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Gaming PC

N

nertil1

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 11, 2003
Messages
371
I'm looking to build a decent gaming PC that will last a few years at least

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming/Web Surfing/Video

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$650 shipping included.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Michigan-- I would prefer getting all my stuff from my local Microcenter.

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.

Case
Motherboard
GPU
RAM
Optical drive
CPU
HDD
Power supply
Wireless Adapter

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be using my current LCD as a monitor. I have the mouse and keyboard.

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?
Next couple of weeks

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 would be good.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes...Windows 7 64-bit home

Here is what I have so far. My main focus is the video card as this will mainly be a gaming PC. I'm not oppose to going a bit above the $650.

Case
http://www.microcenter.com/product/365240/Chaser_MK-I_Full_Tower_ATX_Gaming_Computer_Case

Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/product/382952/970_Extreme4_Socket_AM3_970_ATX_AMD_Motherboard

Memory
http://www.microcenter.com/product/382101/Ballistix_Sport_8GB_DDR3-1600_(PC3-12800)_CL9_Dual_Channel_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)

Hard Drive
http://www.microcenter.com/product/399210/Barracuda_ST1000DM003_1TB_SATA_60Gb-s_35_Internal_Hard_Drive_-_Bare_Drive

Video Card
http://www.microcenter.com/product/385359/11201-02-20G_AMD_Radeon_HD_7770_1024MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card

CPU
http://www.microcenter.com/product/375766/FX_6100_Black_Edition_33GHz_Six-Core_Socket_AM3_Boxed_Processor

DVD Burner
http://www.microcenter.com/product/380574/AD-7280S-0B_24x_SATA_Internal_DVD_Burner_-_OEM

PSU
http://www.microcenter.com/product/365237/TR2_Series_500_Watt_ATX_Power_Supply

Wireless Adapter
http://www.microcenter.com/product/345099/W322U_Wireless_N_USB_20_Adapter

Total = $641.46

Please take a look guys and make any suggestions for changes. Thanks a lot!!
 
Last edited:
Please answer question 7 as that determines what GPU you need to get.
 
Also, which RAM were you planning on getting? The link you provided is just a general page for Crucial products.
 
Ok with such a tight budget, overspending on the case is not a good idea at all. Unfortunately MC doesn't have many good cases for around that $50 to $60 price range that have front-panel USB 3.0. As such, I recommend getting this case from Amazon.com:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case

That'll free up $90. We're gonna use that towards a better PSU as the PSU you chose is a total piece of shit. I recommend this PSU instead:
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

Switch the CPU to the Core i3 2100 since MC has it for $100. The higher gaming performance of the Core i3 2100 justifies the $30 extra over your current chosen AMD CPU and AsRock mobo. Motherboard wise, Get the Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H-MVP for $100 from MC. You can see the pricing for the CPU and mobo I recommended here:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/552f2167#/552f2167/28

Now for the GPU: That's the one part you should be getting online no matter what as MC is overcharging for video cards. I recommend this video card:
$200 - PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card

Since you'll be getting the PSU and GPU from Newegg.com, you might as well get the RAM from there too to save $9 + cost of local sales tax over your current RAM choice:
$34 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
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Danny Bui said:
Ok with such a tight budget, overspending on the case is not a good idea at all. Unfortunately MC doesn't have many good cases for around that $50 to $60 price range that have front-panel USB 3.0. As such, I recommend getting this case from Amazon.com:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case

That'll free up $90. We're gonna use that towards a better PSU as the PSU you chose is a total piece of shit. I recommend this PSU instead:
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

Switch the CPU to the Core i3 2100 since MC has it for $100. The higher gaming performance of the Core i3 2100 justifies the $30 extra over your current chosen AMD CPU and AsRock mobo. Motherboard wise, Get the Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H-MVP for $100 from MC. You can see the pricing for the CPU and mobo I recommended here:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/552f2167#/552f2167/28

Now for the GPU: That's the one part you should be getting online no matter what as MC is overcharging for video cards. I recommend this video card:
$200 - PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-2DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card

Since you'll be getting the PSU and GPU from Newegg.com, you might as well get the RAM from there too to save $9 + cost of local sales tax over your current RAM choice:
$34 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Click to expand...

I'm building this for someone and they're stuck on that case and the way it looks. They prefer to have a clear window on the side and black in color. If you can recommend another cheaper decent case that has that, I'd appreciate it.

What do you think about?

Motherboard with the processor you suggested : Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/product/366193/GA-Z68XP-UD3_LGA_1155_Z68_ATX_Intel_Motherboard

Memory:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)
 
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nertil1 said:
I'm building this for someone and they're stuck on that case and the way it looks. They prefer to have a clear window on the side and black in color. If you can recommend another cheaper decent case that has that, I'd appreciate it.
Click to expand...
A modified adage comes to mind: Good, cheap, windowed. Pick two.

Either that or ask him if he can raise his budget by $50 to $100 if he really wants a good quality windowed case that won't impact the available funds for the faster CPU, GPU, and better PSU.
nertil1 said:
Motherboard with the processor you suggested : Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/product/366193/GA-Z68XP-UD3_LGA_1155_Z68_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
Click to expand...
I don't recommend it due to the fact that it's an older mobo (which means Gigabyte won't support it that long with driver/BIOs updates), it lacks native USB 3.0 support, and doesn't have UEFI. In other words, it's a poor value since the Gigabyte mobo I recommended is newer, has native USB 3.0 support, and has UEFI.
nertil1 said:
Memory:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)
Click to expand...
Other than the fact that it is ridiculously overpriced (The G.Skill RAM I recommended above performs the same and of similar quality), it's a good set of RAM. But stupidly overpriced.
 
well that ram is actually cheaper. 29.99 after rebate. can you recommend another decent mobo thats a bit cheaper? can you recommend also a decent case with the side window?
 
Last edited:
nertil1 said:
well that ram is actually cheaper. 29.99 after rebate.
Click to expand...
I don't factor in MIR until it's actually recieved. So unless you somehoe recieved that rebate before you bought it, it's still $50 to me.
nertil1 said:
can you recommend another decent mobo thats a bit cheaper?
Click to expand...
The Gigabyte I recommended is the cheapest I can recommend from Microcenter.
nertil1 said:
can you recommend also a decent case with the side window?
Click to expand...
Did your friend raise his budget? Because a decent case with side window at his current budget means that he will have to cut costs elsewhere in the PC, like the very important GPU. Or is my math off?
 
Then I recommend this case:
$100 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
 
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The HD 7850 1GB would be the better choice out of those two but I wouldn't recommend it due to your friend's high resolution. Thats why I recommended the HD 7850 2GB at the least for that kind of resolution.
 
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