Budget gaming for a noob. (me) :)

[NormH]

i know it has been asked before but here goes. I'm building a new tower because my old one died and is way outdated so i don't want to pour money into it. it was an lga 775 core2 duo e7500 with a gt220 ddr2 1gb gpu (i was happy with its gaming performance) now its time to build so trying to stay 500-600 tops and not using anything from my old tower im looking for build suggestions. intel or amd are both fine. will also consider apu builds thank you in advance.

ps. this will be my first build

 

[AMD Radeon]

where do you live?

what games do you play?

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM6s
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM6s/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM6s/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($254.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $922.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:09 EST-0500)

 

[navask01]

I'm assuming you don't need an OS and peripherals? I've made a build that does not have those

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $575.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:09 EST-0500)

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM9B
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM9B/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XM9B/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($125.66 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $685.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:11 EST-0500)

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMbP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMbP/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMbP/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($69.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($125.66 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $623.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:13 EST-0500)

 

[NormH]

Well thank you for the fast responses. the athlon build by smorizio and the build by navask 01 are where i need to be as far as budget is concerned. the athlon is a little over but doable. i have those builds copied so i can look up performance on them later.

 

[smorizio]

norm do you have an os if you do on my builds i can drop 100 off.

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMmE
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMmE/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMmE/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($69.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($125.66 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $524.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:21 EST-0500)

 

[navask01]

Yea,if iyou already have a copy of the OS,then it'll be easier. If you don't,then smorizio's athlon build would suit well.Mine would be overshoot your budget.

 

[NormH]

i do have an OS and i like your build. i had played around with an a10 build on part picker for about $400 but wasnt sure how the performance would compare to my old setup. i played World of warcraft at mid-high settings at 35-40 fps and was fine with that on my old build. also playing farcry 3, CoD, and battlefield 3 on the new build. any thoughts?

 

[navask01]

Playing at 1080p,i presume? Both builds are great for that. The 7870xt won't max out everything,but you'll getmore than decent performance for the money. Not sure what the nvidia equivalent of the XT is

 

[smorizio]

looking at the 660 line. the 650ti was made for the 7700 the 650ti boost for the 7850 line. also to the op the 9x50 cards are on sale too on parts picker. there going to be faster then the 78xt cards.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-ax79503gbd52dhpp
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660tf2gd5oc

 

[NormH]

if i bought the A10-6800k would the igpu get decent performance? and would it work to add a 2nd radeon card for 100-150 to boost performance? the a10 build i did on partpicker is around 400 total

 

[smorizio]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMNM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMNM/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XMNM/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Zalman Z9 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $446.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 11:41 EST-0500)

 

[smorizio]

if were starting with a good base then adding a gpu latter go with the intel i3 cpu it a more powerfull cpu having less cores or wait for the new
amd apu.
http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2013/2013103001_Launch_schedule_of_AMD_Kaveri_APUs.html

 

[navask01]

@ Smorizio - I just read it's more on par with the the 660Ti?if norm can find a 7950 for less than 200,it's a bloody steal. Never thought i'd see a i3 build that cheap.

@norm - not sure about that.i mean,the igpu is great for casual games and all.But you're not playing casual games. As for performance boost,it depends on how it scales with the second card.Scales great on some games,some games not so. The general rule around here is to get the best single card solution you can afford. A discrete CPU and GPU setup is usually better than the igpu

 

[NormH]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XNk5 this is what im thinking possibly in light of what i have gathered from you guys. decent?

 

[NormH]

or would the gpu bottleneck?

 

[navask01]

I apologize if i come across as rude(not my intention) but you should be spending as most as you can on the gpu.I know the case is a subjective thing but getting a case and a gpu that costs the same in a budget gaming rig sounds odd to me.

Please don't skimp on the PSU.XFX,Seasnic or corsair.I realize that you want to save as much as you can,but your performance can take quite a hit.


Not sure about bottlenecking. I've never been a fan of micro atx boards,so i can't help again.Sorry

 

[NormH]

could swap the gpu for 650ti and would put build at 515 total

 

[NormH]

you are not being rude. i asked for advice and you are giving it. as my first build i want it tio go well. i just found this though http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XNZA

puts me at the upper end of my budget

is there a cheaper case that has a cable management system?

 

[navask01]

The i5 build you just put is 650.Isn't that out of your budget? If you want to max out your budget,i woudln't recommend it.The FX build would give you better performance for your dollar.
For one,you have a i5 3330 can't be overclocked much.The 6300 can be overclocked.Get a board with good VRMs and heatsinks.Throw in an aftermarket cooler like the EVO 212 and you'll be set

And two,try to stick to the big 4 when it comes to motherboards(Asus,asrock,msi or giga).Sure,you might get dud boards,but atleast you'll have better service.Unsure of Foxconn

 

[NormH]

ok thank you. i think i have my build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XPsx

 

[navask01]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484

Get that card.140 after MIR. Bonkers price for the card. Other than that,looks good.Did you search about the overclockability of that MSI board? Just asking. If it's got pretty decent OCing in it,throw in the EVO 212 and you're set