First Build, need a little help...

[hidingmaster]

Alright, so as the title says I'm going to be starting my first gaming computer build and I'm looking for a little help. I have a general idea of what I want (it needs to be able to run all, or most, games with high quality and no lag).

Parts that are already purchased:
Samsung 128Gb SSD

Thermaltake 750W PS

WD Blue 1Tb HDD

Corsair 300R Case


Now... the fun stuff. These are the things that I will be buying:

Windows 7 Home Premium (~$90)
Blu-Ray Drive

Corsair 8Gb ram

And the most important question, which one of these choices..

1) i5-3570k with EVGA gx 660 superclocked (~$420)
2) AMD FX-6300 with Gigabyte HD 7950 3Gb GDDR5 (~$420)

Or, and this would need a little trimming in price somewhere else in the build

3) AMD FX-8350 with Gigabyte HD7950 3Gb GDDR5. (~$510)


I currently have about $100 budgeted for a motherboard, but have no idea what to chose... I would really appreciate it if you could also include a suitable motherboard for these set ups (with the other hardware in mind). I only have a limited amount of room regarding money, and option 3 puts me a little higher than i want.

I really do appreciate it, and any suggestions are welcome.

 

[tiny voices]

The 7950 is VASTLY better than a gtx660. You are talking about maxing games vs. playing them at mostly high settings.

Also, thermaltake is not a great PSU company. I would return that and get a 600w unit from Corsair, seasonic, Antec, XFX.

 

[wordofmitch]

Hey there,

Yea i agree, the thermaltake PSU is not that great, may i recommend splashing an extra $20-30 and getting this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Corsair-GS600-600W-Quiet-Gaming-Series-Bronze-80-PLUS-Certified-Power-Supply-PSU-/121052798061?pt=AU_Components&hash=item1c2f4f1c6d&_uhb=1

You wont need a PSU with more wattage for what your asking, unless you want to add a second graphics card and watercool etc in the future which i recommend 800W+ for.

AMD create great (Fast) CPU's for gaming, and that really about it. I would recommend is i5 3570k as it performs better as an all round CPU rather than just performing well at games. You will still be able to play 99.9% of games at max settings and overclock it modestly in the future if you wish.

The graphics card is a no brainer. The AMD cards are much superior to the nvidia card you have picked. However, Again, Nvidia cards are known for their cuda which helps in rendering video. So you can expect better performance in pixel quality, but not anything in FPS like the AMD cards. Up to you.

As forthe motherboard, if you pick the i5-3570k go with this motherboard. Its an matx formfactor whioch should fit in your build and give you plenty of space for cables/psu etc. I have used this motherboard and it is the easyest thing to install ever. Gigabyte are my fav. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIP-GIGABYTE-GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP-LGA1155-Intel-Z77-DDR3-Micro-ATX-Motherboard-/221039835718?pt=Motherboards&hash=item3377003a46

As for the AMD CPU's you will have to ask someone else as i have never worked with AMD and their boards.. However i did a lil' research and found this board. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASRock-970-Extreme3-Motherboard-SOCKET-AM3-AMD-970-ATX-NEW-RETAIL-/251007222304?pt=Motherboards&hash=item3a71324220

**Sorry for any spelling errors, new keyboard, and cbf editing
- Mitch

 

[hidingmaster]

And I was leaning toward the 7950, simply because it seems like its a pretty good step above the 660.

Now, do I cringe and spend the extra $100 to pair it with the i5, or stick with the much more reasonably priced FX-6300? (Or option three I guess too)

 

[tiny voices]

You could go with an fx-6350. Its a great option.

 

[wordofmitch]

And I was leaning toward the 7950, simply because it seems like its a pretty good step above the 660.

Now, do I cringe and spend the extra $100 to pair it with the i5, or stick with the much more reasonably priced FX-6300? (Or option three I guess too)

As i said, i prefer the i5 because it handles a range of tasks much better than the AMD and the performance in gaming is not much different. Its up to you. If you are making a gaming PC, specifically for gaming, go with the AMD 8350.

 

[hidingmaster]

The main reason for this build is gaming, I have a laptop which would be doing most of the basic stuff. I'm thinking about going with the 8350 and the hd7950. I guess I can put out the extra $100 for a little better performance. If I do go with this: What would be a good motherboard (cheap, but not junk) and something that will fit the size of the hd7950?

 

[wordofmitch]

The main reason for this build is gaming, I have a laptop which would be doing most of the basic stuff. I'm thinking about going with the 8350 and the hd7950. I guess I can put out the extra $100 for a little better performance. If I do go with this: What would be a good motherboard (cheap, but not junk) and something that will fit the size of the hd7950?

The motherboard i listed before is a great choice, it even has room for a second card if you want to look a crossfire later on. I am not an expert on AMD however, so i dont have much experience with AMD socket motherboards.. The only problem with the motherboard i listed is it doesnt have and input media connections. But if you are getting your AMD graphics this shouldnt matter at all. Its brand new $140 However there are some great gigabyte motherboards you can fins for $60-100. MSI is a great brand dont get me wrong!

heres a gigabyte one i just found: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-GA-970A-D3-Socket-AM3-AMD-970-DDR3-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-/190818537886?pt=Motherboards&hash=item2c6dabd19e