Possible budget gaming PC build?

[A Guy]

Have a look at the Antec TP 650 PSU

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

A Guy

 

[ratman]

How about this:


CPU - Intel Core i5 760 CPU - $211.00
MOBO - Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 - $159.00
RAM - 2 x 2Gb DDR3 1333 Corsair Memory - $56.00
GPU - Asus ATI Radeon HD5850 1Gb - $289.00
Hard Drive - 1000Gb 1Tb Seagate SATA2 32Mb - $63.00
Optical Drive - Benq Black 24X SATA DVD Writer - $34.00
PSU - Antec True Power 3.0 750W ATX - $169.00
Case - Antec VSK-2000 ATX Black - $69.00
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD OEM - $108.00


This one includes Windows 7 HP, so the total is $1158. I can spend that much if necessary.

I know, despite all the people saying go for AMD, I still want to stick with intel. I don't know why, it just seems better.

 

[pparks1]

I think bang for the buck is with Intel anyway. The Core i5 line from Intel, more or less outperforms the 6 core AMD in most tests..while consting less, giving off less heat and consuming less power. What's not to like there.

 

[parabellum]

Pick your parts from MSY. I'd go for a AMD Athlon x4 640 + Gigabyte 870A-UD3 + 4GB DDR3 Kingston Value RAM + 6870 + Antec Two Hundred + Antec True Power New 650w. Intel's speed advantage evaporates in games. At 1080p, the GPU counts, not the CPU.

 

[Wishmaster]

Pick your parts from MSY. I'd go for a AMD Athlon x4 640 + Gigabyte 870A-UD3 + 4GB DDR3 Kingston Value RAM + 6870 + Antec Two Hundred + Antec True Power New 650w. Intel's speed advantage evaporates in games. At 1080p, the GPU counts, not the CPU.

Granted not all games will benefit from raw CPU speed or 4 cores, and are more GPU dependant, but it does depend alot on the type the games the gamer wants to play.

Civ V for example will not only love a powerful GPU, but fast multiple cores, Ideally at least a Quad, will beneifit it greatly.

Few other games are like this as well.

 

[parabellum]

Pick your parts from MSY. I'd go for a AMD Athlon x4 640 + Gigabyte 870A-UD3 + 4GB DDR3 Kingston Value RAM + 6870 + Antec Two Hundred + Antec True Power New 650w. Intel's speed advantage evaporates in games. At 1080p, the GPU counts, not the CPU.

Granted not all games will benefit from raw CPU speed or 4 cores, and are more GPU dependant, but it does depend alot on the type the games the gamer wants to play.

Civ V for example will not only love a powerful GPU, but fast multiple cores, Ideally at least a Quad, will beneifit it greatly.

Few other games are like this as well.

That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will massacre any game at 1080p.

 

[Fumz]

... Intel's speed advantage evaporates in games. At 1080p, the GPU counts, not the CPU.

That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will massacre any game at 1080p.

I don't want it to seem like I'm picking on you, cause I'm not, but these statements wreak of fanboyism?

Most of the time the 6870 isn't as fast as the 5870, and sometimes it's not as fast as a 5850. :huh: As for Intel's speed advantage "evaporating" in games... :roflmao:

ATI Radeon HD 6800: Generation Next?. Page 13 - X-bit labs
Intel Core i5-760 CPU Review. Page 4 - X-bit labs
CPU Benchmark, Part 3: High-End Processors. Page 6 - X-bit labs

 

[TechnoMan]

How about this:


CPU - Intel Core i5 760 CPU - $211.00
MOBO - Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 - $159.00
RAM - 2 x 2Gb DDR3 1333 Corsair Memory - $56.00
GPU - Asus ATI Radeon HD5850 1Gb - $289.00
Hard Drive - 1000Gb 1Tb Seagate SATA2 32Mb - $63.00
Optical Drive - Benq Black 24X SATA DVD Writer - $34.00
PSU - Antec True Power 3.0 750W ATX - $169.00
Case - Antec VSK-2000 ATX Black - $69.00
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD OEM - $108.00


This one includes Windows 7 HP, so the total is $1158. I can spend that much if necessary.

Some of the things you listed can be bought for less from PCCasegear. Total cost of this from PCCaseGear + Shipping is about $1100. Also have a look around at other local PC stores for better prices. Save $30 on your PSU (you won't need 750W) and use that to upgrade your 5850 to a 6870. You may also want to get a bluray instead of a DVD if you're going to spend $34 on a DVD player already (since a bluray player can be bought for an extra $30). If you can somehow save $150 somewhere, you MUST get a SSD as it can make a cheap computer seem like a professional one.

 

[smarteyeball]

That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will massacre any game at 1080p.

I'm not picking on you either but terms like 'massacre' are simply gross exaggerations and more often that not, flat out wrong.

"That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will perform reasonably well for quite a few games at 1080p. For other games, you may have to lower a few details." would be a much more realistic statement.

 

[ratman]

So, enough with the arguments over Intel vs AMD. I know I am not a moderator or anyone important but I would like to remind you that the original post was about helping me build a PC for around $1000. If you are going to argue over intel vs AMD, please start another thread!

So can someone, other than Technoman, help me with my build? I think i have it all sorted now, but any last comments?

Thanks everyone for all the help so far!

 

[Fumz]

Being able to make informed choices doesn't help you?

A couple guys cleared up some mis-statements. That hardly qualifies as an argument. That was done for your benefit. We realize that perhaps being a first time builder, this is information you may not be aware of. Now you're aware.

If we wanted to get into the AMD vs Intel thing, we would just go to the threads that already exist...

 

[smarteyeball]

Stick with intel.

Are you planning to Overclock down the track? If so grab some higher speed RAM and a cooler. If not, it looks to be a solid performer.

 

[ratman]

Thank you. I will probably overclock later, but i will not straight away.

Sorry about the moderator stuff, i overreacted.

 

[smarteyeball]

No need to apologise mate.

There's also no need to grab an after-market Heatsink or even faster (1600mhz+) ram until you do venture into overclocking if you are trying to stick within a tight budget as of now.

The stock cooler and that RAM will be perfectly fine for stock speeds, but both of those components will become limiting factors when it comes to overclocking.

Also, as nice as a SSD is - it is not really a 'must have' component at this point in time. Build your core machine, save some more $$$ and add it to your 'upgrade list'.

I haven't checked, but double check that that particular case will accommodate larger video cards for future upgrades.

 

[Wishmaster]

The only other thing I can think of is possibly look into some other memory as well.

Not that Corsair is a bad. In fact, Its very good IMHO as well as Crucial.

But another good brand to look into is Gskill. Many times they are a lot cheaper, and thier RAM is very well made and performs very well.

Gskill also makes alot of sense in a budget build, depending on the budget.
I would recommend them.

Just something to consider especially if you want to save a few more dollars to put elsewhere, such as into the CPU or GPU.



AS far as your PSU, I honestly do not think anything larger than something like a Corsair 550W will be required for your build.
The same for Antec as well if you prefer to stay with them. Possibly even a 650W.

750W is a bit overkill with a quality PSU IMHO.

Mine is a Corsair 650 and its powering a lot more hardware without issue, and plenty to spare.


Depending on the cost, I think I would probally go with the 6870 over a 5850. Price Vs Performance I think it wins here.

With the money you save going this route, you may also be able to upgrade to a core i7 860/870 if you want to.
Its about 75-80$ more than the core i5.

 

[chev65]

The only other thing I can think of is possibly look into some other memory as well.

Not that Corsair is a bad. In fact, Its very good IMHO as well as Crucial.

But another good brand to look into is Gskill. Many times they are a lot cheaper, and thier RAM is very well made and performs very well.

Gskill also makes alot of sense in a budget build, depending on the budget.
I would recommend them.

Just something to consider especially if you want to save a few more dollars to put elsewhere, such as into the CPU or GPU.



AS far as your PSU, I honestly do not think anything larger than something like a Corsair 550W will be required for your build.
The same for Antec as well if you prefer to stay with them. Possibly even a 650W.

750W is a bit overkill with a quality PSU IMHO.

Mine is a Corsair 650 and its powering a lot more hardware without issue, and plenty to spare.


Depending on the cost, I think I would probally go with the 6870 over a 5850. Price Vs Performance I think it wins here.

With the money you save going this route, you may also be able to upgrade to a core i7 860/870 if you want to.

+1 on the Gskill, I have nothing but luck with it and the customer service is great.

 

[whs]

So, enough with the arguments over Intel vs AMD. I know I am not a moderator or anyone important but I would like to remind you that the original post was about helping me build a PC for around $1000. If you are going to argue over intel vs AMD, please start another thread!

So can someone, other than Technoman, help me with my build? I think i have it all sorted now, but any last comments?

Thanks everyone for all the help so far!

In all fairness, there quite a few good suggestions. At least I thought so.

 

[parabellum]

That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will massacre any game at 1080p.

I'm not picking on you either but terms like 'massacre' are simply gross exaggerations and more often that not, flat out wrong.

"That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will perform reasonably well for quite a few games at 1080p. For other games, you may have to lower a few details." would be a much more realistic statement.

Reasonably? Every single game on the system in my specs is maxed out with the exception of Crysis and Metro 2033. The reason being every game except those two are sloppy console ports. From any Call of Duty to Dragon Age to Mass Effect to Aliens Vs Predator, they are all pushed to the limit including AA + AF. Lowering details are no there. Its a myth that Intel offers additional performance for games at that resolution.

 

[Wishmaster]

That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will massacre any game at 1080p.

I'm not picking on you either but terms like 'massacre' are simply gross exaggerations and more often that not, flat out wrong.

"That Athlon is a quad and the 6870 will perform reasonably well for quite a few games at 1080p. For other games, you may have to lower a few details." would be a much more realistic statement.

Reasonably? Every single game on the system in my specs is maxed out with the exception of Crysis and Metro 2033. The reason being every game except those two are sloppy console ports. From any Call of Duty to Dragon Age to Mass Effect to Aliens Vs Predator, they are all pushed to the limit including AA + AF. Lowering details are no there. Its a myth that Intel offers additional performance for games at that resolution.

It depends on the game.
As I mentioned before games that take advantage of fast multiple cores will see huge benefits from a faster CPU.
In this case, multiple CPUs and raw clock speeds are just as important as GPUs. Even at 1080P +


Regardless what brand it is.

Actually, I shouldnt say Raw clock speed but perhaps the CPUs processing power. Clock speeds are not always a indicator of how fast a CPU is.

 

[parabellum]

Wishmaster, are you talking about Intel's Nehalem archictecture vs AMD's? There really is no noticeable difference between an Athlon quad vs an Intel quad at 1080p:

PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End

Even tested with only a CPU benchmark a few hundred point difference is minimal. Both are native quad's and both have high enough clocks for games. Given the price difference, the Athlon isn't that bad.