Budget Gaming Rig

kamkk

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Mar 23, 2013
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Here is the cheapest solution you can get : with you're current rig your good but you need a discrete gpu, so what you do is get a hd 6670 it's usually crap but with the a10 it's pretty nice, an hd 6670 for about $60 with your a10 can run bf3 high with 40 - 50 fps easy. thats the cheapest option of course, if you want max performance go for a 7770 like the guy above me said. Heres a test with the a10 and hd 6670 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiHYsbaEIk Runs fluent and well, Oh and PLEASE vote me solution!
 

Rammy

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If you want portability, consider this - Silverstone PS08B (Black), saves you a bit of money too.
You could also look into ITX cases/motherboards, but in terms of cost they tend to be awkward.

Also, the advantage of the APUs is cost. They are excellent value for entry level gaming, but if you spend that much on a motherboard it destroys the cost advantage, try something like a ASRock FM2A75M-DGS (around $55). You did get 1866Mhz ram though, which is definitely a good choice for APUs.
Don't use a Caviar Green drive, they are energy saving slower speed devices. If you want WD, look at Caviar Blue/Black.
With PSUs, it's hard to ignore the CX430, newegg is selling them at $20, great value.
 


The 965 is a 4 year old CPU. How about a FX-6300 and overclock it?
 

teemogeek

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Dec 20, 2011
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here's my suggestion for parts that you might want to consider (i just edited your part list from pcpartpicker)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LR4a

(i didn't change your Case and PSU since i thought that you preferred them, but that $20 CX430 deal is great too.)

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 Amazon )
ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.99 Amazon )
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 NCIX US )
MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ( $89.99 Newegg )
AOC e2051Sn 60Hz 20.0" Monitor ( $89.99 Newegg )


regarding you monitor, it doesn't have the price listed in pcpartpicker and i'm assuming that Asus VH202T-P 20" is not LED so I picked the AOC w/c is LED.
 

teemogeek

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i agree. even my 955BE is still very capable with new games in the market (btw I have an HD 6850 with it)
 

dranzerv

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Dec 4, 2012
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i will be able to get a HD7750 for free. so i didn't include in my parts list. As for the CPU, i've heard good things about the A10, and as it includes a GPU i thought i could crossfire it with the 7750 for even better performance. other than that i really don't have a fondness to any of the other parts. im looking for a cheaper motherboard as well that can overclock pretty well

EDIT: i updated the partlist and i would appreciate some feedback

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M2WE
 

Rammy

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The only reason you pick an APU is because you intend to use the onboard graphics. As soon as you start adding graphics cards, the cost factor of the APU makes it far less value for money. There's a lot of stuff written about hybrid crossfire but the key thing that stood out for me is that while there are gains to be had, there are also a lot of issues and it's unlikely to be a good choice. Also, you can't crossfire a HD7750 with an A10.

A HD7750 is a fine enough basic entry level graphics card, if you match that up with any modern CPU you should have a fairly solid games machine. An FX6300 is a similar price to the A-10 and far better if you plan on using discrete graphics.
 

dranzerv

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Dec 4, 2012
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i heard that in 6 core processor you have to shutdown a core in order play games that are optimized for quad-cores. and doesn't an APU provide the function of an good quad core CPU along with a GPU?

and what GPUs can be crossfired with the A10?
 

Rammy

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The 6 core thing is rubbish. Different games have different levels of optimisation. As far as I understand Intel have a more advanced system when it comes to powering cores on and off and up and down in power (Intel Turbo Boost etc), but AMD have similar systems.

The problem with your logic is that if an A-10 costs $120 and has a $50 GPU within then it is great value because it covers a solid CPU and basic graphics. If it's simply being used as a $120 processor, then there are much better options, like the FX6300, 4300, Intel i3s or the better Phenom IIs.

EDIT - You are limited to the HD6670 for hybrid crossfire on the A-10 (ie the same thing that is on the chip, more or less)
 

dranzerv

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so in conclusion. i'd be better off using a FX 6300 or Phenom II 955 if i intend to use any other card aside from the HD 6670? but in the long run if I can buy a higher end graphics card later, which processor should I go for?

EDIT - I want a small system with impressive performance, but all the smaller boards (mATX mainly) I've seen for the FX series don't offer up much in overclocking, without the risk of setting it on fire that is.
 

Rammy

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It depends on your budget. We still don't really understand your budget/purpose. The first build I alluded in this thread assumed this was a limited use casual/portable machine for games which had to be as cheap as possible. In that situation, an APU is a great choice, because it gives you a great value system which you can always stick a bespoke card in at some point down the line, but right now will play most games fine (albeit at lower resolutions and settings)
This has a 1TB HDD, compact case, and everything you need, and it's only $350, great machine if you want it as cheap as possible and portability is key.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $342.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-25 04:56 EDT-0400)

However, based on what you have said subsequently, it appears what you really want is basically a ~$500 gaming machine, then you are looking at a conventional setup. I've stuck it in the same case (if portability is important to youbut frankly it's easier to find motherboards in the ATX form so you can cut the costs down a bit (it'd easily drop under $500). This machine is a far more competent gaming beast, and will play any game on 1080P, albeit with some settings lowered, it is a fair big more expensive though.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($133.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($95.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $512.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-25 05:04 EDT-0400)
 

dranzerv

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Dec 4, 2012
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I'm looking for a gaming PC that can play most games without lag or system crashes with moderate-high graphics. My budget is around <$500 and maybe a additional $100 for peripherals (but preferably not so high). I am using a HD 7750 for a while and upgrading to a better card when i have the money. I wanted a mATX or ITX system because a friend of mine told me it would be cheaper for similar performance.

I think I'll take Rammy's advice and build a ATX mid-tower if I can find the parts within my budget. So from recommendations I've got I put this together.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone SST-RL01B-USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite Power 460W ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.97 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $486.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-25 06:43 EDT-0400)

Is there anything I can change here for better performance or the same performance at a lower price?