$700 Gaming PC Build

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Aug 16, 2014
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I've never built a gaming PC and I could use your help.

$700 max not counting KB/M, monitor, and OS(I'll be using Windows).

Must Have: Radeon R9 280x GPU and a 1TB 7200 RPM HD.

Would Like: A cool case, lame I know.

I would like to play todays games at 60fps+, 1080p, using minimum HIGH settings.

I've been going through price picker but there are so many options, and I don't know what brands to use or stay away from and who offers what benefits as there are tens to hundreds of different items per section. I am a fan of things on sale lol.

Thanks for your time.
 
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Here:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gqm7sY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gqm7sY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($112.09 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.49 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $709.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 06:13 EDT-0400

I chose the GTX 760 because the i3 would bottleneck the R9 280X.
The i3 will still bottleneck the 760 when playing some CPU intensive games,but you won't be able to see it,because it's gonna be minimal.
With this setup,you can play Crysis 3 on medium-high @ 50-60 FPS.Same goes with BF4.
All the best. 😉
 
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Cool is relative to you opinion. I'm not a big fan of this case but a lot of people seem to like its aesthetic.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $718.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 06:12 EDT-0400

You should note that the front USB 3.0 port in this case is actually a usb extension cord that runs through your case then out the back and connects to one of the rear USB 3.0 ports on the motherboard, rather than connecting to the internal USB 3 header on the motherboard like most cases. In budget cases, cool tends to come at the cost of quality. In my opinion the 200R and 300R are the best budget cases around.
 
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Here is the best I could do, $708.90, it might be worth it to find the extra $9 lol

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pPXhvK

That is not going to get you the case you desire but for your budget I think you need to focus your money more on CPU if your going to keep that graphics card. I have that graphics card and love it so far. You can always upgrade the case later. If you want me to sacrifice CPU for case let me know and I'll edit the build.

Here is a video of the someone playing with what looks like exactly the same set up I have selected: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h0EvGHs9zo

You might get what your looking for here but I highly recommend finding away to increase your budget, look into loans/credit cards if you have to and are going to get use out of it. I put $1400 on a credit card for all my parts yesterday lol I wouldn't go any less than $1000 for a gaming PC, you get what you pay for with PCs.
 
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i also don't know if ths case will look cool to you or not

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($172.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $719.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 07:46 EDT-0400
 
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Wow, that was fast guys, thanks.

OK, well I guess I'd rather sacrifice on the case than CPU and I'd rather not go as low as an i3, I'd like to be around the i5 and whatever AMDs similar CPU is. Corsair 200/300 look good enough.

Some buy lists have a CPU cooler and some don't. Will this be a necessity?
 
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i3 low? i3 is an excellent choice for a budget gaming PC.
Stock coolers are enough as long as you dont OC.If you want an aftermarket heatsink,Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is my recommendation. 😉
 
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Definitely won't be OCing so I might be able to save on the CPU cooler. You said it yourself that the i3 would bottleneck the R9 280x and I want that graphics card, so wouldn't I need to step up to the i5?

Thanks
 
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I switched it to the GTX 760.
Bottlenecking will be minimal,but ONLY when playing games like BF4,Crysis3,Arma 3 and Crysis 2. 😉
Go with the build I suggested and you should be good to go.
When you have enough money,you can get an i5,but don't choose the K versions. 😉
All the best. :)
PM me if you have any other questions,it's easier for me to answer your questions like that. 😉
 
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AMD are better in budget builds, however Intel have a better upgrade path. Intel are also generally better for gaming while the AMD chips will be better for rendering/editing. If you were planning on upgrading in the future, i'd actually go for an overclocked pentium build but you don't want to OC. Of the builds that have been suggested, for your needs I'd be leaning towards Trugenius' suggestion, although i'm going to change the PSU because it's a bit dodgy and to make up for the extra cost drop the WD black to a cheaper HDD as the Black probably isn't necessary for you. Also selected some faster cheaper ($1) RAM thats on sale at the moment.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($172.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $720.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 17:18 EDT-0400
 
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TS or Pro. All XFX PSU's are made by Super Flower and are good quality. The Corsair CX series uses cheap capacitors.
 
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Cant believe somebody suggested low end i3 for gaming..seriously, I am a long time i3 user.. wasted lot of nerves and screwed my health over it. i3 (especially lower end) isn't suitable for any serious gaming, it's for pensioners reading newspapers and/or little kids playing flash games online. There are many great options such as aforementioned I5-4430,FX-8320,FX-6350,FX-6300..well worst case scenario would be I5-3350P or i5-3340. ANY 3rd gen I5 is light goliath against i3 which is like the worst family of processors ever created,it was purposely designed to rip poor people with little to none knowledge about computers,if you really want cheap CPU, go for G3258,as good as top tier i3's and usually over two times cheaper than them.
 
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What's wrong with an i3-4130?
 
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It's the lowest end of 4th gen i3 CPUs.. As we all know any 2nd gen i5 performs WAY better in gaming than it,while considering new still on shelves processors AMD FX's clearly outrun i3's in anything but single core performance by huge gap,don't forget FX's also are cheaper and fully overclockable..ugh,just listen,lowest end unlocked CPUs outrun i3's while costing twice less(or EVEN less),if person can afford higher end he wont even think about i3,besides in the i3's price range its the AMD which is absolutely dominant.

i3 shouldn't even exist,any person to which CPU's isnt deep dark forest would take any possible alternative over i3,it was purposefully designed to trick poor people that they're purchasing a decent product,while infact getting the least cost effective overpriced 2 core crap which cant withstand any serious game.it is NEITHER gaming processor not office processor,too expensive for office,too wimpy for gaming,each day i wake up asking myself why they're still being made? and i wake up not from alarm-clock but due to nightmares of i3's enslaving the planet! alright just kidding about last one. i3's still being manufactured because there's plenty unaware people which intel deliberately scams.

Mindless scrap shall shake the world,
Cunning thieves will rend it,
Heartless intel crush the world,
And to i3's shall send it.

They are hot,but have no heart,
They're i3's,without regard,
They are reckless,show no fear,
None of us to them is dear.
 
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stock FX-6300 can beat any i3 (except single core tasks,there newest i3's got minor advantage), overclocked FX-6300,FX-6350,FX-8320,FX-8350 contest in i5's range.
 
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FX-8320 and FX-8350 maybe,but FX-6300 no.
FX 6300 and M5A97 motherboard is the way to go,from what we concluded.
If he has already bought his items,then the i3 is enough.It won't do any harm to him. 😉
 
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FX-6300 and FX-6350 are very competitive against some lower and middle end non K version i5's,especially considering huge price gap between em,thats why AMD's still in the game and entire CPU market isn't swallowed by intel still.

Believe me, i3 can do serious harm to you.. i've been using i3-2100 quite a while before (low-end 2nd gen i3),nowdays example of it would be your praised i3-4130,wasted two years with that processor,as i've said before my health condition (physical and mental) degraded just due that CPUs bottlenecking my every step,nobody,I repeat, nobody will bring me back those 2 years of my life,best i can do is to spread the word so others wont get in such situation.
 
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