Budget Gaming, which system shall be built?

[MojoSGS]

Ok, I have decided to build a pc very soon and I have come to a state where I cannot decide to choose between two builds. I live in Australia and only using pccasegear.com to order parts. I dont need to OC
So far these are what I've gathered:

Mini ITX:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=282443&action=wish_lists

mATX:
https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=282448&action=wish_lists

I like small and compact cases and quiet system hence my option to go for a mITX rig, however for around the same price I could also get something that is twice as powerful in mATX AMD.

Mini ITX:
+
Low wattage
Very compact
Good enough card to play on 1366x768 (35 fps+ on medium to high)
Good Temp and quiet

-
Less powerful
Ventilation is not brilliant

AMD:
+
Power!!
The case ain't too big
More than good enough to play games
Very upgradable

-
CPU & graphics tend to be loud??
Temperature worries me
Consumes more power?
I'd prefer a box than a tower haha

Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[James Mason]

I would go with the mini itx actually. The GFX card for the ATX one might be a bit better, but the cpu in the itx is a bit better than then ATX.
Also, for both of them, I would recommend getting a 2x4gb ram set as opposed to a 1x8gb set. the motherboards are Dual Channel standard, that means they work best with ram sold in sets of 2.
Imagine an 8 story building with only 2 doors, one in and one out. now imagine two 4 story buildings with 2 doors each, one in and one out. Which building style would be easier to fill up?

 

[ewok93]

The 6300 beats the 4130 in most situations, and that build has a more powerful graphics card. Definitely go for the 6300 build if you want performance, go for the 4130 if you don't care as much about performance as you do having a small computer. The 4130 is a bit more powerful with single-core usage, but when all cores are being utilized, the 6300 dominates it.

 

[James Mason]

The 6300 beats the 4130 in most situations, and that build has a more powerful graphics card. Definitely go for the 6300 build if you want performance, go for the 4130 if you don't care as much about performance as you do having a small computer. The 4130 is a bit more powerful with single-core usage, but when all cores are being utilized, the 6300 dominates it.

Tom's disagrees:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-3.html

 

[ewok93]

I do recall specifying "in most situations". The 4 games there do not utilize multiple threads too well, but many modern games do. Also, in the post you linked me, it does say "While Intel's Core i3-4130 offers more potential, you won't be able to tell the difference most of the time. On the other hand, the FX-6300 costs $10 less, sports an unlocked clock multiplier, and features six integer cores that unquestionably benefit performance in threaded desktop applications.".

It really depends on what the OP will be playing, but you have provided a reputable source that states that you won't be able to tell a difference most of the time, and the build with the 6300 features a more powerful graphics card.

 

[James Mason]

I redid your ITX build a bit and saved you some money. The ITX build allows you to put an i7 in there down the line a few years when the prices drop. A micro ATX Intel build could get cheaper still as well...


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($135.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($219.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $735.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-21 03:59 EST+1100)

If only Australians weren't so screwed over on electronics: $130 cheaper in america :/
PCPartPicker part list /
Total: $601.27

 

[matt798]

its a good idea to go with a amd card since your dx11 will be fine with that card and will only be better with mantle and future titles not to mention if u crossfire it.
as for the motherboard and cpu... the pairing is not matching up for the amd side. the 6300 matches fine on a 970 chipset but will not let u properly support the 8350 as a future upgrade as it will be the best pair with the gpu and is a 990 chipset that would be required.
not getting a good motherboard could very easily limit you quickly on the amd side and intel.
with that said a intel motherboard that will properly support the i7 and u can also run crossfire in the future. perfection
today u find yourself playing single thread games but tomorrow is dx11 and the powerfull gpu controlling the show with up to 8 threads

 

[ewok93]

There aren't really any cheaper motherboards that support SLI or Crossfire, so that's not an issue. As far as upgrading to the 8230 or 8350, that would be a tiny upgrade and not worth the money. http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dfS3 This is my recommendation, it uses the 6300 in a micro case. It definitely costs more, but will be worth it. PCCaseGear oddly does not sell any micro or mini AM3+ boards, so that build is using multiple vendors. You can always change the case and motherboard to use whatever PCCaseGear has in stock, though.

Also, the Australian Dollar is not 1:1 with the US dollar. $735 Australian is $660 US.

 

[James Mason]

Also, the Australian Dollar is not 1:1 with the US dollar. $735 Australian is $660 US.

I dunno why I forgot that. I do know Australians have outrageous game prices though...

 

[ewok93]

Yeah, just about everything costs more outside of America, unfortunately.

 

[MojoSGS]

Thanks for all the input people, so far I'm leaning towards the itx build as I only play games such as 2k14 (modded), sims3, nfs, mw3, gta IV, skyrim, dishonored. I mean im currently using a laptop with gt540m and i3 2100 and i can run it on high with 2xAA. 750ti should be much better I think. However the AMD build is still an option haha.. oh and I only do minor editing in photoshop and premiere

 

[ewok93]

Well the 270x is much better than the 750ti. For those games, the Intel would be slightly better, but it will be very close.

 

[MojoSGS]

Well the 270x is much better than the 750ti. For those games, the Intel would be slightly better, but it will be very close.

I agree that 270x is much better than the 750ti. If it could fit the elite 110 and could use 430w modular psu then I'd definitely choose it

 

[ewok93]

Well, what advantages does a mini/micro case have? If you can fit a mid on or under your desk, they have better airflow, so everything runs cooler, and most performance motherboards are mids, meaning you won't have much real upgrade potential if you ever want to make it much more powerful.

 

[MojoSGS]

Well, what advantages does a mini/micro case have? If you can fit a mid on or under your desk, they have better airflow, so everything runs cooler, and most performance motherboards are mids, meaning you won't have much real upgrade potential if you ever want to make it much more powerful.

That's one of the things too, under my desk is not a possibility, that is why I'd prefer the small case. However a small tower is ok too. If I decided on the amd build, should i use a custom cooler than a stock? I don't want it to be loud and run really hot.

 

[ewok93]

A mid case will usually fit on a desk just fine, but mini is nice for that. An Intel stock cooler will be just as loud as an AMD, so I would get an aftermarket cooler if you want it quiet. Ideally, for gaming performance, you want the 6300 or 4130 (it doesn't really matter), and a 270x in a mid build with an aftermarket cooler.