gaming build 600-700$

[CragHack]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
600-700$, tax and shipping included
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Boston, MA
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.
CPU, CPU cooler, Mobo, RAM, HDD, GPU, PSU, case, and an optical drive.
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 anything
6) Will you be overclocking?
no
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080 23"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
as soon as I decide on the parts.
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.
Nothing specific.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes. windows 8.1 64 bit.

hi
I'm trying to help a freind buy his new gaming rig. what do you think of this one:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $659.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 15:54 EDT-0400)

 

[brncao]

Including tax? What's the tax rate?

I recommend bumping the CPU up to an i5: Intel Core i5-4570. Since you listed Microcenter on there, it's $159.99 + tax. You don't need the CPU cooler as the stock cooler is fine so long as he's not doing anything CPU intensive like video editing and professional software especially OC'ed.

 

[Dreamerbydesign]

Including tax? What's the tax rate?

I recommend bumping the CPU up to an i5: Intel Core i5-4570. Since you listed Microcenter on there, it's $159.99 + tax. You don't need the CPU cooler as the stock cooler is fine so long as he's not doing anything CPU intensive like video editing and professional software.

Even then the stock cooler is fine if its not overclocked.

 

[CragHack]

isn't the stock cooler a bit loud?
I can buy the CPU from microcenter, the rest I'd probably buy from Amazon. I didn't compare the prices just yet, just trying to decide which parts to get.

 

[brncao]

For memory I recommend dual channel instead of single (2x4gb).

I prefer Lite-On DVD drives over Samsung. The folks over at club.myce.com prefer this brand because it is reliable and has more features with better firmware support. It gives you more information in Nero Discspeed when testing discs.

It'll hit close to $700 with the upgraded CPU using stock coolers.

 

[Dangman]

isn't the stock cooler a bit loud?
I can buy the CPU from microcenter, the rest I'd probably buy from Amazon. I didn't compare the prices just yet, just trying to decide which parts to get.

Wait, how far is the drive to Microcenter for you?

As for the stock cooler, it's not exactly quiet but it's not that loud either. If noise was a major serious issue, then your choice of case and PSU are not the best choices in that regard.

 

[CragHack]

Wait, how far is the drive to Microcenter for you?

it's about 20 minutes drive.

As for the stock cooler, it's not exactly quiet but it's not that loud either. If noise was a major serious issue, then your choice of case and PSU are not the best choices in that regard.

noise is not a major concern. I just heard bad rumors on intel stock cooler - it being not very reliable and very loud.
but if the money for the CPU cooler is best spent elsewhere, I'll do that.

as for the CPU - isn't core i3 sufficient for games?
if I do bump the CPU to i5 - is there a difference between the different models (i5 4430, 4570, 4670) and their impact on gaming performance?

 

[rastaban]

At your budget, the gain in gaming performance of an i5 over an i3 is not worth it.

You should also change the 1x8GB stick of ram to 2x4GB to get dual channel operation. I recommend this Team kit.

 

[SpeedyVV]

At your budget, the gain in gaming performance of an i5 over an i3 is not worth it.

You should also change the 1x8GB stick of ram to 2x4GB to get dual channel operation. I recommend this Team kit.

I beg to differ. With a GTX760 the i5 will be much better at getting the max performance out of that GPU.

Specially at games like BF4 and Skyrim, etc.

reference: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/11/14/intel-core-i3-4130-haswell-review/5

Mind you, it does add about $80 to the build putting it over the budget. However it would be a better fit for that GPU.

 

[rastaban]

I beg to differ. With a GTX760 the i5 will be much better at getting the max performance out of that GPU.

Specially at games like BF4 and Skyrim, etc.

reference: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/11/14/intel-core-i3-4130-haswell-review/5

Mind you, it does add about $80 to the build putting it over the budget. However it would be a better fit for that GPU.

That bittech review uses a GTX 780, not 760. Skyrim is fairly easy to run, and minimum and average fps will be more than acceptable, so the i5 is not justified for $80. Shogun2 is a rare situation where the game is heavily CPU dependent. BF4 is much more GPU limiting. See this video where an i3 mimic is bottlenecked by a 7770, and fps is already satisfactory at medium settings.

I'm not saying the i5 is a bad choice. But at the OP's budget, it makes no sense because there is no stretch room to step up to Z87 with a good OC capable cooler to really make the i5 worth it.

 

[SpeedyVV]

^^ good point.

 

[oldbigisugly]

i5 for budget

 

[CragHack]

Soo... I a bit confused
Should I go with a weaker GPU and and i5, or stronger GPU and an i3?
if i5, then which model? how does the clock frequency (if that is the right term) affect the gaming performance?

what do you think of tom's hardware q1 2014 budget build.

they used i3 alongside GTX 770, and got pretty good results.

 

[Dangman]

Soo... I a bit confused
Should I go with a weaker GPU and and i5, or stronger GPU and an i3?
if i5, then which model? how does the clock frequency (if that is the right term) affect the gaming performance?

Depends on what games your friend is planning on play AND what (if any) his future upgrade plans or possibility might be. If your friend is more than likely never going to upgrade his PC, then aim for a balanced setup with a Core i3 and decent GPU. If your friend plans on playing the latest titles and can afford or wants to upgrade in the future, go for the Core i5 and lower-endish GPU. Remember that it's generally cheaper to upgrade the GPU later on than the CPU, motherboard and RAM. We are quite close to the release of DDR4 capable systems so the next CPU + mobo upgrade is more than likely going to involve a RAM upgrade as well.

what do you think of tom's hardware q1 2014 budget build.

they used i3 alongside GTX 770, and got pretty good results.

Yeah that's just too extreme IMO in terms of GPU for such a CPU. Not to mention that they used Zotac whose cards tend to have rather bad QC. Finally, they sacrificed on the mobo, case, and CPU a bit too much to fit in that larger GPU. Sure it'll work fine for now but in the long run? Ehhh, not so well if you're planning on playing the latest titles.