First PC Build (Gaming)

[KnightFiyah]

Hey guys,

This is my first time on here as an actual poster (I've been here many times previously just for doing research on part comparisons haha).
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Approximate Purchase Date: ~Nov 25th/Cyber Monday/Black Friday
Budget Range: $600-700
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming > Multi-tasking > Watching Videos/Movies
Are you buying a monitor: No, I currently have the super awesome VE278Q 27" ASUS Monitor!
Do you need to buy OS: No.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'm probably going to be using whatever is cheapest off of pcpartpicker.com. Most times it's newegg. Otherwise, I really don't have a preference.
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Parts Preferences: Just reputable brands. I know I'm going to get a lot of criticism for the AMD CPU haha.
Overclocking: Maybe. I'll see how much power the processor I currently have in mind has if I end up purchasing it, and if I feel I need more power I'll overclock it.
SLI or Crossfire: No.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
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My current list of parts for the build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lQS3

CPU: AMD FX-6100 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 560 SE 1GB Video Card
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer

Total: $649.72
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So I'm really lookin' to get some feedback on what I currently have for a build.

For the processor, I wanted to go with Intel, but I felt that AMD gave the best bang for the buck and more AMD users had even better experiences with overclocking their CPUs (obviously). It was really either a toss-up between the AMD FX-6100 I have listed and the AMD Phenom II X4 965.

For the graphics card, I compared the GTX 560 to the 550 Ti and the 560 Ti. It blew the 550 Ti out of the water and performed just as well as the 560 Ti (off of benchmarks and various reviews) but was $80 cheaper which I found great.

So yeah, I play games like League of Legends, Diablo 3, Team Fortress 2, and Call of Duty.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ckholt83]

I think you can definitely make some improvements here, and if gaming is your primary focus then an ivy bridge CPU will serve you better. The 560 SE is also definitely not going to give you the same performance as a 560 Ti, but in either case they are outdated and there are better options. Lemme whip something up for you.

 

[ckholt83]

Okay, take a look:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX T1 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($87.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $689.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I notice you don't have a case in your build, so when you take that into account the price is almost identical for the two builds. Either you already have one and you can knock that off of this list, or you forgot and would have to add it in to yours.

This is a non-overclocking build, but it would give you all the muscle you need for top shelf gaming performance right out of the box and should last you for years to come. It has twice the SSD capacity and a more powerful GPU to boot.

Edit: Just noticed you're in Seattle and don't have a microcenter nearby for that killer deal on the 3470. Since you are planning to buy around Black Friday there's a good chance you'll be able to take advantage of some other sales to make up for the difference. Otherwise, it would be possible to trim off a little extra cost in a couple areas like case and motherboard if necessary. And if you already have a case and don't need to buy one, that's another $45 right there.

 

[loresr97]

Okay, take a look:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX T1 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($87.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $689.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I notice you don't have a case in your build, so when you take that into account the price is almost identical for the two builds. Either you already have one and you can knock that off of this list, or you forgot and would have to add it in to yours.

This is a non-overclocking build, but it would give you all the muscle you need for top shelf gaming performance right out of the box and should last you for years to come. It has twice the SSD capacity and a more powerful GPU to boot.

Edit: Just noticed you're in Seattle and don't have a microcenter nearby for that killer deal on the 3470. Since you are planning to buy around Black Friday there's a good chance you'll be able to take advantage of some other sales to make up for the difference. Otherwise, it would be possible to trim off a little extra cost in a couple areas like case and motherboard if necessary. And if you already have a case and don't need to buy one, that's another $45 right there.

You forgot that PSU doesn't bring the Power Cable, I got that same PSU and it didn't bring.

 

[ckholt83]

You forgot that PSU doesn't bring the Power Cable, I got that same PSU and it didn't bring.

I assume you're talking about the cable to the wall, and that's pretty easy to rectify. You can pick one up for a couple dollars on amazon, probably less on Ebay. You could go to a local computer shop and they would probably throw a fistful of them at you for free.

 

[mocchan]

Here's my 2 cents.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.93 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $716.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

You pay a little extra cash but the performance is there to back it up.

 

[KnightFiyah]

Best answer selected by KnightFiyah.

 

[KnightFiyah]

Thanks everyone for the feedback first off.

I decided to go with ckholt83's build simply because of the i5 and graphics card. i5s and i7s seem to be better for gaming in comparison to i3s.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I might make some major tweaks to the RAM and case (just out of personal preference haha)

Thanks again!

 

[ckholt83]

Yeah, given that you're buying on Black Friday, that's more or less placeholder RAM and there will no doubt be some better kits to choose from in the same price range. I tend to prefer Corsair, Samsung, and G.skill. If you were buying now, I'd say to get this pair instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

The PSU is also a temporary placeholder. When it comes time to buy, just pick up pretty much any quality ~500W PSU from Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, or XFX you can find on sale in that price range and you'll be golden.

Tons of good options for cases, just gotta find one that suits you.

 

[KnightFiyah]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mb5o

Final build with my adjustments. Thoughts?

 

[ckholt83]

Well you can almost certainly do better than that $200 7850, right now there's a 7870 on sale for $185. And if you're still planning on buying on Black Friday then I wouldn't call anything too final, you'll want to wait and see what the best deals are then

 

[KnightFiyah]

Yeah, that's a good point. Where are you seeing this 7870 for 185 by the way?

The lowest price I saw was 200.

 

[ckholt83]

Ah, hmm. Looks like the sale might be over already. :/

Still, a 7870 for $200 is better than a 7850 for $200, and there may be other deals going on around Black Friday / Cyber Monday.