How is this build for gaming? Any improvements?

[scb]

I'm looking to put together a half decent but fully fuctional gaming PC, I don't need it to be completely maxed out yet but just looking to see what I can do on the cheap

Motherboard:
Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Motherboard (Socket AM3+, Up to 16GB DDR3, USB 3.0, uATX)

CPU:
AMD HDZ965FBGMBOX Phenom II X4 965 - 3.4 Ghz AM3 Black Edition CPU

Graphics Card:
Sapphire Radeon HD7750 Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5)

PSU:
ACE 750W BR PSU with 12cm Red Fan and PFC - Black

RAM:
Crucial Ballistix BLS2CP4G3D1609D​S1S00CEU 8GB (4GB x2) DDR3 Memory Kit

Case:
CiT Vantage Type-R Gaming Case with HD Audio, 4 Fans, Card Reader and No PSU - Black

 

[g-unit1111]

I wouldn't touch that case or power supply with a 10 foot pole. The AMD 780 is an outdated chipset now, go with the 970. A good budget board would be the Gigabyte GA-970A-D3H or the Asrock 970 Extreme 3, but are less than $90.

 

[jkhoward]

The system is decent. I would definitely get a better power supply and a 970 chip set as "g-unit1111" stated. I would also look at getting the 1GB 7850 instead of the 7770. I just build a system like yours using the 970 ASUS motherboard and was able to overclock that CPU to 3.8GHz, could of gone much higher, and kept the budget very low using Tigerdirect.

 

[scb]

Yea the PSU seemed to be the cheapo version, may go for something a bit more reliable, whats the problem with the case?

I'll check out those Motherboards

 

[scb]

Ok, so I've updated the MoBo to Gigabyte SKT-AM3+ 970A-DS3 FX 3.1 or AsRock 970 Extreme3 I'm willing to go slightly higher as I'm still under £300 (according to amazon), it's now the GPU I may need to look at, the one I've listed seems good but obviously room for improvement

 

[g-unit1111]

Yea the PSU seemed to be the cheapo version, may go for something a bit more reliable, whats the problem with the case?

I'll check out those Motherboards

My experience with cheap cases is that they're just that - cheap. Manufacturers like CiT, Raidmax, Apevia, Xion, etc cut corners on construction and use sharp metal and cheap plastic throughout. These cases are not designed to last. A better low cost option would be something like the Antec 100, NZXT Source 210, or Cooler Master HAF 912. All of these cases are around the $50 mark.

If you want something a bit more reliable go for the Antec Earthwatts EA-450, Seasonic S12 430W, or Corsair CX500.

 

[scb]

Ah ok, it looked good but had like 2 reviews, I'll look at some decent looking cases, the corsair CX500 I do like

 

[Praxeology]

Ok I just did a budget build with someone yesterday and price per performance, this wins. Total price = 618.

Case

PSU

Mobo

Ram

Processor

Video Card

HDD

Edited*

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok I just did a budget build with someone yesterday and price per performance, this wins. Total price = 568 bucks. If you have more money to work with, get a corsair or seasonic psu, 500 watt and upgrade the HDD below to this Much Better then the one below That should bring the total to like 650.

Case

Mobo

Video Card

HDD

Ram

Processor

Power Supply

That build isn't bad. Cooler Master power supplies have a horrendous reputation for "liar labels" and false advertising on voltage output. There's no reason not to get 8GB of RAM, and the Caviar Blue is 500GB and it's only $10 more. Also for that price I think I would go with a Pentium G860 build like the one Tom's used earlier:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.84 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $572.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-18 17:38 EST-0500)

 

[Praxeology]

That build isn't bad. Cooler Master power supplies have a horrendous reputation for "liar labels" and false advertising on voltage output. There's no reason not to get 8GB of RAM, and the Caviar Blue is 500GB and it's only $10 more. Also for that price I think I would go with a Pentium G860 build like the one Tom's used earlier:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.84 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $572.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-18 17:38 EST-0500)

That end price of 568 includes 2 sets of that ram for a total of 8 gigs. And as I said if OP has more then 568, then he should upgrade the HDD to the one linked above which is standard 1TB, 7200 RPM, 64MB Cache and upgrade the PSU to the on you linked. I was working with a guy whose budget was 575 and could not go over. Skimping on the HDD and PSU is better route for game performance. Speaking of gaming performance this build, even with the budgeted 568 build, would destroy that toms hardware build. Not a good look. If I had to game on those two systems, I'd take the six core set up obviously. So to the OP, grab the Corsair PSU That adds 30 bucks, and the HDD adds 20. Bringing you up to 620.

 

[g-unit1111]

That end price of 568 includes 2 sets of that ram for a total of 8 gigs. And as I said if OP has more then 568, then he should upgrade the HDD to the one linked above which is standard 1TB, 7200 RPM, 64MB Cache and upgrade the PSU to the on you linked. I was working with a guy whose budget was 575 and could not go over. Skimping on the HDD and PSU is better route for game performance. Speaking of gaming performance this build, even with the budgeted 568 build, would destroy that toms hardware build. Not a good look. If I had to game on those two systems, I'd take the six core set up obviously. So to the OP, grab the Corsair PSU That adds 30 bucks, and the HDD adds 20. Bringing you up to 620.

On second thought I think I would agree with you that the FX-6300 would be a better choice in the long run: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/404?vs=699

But the $10 difference for the extra 200GB is completely worth it if you ask me. :lol:

 

[pandastew]

which motherboard to go with if you want the 970 (budget gaming)

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3H or the Asrock 970 Extreme 3 or the Asrock 970 Extreme4?

 

[scb]

thanks for the feedback peeps, luckily HDD storage is something I'm swimming in having taken apart many laptops and broken PC's using a 2tb atm anyway, I'll shop around using these builds, hopefully I'll get a start on it before xmas