Beginer PC Builder-Looking for some help building a medium specs PC

[Holy Gear]

I'm looking to build my own PC in the near future (have some family that can help me build it so no worries there, plus i always liked legos and as people say PC building is like legos... so i wont need any help in actually building it, I'm good at following directions/steps)

My budget is from US$800-850, I'm guessing that can get me a semi decent PC that could hopefully Run games like: TERA, Battlefield 3, Assassin's creed 3, Starcraft II, Skyrim, Dark Souls, GTA 4, Diablo 3 on at least low-medium without any lag or issues.

I'm wondering can $800 USD be enough to run most modern games on low-med setting without any lag or issues?

What parts of a PC are more important for gaming?

Whats a good processor speed? how many cores?

Whats the best OS for gaming?

How much RAM should i get?

Whats a good clock speed for the graphics card?

does it mater what sound card i get? should i just get the cheapest possible?

is the ventilation optional or required?(can i just get the cheapest fan? don't care how noisy it is... I'm a headset type of guy)


so far i made this build:

Processor: AMD processor FX-4130 black edition, 3.8GHz, 8MB cache, socket AM3+, quad core, 125W

Mother Board: Gigabyte 78LMT-s2, Chipset AMD 760G

HDD: Western Digital 500gb, 7200rpm, 16mb Buffer, Sata III (6 Gb/s)

RAM: ADATA DDR3, PC3-10600 (1333MHz), 4GB

DVD-ROM: the cheapest i can get, don't know yet....

Graphics card: Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GT 620, 1Gb GDDR3, HDMI, DV

Sound card: Cheapest as well

Case: there is this cheap one i saw that also came with a 500w power supply.

for the monitor I'm looking for a 18.5-19inch 1080p screen

so is this build any good? is there any compatibility issues?

I'll be looking up guides and stuff for the next 2-3 weeks to try and learn more about this stuff, you'll probably see me on this forum a lot!

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[ksham]

1. The most important component for a gaming build (other than the basics) is the GPU.

2. Processor speed is useless to compare. A processor with a clock speed of 4.5GHz is not necessarily faster than a different one with a clock speed of 4.1GHz.

3. Minimum cores is two cores. Four cores are usually recommended for some head room. You don't need more.

4. Windows 7 is the best OS for gaming. Windows 8 is still new and I highly doubt that all games work in Windows 8 as well as in Windows 7.

5. 8GB (2x 4GB) RAM is enough for just gaming. If you want, you can get 16GB (2x 8GB) RAM for that extra head room if you want to keep many applications open at all times.

6. Again, clock speed is not the most important factor.

7. The motherboard should have audio I/O so unless you have high fidelity speakers or headphones, you won't hear the difference.

8. You want a case with good airflow. As for fans, most cases come with a good stock configuration of fans. You don't usually need to add extra fans.


Try applying the above to your build. It can use a tune up.

 

[Holy Gear]

Try applying the above to your build. It can use a tune up.

Alright I'll se what i can do. I appreciate the quick response!!!

 

[Holy Gear]

Try applying the above to your build. It can use a tune up.

So how do i go on about selecting a good processor? I'm having trouble... I guess I actually am a bit more nooby then I originally suspected.

Does anyone have a good build that runs low-med @ $800 USD?
As long as it can run TERA on low-med without any lag or issues, that is all that I'll need for now.
I appreciate it if anyone could help me out a bit, so i can get past this learning curve.

 

[Holy Gear]

made this new build(Not sure if its any better, used pcpartpicker thank god i found it makes things easier)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $169.98
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G41MT-S2PT Micro ATX LGA775 Motherboard $59.99
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory $59.99
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $54.99
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card $179.99
Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply $40
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer $17.98
Monitor: LG W2240T-PN 22.0" Monitor $127.66
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka Wired Gaming Keyboard $49.99
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6800 Wired Optical Mouse $16.99
Total: $777.55

Also does anyone know the better brands for each part of a PC?

 

[ksham]

You're missing the most important component -- the power supply.

Here's a $800 build without any accessories. It can play all current games. You won't be disappointed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $791.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[Holy Gear]

You're missing the most important component -- the power supply.

The case comes with a 400w power supply, but yeah i rather take someone else's build over my own. i have zero-NONE-NADA confidence in my builds...lol



I must say i love the build...BUT! The monitor needs to be included on the build, any suggestions for a cheap monitor that's good quality? don't really need a 1080p...just as long as its compatible with the PCs specs and stuff...as in not too much quality over the PC or not enough for the PC..

 

[ksham]

I tried but this is $1.21 over your budget. I hope it's good.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($126.30 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS208N-P 20.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $851.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[jesot]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($259.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $798.42 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-14 12:23 EDT-0400)

 

[Holy Gear]

Nice build guys! this for sure is GREAT help and will lead me on the right direction!

Going to have to Save as much as possible on the less important parts like Case, Storage, Power supply...

 

[Holy Gear]

Any tips on choosing a motherboard? best brand?
can i just pick what ever? or could it have some compatibility issues?

 

[ksham]

The problem is the monitor. It takes up about 14% of your $700 budget. So it's really only $600. It's possible, but you'll have to lose some good parts. In the end, it'll do well now, but you'll be forced to upgrade sooner. My advice is for you to buy everything minus the graphics card. Then when you saved up enough, buy a good one. Otherwise, you're just going to pay money for something half decent just to waste more money to replace it. And you won't get to run your games without lag.

 

[jesot]

You can go with a FX 6300 and save ~$60 from the 3350P and you can go with a 7870 XT to save another $20. Another $15-20 can be saved by going with an ASRock 770 board. All of these prices are from NewEgg.

 

[Holy Gear]

what if for my original build i add this GPU insted?

Video Card: NVIDIA QUADRO NVS 300, 512mb GDDR3 or is that a bad one? is costs a bunch! its around $270....

OR

there's also this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt6110110m....but its not $140 like on the website its more like $200 bucks here where i live @...(By the way i live outside of the US)

 

[Holy Gear]

By the way thanx for all the help! I"ll take all these builds to some stores and check prices and stuff. i have to say I am in love with this forum and do plan in visiting this forum a lot more now that i saw how helpful the community can be!

 

[ksham]

Quadro is not for gaming. GeForce is way better at gaming. Quadro will annihilate GeForce in graphics rendering like Cinema4D, Maya, Adobe Premiere, etc.

They were made for different applications.

 

[Yumed]

well here is what i could make jeje i think that is enought:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Yumed/saved/1Bcr
CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core $189.17
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 $69.99
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $59.49
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM $39.99
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB $189.99
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower $24.99
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V $29.99
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer $27.98
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" $124.99
Total: $756.58

 

[Holy Gear]

I have been trying to sell some stuff, decided to get a little more cash so i can afford a full $800 USD Gaming PC and then the monitor separately. so now the $800 is all just for PC! still have to contact my friend to see what he can hook me up with.
thanks everyone so far! very friendly and helpful community!

 

[ksham]

See my second post on this thread.

 

[Holy Gear]

You're missing the most important component -- the power supply.

Here's a $800 build without any accessories. It can play all current games. You won't be disappointed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $791.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Yeah, this might be what I'll try and aim for, but I'll cut down on the HDD if i need to don't really need 1TB, but if i do I'll just upgrade it later. For now i might just go with like 500GB 5400RPM

So if I run into any problems with not being able to afford I'll cut down on HDD first, then I'll cut down on RAM get a, 4GB?(is 4GB minimum? and 8 being recommended?)
for the case I'll try and get a cheap one, that comes with a power supply.

And that's all I can cut down on without it affecting gameplay? hopefully...

 

[Holy Gear]

you guys think i could run bf4 when it comes out on low-med specs with this?
CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $791.47

 

[ksham]

Yes; I think so. This is my educated guess though. It's not based on any concrete evidence because the game is not out yet.

 

[Holy Gear]

Yes; I think so. This is my educated guess though. It's not based on any concrete evidence because the game is not out yet.

do you think with that build bf3 would look as good or better then it does on xbox?