Best Gaming PC for $900?

[Master1001]

I need a PC for casual gaming and recreational use. I have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse but not an OS. Budget is $900, at most $1000 if deemed necessary. Thanks in advance!

Here are some games I would be playing:

Wargame: Airland Battle- http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=6877&ga...

Civilization V: Brave New World- http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=7163&ga...

SimCity- http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=3562&ga...

 

[realchaos]

Are you overclocking?

 

[Master1001]

I have never tried it. Do you recommend it?

 

[realchaos]

It depends. It does cost some more money.

Here's a nice AMD build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($254.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $893.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 22:31 EDT-0400)

It remains overclockable.

OR you can go intel:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($254.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $882.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 22:31 EDT-0400)

however, it's not overclockable.

 

[Crossknight]

It depends. It does cost some more money.

Here's a nice AMD build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($254.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $893.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 22:31 EDT-0400)

It remains overclockable.

OR you can go intel:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($254.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $882.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-11 22:31 EDT-0400)

however, it's not overclockable.

Hey, so can I assume that the 2nd build has better parts for everything else and performs better than the 1st build since it forgoes overclocking, when both builds are ran on stock?

 

[realchaos]

Well, both builds are exactly the same except for the cpu and motherboard. Intel processors are more expensive because they perform better in games.
At stock speeds, the intel build will perform better in games while the AMD one will do better in rendering and such. However, if you overclock the AMD one then it may be able to perform the same as the intel one in games.