Gaming PC: New parts for 600-800$

[SomeRandomIdi0t]

So basically i want to upgrade my motherboard, processor and graphics card. I'm aiming at a budget of 600 to 800-ish$. The prices may very for me a little since i live in Norway but this is somewhat similar to my budget and prices in my currency.

I'm looking to be able to play most new games with decent graphics settings and decent FPS.
I'm not going to OC.
And if required i would appreciate if you recommended a cooling system.

Thanks in advance!

 

[loresr97]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rne0
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rne0/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rne0/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.71 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $786.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-07 16:40 EST-0500)

 

[bardacuda]

For that kind of budget I'd go with a Pentium G2120 if it's available, or if not a G870 or G860, skip the CPU cooler (stock cooler is fine if not overclocking as long as you have decent airflow in your case), only 4GB RAM (still plenty even though a lot of people are going with 8GB now), and sink the money you save into the video card.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $720.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-07 21:14 EST-0500)

Alternatively you could step up to a core i5 but you'd have to step down on the video card to a 7870 or lower (unless maybe you don't need windows). No sense going core i3 since hyperthreading doesn't help in games so if you wanted a better CPU may as well go up to a quad-core i5 if anything. No need for anything more than a good quality 500W PSU for this build. I put Windows 7 but if you prefer Windows 8 it's the same price.

You said roughly $600-$800 so I was aiming for $700. This one came to $735 before rebates, but as you say prices are only a rough approximation for where you are so I left some room. You might be able to squeeze in an i5-3470/3570 without sacrificing anything depending on all the factors and flexibility of your budget.

 

[SomeRandomIdi0t]

Thanks for the replies guys, i'll go with the i5-3470 which would put me over budget if i was to also get the 660 Ti. I'm wondering how big a drop in performance would i get if i bought the 660? And also do i really need an additional cooler for the i5-3470 since i won't be OC'ing or is the stock fan fine since i have really good air flow in my case.

 

[bardacuda]

Stock cooler is fine if you're not overclocking. Here is a review of the 660

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_660_twinfrozr_iii_review,1.html

That's specifically for the Twin Frozr 3 but it shows all the numbers from the reference cards for comparison. It doesn't seem to be very far behind the 660 ti in a lot of games. Compared to AMD it ranges anywhere from on par with a 7850 to being on par with a 7950, depending on the game. Just read some reviews from different sites that use different games to benchmark with to get a good idea of the performance levels of different cards.