Budget Friendly Gaming PC

[Bland_JamesBland]

Looking for a little advice. I haven't built a PC since my AMD 754 SanDiego rig. My girlfriend's son (12yr) will be helping me build this once I have all the parts. Him and I will probably be the main users gaming on Steam. He and his sister will be getting tablets for Christmas so that should free up a lot of the web browsing usage from this box.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mainly web browsing, Netflix streaming and gaming. I'd focus on the gaming aspect and a decent size HDD.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~$600 max taxes/shipping included

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Mesa, AZ

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.
I was given a CM Scout case, and we will be getting a 27" TV to hookit up to VIA HDMI for streaming and audio. This PC will be in our office/nook area so loud sound isn't an option, will probably get headphones later on as well.
Needed:
PSU
Motherboard
CPU (stock cooler)
RAM
GPU
HDD
WiFi Card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
The case and DVD drive will be used, everything else is new.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
27" HDTV (unless suggesting therwise?) 1080p via HDMI

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month

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.
USB 3.0 is a must. Everything else is fluff to me, but performance is key.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Nope, will be purchasing a new OS for this build as well but not including it in the budget.

 

[tiraides]

What's the brand and model number of the DVD drive?

Which games are you playing?

 

[zandor]

Is the DVD drive SATA? If not, you'll probably need a new one. If so, run it till it dies. They're $20, so it's no big deal. 27" HDTV should be fine. I'd just make sure you get a model that lets you turn off overscan (or doesn't do it at all) and eyeball the screen in a store before buying. Case looks ok, assuming I found the right one on Coolermaster's web site.

I'd probably do something like this:

70 PSU - Danny Bui will be along shortly to make suggestions... likely has something less than $70.
60 2x4GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600
70 Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 (single platter drive)
25 Intel Wireless Card
195 EVGA GTX660 2GB - also has a $25 rebate.
179 AMD FX6300 + MSI 970A-G43 combo

599, unless I missed a shipping charge. I'm lazy, so shop around.

I'm sure I'll catch some flak for that AMD CPU, but I like AMD when the alternative is an i3. Your budget's just a bit tight for an i5 and a decent video card. Add $100 or so and I'd tell you to buy an i5. This suggestion is mostly based on my speculation about what's coming in the next couple years. I think games will get better at using multiple CPU cores, and the 6 core AMD chips will outperform i3s. The new consoles have 8 slow (1.7GHz AMD) cores, and portable engines will be written to make that processor work well. That said, if you plan on sticking to the bargain bin or upgrading in a year I'd just get an i3. Currently the i3s get better FPS in most games.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

Is the DVD drive SATA? If not, you'll probably need a new one. If so, run it till it dies. They're $20, so it's no big deal. 27" HDTV should be fine. I'd just make sure you get a model that lets you turn off overscan (or doesn't do it at all) and eyeball the screen in a store before buying. Case looks ok, assuming I found the right one on Coolermaster's web site.

I'm sure I'll catch some flak for that AMD CPU, but I like AMD when the alternative is an i3. Your budget's just a bit tight for an i5 and a decent video card. Add $100 or so and I'd tell you to buy an i5.

This is the case that was given to me. It's got the 140mm fans in it and the 120mm fan in the rear. I'll probably add one more 120mm fan to the window for equal in/out air flow.

My DVD is SATA so I'm solid there.

I have no problems or ties to processors... but is there going to be any socket changes in the next 4 months I should know about?

 

[Dangman]

Please answer Tiraides' earlier questions.

With that said, zandor is correct in that an AMD setup would not be our first recommendation for a gaming PC.

To answer your question: there won't be any really major socket changes in the next 4 months AFAIK. AMD is still stick with socket AM3 and Intel just released their LGA 1150 motherboards not too long ago

 

[zandor]

There's the Intel 1155 to 1150 switch. Haswell i5s and i7s use 1150, but Haswell i3s and Pentiums aren't out yet so they're still Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge chips using 1155. If you build an i3 machine now you won't be able to upgrade to a Haswell i5 or i7; you'll have to hunt down an Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge. AMD isn't really any better though. AM3+ may well be dead after this generation... or maybe not. That's not easy to predict. It might hang on until DDR4 hits (we'll need a new socket for that) or they might go APU only on the desktop. The FX chips are basically cut down Opterons, so it's hard to say.

That case looks like it'll work just fine. I wouldn't make the airflow equal though. Ideally you want positive pressure - more intake than exhaust. It helps keep dust build-up down. Of course, the best setup for that is filters on all your intakes and positive pressure. Negative pressure is just irritating. You'll get dust piling up in your optical drive and every little crack in your case.

 

[waderunner]

Since your girlfriend's son must be a student... Does anyone know how difficult it is for a secondary school student to receive discounts on Microsoft products (like OSes)? I work in higher ed, and so have pretty easy access to .edu pricing. Just wondering, do middle and high school students get assigned a .edu email address these days (I don't have kids, so no firsthand knowledge on that)? That would make it easy to obtain discounted pricing on MS OSes, if so.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

What's the brand and model number of the DVD drive?

Which games are you playing?

The drive is a Samsung unit that's only 3 months old. My friend that gave me the case bought a Bluray burner and gave me the dvd drive. As far as games go, FPS would be at the top of our list like Borderlands2, Battlefield3/4 and to get back into TF2.

 

[Dangman]

I recommend this Intel setup (some of which is based off zandor's recommendations):
$118 - Intel Core i3-3220 CPU
$70 - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$55 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600
$195 - eVGA 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$63 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$66 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$25 - Intel Centrino 2200 PCI-E Wifi Card
----
$592 shipped.

Here's my reasoning for going Intel: While I agree with Zandor that games will be more multi-threaded in the future, I don't think the AMD FX CPUs will be that much faster than the Core i3 in games Note that the Core i3s have HT which gives them two extra threads. So the Core i3 would also benefit from games becoming more multi-threaded. Considering the higher clock for clock, core for core performance of the Core i3s over AMD's FX CPUs and the HT, at best, I see the AMD FX CPUs just catching up with the Core i3 in heavily multi-threaded games. Plus there's also the significantly lower power usage and lower heat generation which means lower noise with the Intel setup.

 

[Dangman]

Since your girlfriend's son must be a student... Does anyone know how difficult it is for a secondary school student to receive discounts on Microsoft products (like OSes)? I work in higher ed, and so have pretty easy access to .edu pricing. Just wondering, do middle and high school students get assigned a .edu email address these days (I don't have kids, so no firsthand knowledge on that)? That would make it easy to obtain discounted pricing on MS OSes, if so.

Some of those high schools do get .edu emails IIRC.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

I recommend this Intel setup (some of which is based off zandor's recommendations):
$118 - Intel Core i3-3220 CPU
$70 - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$55 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600
$195 - eVGA 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$63 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$66 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$25 - Intel Centrino 2200 PCI-E Wifi Card
----
$592 shipped.

Here's my reasoning for going Intel: While I agree with Zandor that games will be more multi-threaded in the future, I don't think the AMD FX CPUs will be that much faster than the Core i3 in games Note that the Core i3s have HT which gives them two extra threads. So the Core i3 would also benefit from games becoming more multi-threaded. Considering the higher clock for clock, core for core performance of the Core i3s over AMD's FX CPUs and the HT, at best, I see the AMD FX CPUs just catching up with the Core i3 in heavily multi-threaded games. Plus there's also the significantly lower power usage and lower heat generation which means lower noise with the Intel setup.

I see your logic, and thanks for the explination. Greatly appreciated! I think this might be the setup I go with, if not find some combo deals that might save me a little more or upgrade for same prices.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

Some of those high schools do get .edu emails IIRC.

I'll have to ask him to look into that... I planned on going with Win7 64bit. My laptop has it and I've been very happy with it as a desktop replacement for the last 3-4 years.

 

[Dangman]

I see your logic, and thanks for the explination. Greatly appreciated! I think this might be the setup I go with, if not find some combo deals that might save me a little more or upgrade for same prices.

Please post a final build list before you buy.

 

[zandor]

You might want to read some reviews/benches before you buy. The i3-3220 and FX-6300 really do mix it up a bit. Anandtech put the i3-3220 and FX-6300 head to head in their
AMD Vishera review a while back. Might be worth a read. I wish [H] would review lower end parts, but usually they don't for CPUs.

 

[Excalibur55]

I see your logic, and thanks for the explination. Greatly appreciated! I think this might be the setup I go with, if not find some combo deals that might save me a little more or upgrade for same prices.

Be careful with combo deals, sometimes they will throw a shitty part into the mix to bring down the price tag. That will lure people into thinking/expecting a great deal, but that shitty part will either drag down the global performance of the system and/or go kaput prematurely (especially PSU's).

You can't go wrong with DannyBui's recommendations; solid build there.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

I recommend this Intel setup (some of which is based off zandor's recommendations):
$118 - Intel Core i3-3220 CPU
$70 - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 mATX Motherboard
$55 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600
$195 - eVGA 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$63 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$66 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$25 - Intel Centrino 2200 PCI-E Wifi Card
----
$592 shipped.

Found this PSU OCZ ModXStreme 600W For $59 shipped then a $30MIR. Should I jump on it?

 

[tiraides]

Found this PSU OCZ ModXStreme 600W For $59 shipped then a $30MIR. Should I jump on it?

NO!

OCZ has a long history of quality and customer service issues. Some of its PSUs are also incapable of handling their rated loads.

Stick with the Corsair CX500.

 

[Dangman]

What Tiraides said +1.

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

NO!

OCZ has a long history of quality and customer service issues. Some of its PSUs are also incapable of handling their rated loads.

Stick with the Corsair CX500.

I just ordered the Corsair CX500 from newegg for $59.99, then a $10 off promo code.. and a $20MIR to go with it. Not too bad if I say so.

 

[tiraides]

You shouldn't buy parts piecemeal. If anything goes bad, depending on when you originally bought the part, you may not be able to return it to the retailer.

After the PSU purchase, how much money do you have right now?

 

[Bland_JamesBland]

Come Friday I should have the rest of the funds to purchase everything. Just saw a deal that I had to jump on today as it wouldn't be around after tomorrow.

 

[tiraides]

Let's revisit this thread on Friday. Next weekend's deals will be much different from this weekend's.