BestConfigs Poll - Budget Intel Gaming PC

Which build do you like best?

  • Zared619's "The Harbinger"

    Votes: 29 21.2%
  • Mrdowntownkiller "Ze Raptor" BuildMrdowntownkiller "Ze Raptor" Build

    Votes: 18 13.1%
  • Thomas Creel's Build

    Votes: 6 4.4%
  • lock9342's Build

    Votes: 32 23.4%
  • Lunyone's "Got to have Good Gaming on a (Realistic) Budget"

    Votes: 41 29.9%
  • adamlee06's Build

    Votes: 9 6.6%
  • The Gigatron Omega eXtreme 3000 Ultra Z

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • Total voters
    137

jpishgar

Splendid
Overlord Emeritus
It's time to vote on your favorite build for this category!

Please see below for a list of the choices available.

Zared619's "The Harbinger"

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 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($90.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.47 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($247.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-K62 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $989.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Mrdowntownkiller "Ze Raptor" Build

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 V6 GT 93.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($80.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $989.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Thomas Creel's Build

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.)

lock9342's Build

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.)

Lunyone's "Got to have Good Gaming on a (Realistic) Budget"

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $529.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

adamlee06's Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Gene Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Graphics Card: XFX Double D Radeon HD 7870 2GB GHz Edition Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Tempest 410 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified Fully Modular Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Cooling: Corsair H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
DVD Burner: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1007.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
Total excluding shipping (as per rules): $997.91

The Gigatron Omega eXtreme 3000 Ultra Z

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core -- $219.99
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard -- $119.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL -- $24.99
Graphics Card: EVGA 02G-P4-3664-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti FTW Signature2 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 -- $289.99
Hard Drive: ADATA Premier Pro SP900 ASP900S3-128GM-C 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) -- $104.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -- $79.99
Case: Rosewill REDBONE Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -- $29.99
Power Supply: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply -- $99.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler -- $24.99
DVD Burner: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM -- $17.99

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)

Total: $999.91
 

caltiger123

Honorable
Jul 22, 2012
99
0
10,640
Why can't I vote for Josh's? Is that just a glitch or am I missing something? It seems to be the best in raw horse power too, with a GTX 680 and an i5 3570k.
 

CaptainTom

Honorable
May 3, 2012
1,563
0
11,960
I don't like any of these, and the prices vary way too much. What is your budget? What is your resolution? Is this price/performance because they all kinda lose except for the cheapest one.
 

SRT Zeus

Honorable
Jan 16, 2013
3
0
10,510


I seem to remember the original thread having a budget of $1000 for the PC minus peripherals. No resolution was included to my knowledge. The $500 is a great $500 budget system, but there's no denying its the weakest system here for gaming and there's plenty to be had in another $500. The 2C/2T Pentium is going to hold it back in some games, particularly in future releases probably due this year if I had to guess. Not knocking it though, great $500 build
 

CaptainTom

Honorable
May 3, 2012
1,563
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11,960


Didn't notice the pentium. I would definitely get a phenom II x4 965 instead. Point is, I could make a better price/performance build than all of these, and we don't know enough to make a judgment...
 

SRT Zeus

Honorable
Jan 16, 2013
3
0
10,510


Then you should enter in the next build thread, the more different configs submitted the more options we have for choices! :D

On average the 965 is gonna run about $90. At that price point, you're just $20 shy of an i3-3220 which will outperform the 965, not to mention the 965 uses 225% more power and a slower chipset. Its still great for the money and all, I have one currently on an 890gx board and it works fine for many games.
 

CaptainTom

Honorable
May 3, 2012
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Notify me when there is one.

Pros:

-The Phenom is $30 cheaper than the i3
-When overclocked to 4 GHz (Which I have never seen one that can't) it easily beats the i3 in just about all benchmarks.
-It can support full 16/16 crossfire or 8/8/8/8 whereas an i3 can only do 8/8.
-It can be put into some really nice AM3+ mobos that allow upgrading to AMD's future Steamroller whereas the i3 is in a soon to be dead socket.

Cons:

-Much higher power use, but I fail to see a situation where it will make a difference except a bare bones, non-forward thinking budget build. But at that point just get a Pentium. If you want a good CPU, get an i5.

-Single threaded tasks are slower than i3 usually but not by much most of the time, and it will almost never be noticeable.


That is why I keep recommending Phenoms in $500 and under builds...
 

adamlee06

Honorable
Dec 31, 2012
25
0
10,530
Agree with Zeus on this. I have a Phenom II X4 B35 @ 3.5ghz and it just can't keep up with the i3-3220 for gaming. Architecture efficiency is king it seems :p

One note to remember however is that PCIe 3.0 8x/8x is essentially equivalent to PCIe 2.0 16x/16x in real world performance, something which is commonly overlooked.

However, we should probably focus more on the builds at hand here, which incidentally are limited to Intel only. :)
 

CaptainTom

Honorable
May 3, 2012
1,563
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11,960


The i3's only support 2.0:

http://ark.intel.com/products/65693/Intel-Core-i3-3220-Processor-(3M-Cache-3_30-GHz)

I was surprised too!

If you are gonna pair a Phenom II with a 7870 or up, then yeah it's a mistake. But again I would say for a sub $500 build a 7870 is a little too pricey anyways. It would be more balanced to go with a 7850, and in almost all games the Phenom won't hold anything back (Especially when overclocked). If you are gonna spend at least $130 on a cpu, spend the extra $35 for an FX-8320 or more likely an i5-2300 so you are ok for many years to come.

Just my two cents. ;)
 

adamlee06

Honorable
Dec 31, 2012
25
0
10,530
Good to know about i3's lacking PCI-e 3.0. However, this isn't about a $500 budget build and what works best with it, or any builds other than those listed. It's simply a poll, not who could do better on what budget with which components. Thanks for the headsup on the i3's PCI-E config however :sol:
 

CaptainTom

Honorable
May 3, 2012
1,563
0
11,960


Yeah I hope I didn't hijack the thread. Just saying I think the wall of text is scaring people away. Good luck!
 

ojas

Distinguished
Feb 25, 2011
2,924
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20,810
What's up with the prices? It's well past holiday season but hardly any of the prices are current (except ones that didn't change). A lot of these builds wouldn't have made it, otherwise.

Josh's build for example, should be at least $100 more.

I'll have to put in a blank vote...
 

SRT Zeus

Honorable
Jan 16, 2013
3
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10,510
There are factors here which people are either unaware of aren't taking into consideration:

The first and most important is that the original thread for submissions, started by jpishgar, clearly said the "budget" for these systems was $1000. The goal was to build what you considered the best gaming pc for $1000, which is what these are. Also, prices were not subject to change, but only reflected prices at the time of the postings in the original thread.

Jpishgar should have posted this information on THIS thread so people understood the rules of submissions. Although Lunyone's build is great for a $500 build, it is nowhere near the performance level of any of the other builds listed here. The fact that it is even listed among these builds without insight as to what the actual budget here was during submissions give it an automatic unfair advantage. As such, people are voting for it since its the most "budget" oriented build among these, even though all the others clearly fell within the rules of the competition and are all better gaming machines.

Jpishgar should restart this poll with the necessary information from the original thread. IMO, Lunyone's should be replaced on the poll with Josh's (which is listed but has no vote option), especially since it's nowhere near the performance level of any of the others.

I do believe however that the next time submissions for these build-categories are started, that an "Ultra-low budget" thread should be created as well.

Just my two-cents, as this entire poll is skewed due to lack of background info.
 

ojas

Distinguished
Feb 25, 2011
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Actually, i think his build is the only one that's still within $1000 now.
 

adamlee06

Honorable
Dec 31, 2012
25
0
10,530


Now doesn't matter. All submissions for all builds are based on prices at the time of posting. Everyone is way over complicating this.

Zeus has a point, jpishgar should chime in on this to clear up some of the misunderstandings :)
 

locke9342

Honorable
Jun 8, 2012
241
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10,710
aw they spelled my name wrong also have u noticed all the builds around this budget is the 3570k and asrock z77 extreme4 mobo only the rest vary
 

locke9342

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Jun 8, 2012
241
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in the original post the budget was clearly stated to be 1000