, alot max. i would either get the phenom II or the i5 2500 all you need is a quad core no overclocking for games. unless you want to do video editing/rendering stuff i would just go with the phenom for 1 simple reason why pay more when you don't have to.

just to make this clear and so people dont get mad.

the i5 is faster than phenom but both will max any game and the added speed only comes in handy with benchmarks and rendering stuff. so if you want to spend the 100 extra bucks then go for it

The i5 2500 is a generation behind, the ivy bridge chips are an improvement for the same price or even sometimes cheaper.

I would not take chair's advice. The i5 will last you for years to come, the phenom will start to struggle much sooner.

Take a look at these benchmarks:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-iv...

The Phenom II is a generation older than the FX-8150, but pretty comparable performance for games. You can see there's a sizable gap.

oh, i dont follow intel much, i just saw the 2500 had great reviews and was a bit cheaper. and if you read my post i said that if benchmarks matter then get the i5 but please explain how its going to struggle soon if it can easily max out BF3 without overclocking and keeping cool with a stock cooler.

and the phenom x4 isnt even on their they are completely different processors that are made differently
i cant talk for the 8150 but the fx 6100 runs 60 fps on any properly made pc game the reason i dont recomend that is all the crappy lies people say about it and that some games (i have only found 2) deus ex and cs:go just wont run right on them

like i said the i5 is faster but for the extra 100 bucks to get no noticeable difference in gaming its not worth it.
if your going to be a 3d artist or a video editor then i will recommend the i5

im sure the phenom will hold up for just as long as the i5 for gaming cause you can run any game out now on a proper dual core and max any out with a cheap quad core. and few games actually use all 4 cores at once (if there is any)

I hate arguing with fanboys.

I am not partial to either AMD or Intel as a company, I've built many systems using both brands over the years for different purposes. The simple truth is that right now Intel CPUs trounce AMD for gaming. He's got room in the budget for it, it's silly not to.

Here is a direct comparison between an i5 3450 and a $100 Phenom II x4:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/822/AMD_Phenom_II_X4_9...(140W__BE)_vs_Intel_Core_i5_i5-3450.html
(note that the 'positive' direction varies for some benchmarks)

Also of note is the Tomshardware gaming CPU buyer's guide, just updated this week:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-o...

Notice how the Phenom II x4 is not recommended at any price point. Also take a look at hierarchy on the last page and notice that the it 3450 is in the top tier, whereas a $100 phenom II x4 is in the 4th.

Take a look at the data and decide for yourself.

while i do prefer amd over intel i alway gives reasons for someone to get either but i would only get intel if im gonna do video editing cause for GAMING you dont need that speed (it will help) i never said YOU MUST GET AMD i said if you want to spend 100 more dollars go for it i also said many times intel IS better than amd but for GAMING purposes there really isnt a need to spend 100 extra dollars unless of course you want to.

also this will sound ignorant but i dont care for and usually dont trust a lot of benchmarks
reason for not caring
benchmarks stress the entire cpu but i only use my pc for casual or gaming why do i need it to render in 5 seconds when for half the price it can render in 20 seconds but still do the same things gaming wise

reason for not trusting benchmarks

i have looked at them a lot and i used to trust them a lot then i got the fx 6100 and saw that most benchmarks showed it not being able to play starcraft 2 or even world of warcraft but mine plays those games fine at 60fps no dips

if you look at a performance for the price, so the lowest priced cpu that still performs good

as much as i hate benchmarks this site seems to usually be close and this is a benchmark/price comparison
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+Phen...

as you can see FOR THE PRICE you cant really beat amd

but as you said OP has some room in the budget i just said what i would probably do but im all about saving money

edit: to get to the chart i was talking about you need to scroll to the top and click price performance