BestConfigs: Budget Intel-Based Gaming PC

[zared619]

you should also change HDDs the only difference between the $50 1TB Seagate and the WB blue is that WD is a more reputable brand and has a better warranty, the speeds are about the same and you also have an SSD so you can go cheap on HDDs

A better warranty is definitely worth it. Plus the $50 barracuda only has 32MB of cache, which does make a difference. I also have experience with WD's warranty service, and they are fantastic. I believe that the warranty alone makes the $25 premium worth it, and twice the cache is just a bonus.

 

[boulbox]

A better warranty is definitely worth it. Plus the $50 barracuda only has 32MB of cache, which does make a difference. I also have experience with WD's warranty service, and they are fantastic. I believe that the warranty alone makes the $25 premium worth it, and twice the cache is just a bonus.

cache is worthless now if you have SSDs since SSDs act as the Cache pretty much. Cache matters when you do not have an SSD and it makes it sort of like a hybrid SSD+HDD

 

[zared619]

Regardless, I think the warranty is worth it. With my personal experience with WD, they are the only HDD that I recommend.

 

[boulbox]

"You can't see me if i can't see you"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($217.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1002.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-18 13:57 EST-0500)

it says $2 over but that includes shipping!

this is my try to make a silent build using no HDDs and trying for a bigger SSD. would love to try to get in a 512GB SSD but those are pricey.

 

[boulbox]

Regardless, I think the warranty is worth it. With my personal experience with WD, they are the only HDD that I recommend.

yea i had a great experience with them too. Its just that i been using my Seagate barracuda for quite a while and nothing is wrong with it. i also have no experience returning stuff from either companies so i have no personal experience with their RMA.

since that happened i felt that the $25 more wasnt worth it. i would reconsider if it was about $5-10 more since it is a better warranty and that's about how much it costs just to make one(since you have to return the old drive anyways they can just reuse most of it)

 

[zared619]

This is why this forum exists. People with different experiences and differing opinions offer what they have so that people can make what they believe is the best. This is my opinion, and you can have your opinion. Neither one of us is right or wrong, it is just what we believe.

 

[jerodpaul]

JerodPaul's "Long Term Upgradeability Rig for hardcore Gaming"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax Super Hurricane (Black/Silver) ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.93 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $999.84
(Prices do not include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-18 19:33 EST-0500)

 

[znviper6]

Budget Build under $650
This is the build im building right now. Based on what research ive done it should be able to handle gaming very well at an easy price to swallow. Ive been collectiing parts the last few weeks and have been able to get the price even lower by using discounts and patience lol

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($125.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.71 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($212.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($58.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $628.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-18 23:21 EST-0500)

 

[Thomas Creel]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series, Division 4 Editi 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($26.40 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($229.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $612.31

Don't worry about the DDR3-1333 memory, you can overclock it .

 

[jerodpaul]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series, Division 4 Editi 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($26.40 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($229.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $612.31

Don't worry about the DDR3-1333 memory, you can overclock it .

I've never overclocked ram so to me that seems like a very hassling option when you could spend an extra 10 bucks to upgrade to DDR3-1600, and is DDR3-1333 overclockable to be equivalent to 1600?

 

[Thomas Creel]

Yeah, and by the way 1600 isn't that much faster than 1333. In my personal experience between testing the FPS with both I have seen at most 4 frames per second increase and that was only when playing at +100FPS, so the increase is small.

Overclocking literally takes less than three minutes, and yes you can overclock that memory to 1600.

 

[boulbox]

Yeah, and by the way 1600 isn't that much faster than 1333. In my personal experience between testing the FPS with both I have seen at most 4 frames per second increase and that was only when playing at +100FPS, so the increase is small.

Overclocking literally takes less than three minutes, and yes you can overclock that memory to 1600.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot-memory-pv38g160c9krd

nuff said

 

[cmcghee358]

Chris's Intel Gaming PC

Processor+HSF Combo: Intel Core i5-3570K+XIGMATEK Dark Knight II 251.98
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 99.99
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1866 CAS9 2x4GB 48.99
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 SC 3GB DDR5 PCIE 3.0x16 269.99
Hard Drive(s): Crucial V4 128GB SSD SATA III 84.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB SATA III 7200 RPM 69.99
Case: HAF 912 54.99
Power Supply: Seasonic X750 80PLUS GOLD Modular Power Supply 99.99
Cooling: See CPU combo above
DVD Burner: LG 24X DVD-R 2MB Cache 17.99

Total 998.90

 

[lee102]

Interested in the silent, or quieter build above (i5-3570, 7870). Is this: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO, as quiet as a liquid cooled system? I don't want maintenance or complexity that is not productive and don't like the idea of water in the case. Are SSD drives cooler and quieter than regular HDs? Is the case very important; the doors on the front of those designed for quiet look inconvenient, no? Don't want a full case; smaller is better. I am not looking to over clock. A grand+ for a reasonably fast, reliable, low maintenance, bread and butter system. With that goal, am I looking in the wrong supplier in Cyber Power? Their QC sounds dicey. Other? Thanks for any guidance.

 

[tyson2295]

Deathcron's "Blue Hyro"
Processor: i5 3570k $219
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M $124
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB $37
Graphics Card: EVGA 660 ti FTW $289
Hard Drive: Seagate barracuda 1tb $79
Case: Zalman Z11 Blacksteel $64
Power Supply: Seasonic M12ii 620w 80 Plus Bronze $89
Cooling: Antec H2O 620 $ 56
DVD Burner: Liteon DVD Burner $17
this is gonna be my personal build as well Total: 982.91

 

[unlimited4]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($7.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($7.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($7.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($7.07 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $925.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Is there a reason as to why all 4 dimms are filled with a dual channel processor? just curious?

 

[lee102]

Why are you using a Noctua NH-D14 rather than a liquid cooler?

 

[RajanB]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nRMF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nRMF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nRMF/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $930.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-15 18:36 EST-0500)

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE BEST PC BUILD I HAVE EVER SEEN! AMAZING PRICE TOO!!!
Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buying. xD

 

[Derbixrace]

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor for $269.99
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 for $104.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600Mhz CL9 for $24.99
Graphics Card: Gigabyte GTX 670 2GB Windforce 3x for $349.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM for $79.99
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R for $64.99
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower XT 575w 80+ Bronze for $59.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus for $24.99
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X SATA Model SH-224BB - OEM for $15.99

comes with Bordelands 2 and Assassins Creed 3 for free, everything from newegg for $995.91

 

[internetlad]

My kick at the can for a ~600 dollar build.

The Tight Squeeze
My CPUs: Intel Core i3-3220 Dual-Core Processor ($114.55)
My Motherboards: MSI ZH77A-G43 H77 LGA1155 MAX-32GB 4DDR3 ATX 2PCIE16 2PCIE1 3PCI 2CFX ($69.99)
My Video Cards: GigaByte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 Graphic Card - 975 MHz Core - 2 GB GDDR5 SDRAM - PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (4800 MHz Memory Clock - 2560 x 1600 - CrossFireX - Fan Cooler - OpenGL 4.2, DirectX 11.0 - HDMI - DisplayPort - DVI) ($189.99)
My Memory: Patriot Memory PGD38G1333ELK 8GB 1333MHZ DDR3 ($35.99)
My Cases: Cooler Master Cooler Master Elite 343 Chassis ($38.99)
My Storage: WD Scorpio Black 750GB 2.5" Hard Drive (SATA, 7,200 RPM, 16MB) ($83.99)
My Power: Antec EarthWatts EA-380D GREEN ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99)
My Optical Drives: Samsung Samsung DVDRW SH-222BB Bebe 22X SATA Black without Software Bare ($17.99)
Total Price: $611.48

 

[ImmortalSteak]

My Military Corsair Gaming RIG
Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K $219.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z77 $224.98 @ Amazon
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB Green CL9 1.5V $99.99 @ Amazon
Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti Power Edition $289.99 @ Amazon
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB $87.99 @ Amazon
Solid Drive: Corsair Neutron GTX 120GB $137.99 @ Amazon
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 Military Green $139.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply: Corsair Professional AX750 $169.99 @ Amazon
Cooling: Corsair H100i $109.99 @ Amazon

$1480.90

Not quiet budget, but yeah.

 

[wolley74]

-snip-


wrong thread, crap

 

[frankenthal]

Frank's "Broke Daddy" Build

Processor: Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Ram: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Graphics: HIS iCooler H777F1G2M Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Blue WD2500AAKX 250GB 7200 RPM ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W 80 PLUS BRONZE ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Cooling: Included
DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM ($19.00 @ Newegg)

Total after rebates (taxes & shipping not included): $413.93 ($448.93 before rebates)

-Will play most mainstream games in medium graphics, low AA settings and will keep the wife happy and kids fed.

 

[JBB-SaDo]

JBBs' Intel buget build.*
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.70 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 69.7 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($46.92 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($121.74 @ Mwave)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.88 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: FSP Group 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $926.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-27 17:24 EST-0500)

 

[jjshjo1980]

Josh's "Shoot the Moon" Build

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I53570K ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: AS Rock LGA1155 DDR3 SATA3 USB3.0 Quad CrossFireX and Quad SLI A GbE ATX Motherboard Z77 EXTREME4 (104.99 @ Amazon)
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) PV38G160C9KRD (19.99 AR @ Newegg)
Graphics Card: EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (449.99 AR @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA III, 64 MB Cache (67.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (34.99 AR @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (59.99 AR @ Newegg)
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler (25.99 AR @ Newegg)
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+RW SATA Model SH-224BB - OEM (15.99 @ Newegg)

Base Total: $1074.91
Shipping: 0.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$75.00
Total: $999.91

Why go small when you can go big?