$200 BF4 build

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Aug 26, 2013
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I am currently short of cash,$200 is all I have to spend on a rig. I am a big Bf3 and Bf4 fan, so I need to know whether this build can play my favorite game fluently at high settings. Plz suggest the parts.
 
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well that would depend on if you want to buy a new monitor (or multi-monitor), new peripherals like speakers, etc or if this would be just for the tower.

i would probably go with something along the lines of

i5-4670k
cpu cooler
z87 gaming mobo
2x4gb 1866mhz ram
gtx 780
ssd for boot
data hdd for storage
mid-priced case
750w psu

but ..... that depends on what you want to spend the money on.

personally with a 2k budget i would overhaul the entire system... monitor, peripherals and all but thats just me.

its not worth discussing much more in detail until you come much closer to the actual build date. so repost in this thread when you are a month away from building for exact parts listings.

right now all you can do is estimate and...
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too low. at least $550

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $555.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-17 22:36 EST-0500)
 
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you could TRY to find a reasonable refurbished PC from a place like TigerDirect, which would give you nearly everything, but it would be some generations back, like Intel E8400 or whatnot. Core2Duo era.

most of the guts of that might be workable but the GPU will be weak - but... might be passable for the short-term? though you'd have to research carefully to find out if said refurb has the capability to add a decent GPU down the road.

or just put the $200 back in your pocket and let things slide for now.
 
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Ok, I'm back. You gave a good suggestion and I did look through TigerDirect for refurbed models, finding several pretty average systems. However, I am unsure as to whether those models will be even able to play BF4, never mind the settings. On the one hand, I feel like getting a system immediately as I have been itching to play BF4 since the launch date. On the other, I might have to face the fact that the system will barely be able to play BF4, or worse, can't play it at all. So, can somebody tell me what would be best for the predicament I am currently facing? Should I just put the money back in my pocket and let things slide for now like you said, or should I satisfy my cravings for some BF4 action?
 
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Yeah, you are probably right. If that would be the case, then I would just settle for the lowest possible settings. I just cant quench my thirst for some multiplayer action.
 
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Viable alternative, but here's the thing. The disc which my friend has for BF4 is the pc version of the game, not the xbox360 version. Spending 60 bucks for another game disc would be a waste since I could just borrow my friend's disc instead of purchasing one.
 
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do you even have a monitor? or television?

you *might* be able to get away for $350-400 if you played at the lowest settings and at a low resolution but i dont think you would be happy with that.

it would be best to go with something half decent so your system isnt completely useless in a year.
 
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You'll need to purchase your own game disc in that case. They come with key-codes that are attached to your own online account; can't borrow a disc like you can on a console. So now your also $60 short.
 
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My god, I'm insulted. Of course I do have a monitor and a television. I might be giving the impression that I am living in poverty, but I can assure you the truth is far from that. It's just that my money has been going elsewhere, so I haven't been able to splurge the cash on a gaming build. What would be a half-decent system in your opinion?
 
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What? All this talk of money is giving me a heart attack.....just kidding. $60 bucks?No big deal, it's just that I am trying to save money on my build now. I will probably worry about the game later, but thanks for alerting me about that.

 
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how can you be insulted when you never stated if you had a monitor or a television or what resolution they are? we arent mind readers you know.

i never said you were in poverty, only suggesting that $200 isnt going to cut it at all for what you wanted to do.

as far as what is "half decent" would depend on the resolution of your monitor and what resolution you would game at, what kind of quality settings you wanted and your absolute maximum budget.

generally i would say somewhere around 500-600 would make a half decent low to medium end pc which could play bf4 on average settings (not high).

he does have a point about the key code.

at under $300-350 budget.... consoles are a very viable option (this is the reason why they are so popular). if you buy used you might be able to get a used xb360 and a used copy of the game for under $200 (if you are lucky).

 
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dude, I don't mean to be rude, but could you cut costs on the $550 build which you posted?I like your build very much, but could you reduce it by at least $150 or so? I am willing to play BF4 on the lowest possible settings for now, and then when I have more cash, I will upgrade the components in it. Thank you.
 
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It's just that the way you said it made it seem as though I am living under a rock. Anyway, $500-600 isn't a problem at all, it's just that I have been itching to play BF4 for so long that my temptations have come to a boil. Unfortunately, I found myself short of cash, and to get the half-decent system you mentioned, I would have to borrow some cash from other quarters for the short-term. Which is what it seems I will be doing. Speaking about consoles, yes I do realize they are popular but aren't console games more expensive than PC games? I might have to research the under $200 remark you made, but I have the feeling I would still wind up building a rig, be it now or later.
 
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Not including the game, it's quite possible. I've been building my own budget builds for years and I'm sure we've all seen it done; but for BF4, you ARE asking too much.

Assuming, you can reuse a case and it's decent PSU and it's decent mobo, we're talking: $80 Quad-Code Athlon II CPU, $80 2x4GB RAM, $80 120GB SSD, and at least whatever decent $80 graphics card you can get. Don't forget the game: $40 on sale.

Maybe you can hit MID @ 720P? $360 Total.

You haven't told us anything you might have lying around you might be able to use. Better yet, if you like @Radeon's build, then choose what your willing to skimp on, and downgrade those parts as you fit best. Though he has a good selection of what your bare minimum should look like.

EDIT: We've all forgotten the Operating System! +$100
 
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the $500-600 range is tight but it will get you a solid mid ranged build from reliable well known vendors. that isnt going to be outdated in a year. if you give it a good overclock it can take a gpu upgrade a few years from now and continue ticking.

to go any cheaper would mean dealing with some off-brand parts which may not be as reliable. or going with older generation parts which are essentially end-of-life and not upgradeable if you wanted to in the future.

if you dont mind budget or off-brand parts then we can likely chop that $100 off the top. personally though i'm not comfortable making those recommendations since i only recommend what i would personally use and what i trust to work as expected.

if you do have anything around that you can use... it will take cash off the build. unless you tell us, we have to assume you have nothing to reuse.


edit:

@fadm

did not forget... but it definitely does cut into costs. thats another $80 (unless of course the op is a student)


 
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Thanks for understanding me. I could borrow some cash from my friend and return the favor later. After taking into account the parts you suggested, it comes to a grand total of $320 not including the game. I'm not sure at what frame rate the game would be played at, but I do have a 1080p monitor in my home, along with the keyboard, mouse, and speakers. The old tower in my home comes with a Pentium 4 processor, a PSU so ancient that it has turned black (unusable), a dvd drive, some sort of air cooler, an Asus motherboard and, aside from the integrated graphics card, no dedicated graphics card. That goes as far as I can remember of what remains of that old tower that nobody uses anymore. I will have to take it apart again to figure out any more details,as it was a prebuilt and not a system which I assembled myself. Have been using my laptop ever since it broke down a few years back.

Edit:No worries about the operating system, I have a burned copy of Windows 8.1 sitting in a shelf. There are other methods of acquiring software without spending a cent, if you get what I mean. 😀
 
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since its from the p4 era.... its pretty much unusable

which eliminates the idea of saving money like fad stated.

i mean you probably *could* use the case... but you would be stuck with usb 1 (maybe usb 2 if you are lucky) and it likely only has 80mm fans (or if you are lucky 92mm) since 120 wasnt too popular back then.

in any case... after hearing that its not really worth looking into in any greater detail.

----

remember that going with older system parts means non-upgradeability and pretty much a very limited window for useage. spending more would mean you could go 3-4 years or perhaps more without a rebuild. perhaps just throwing in a gpu if required down the line.

EDIT:

we do not support piracy here on the forum. in any case you're asking for trouble going that route.
 
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Which is why I didn't mention the word 'piracy' in the first place, knowing that it isn't supported. Anyway, let's just forget about the operating system, and concentrate on the hardware side of things. Yes, you are right, the fans are 80mm (forgot to mention that earlier). Is there anything, I mean anything at all that I can salvage from the old cpu? I know that it would be pretty much impossible to play BF4 at the 1080p max resolution that my monitor supports till I upgrade its guts, but what do you suggest I do in the meantime?
 
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well... if the hdd is sata and not ide... you *MAY* be able to use it provided its not rediculously small ike 60-80gb. i dont know if i would trust it too much though as it could go on you at any time. personally i wouldnt recommend it but its your call.

you could probably fit components in the case provided its not some strange format like a BTX motherboard (like dell likes to use). it would be poor cooling, you would be giving up usb3 but the parts should fit (provided the case supports the motherboard size you buy new. again i wouldnt do it, but your call.

cpu-no
ram-no
gpu-no
psu-no

 
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