Decent Gaming Rig 1000

[Enurta]

I'm currently in the process of planning my build. My budget is $1000 give or take. I honestly would like to be able to play most games that I have at a higher setting. Currently, games like Metro 2033 are crushing my laptop, which has a 660M, and I think it is time for me to upgrade to a something more powerful. I still have room to make upgrades, but input would be most appreciated in this regard. I also have an extensive blu-ray library, so I would like to keep the drive but if it has to be cut I still have my blu-ray player.

CPU - AMD FX-6300 $119.99
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO $35.98
Motherboard - Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 $139.99 - 119.99 with mail in rebate
Memory - Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) $64.99
OS Drive - Kingston 60GB SSD $49.99
Storage - Seagate 3TB 7200RPM $109.99
GPU - PNY GeForce GTX 760 $269.99 - 239.99 with mail in rebate
Case - Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) $34.99
PSU - Corsair 500W $49.99 - 29.99 with mail in rebate
Optical Drive - LG WH14NS40 $53.99

Subtotal: $929.89
† Combo Discounts: $30.00
* Mail-In Rebates: $75.00
Total: $824.89

 

[Eduello]

This is a great build overall. The motherboard and the CPU cooler are very good quality. Memory, HDD, SSD, optical drive and case are also good. If you want to upgrade either get the FX-8350/8320 or the GTX 770 and a more powerful PSU, possibly both if your wallet can take it. The mobo is also SLI compatible so if you want to get a second GPU later you can do that.

 

[Ahmadjon]

If you add few dollars you can get an awesome PC with GTX-770 inside!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($100.00 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $874.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 06:09 EDT-0400)

 

[Immaculate]

Are you within driving distance of any "Microcenter" stores?

 

[g4bandit]

Here's a more expensive option which will be rather more powerful and less annoying: a 60gb os drive will fill up rediclously fast, heres a better 120 gig ssd for like 15 dollars more (worth every penny). As for the cpu/mb part, youd be better served spending more on the cpu and less on the mother board. I've selected a intel board with a overclockable processor which will perform much better for you. If you want to save cash in this build, you spend a bit more but it will last longer over time, making it cheaper. I've selected a more expensive case, but feel free to pick a different one (go with whatever you like, you'll be looking at it for years to come).

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36KiY

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36KiY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36KiY/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36KiY/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($365.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1182.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 06:29 EDT-0400)

If you want to go for a lower price point, go for the amd route instead for the processor. If you got the cash to splurg do this build

EDIT: This build has windows 7 included, which most people ignore in builds... (thepiratebay... fair enough) so you can knock off 80 if you *happen* to have it laying around Cough COugh

 

[Marcopolo123]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Dell)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Urban 21 BOM ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $989.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 06:27 EDT-0400)




PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.29 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.58 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Dell)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1043.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 06:51 EDT-0400)


Awesome build, would go with fractal design node 304 build

 

[AnEwG]

OK lets see a comparison between the cheap motherboard you are going to get with the suggested Intel build and the one you wanted to go for in your build:

MSI H81M-E33:
Memory Slots 2 x 240-pin DIMM
Memory Type DDR3-1066/1333/1600
Max Memory 16GB
RAID Support No
Onboard Video Depends on CPU
CrossFire Support No
SLI Support No
SATA 3 Gb/s 2
SATA 6 Gb/s 2
Onboard Ethernet (1) 10/100/1000 Mbps

Now compare that to the M5A99FX PRO R2.0:

Memory Slots 4 x 240-pin DIMM
Memory Type DDR3-1066/1333/1600/1866/2133
Max Memory 32GB
RAID Support No
Onboard Video No
CrossFire Support Yes
SLI Support Yes
SATA 6 Gb/s 7
eSATA 3Gb/s 1
Onboard Ethernet (1) 10/100/1000 Mbps
Onboard USB 3.0 Header(s) Yes

And about the "much better" performance with the "much" expensive Intel processor will only be apparent in games which favors stronger single threading, in game like Metro 2033 you won't notice a difference:
http://media.bestofmicro.com/F/B/371207/original/Metro.png

The suggested cheap Biostar motherboard won't do for overclocking the i5. On the other hand the Asus motherboard you choose is great for overclocking the FX-6300 and it has great features as well since it is a top of the line high end motherboard.

The GTX 760 is sufficient at 1080p resolution.

 

[Enurta]

I think I have settled on a final build. I know I can't get everything in one build and have to make compromises. I think this gives me the most bang for my buck while keeping it under 1000. How does this look?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $989.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 08:44 EDT-0400)

 

[Eduello]

I think I have settled on a final build. I know I can't get everything in one build and have to make compromises. I think this gives me the most bang for my buck while keeping it under 1000. How does this look?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $989.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 08:44 EDT-0400)

Looks good IMO.

 

[Immaculate]

i3 will beat fx 6300 is just about every single game except Crysis 3. With i3 being better than most FX cpus, the i5 will take the cake vs any FX cpu. Pairing the 770 with an FX you're bottlenecking the 770 from the very start.

 

[AnEwG]

If he is playing MMOs or games that are poorly optimized then your statement is true, but saying that an i3 chip is better than any FX chip for gaming in all games except Crysis 3 is quite biased. The FX chip comes with an unlocked multiplier as well and overclocks pretty well.

Here are some benchmarks of games other than Crysis 3:
Metro: Last Light
http://www.xbitlabs.com/images/cpu/core-i3-4340-4330-4130/Charts-1/metro.png
Tomb Raider:
http://techreport.com/r.x/a10-6800k/tr-fps.gif
Even the FX-4300 holds its own against an i3-3220 in older titles like Arkham City:
http://lab501.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/batman_1920.jpg
BF 4:
http://gamegpu.ru/images/remote/http--www.gamegpu.ru-images-stories-Test_GPU-Action-Battlefield_4-test-bf4_proz_2.jpg
Far Cry 3:
http://i.imgur.com/rf3BoIh.png
Even in Metro 2033, a game that doesn't scale well on AMD processors, the frame rate difference from going form an i3 to an i5 is small and even smaller between the FX-6300 and i3-3220 with the former winning by 1 fps in min fps, not that such small difference matters anyway:
http://media.bestofmicro.com/F/B/371207/original/Metro.png

 

[Immaculate]

i3-sandy tearing up 8350 - http://www.techspot.com/review/787-thief-benchmarks/page4.html

i3-sandy even with 8350 with 700Mhz less - http://www.techspot.com/review/734-battlefield-4-benchmarks/page6.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/733-batman-arkham-origins-benchmarks/page5.html

i3-sandy just 3fps difference with 700Mhz less, imagine haswell would be faster - http://www.techspot.com/review/712-arma-3-benchmarks/page5.html

i3-sandy losing, I bet i3-4340@3.6GHz will make it a closer matchup - http://www.techspot.com/review/670-metro-last-light-performance/page6.html

Crysis 3 - i3 gets beat but the i5 is right there with it with it at 800MHz slower - http://www.techspot.com/review/642-crysis-3-performance/page6.html

Far Cry 3 - http://www.techspot.com/review/615-far-cry-3-performance/page6.html

Skyrim - http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.html

 

[Enurta]

Then what would be the best cpu/mb combo for approx. $250 that you would suggest?

 

[AnEwG]

We already know that clock for clock Intel is better but that wasn't the point. Also the FX chips can overclock much better than any non K Haswell/SB chips which can only achieve minor overclocks using the BCLK.
Thief scales poorly on any thread count higher than 4, it is a game that is more dependent on single threaded performance and hence why the FX chips struggle, it is basically a worst case scenario for an FX chip.

In the same BF4 benchmark the SB i5 is only 1 fps higher than the FX-8350 as well if you didn't already notice.
In Arma 3 the i5 SB is also only 3 FPs faster and it is 30$ more expensive.
In metro last light: Why bet? In the benchmark I posted it is apparent that at 1080p all the processors (INcluding the i5) have very similar performance and when you lower the resolution, the FX-8350 KILLS the i3-4340. Did you actually take a look at the benchmarks I posted?
In Crysis 3 it is 1 FPS higher than the i5.
Far Cry 3: 1 FPS difference with the i5.
Conclusion: In almost every single benchmark you have posted the difference in fps is very minimal some times even 1 fps or less, since at 1080p most of these games are more GPU limited than CPU limited. The only two exceptions are Skyrim and Thief, two games which favor stronger single threaded performance over core count. That actually confirms to what I said before, however in the same way Intel CPUs win by a good lead in these games, the FX-6300 also win by a good lead in well-threaded titles against the similarly priced i3, Tomb Raider is a good example of that.
Edit: Sorry I made a mistake it was the IB not SB processors.

 

[Immaculate]

tomb raider is not very CPU intensive, not a good example.. - http://www.techspot.com/review/645-tomb-raider-performance/page5.html

The fact you say it yourself the 8350(top of line) @4.0GHz within 1fps of an old i3(bottom line) proves the point im trying to make, even with AMDs more cores intel is much more efficient. AMD cpus are very, very inefficient.

 

[AnEwG]

It is not that Tomb raider isn't CPU intensive, it just that it is better optimized. The fact that you keep ignoring as well is that the more expensive IB i5 was also within 1 fps difference against the FX-8350 in almost every benchmark you have posted due to the games being more GPU bound at 1080p and when you lower the resolutions it is apparent in well multi-threaded titles like Metro: Last Light, that the FX chips DESTROYS the i3 and win against the IB and Haswell i5s. That actually negates the point you are trying to make. The AMD CPUs are more efficient in multi-threading, and any well multi-threaded game proves that, while Intel chips are better at single threading which I already admitted.

 

[Immaculate]

8350 sells for like $185. That's hardly a deal when you can get i5s for $200. Irrelevant to OP but 8350 is same price as 4670K at Microcenter.

MLL: Intel with half the cores and 800MHz slower is beating a 8350 at a more relevant resolution on more relevant settings considering the GPUs that are being suggested. You would never play at the low res/low settings you posted, with the gpus being suggested.

 

[Ahmadjon]

8350 sells for like $185. That's hardly a deal when you can get i5s for $200. Irrelevant to OP but 8350 is same price as 4670K at Microcenter.

MLL: Intel with half the cores and 800MHz slower is beating a 8350 at a more relevant resolution on more relevant settings considering the GPUs that are being suggested. You would never play at the low res/low settings you posted, with the gpus being suggested.

+1
Micricenter has i5-4670k for 189.99$ ONLY!!!

 

[AnEwG]

8350 sells for like $185. That's hardly a deal when you can get i5s for $200. Irrelevant to OP but 8350 is same price as 4670K at Microcenter.

MLL: Intel with half the cores and 800MHz slower is beating a 8350 at a more relevant resolution on more relevant settings considering the GPUs that are being suggested. You would never play at the low res/low settings you posted, with the gpus being suggested.

Where is it beating the FX chips? In two badly optimized titles? You keep coming back to the same point, repeating the same thing over and over again, the Haswell chips are clocked slower and has half the integer core count but they have the same FPU count, and I already repeatedly admitted that they are superior in single-threaded performance but as most of the benchmarks you yourself has posted demonstrates it amounts to minimal difference in fps if all, and sometimes even in favor of the AMD chip. The benchmark at lower resolution which usually shift the load to the CPU, just shows that in a well multi-threaded title the FX chips easily win over the i3 chips and over the i5 chips by a decent lead as well. I don't think there is any point of this argument dragging on any longer since you seem to be stuck in a loop.
I don't remember ever suggesting the FX-8350 to the OP, actually the main reason I was opposed to the i5 in the first place is because of the cheap suggested motherboards that were paired with it to compensate for its price.
The OP has already stated that he has a 250$ budget for CPU+mobo, that leaves him with 50$/60$ for the motherboard, and at that price point it is meaningless to get a K series processor because you won't be able to achieve any decent OC on a 60$ mobo, so he is better off going with i5 with a locked multi and dropping the cooler and then he will have more money to get a nice motherboard with better features(hopefully).