<$800 Gaming and VMs

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Oline61

Gawd
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Aug 8, 2005
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Building a pc to use for gaming and a few Linux VMs for class. Would appreciate your thoughts on two different sets of components.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and light VM use.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$800 absolute.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
U.S. (Raleigh, North Carolina)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Need CPU, Mobo, RAM, HDD/SSD, Video, PSU, Case
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Not reusing any non-peripheral components.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Have a 42" 1080p TV and a 17" 1440x900 monitor. Would like to be prepared to use either.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next couple days.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Will not be using RAID or multiple video cards. USB 3.0 and SATA 6 are preferred, eSATA would be nice as well, but would rather save money than have it. Onboard video and UEFI are non-factors.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Have a retail Windows 7 license and 64-bit install media.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $664.93
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-15 21:03 EDT-0400)


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $759.98
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-15 21:04 EDT-0400)


The decisions I am having trouble with are:
Is a CPU cooler necessary if I am not overclocking?
GTX570 vs HD7870 (thinking HD7870)
HAF912 vs Antec (thinking Antec)

and especially i5 + z77 + HDD vs Phenom + 970 + SSD


Thanks for your help!
 
Both builds aren't good: Crappy OCZ PSU, cramped case (that Antec 300), poor choice of mobo manufacturer, power hungry and hot running GPU (GTX 570)etc. Not to mention that the latter build is not possible at that price point since there's no Microcenter in NC. MC's discounted CPU prices only apply in-store. Also, PCPartPicker automatically applies rebates which is retarded IMO since not everyone will be able to get that MIR back and it causes people to select parts that aren't good at all just because it's discounted (like that crappy OCZ PSU for example). So actual price of both builds are significantly higher than what's stated.

Here's what I recommend instead:
$207 - Intel Core i5 3470 CPU + LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner Combo
$210 - MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard + Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD Combo
$229 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM + Sapphire 1188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card Combo
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
----
Total: $760 shipped

The Core i5 3470 performs roughly the same as that Core i5 3570K. You now get a better bang for the buck case, better quality PSU, and a SSD.
 
Last edited:
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Danny Bui said:
You did miss something: The Source 210 Elite comes with an extra 140mm fan and a front-panel USB 3.0 port. Well worth the extra $10 IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is worth 10$, for a minute I thought that I could top your suggested build.
 
Danny Bui said:
Both builds aren't good: Crappy OCZ PSU, cramped case (that Antec 300), poor choice of mobo manufacturer, power hungry and hot running GPU (GTX 570)etc. Not to mention that the latter build is not possible at that price point since there's no Microcenter in NC. MC's discounted CPU prices only apply in-store. Also, PCPartPicker automatically applies rebates which is retarded IMO since not everyone will be able to get that MIR back and it causes people to select parts that aren't good at all just because it's discounted (like that crappy OCZ PSU for example). So actual price of both builds are significantly higher than what's stated.

Here's what I recommend instead:
$207 - Intel Core i5 3470 CPU + LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner Combo
$210 - MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard + Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD Combo
$229 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM + Sapphire 1188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card Combo
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
----
Total: $760 shipped

The Core i5 3470 performs roughly the same as that Core i5 3570K. You now get a better bang for the buck case, better quality PSU, and a SSD.
Click to expand...

Awesome, getting the faster Intel CPU along with the SSD would be great. My only concerns are the Crucial M4 and the HD6950. How does the M4 compare to the Samsung 830 and will the HD6950 have similar gaming performance to the 570 (I know it is slower than the 7870)?

Thanks for your help!
 
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Oline61 said:
How does the M4 compare to the Samsung 830
Click to expand...
Similar quality and performance.
Oline61 said:
and will the HD6950 have similar gaming performance to the 570?
Click to expand...
Not really if the game doesn't use more than 1GB of VRAM. The GTX 570 does outperform the HD 6950 in games that don't require more than 1GB of VRAM but it comes at the cost of significantly more power usage (which means you'll need a larger PSU than the one I listed), increased heat (which means additional fans are mandatory), and the $81 higher base cost more than the HD 6950 I listed. That $81 is not factoring the additional costs for a larger PSU and more fans. In games that do require more than 1GB of VRAM (BF3, Skyrim + mods), the GTX 570 still provides more a little more FPS than the HD 6950 2GB but the game performance won't be smooth compared to the HD 6950 2GB due to the lack of VRAM. And yes, the HD 7870 does outperform the GTX 570 while using less power and generating less heat.

However, unless you're planning on raising your budget by another $50 to $70, really no point in discussing the GTX 570 or HD 7870 since you can't afford either card with your current budget.
 
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