Building a New Budget Gaming PC (almost ready to buy)

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

Update!

Here's what I'm looking at now for my build, let me know what you think. (clocking in just over $1000)

PC Part Picker

So I've grown pretty confident in most of this build! There are only 2 little things that I'm left wondering at the moment.
1. Is the case a good fit for all of the components? I need to know if everything will fit in comfortably as they should and allow for the appropriate ventilation.
2. Do I need to upgrade to the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Mobo? I'd love a nice little explanation about the advantages it may have over the ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX.

That's it! Simple questions with hopefully quick answers and I'll be completely reassured and ready to buy

I can't express how thankful I am for all the help so far, everyone! I'm really happy to be as confident as I am in the rig I'm building.

michxymi · Feb 27, 2013

A lot here will suggest to go with Intel. I'll make you a >1000$ build with AMD and then the choice is yours!

High quality case with USB III in front panel.

SilverStone Redline series RL03B-W-USB 3.0 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

80+ Bronze PSU from Seasonic, with enough watts for the system.

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

AMD FX 6300 for CPU. The best perfomance/$ out there. Six Core, overclockable!

AMD FX-6300 FX-Series Six-Core Processor Edition, Black AM3 FD6300WMHKBOX

Asrock 970 Extreme4 offers everything you'll need and at it's price it's a steal! All solid caps and Digi Mosfet guarantee system stability, lots of native SATA & USB III with two in the front panel, support for Crossfire/SLI with 8X/8X PCI-E bandwith, and support for AMDs next generation CPUs, as AM3+ socket won't yet be replaced!

CPUs memory controller supports and works better with high speed memory, so the next kit is a great choice!

Patriot Memory Viper 3 Series Venom Red DDR3 8GB 1866MHz (PC3 15000) Memory Kit PV38G186C9KRD

Because I'm showing you the best (according for me) perfomance/$ build, the GPU choice is 7870 tahity le.
It's a regular 7870 with 7950 core and that makes it only ~3% slower than a 660ti/7950 with lower price! I can live with that

Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT with Boost 2GB DDR5 HDMI / DVI-I / Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 11199-20-20G

An SSD is a must for such budget these days! It doesn't only offer quick start up times, but makes your system way more response! 120GB is the sweet spot these days.

Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB SATA III internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TD120BW

And a regular 1TB HDD

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache - WD10EZEX

SUM ~800$ without OS. I suggest going with Win 8 64 Bit just because it's newer software.

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

Thanks so much for the cheaper AMD alternative! Looking through the list with the little knowledge I have seems really promising! I was hoping you may be able to explain a couple of the components in a little more detail. Sorry to be a bother ^_^ But I just need to be sure about everything!

I'm loving how cheap this build is. But, as the thread name says, I need some serious hand-holding ^_^ My main concern is with the stability of the build.
Like are all of these components compatible with each other? I don't at all mean to imply that you don't know what you're talking about, I just need a firm yes or no, as I'm really just that clueless! The Sapphire GFX card seems quite large, but after reading reviews of it, it seems the very very clear choice as long as it doesn't cost me extra in the PSU/Cooling system departments.
As for overclocking, which the AMD FX-6300 really lends itself to, I'm wondering if the cooling and power supply that you've suggested can handle a bump up to ~4.5 GHz or maybe even to the top at about 5 GHz? And I'm wondering the same about bumping the Sapphire up to ~1100 MHz. Can the cooling and power supply handle it?
And after reading a positive review about the AMD FX-6300, they mention that it has relatively poor single-threaded performance. What exactly does that mean?

Finally, I just need to be reassured that they can all fit in that Case ^_^ Thanks so much! Reading through all of those options helped a lot. I'm definitely making the Sapphire my primary GFX card, now.

And I'm really sorry for the overload of questions

Just need to be 100% confident in what I'm investing my ~$800 in. Thanks so much

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

Puff, some people here dont know how to put things to get the best performance....

Here is my build for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Scorpio Blue 250GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1001.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 08:25 EST-0500)

Now lets talk about why i did chose that. Ivy Bridge i5's offer the best gaming performance at this price point, the i5 3470 has been a solid recommendation you may go the AMD way but generally you wont get as much power when it comes to gaming. Asrock z77 pro3 is a solid board at that price and has all you need including PCIe 3.0. The HD 7970 will destroy (humiliate) the gtx 660 ti any time and Tom's consider it a better card than the gtx 670. Some storage and a nice SSD for great loading speeds. A decent case and very good PSU.

Feel free to ask.

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

@AleisterCrowley

Loving the list. Thanks so much for coming up with the detailed list with prices and benchmarks! That's extremely helpful. A few questions, though.
■Why the ~250gb Internal HD? I mean, I can make that work (on this PC I'm only using up ~150gb total), but I'm just curious as to why you chose that 250gb Internal HD.[/*] Is it for the size? Also, does higher RPM on Internal Hard Drives really mean anything?
■How big of a difference is there between the XFX Radeon HD 7970 Video Card you mentioned and the Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT mentioned before? The Sapphire 7870 XT has gotten extremely good reviews and is a newer card. I'm sure it may not be quite as powerful as the XFX 7970, but is it worth the ~$120?
■Will I need an internal fan? Or am I missing something?
■Can you please explain to me the differences in Motherboards and why you're advising the ASRockZ77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155?
■And can you please explain to me the differences in Cases and why you advised the one that you did?

Thanks so much

You've both been super helpful so far.

ARICH5 · Feb 27, 2013

AleisterCrowley :

Puff, some people here dont know how to put things to get the best performance....

Here is my build for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Scorpio Blue 250GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1001.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 08:25 EST-0500)

Now lets talk about why i did chose that. Ivy Bridge i5's offer the best gaming performance at this price point, the i5 3470 has been a solid recommendation you may go the AMD way but generally you wont get as much power when it comes to gaming. Asrock z77 pro3 is a solid board at that price and has all you need including PCIe 3.0. The HD 7970 will destroy (humiliate) the gtx 660 ti any time and Tom's consider it a better card than the gtx 670. Some storage and a nice SSD for great loading speeds. A decent case and very good PSU.

Feel free to ask.

get a cheaper non z77 mobo or a k version cpu

a 5400rpm hdd? really?

geil ram?

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

ARICH5 :

Mind advising any specific Motherboards with some reasons?

And after some research, apparently there's hardly any difference between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM HDD's performance-wise. Keep in mind, with their build the main OS would be installed on the SDD. Then, games would be installed on the 5400 RPM HDD, but it wouldn't heat up as much or cause as much noise, while still running at what seems to be the same speed. Correct me if I'm wrong! I just did some googling and read through a few threads.

And what's wrong with 8 gigs of RAM? I don't understand ^_^

ARICH5 · Feb 27, 2013

ive never seen geil brand ram used in a recommendation before..i stick to brands i trust like crucial

that hdd has a very low cache size and does affect loading times. i dont get it...he listed it as a 2.5" hdd and a 2.5" ssd????hdd's are 3.5"

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=78350&vpn=WD10EZRX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=71117&vpn=P8H77%2DI&manufacture=Others&promoid=1302

better mobo if you dont plan to overclock

you said a 400- 1000$ budget? many articles state that 800$ is the sweet spot..anymore and its wasteful and no bang for buck...with that said you dont need a 400$ gpu....

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=77797&vpn=FX%2D785A%2DZNL4&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1302

smorizio · Feb 27, 2013

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

He can buy more storage any time, and why would you want a "faster" HDD having a SSD with good space to put your games and apps of course he can get something like this:
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)

but i was trying to give him the best performance at that price point, of course it would be nice having more storage but what about real performance?

You only get better performance from a k version cpu by overclocking it, in wich case you would need a good sink and again you are spending more than $1000. Geil memory is good but if you dont trust the brand you may go with:
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Newegg)

. That board has very good features at its price and better support for Ivy bridge cpus.

HD 7970 is a beast a solid recomendation, you can check some Tom's reviews:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-6.html

ARICH5 · Feb 27, 2013

yes that card is great...but not feasible in a 1000$ budget when you just blew 1/3 of it on the gpu.

balance and bank for buck.....not cheap, cheap, cheap, EXPENSIVE, cheap, cheap.

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

ARICH5 :

That is in fact a very balanced gaming system, I wonder if you know something about building Budget Gaming PC, of course the gpu has to be the most expensive component. Again that CPU can handle that card and even a $1000 gtx 690 without any sign of bottlenecking, i dont went cheap, i went smart.

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

I agree that the HD 7970 seems a little bit overkill for the build I'm looking to make. I don't want there to be any bottlenecks in my rig. Can I ask about the Sapphire 7870 again? It's gotten amazing reviews and is just ~$240. Like you said, ARICH, ~$800 makes sense to me.

And I'll be sticking with 1TB HDD storage max. Couldn't waste that much space if I tried. I keep my computer as clean as possible (which is why the hunk of junk I've been using for 5 years still runs "great"). But as far as the SSD is concerned, is it worth getting? Start-up times aren't any sort of big issue to me. What else does an SSD help with besides just start-up/shut-down? I'm sure it would help loading times with games, but with the OS already being installed on the SSD, there won't be a whole lot of room for games.

And I need motherboards explained in some detail to me, cause they're all just a blur of numbers and letters to me. It'd help a lot if I knew what I was looking at.

Also, I asked about cases. Will a 3.5" HD and a 2.5" SSD and the recommended motherboard and power supply and RAM all fit into just about any case? Will I need another internal fan?

Thanks a lot for the help so far, everyone. I appreciate it very much.

*edit - Sorry Aleister, your post didn't show up for me til now. And that's good to know that the HD 7970 wouldn't cause any bottlenecking, but it's still a little bit expensive for me. I'd still like to know everyone's thoughts on the Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT.

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

Games are getting more and more hungry, @ARICH5, i dare you to refute that my build is going to yield more performance at $1000 than yours, really.

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

Selphious :

I agree that the HD 7970 seems a little bit overkill for the build I'm looking to make. I don't want there to be any bottlenecks in my rig. Can I ask about the Sapphire 7870 again? It's gotten amazing reviews and is just ~$240. Like you said, ARICH, ~$800 makes sense to me.

And I'll be sticking with 1TB HDD storage max. Couldn't waste that much space if I tried. I keep my computer as clean as possible (which is why the hunk of junk I've been using for 5 years still runs "great"). But as far as the SSD is concerned, is it worth getting? Start-up times aren't any sort of big issue to me. What else does an SSD help with besides just start-up/shut-down? I'm sure it would help loading times with games, but with the OS already being installed on the SSD, there won't be a whole lot of room for games.

And I need motherboards explained in some detail to me, cause they're all just a blur of numbers and letters to me. It'd help a lot if I knew what I was looking at.

Also, I asked about cases. Will a 3.5" HD and a 2.5" SSD and the recommended motherboard and power supply and RAM all fit into just about any case? Will I need another internal fan?

Thanks a lot for the help so far, everyone. I appreciate it very much.

*edit - Sorry Aleister, your post didn't show up for me til now. And that's good to know that the HD 7970 wouldn't cause any bottlenecking, but it's still a little bit expensive for me. I'd still like to know everyone's thoughts on the Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT.

If you want to save some bucks, the Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT is a good choice

odiervr · Feb 27, 2013

So much to say, so little time:

1. 3570k. Best bang for the buck at this pricerange.
2. CPU Cooler Cooler master 212 evo
3. Asrock Z77 ext 4 if able
4. Storage (HD): 1 TB
5. Storage (SSD): not req'd, but i love mine. Good brands: intel 330, samsung, Crucial M4
Video Card: HD 7870 LE ... if you can find one
Case: nothing smaller than a mid tower. I have CM HAF 912. It's hugh and will fit ANYTHING. probably too big, but if you have the room ... max flexibility
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling Mk 3, 600watt

My best advice:
1. Place all your items into PCpartpicker.com. It will show compatibility and the 'best' place to purchase item (you can usually do a little better pricewise)
2. CPU & motherboard combos best at Microcenters, but u have to go to the physical store
3. Newegg, amazon, tigerdirect all have best prices generally
4. you seem to have some time. Prices vary 10-25% DAILY at these places - just keep shopping once you have your pieces figured out
5. for the build: Youtube "newegg computer build parts 2 (assembly) and 3 (software)" follow these step by step diretions and you are there.
6. finally. I have two Intel 330 180 GB SDD's. Both bought on sale for $140 and $120 for two differnet builds. I love them. They are not the fastest or newest, but the difference between the HDD and SDD - light years/near instant. I LOVE MINE. I would NEVER return to the HDD ... except for mass storage like pics and music.

I built my first computer 8 months ago. reading what you wrote you will own this for a LONG time (greater than 5 years). Make a good $800 - $1000 investmet and you will enjoy your machine for a very long time. 3570k does not Need to be overclocked - i have not O/c'd mine yet, but i will when needed. It's a nice advantage for 10% more.

Good Luck !!

smorizio · Feb 27, 2013

with computer case the vendor will post the max cpu cooler height in mm. the same will go for max length for video cards. some of the older cheaper cases
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345015
have fixed hard drive bays. these case be care full of long video cards. some cards wont fit in these cases as the back of the card will hit the hard drive tray. the better gaming cases will have removable drive bays..the drive bays turned to face outwards or no bays like the r-200/r-300 case. with motherboards there are full size atx and mini atx units. mini atx are good for one video card and a wifi/sound card. do to lack of pci slots and room. most of these are good for first time build. you have to look at the number of ports and the ports on the mb. the newer mb have the intel thunderbolt port on them. the larger atx mb used for there size for sli or crossfire. the z77 chipset is the chipset used for k chips. the h is the next chipset down...the b chipset most times will have one or two 6g sata ports and 3-4 usb ports. the b mb are poor mans mb. for people that are pinching pennies..

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

AleisterCrowley :

Thanks much

I like it a lot, so I'll stick with it.

odiervr :

Very helpful! Thanks much

I'm pretty sure I've gotta get a 120 GB SSD ^_^ And I'm glad you're confident in how long my new PC will last! Thanks for the heads up on the building videos, I'll put those to use when the time comes!

I've updated my original post with the specs I'm currently looking at.

odiervr · Feb 27, 2013

The 430 is a good case - I own 1.

Means the case supports 2 usb 2.0's up front. Your Mobo will be fine, but the ports upfront will be working 2.0 speeds.

My CM 212 fit, but it was tight (top of CPU cooler has about 1/4" of room from the case).

I love my ASRocks x 2. I recommend reading all reviews / scores of reviews from newegg and amazon and pick your z77.

You do not NEED a CPU cooler with your CPU. However, you will if you overclock due to heat generated. The only point to the Z77 mobo and the 3570K is overclocking. If you do not intend to overclock. There is no point in z77 or the k designation.

Power supply. DO NOT GO CHEAP. I recommond Corsair, Seasonic, or PC Power and Cooling. There are more brands and cheaper brands. These are the ones that are continuously recommened. I'm not a pro. I own 1 PC Power and Cooling Mk 3, 600w. One Corsair. I would love a seasonic, but they are not cheap.

AleisterCrowley · Feb 27, 2013

Hey Selphious! that build would be the next step for a more powerful system, is very good, but is like $60 more expensive and you omit the Operating System so it would be like $150 more expensive. Man! i dont understand you! I thought you were trying to go cheaper and now this!

I dont recommend you going cheap with the PSU, that is a big mistake.

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard is very, very, very nice for $125. Tom's really like it. That said, i think that is a killer system, but seriously are you trying to make me crazy?

Selphious · Feb 27, 2013

@odievr
Oh, the port speed doesn't bother me, so that's good to hear that they'll at least be visible ^_^ Thanks much for clearing that up!

And as long as the fan fits with no issue, then it's all good!

Overclocking seems like a "solution" to help my PC keep up as years go on. I could cut the CPU cooler and save $33 and downgrade to the i5-3470 and lose the overclocking capabilities and some base power, but save another ~$40. Though, I feel like an extra $73 is worth the extra potential power.

As for the power supply, do you think the Corsair Enthusiast 650w 80+ bronze is good enough? I see most people recommending a 650w Power Supply for gaming setups. Will I need 750w if I eventually overclock?

@AleisterCrowley
Haha you're right, I'm over by ~$12 atm, but Windows 7 is included! And I'm willing to make small adjustments in my budget to get just what I want

So do you think my PSU is good enough (the Corsair Enthusiast 650w 80+ Bronze)?

And what exactly are the advantages of that Motherboard over the one I currently have selected? All I see is that it has more Storage Devices and Expansion Slots, and I'm not aware of what any of that is for ^_^

And I'm sorry for being a pain

Selphious · Feb 28, 2013

Anyone have any more tips or suggestions? I'd appreciate it very much

michxymi · Feb 28, 2013

Selphious :

Just a reminder this is the 7870 you want not the simple one. It's only available to Amazon I think!

Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT with Boost 2GB DDR5 HDMI / DVI-I / Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 11199-20-20G

odiervr · Feb 28, 2013

Corsair Enthusiast 650w 80+ bronze is good enough? Yes. Would only need more if you intend to run multiple GPU's.

You hit the nail on the head i believe. The $73 is an investment in longevity i believe. I'm 'thrifty' and that's how i voted w/ my money. I have not overclocked yet - no need for my applications yet. When the time comes - I'm ready with a couple clicks.

Enjoy and let us know how it goes.

OBTW - HD 7870 LE is the best 7870 out there, but they are hard to find.

GL !!

Selphious · Feb 28, 2013

michxymi :

Is that any different from the one I have in my set-up? Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card. Only difference I can tell is that the one I have in my setup has a core clock of 1.05, while the one you linked has one of 925.

odiervr :

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I'm definitely very confident in this build

Only thing that's left on my mind is making sure I get the right video card apparently XD And if the case in my set-up will hold work out. It should hold everything comfortably without causing any issues, right?

Oh, and one more thing. Will I need thermal paste, or will the CPU cooler come with it pre-applied?

Building a New Budget Gaming PC (almost ready to buy)

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