Not Sure Where to Start - Need good PC for Gaming/Streaming

[waterise]

Hello.

I want to custom build a PC that can run heavy graphic-intensive games like World of Warcraft, RuneScape, etc, but can also run flawlessly when live streaming my X-Box 360 games from my PC to Twitch.tv. I've looked at some threads on this site and here is two URL's I found helpful:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QPs5/by_merchant/
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/188pS/by_merchant/

I don't really have a budget since I keep getting money every week from my job and save it. So, the first URL is a bit pricey, but looks worth it. I'm by far no expert on custom building PC's or knowing what graphic cards, CPU's, etc. are good, so that's why I need help. I just want a PC that runs heavy graphics flawlessly and loads everything fast, etc. My Internet is fast, so I just need a PC that's good. Thanks.

 

[X79]

Do you need everything? Monitor, keyboard etc.

Would be helpful with a budget.

 

[X79]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($187.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($70.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($46.87 @ Amazon)
Total: $1582.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 21:54 EDT-0400)

A complete set could look like this. But it can certainly be done cheaper/more expensive; hence I'd like an approximate budget.

You can fill this out:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/290969-33-advice-choosing

 

[waterise]

I have a regular PC screen & a regular wired mouse & keyboard. I guess my budget would be $2000.00.

 

[X79]

Well insofar you don't want to upgrade the peripherals, here's a comfortable build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($177.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($115.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($70.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1315.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 22:12 EDT-0400)

It's ideal for gaming and once the FPS rates in games start dropping, you can simply add another GTX 770 if you wish.

The motherboard supports this feature; which is called SLI, when it's about Nvidia's GTX GPUs.

There's plenty RAM. More than you need, but you sound like someone who multi-tasks a lot, so that's why it's added.

There's plenty storage from the HDD and you'll get added speed from the SSD. Faster booting for example.

The case could be bigger if you wanted, but it's a nice case still. Cases are also important. Also, if you want SLI

later, you should upgrade the PSU a little too. With a 2K budget you can get some really great things, but I'm not

going to try reach the max, as I think it's wiser if you get this build and then use the remainder of the budget for

future upgrades. Then you'll always stay right on top. The CPU can be OC'd (OverClocked), though I doubt you want to do that.

I recommend diving into some OC'ing though, if you're not familiar with it, as it's a good thing to do. You've already got

all the necessary things to do some good OC'ing. Now I don't know the resolution of your monitor, but here's

some benchmarks:

 

[waterise]

Is that better than the two URL's I posted in the OP?

 

[X79]

There's some good builds for sure. It sounds like you really want performance

though and have the cash to spare. Thus my build. But some of the ones for 600$ are

quite fine too!

 

[waterise]

Yeah, I want amazing performance, but also I wanna play graphic-intensive games in everything HD without any lag. Also, I use Sony Vegas a lot, so I want to be able to edit/play videos without any lag.

 

[waterise]

Could you post a $600-$700 build that would have amazing performance, but also be able to play HD graphics without lag or problems? Thank-you.

 

[X79]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($78.56 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.53 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $673.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-25 14:49 EDT-0400)

This would start you off at least. The games you mentioned in the first post aren't graphically intensive.

For 700$ you can't expect really really good graphics in all games; but this is a midrange GPU and the CPU

is an i5, so it's pretty solid for gaming. If you already have an OS, you can take it out and save cash.

 

[waterise]

Pretty much what I mean is I want to play games in their highest HD options without lag or anything. Will that build do that?

 

[X79]

Yes I think you'll get quite a decent FPS out of it. The motherboard has CF support too.

Check this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7870-review-benchmark,3148-16.html

 

[waterise]

Nice. I was just giving WoW as an example game. I checked out Battlefield 3 too, because I know that's pretty graphic-intensive, and the highest settings were 28 FPS for the Radeon HS 7870. Still fine, though. I'm sorry, but what does "CF" mean?

Edit: Does Windows 8/7 matter on which one I choose? I currently use 7.

 

[X79]

CF means CrossFire X and is AMDs answer to Nvidias SLI; putting two or more GPUs together, so that they act

as one. Can increase performance; but doesn't always do so in a way that justifies getting another card.

There's no significant difference between 7 or 8 no. Windows 7 won't be supported by 2015/2020 however; meaning

no support or security updates.


Also note WoW isn't the best example game to use, as it relies more on the CPU than GPU. Same for BF3 online.

 

[waterise]

Oh really? Huh...Well, I don't know, I guess I need a good build that the CPU & graphics card can handle 110% fine without lag or losing any FPS.

 

[X79]

Which is why an i5 with its 4 cores is ideal for gaming.

The 6300 also has plenty of cores; although one shouldn't directly assume core count equals

better or worse gaming performance. I should think you're good though.

 

[waterise]

So then which build is best that's been listed so far, haha? And is that the best build for what I'm looking for then (the $670 one)?

 

[X79]

Well naturally the builds with the i5s would be best. I believe you said money was no real object, so here:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Expansys US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $935.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-25 19:28 EDT-0400)

Slimmed down, but still awesome. I think you'll be very satisfied with this.

The casing is a bit up to you; but this is still a decent case.

 

[waterise]

Would you mind checking out the URL below, looking at what other people have suggested, then telling me which is the best out of their suggestions & yours?
There's just so many options & I don't know which is best. Thank-you.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1713892/600-700-budget-performance-amazing-graphics-card.html

 

[X79]

Mate, you need to pick some games. Fact is, you won't play all games at their highest settings; but that doesn't

mean you won't play many very well. Using WoW as an example game isn't smart if you don't play Wow. Use games

you play or intend on playing as examples in the future.

 

[waterise]

If I have a PC that can run games at their highest settings, I plan on playing them. I play WoW on and off. I wanna play Aion if I get a PC that can handle it.
http://na.aiononline.com/en/

Yeah, I just wanna play any game at its highest setting without any problems. I also want performance so I can have multiple things open at once, like WoW, Spotify, Internet, etc and run flawlessly.

 

[X79]

You'd play it just fine with a build like the last one. As you can see from the specs:

http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/System+Specifications

If you REALLY multitask a lot, maybe 16GB RAM is for you.

 

[waterise]

How much of a difference in performance & graphics is the $670 build compared to the $930 build?

Edit: I also need a case that will allow me to put this in my PC so I can stream games in 720p HD:
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensity/models/
It's the first model, Intensity Pro

 

[X79]

I imagine any odd case should fit that card in. It's just a PCIe one.

I'm tempted to say the difference is significant:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

Neither build is "bad" though. You could perhaps take the cheapest one and then

slot a more expensive GPU in for example:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($78.56 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.52 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $923.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-26 11:03 EDT-0400)

I think you'll be pretty happy either way; even if not all games yield 60FPS at the highest settings.

 

[waterise]

If I were to use the $670 build and put a better GPU, what would I have to take away from it to have a better GPU? & would it be good as the $900 build then? What in particular makes the $900 that much better by $300 dollars than the $670 build? I could get either one right now. Well, at least order everything. Is GeForce better than Radeon? I see lots of people using Radeon and it seems to be one of the top graphics cards. How does GeForce compare?