BestConfigs: MicroATX Gaming Build

[ojas]

It's Cool

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K - $215

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M - $130

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB), 1.35v - $40

Graphics Card: Galaxy 67NPH6DV5ZVX GeForce GTX 670 GC 2GB - $380 (has $20 MIR)

SSD: ADATA S510 Series AS510S3-120GM-O 2.5" 120GB - $105

Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB - $65

Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini - $100

Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze (520W, Modular)- $80

Cooling: CORSAIR Hydro series H50 - $65

Side Intake: NZXT 140mm Performance Case Fan FN 140RB - $9 (Amazon)
(Low in stock so there, so just in case here's the newegg link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146002 )

DVD Burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner- $20

Total: $1209
With Rebates: $1189

Freebies:
Borderlands 2 and AC3 worth $100 total with the GPU.
-------------------------------------------------

Notes:
1) The Arc Mini has 1 front 120mm, 1 rear 120mm and a top 140mm included, newegg says that the bottom intake included.

2) Rear exhaust gets replaced by radiator, so it goes to the front as second intake (or even to the bottom, though i wouldn't).

3) The top filter should probably be removed, unless you want to keep the top as an intake.

4) The top hard drive cage *should* be removed, since the second lower intake will cool the drives, allowing more air to go to the motherboard without being obstructed. The GPU should fit (at least on paper, it does) even with the cage installed.

5) You may want to make/buy a filter for the side intake.

 

[nix327]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rQR5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rQR5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rQR5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M PRO Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($374.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair C70 Gunmetal Black (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec TruePower New 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($110.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($29.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1184.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-10 14:37 EST-0500)

 

[dscudella]

$500 gaming build. Moderate bang for a little buck. Critique.


CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.16 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Diamond Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.49 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $512.59

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-17 21:57 EST-0500)

You've got SATA 6gb/s, USB 3.0 (Case & Mobo), PCIE 3.0, a solid PSU, good midrange graphics and a very solid Dual Core with Hyper Threading

 

[lp231]

Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K @3.4GHz ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M Pro ($139.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD7950 3GB ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Solid State: Crucial M4 256GB ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Blue 1TB ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: SilverStone Precision SST-PS07W ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX600 ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Cooling: Cooler Master 212 Evo ($29.99 @ Newegg)
DVD Burner: LG 24X DVD writer $16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1165.90

They don't have that case in black, so I went with white. Black is like the new beige.

 

[Firespert]

Processor: a10-5800k($130)
Motherboard: ASUS F2A85-M PRO($120)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series($41)
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670($65)
Hard Drive: Use your old hard drive
Case: Rosewill LINE-M($45)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts EA-380D($45)

Total=$446

 

[TheBigTroll]

Processor: a10-5800k($130)
Motherboard: ASUS F2A85-M PRO($120)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series($41)
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670($65)
Hard Drive: Use your old hard drive
Case: Rosewill LINE-M($45)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts EA-380D($45)

Total=$446

this isnt a budget gaming build

 

[Firespert]

this isnt a budget gaming build

Best configuration for the price

 

[TheBigTroll]

Best configuration for the price

it isnt either. you arent getting even high settings at 1080p with this

 

[Firespert]

What are you talking about? You can play minesweeper on "high" settings just fine.

 

[TheBigTroll]

we dont play minesweeper

 

[dscudella]

Processor: a10-5800k($130)
Motherboard: ASUS F2A85-M PRO($120)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series($41)
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670($65)
Hard Drive: Use your old hard drive
Case: Rosewill LINE-M($45)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts EA-380D($45)

Total=$446

For $60 ($512 total) more my i3 & 7850 2gb rig (two posts above yours) would be able to play anything at 1920x1080 on low or medium settings at ~60 FPS.

 

[Sleepingforest]

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.51 @ Amazon)
Memory: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.51 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.73 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1132.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
You also get 3 free games with the video card right now: Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs.

This build just squeaks under the budget and absolutely wrecks pretty much every game, bar Crysis and Metro 2033, at 1200p with full effects according to Anandtech's Bench. The 7970 is a better value than a 670 because it can overclock to match the GHz edition, which is markedly superior than the price-comparable 670, winning in framerates within 9 out of 14 games at 1200p in Anadtech's bench. (these results are not cherrypicked other than the resolution. The results remain consistent at higher resolutions; the 7970 is generally superior or at least equal to the 670). If you want the GHz Edition's power without overclocking, the Sapphire Ghz Edition 7970 puts you over budget by less than $10 before a rebate of $20; if you are a die-hard Nvidia fan, this $360 670 is the card for you. Even the memory is overclock friendly; its the oft-talked about Samsung "magic" RAM. There are threads on both Ars Technica and Anandtech about how high it can clock.

On the storage side, it comes with the reasonably good 128GB Crucial M4 for the OS, some often-used applications, and the games you're currently playing. Right now, SSD prices fluctuate pretty wildly; I expect a 256GB SSD to be available for around $170 ($65 more than the current 128GB SSD) within a week or two. Getting that will allow for an extra few games and programs. The 1TB hard drive is enough to hold a large amount of music and another dozen or so (modern sized) games.

It's also got size going for it. The Temjin case is quite small at 15.16" x 8.27" x 14.72". That's about the size of three shoeboxes, one atop the other. Despite it's small size, the case is a great thermal performer, keeping the CPU under 60 degrees Celsius and the GPU under 90 degrees Celsius, while remaining around only 42 dB loud--between a whisper and a quiet conversation, again according to Anandtech.

 

[raja10]

Rajesh's "assasins creed 3 " gaming Rig
Processor: AMD Fx 8120 price 160$

Motherboard: Gigabyte Ga 990fxa price 145$

RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) price 75$

Graphics Card: GTX 670 evga price 369$

Hard Drive: WDC Black 1TB 7200 rpm price 100$

Case: Corsair 300R price 80$

Power Supply: corsair HX 750 price 130$

Cooling: Corsair h60 liquid price 77$

DVD Burner: asus blu ray Price 60$

total= 11964

 

[benchu]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($120.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Raidmax 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1183.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-25 22:53 EST-0500)

 

[TheBigTroll]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($120.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Raidmax 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1183.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-25 22:53 EST-0500)

-k chips in a b75 board make no sense
-the sapphire version of the 7970 costs less but performs better
-raidmax makes crap

just pointing out some stuff for ya

 

[xKrypticx]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($120.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Raidmax 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1183.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-25 22:53 EST-0500)

that's not really a NAS

 

[sakalu]

could play guild wars 2??

 

[grahamf]

I thought I'd throw in this:
Some components may be on sale, but I'll be posting their regular price. All parts are from Newegg, except for the GPU.


Graham's Misleading Glance (couldn't think of a better name)
Processor: Intel Core i3-2120 - $125
Motherboard: BIOSTAR B75MU3+ Micro ATX- $69
RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 - $46
Graphics Card: AFOX Radeon HD 6850 Video Card (low profile) - $270
Hard Drive: Intel 330 Series 120GB SSD - $139
Case: hec 7K09BBA HTPC - $75
Power Supply: included with case - $0
Cooling: Rosewill RCX-Z300 92mm CPU Cooler - $15
DVD Burner: LITE-ON Bluray burner with Lightscribe and 3D support - $109

Total price (before discounts): $845

If you are in the UK I'd recommend trying to get the AFOX AMD Radeon HD7850 version, but it's limited in stock.

 

[blazorthon]

The Radeon 7750 wouldn't handle any resolution far above maybe 720p except with highly reduced quality settings in some of today's most intensive games. Getting an i3 and a Radeon 7850 would make the system far more balanced.

 

[grahamf]

The Radeon 7750 wouldn't handle any resolution far above maybe 720p except with highly reduced quality settings in some of today's most intensive games. Getting an i3 and a Radeon 7850 would make the system far more balanced.

I couldn't find a low profile 7850 in Amazon USA (there's one in the UK), but there's a 6850, so I'm using that. I changed the components to reflect the new colour scheme.

 

[blazorthon]

I couldn't find a low profile 7850 in Amazon USA (there's one in the UK), but there's a 6850, so I'm using that. I changed the components to reflect the new colour scheme.

Just be sure to realize that a Radeon 6850, even if low profile, is extremely overpriced at $270. Radeon 6850s shouldn't be priced over $160. I know that there are low profile Radeon 7770s, although I don't know if any of them are still selling much in the USA. If there are any still around, that'd at least be a good compromise compared to a similarly performing yet far more expensive Radeon 6850 at $270.

 

[grahamf]

Just be sure to realize that a Radeon 6850, even if low profile, is extremely overpriced at $270. Radeon 6850s shouldn't be priced over $160. I know that there are low profile Radeon 7770s, although I don't know if any of them are still selling much in the USA. If there are any still around, that'd at least be a good compromise compared to a similarly performing yet far more expensive Radeon 6850 at $270.

I haven't seen any low profile 7770's. the 6850 seems to be the only one that's somewhat easy to find. In the end i guess it depends on if you're committed to a low profile case or not.

 

[blazorthon]

I haven't seen any low profile 7770's. the 6850 seems to be the only one that's somewhat easy to find. In the end i guess it depends on if you're committed to a low profile case or not.

I can agree to that. I'm not that committed to low profile cases with such a high cost for anything more than low-end performance involved compared to a somewhat larger Micro-ATX mini tower, so I can be biased against their high prices.

 

[jpishgar]

This topic has been desticky in top of the forum by Jpishgar