$800> gaming system

[Iamsoda]

I have a friend who is looking into building a new gaming system. He needs the os, screen, and case. (For a screen he is just looking at getting a cheap 1080p screen, for a case whatever is cheap and fits the parts, and for an OS he wants windows 64bit modern (7-10)). Obviously it is for gaming so getting a really good GPU is important. I have tooled around with pcpartpicker and newegg combos, but now I want to hear from others. With regards to CPU I am still debating between an FX 8xxxx or an i5 4460. What are your thoughts?

PS $800 is the max.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Here's what I would consider.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 370 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($128.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $780.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:04 EST-0500

-Wolf sends

 

[Iamsoda]

Here's what I would consider.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 370 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($128.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $780.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:04 EST-0500

-Wolf sends

I feel like I could trim off some bells and whistles for a better GPU.

 

[Barty1884]

I'm hitting $850 for a great Skylake setup:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($196.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $857.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:06 EST-0500

If your friend has a spare HDD, obviously they could drop the price to right around $800.

Concessions could also be made on the case ,saving maybe $20.

There's the option of going with a Haswell i5, DDR3 etc to bring it down a little bit (but for the price difference, personally I'd go Skylake).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($196.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $810.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:09 EST-0500

The PSU included in either is totally overkill, but a quality unit & a great price. No harm in having the extra wattage available.

 

[Wolfshadw]

An AMD Option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card ($218.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $784.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:19 EST-0500

-Wolf sends

 

[Iamsoda]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NDDs99 I have a base going here, but deciding between and intel or AMD cpu plus whatever money is left for GPU.

 

[Iamsoda]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jGWvpg

 

[Iamsoda]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GPtFQ7

 

[Wolfshadw]

Problems with your builds

Your Intel build's motherboard does not have any USB 3.0 ports, so the case's USB 3.0 ports are useless.
Your AMD build's motherboard only has one PCI-Ex1 expansion slot and it's directly below the PCI-Ex16 expansion slot. This slot will be covered by the cooling shroud of the graphics card and therefore unusable by your PCI-Ex1 Wi-Fi card.

Using that case, I'm not sure the middle 3.5" hard drive bays are removable (leaving the lower 3.5" drive bays) as it all looks like a single unit. If this is the case, then you'd have to remove all the drive bays in order to utilize a graphics card longer than 230mm.

-Wolf sends

 

[Barty1884]

If you're looking for wifi, why don't you go smaller (mITX), with an integrated AC wifi module?

AM3+ isn't available, but an 860k on an FM2+ board would allow you to have an R9 390 (8GB) GPU

Liquid cooling would be a necessity in the case due to limited CPU cooler clearance (the PSU is top mounted, leaving 3" for CPU cooling. But with the liquid, you should be able to push a pretty impressive OC out of the 860k.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($68.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($91.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS228T-P 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $813.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 13:27 EST-0500

 

[turkey3_scratch]

^^^Major CPU bottleneck. Not to mention wasted money on low-end water cooler.

 

[Barty1884]

True, it is a CPU bottleneck for CPU intensive games. Predominantly GPU intensive games would be fine though.

The "low-end water cooler" is a necessity of the case. The case was really just used to show how small the OP can go.
Obviously a smaller case (within minimal cooler clearance) has some trade-offs. GPU length etc are other factors.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

If you add up the CPU and water cooler you can get yourself an I3 or FX 8350. And the OP never said he wanted ITX.

 

[Barty1884]

I never said the OP did, I just mentioned it as an option if the OP wants wifi in the setup. A decent board + an extremely poor, older wifi standard module were included in their build and doesn't make too much sense. Generally it's more cost effective (for wifi) to go with a mITX with an included wifi module of a better/newer standard.

Regardless, wifi can be added via USB, so not a big deal, I was just pointing it out as an option.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Options are good.

 

[Iamsoda]

New thought:

Getting a newegg combo for most of the parts and buying GPU separate. Seems like a solid deal.

 

[Iamsoda]

Other New thought:

He has access to a micro center if you want to give a list for parts from the 2645 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 one.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Newegg combos have a tendency to have one or two lower quality components. They primarily create these bundles to get rid of overstock. Not recommended in my book.

-Wolf sends

 

[Wolfshadw]

Shopping exclusively at Microcenter is going to cost more than shopping around for the best deals. It's unlikely you'll get as good of a system.

-Wolf sends

 

[Barty1884]

Sometimes a NewEgg combo will make sense, sometimes they won't. Definitely worth exploring.

You'll want to buy your GPU and PSU independently of a combo though, as 'throw in' PSUs don't tend to be very good, and you'll want to know the GPU you plan on buying before you settle on a particular PSU.

Combos tend to be used to move old stock. It's not always a bad thing (the amount of Haswell setups I saw over Xmas for example), but just tread carefully.

*EDIT* Shopping at a single store (unless they price match or beat) is not the best idea. Micro Centre, from what I've seen usually have some good 'in store only' deals on CPUs. But I don't know their pricing otherwise. Like anywhere else, they're likely cheaper on some things, and more expensive on others.

 

[Iamsoda]

Sometimes a NewEgg combo will make sense, sometimes they won't. Definitely worth exploring.

You'll want to buy your GPU and PSU independently of a combo though, as 'throw in' PSUs don't tend to be very good, and you'll want to know the GPU you plan on buying before you settle on a particular PSU.

Combos tend to be used to move old stock. It's not always a bad thing (the amount of Haswell setups I saw over Xmas for example), but just tread carefully.

*EDIT* Shopping at a single store (unless they price match or beat) is not the best idea. Micro Centre, from what I've seen usually have some good 'in store only' deals on CPUs. But I don't know their pricing otherwise. Like anywhere else, they're likely cheaper on some things, and more expensive on others.

pc part picker can tell me what they have and don't have the best in.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY Anarchy 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($152.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS228T-P 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Zalman ZM-K380 Combo Wired Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($14.09 @ Amazon)
Total: $795.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 16:56 EST-0500

 

[Barty1884]

pc part picker can tell me what they have and don't have the best in.

Oh absolutely. I'm not saying don't use Micro Centre, just meant don't buy everything in the one place. Or at least shop around. MC definitely have some of the better deals for 'in store only'

 

[Iamsoda]

pc part picker can tell me what they have and don't have the best in.

Oh absolutely. I'm not saying don't use Micro Centre, just meant don't buy everything in the one place. Or at least shop around. MC definitely have some of the better deals for 'in store only'

Yeah he will get his CPU/mobo from the micro center and maybe a GPU if they have a good deal.