Is This a Good Build?

[grich96]

This is my first build. I originally did not want to spend this much, but I felt like this was a good value. I am hoping to get two to three years out of it until I need a new gpu. I want to play games like civ 5 and skyrim on high settings and hopefully future games like gta 5 and rome 2. Am i spending too much on a gpu? Do you have any suggestions for a better part?





Component Selection Base Price Promo Shipping Tax Price Where
CPU

AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor $159.15 FREE $159.15 Amazon


Motherboard

Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard $84.99 -$10.00 $4.99 $79.98 SuperBiiz

$10.00 Mail-in rebate

Memory

Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $34.99 FREE $34.99 Amazon



Storage

Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $49.99 FREE $49.99 Amazon


Kingston SSDNow V200 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $52.99 FREE $52.99 Newegg

Video Card

HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card $219.99 -$20.00 FREE $199.99 Newegg


Case

Raidmax ATX-248NWU (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case $48.20 FREE $48.20 Amazon


Power Supply Antec Neo Eco 620W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $49.99 -$20.00 FREE $29.99 Newegg

Optical Drive

Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive $29.99 $4.99 $34.98 Newegg


Monitor 720p 32in Emerson HDTV (i already have)
Operating System windows 8 (i already have)

Keyboard
i-rocks KR-6401-WH WHITE 103 Normal Keys USB Wired Slim Chocolate Key Style Keyboard $16


Mouse Hp wired (i already have)

Base Total: $746.27
Mail-in Rebates: -$50.00
Shipping: $9.98
Total: $706.25

 

[g-unit1111]

Do not purchase a Raidmax case - they are the worst of the worst as far as case makers go. The FX isn't the greatest CPU - I'd say go Intel. I would also recommend dropping the SSD as 64GB won't get you very far. You can always add one in later and it would be the same.

Maybe try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $694.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 20:00 EST-0500)

 

[JefferyD90]

#1 Your build is fine... I would go with a quad core FX CPU instead of a 8 core. That could save you $50 or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4PDoy-mi0A
Check out that video.

Also, drop the SSD... in a build under 1k don't even do it.

Much better case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5520044&Sku=T925-3018

And a better PSU
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=899123&csid=_61

 

[JefferyD90]

And I have saved you enough money for a http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3947170&CatId=7246 you will be glad you did. This is the best motherboard on the market.

 

[g-unit1111]

And I have saved you enough money for a http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3947170&CatId=7246 you will be glad you did. This is the best motherboard on the market.

You don't need to pay $189 for a motherboard on a $700 build. That's not the place to spend money needlessly.

 

[tiny voices]

You don't need to pay $189 for a motherboard on a $700 build. That's not the place to spend money needlessly.

+1 A motherboard like that is just stupid on anything less than a $1500 build.

 

[JefferyD90]

Its the best motherboard out there. And it is wonderful if you plan on upgrading later.

Plus, I feel like a good motherboard with a 5 year warranty is worth $300.

 

[aonor]

Get this case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $39.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 21:31 EST-0500)

 

[Outlander_04]

Back to the OP's original build

I would tend to use the cheaper FX 6300 rather than the 8 core for gaming . Few games will use all 8 threads anyway and those that do are mostly bound by the graphics card


Get a dual channel kit of memory . A 2 x4 gig kit of 1600 MHz , rated for 1.5 volts or less is ideal


You are playing through a 720p tv , and that has less pixels than most 19 inch wide screen monitors . The 7850 will max out any game .
Whn you have windows up and running head straight to the graphics driver and make sure Vsync is enabled or you may damage the screen

You'd need , at most , a 500 watt psu . 80+ bronze or better , and def not raidmax

 

[loresr97]

#1 Your build is fine... I would go with a quad core FX CPU instead of a 8 core. That could save you $50 or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4PDoy-mi0A
Check out that video.

Also, drop the SSD... in a build under 1k don't even do it.

Much better case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5520044&Sku=T925-3018

And a better PSU
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=899123&csid=_61

Dropping to a quad will be worst idea, going for intel would be best idea.
Don't suggest bad PSU's, also that motherboard is overpriced.

 

[JefferyD90]

Dropping to a quad will be worst idea, going for intel would be best idea.
Don't suggest bad PSU's, also that motherboard is overpriced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4PDoy-mi0A
No, your wrong dropping to a quad core will actually help out in gaming, its less overhead.
Its not a bad PSU, look at the ratings average of 4.9 with PLENTY of reviews.
And the Motherboard is the best on the market today, for like $30-40 more than the ones everyone else is suggesting. Plus it comes with a 5 year warranty. Not to mention it holds the World OCing record... Do some research before you start back talking me fool.

 

[tiny voices]

Its unrealistic to suggest a $189 motherboard for a $700 build. Thats just plain stupid. Its for gaming. It makes more sense to get a cheaper board that will do everything just fine without any issue and get a better GPU. No one in their right mind would get a $189 motherboard for a gaming build at $700.

Second, you aren't correct about the quad core thing. The Quad core FX CPUs aren't too good for gaming. The fx-4300 is worse in gaming than an i3 3220. The phenom II x4 965BE isn't as good as an i3 unless you overclock for gaming.

An fx-6300 (6-core) is barely better than an i3. The i5 is the king of gaming because its much more powerful on a per-core basis. (what matters for gaming.)

This is why the fx-6300 (6-core) is only just slightly better than an i3 (2-core). Intel just as the per-core thing better right now.

All of this said, the fx-6300 is the best choice here as it saves some money for a better GPU. (what really matters for gaming)

 

[g-unit1111]

Its the best motherboard out there. And it is wonderful if you plan on upgrading later.

Plus, I feel like a good motherboard with a 5 year warranty is worth $300.

But that's not the place to spend money on a build. For one thing you're recommending cutting corners on the case and power supply - that's never a good thing. And where does it make sense to purchase such an expensive motherboard on such a limited budget? Where it makes sense to spend money - especially on a gaming rig - is the GPU. Everything else comes second.

Second, you aren't correct about the quad core thing. The Quad core FX CPUs aren't too good for gaming. The fx-4300 is worse in gaming than an i3 3220. The phenom II x4 965BE isn't as good as an i3 unless you overclock for gaming.

Yes this is correct - the 965 is such an aging CPU that it's hard to warrant purchasing. The FX-4300 is newer but it's a long way from being a perfect low budget CPU.

No, your wrong dropping to a quad core will actually help out in gaming, its less overhead.

What?

Its not a bad PSU, look at the ratings average of 4.9 with PLENTY of reviews.

Store reviews are to be taken with a massive grain of salt. 1/2 the things people complain about are complete nonsense, the DOAs most likely could be prevented had the people taken the right precautions, and the positive reviews don't really go in depth of the product itself. Read professional reviews like Jonnyguru - if they say a power supply is crap, it's crap.

 

[grich96]

Do not purchase a Raidmax case - they are the worst of the worst as far as case makers go. The FX isn't the greatest CPU - I'd say go Intel. I would also recommend dropping the SSD as 64GB won't get you very far. You can always add one in later and it would be the same.

Maybe try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $694.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 20:00 EST-0500)

This Raidmax case gets 4 stars on newegg, plus it looks awesome. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156223

This SSD would only store my os (faster boot time) and a couple games at a time. This way my SSD would make the things I use most often fast and I can move the old games to my HDD when done.

Check out this link, the 8320 is far superior to the i5 3470 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

 

[grich96]

Back to the OP's original build

I would tend to use the cheaper FX 6300 rather than the 8 core for gaming . Few games will use all 8 threads anyway and those that do are mostly bound by the graphics card


Get a dual channel kit of memory . A 2 x4 gig kit of 1600 MHz , rated for 1.5 volts or less is ideal


You are playing through a 720p tv , and that has less pixels than most 19 inch wide screen monitors . The 7850 will max out any game .
Whn you have windows up and running head straight to the graphics driver and make sure Vsync is enabled or you may damage the screen

You'd need , at most , a 500 watt psu . 80+ bronze or better , and def not raidmax

The fx 6300 is only $20 cheaper. I think its worth the $20 more to plan for the future as best I can. Why is a dual channel kit of memory better? It takes up more space that way.

thanks for the warning about the monitor

 

[grich96]

Get this case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $39.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 21:31 EST-0500)

Ill keep that case in mind, it seems pretty good.

 

[g-unit1111]

This Raidmax case gets 4 stars on newegg, plus it looks awesome. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156223

Again - store reviews are to be taken with massive grains of salt. Raidmax cases may look cool but they cut corners on construction and the cases fall apart very easily. A lot of junk gets very highly rated on Newegg for reasons I can't quite comprehend. It's probably that new out of the box feeling. :lol:

This SSD would only store my os (faster boot time) and a couple games at a time. This way my SSD would make the things I use most often fast and I can move the old games to my HDD when done.

Here's the thing with purchasing a 64GB SSD - after formatting you're left with 57.3GB. Then add a full Windows install - that's approximately 20GB not including the swap file, which takes up another 5 - 6GB depending on the size of the SSD. You're left with way less than 1/2 capacity and that will barely hold a game or two. That's why a second storage device is almost always recommended. You can always add a good 128GB SSD later (like the uber-fast OCZ Vector or Samsung 840 Pro) and it will perform exactly the same.

Check out this link, the 8320 is far superior to the i5 3470 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

That's actually kind of a baseless benchmark - I would need to know more of the testing parameters they used in order to achieve those numbers before I'd say it's "far superior".

 

[grich96]

Again - store reviews are to be taken with massive grains of salt. Raidmax cases may look cool but they cut corners on construction and the cases fall apart very easily. A lot of junk gets very highly rated on Newegg for reasons I can't quite comprehend. It's probably that new out of the box feeling. :lol:

This SSD would only store my os (faster boot time) and a couple games at a time. This way my SSD would make the things I use most often fast and I can move the old games to my HDD when done.

Here's the thing with purchasing a 64GB SSD - after formatting you're left with 57.3GB. Then add a full Windows install - that's approximately 20GB not including the swap file, which takes up another 5 - 6GB depending on the size of the SSD. You're left with way less than 1/2 capacity and that will barely hold a game or two. That's why a second storage device is almost always recommended. You can always add a good 128GB SSD later (like the uber-fast OCZ Vector or Samsung 840 Pro) and it will perform exactly the same.

Check out this link, the 8320 is far superior to the i5 3470 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

That's actually kind of a baseless benchmark - I would need to know more of the testing parameters they used in order to achieve those numbers before I'd say it's "far superior".

Ok i checked another benchmark and the i5 won, barely. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2012/-04-3DMark11,3157.html
And then I checked another and the 8320 won, by an even smaller amount. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2012/-36-Total-Time,3179.html
You are probably right that the 3470 is better, but it also costs about $30 more and i really can't afford that or justify that for a small increase in performance.



So even if i have 20 gb left for games I can hold three games at a time. (Skyrim is 6 gb) http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/114526-13-finally-skyrim-requirements

I will never be playing more than three games at a time, so that is ok for me.



My second choice is the case you are recommending, because my keyboard is white and my mouse black. Why I favor the raidmax, is because it has three fans as opposed to one and no side panel.

I appreciate your responses nevertheless and will give you the best answer.

 

[grich96]

Best answer selected by grich96.

 

[g-unit1111]

Ok i checked another benchmark and the i5 won, barely. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] ,3157.html
And then I checked another and the 8320 won, by an even smaller amount. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] ,3179.html
You are probably right that the 3470 is better, but it also costs about $30 more and i really can't afford that or justify that for a small increase in performance.

That's the thing about some benchmarks - the sites who publish these usually don't reveal all their testing parameters. Which is why sometimes one processor will beat out another, only to have the second benchmark give different results.

So even if i have 20 gb left for games I can hold three games at a time. (Skyrim is 6 gb) http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] quirements

I will never be playing more than three games at a time, so that is ok for me.

But then like Portal 2 or Assassin's Creed will take up 16GB a piece and then you're left with no space.

My second choice is the case you are recommending, because my keyboard is white and my mouse black. Why I favor the raidmax, is because it has three fans as opposed to one and no side panel.

You can always add more fans as you need them. The Raidmax fans are really poor quality. I've seen Raidmax cases fall apart very easily and on top of that they have no cable management.