First PC build with Skyrim in mind.

[joncripe]

I'm building my first pc, planning on using primarily for gaming (Can't get enough of those great Skyrim graphics I've been seing on PCs). I've got some of the parts lined up after research, but what do you experts think as far as my choices so far? I'd like to be playing Skyrim at some pretty high graphics settings, and I know I'll be playing Chivalry a lot as well (if that matters)

Case
* Thermaltake Chaser MK-1
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191)

I know $120 is a lot to spend on a case, but I'm pretty set on the Chaser since it looks to be amazing at cooling and aesthetically as well.

PSU
* Raidmax Hybrid 2 RX 730SS
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036&Tpk=%u2022%09Raidmax%20Hybrid%202%20RX%20730SS)

Motherboard
* Foxconn A9D
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186199)

CPU
* AMD Athalon II X4 640 Quad Core
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871)

RAM
* G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314)

Video Card
* PowerColor AX7850
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131472&Tpk=%u2022%09PowerColor%20PCS%2b%20Radeon%20HD%207850%20AX7850%202GBD5-2DHP)

HDD
* Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EZRX
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236380&Tpk=%u2022%09Western%20Digital%20Caviar%20Green%20WD15EZRX%201.50%20TB%203.)

Optical Drive
* DVD Burner

The total is roughly $650 right now, and I'm trying to stay within that price range. Thanks guys!

 

[cmw0021]

Only reason I recommended the 7850 over the 7870 is because of price. Its about $50 cheaper. As for the power supply, I said Apevia just because I personally have that model and works great. Building a complete PC from the ground up to max out skyrim will be in the $700 range, give or take. If $650 is your ceiling, opt for a cheaper case, cheaper processor, or cheaper motherboard (if your not interested in overclocking).

i5 3350P is $25 less than the 3570k
Case for ~$50
ASRock B75M-DGS $55

Between those 3 differences, youll be down an additional $85. Which should bring you down to about $650.

EDIT: If your interested in gaming, I highly recommend against going AMD. An extra $50 from the FX6300 to the i5 3350P, the performance gain is huge.

 

[joncripe]

I think I've settled on everything besides the graphics card. Do you suggest the 660 or a 7870?

 

[Rammy]

Sunius build is almost undoubtedly the best so far

3450>3350P, it's got a better turbo mode and is cheaper. If you aren't overclocking then 3450/3470 is usually the best option.

You don't need anything like a 750W PSU. Someone suggested an 850W? Oo

If you are going with a 3450/3470, I'd personally be inclined to spend a little more on the motherboard, but it's hard to make an argument for it, you aren't loosing many features.

One change I would suggest is taking more money from the case budget and putting it into graphics. There are plenty of decent cases you can pick up for cheaper. It's a bit subjective so hard to make suggestions, but there's stuff from Antec, Coolermaster etc which comes in quite cheaply.

If that's not an option, there is currently a GTX660 from Newegg which is $180 after rebates, meaning it's pretty good value.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500270
In general, the GTX660 is better than the HD7850, usually more competitive with the HD7870, though in Skyrim there's not a lot in it.

To shamelessly steal Sunius and modify build-

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $660.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-12 18:32 EST-0500)

It's a little over, but I hear good things about the cooler on the HIS card so stuck it in.

 

[voiidwulf]

I've heard the 660 would be better than the 7870 for gaming

660Ti is better than a 7870, a regular 660 like the one you linked is not as good. It's closer to a 7850.

EDIT: Plus 7870s overclock better than 660s from what I've heard.

 

[cmw0021]

Overclocked 7870 = GTX670. And its $100+ cheaper.

 

[voiidwulf]

Yep, definitely go for 7870 over 660.

 

[Sunius]

As far as budget goes, it looks like it's going to be around $700 now, but that's if I use an AMD build. I know most people on here seem to prefer the i5 (and I can see why with the benchmarks I've seen), but for $100 cheaper, would this AMD FX 6300 build still be able to run games on max settings? I've heard the 660 would be better than the 7870 for gaming, plus it drops my price about $20 and comes with AC III which I was planning on buying anyway.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: NZXT LEXA S (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($76.98 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $683.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-12 17:03 EST-0500)

Don't go for AMD build. You don't need 750w power supply unit. Go for i3 instead of FX-6100, as it's better in gaming. Furthermore, FX-6100 will not let you max out certain games.

 

[Scott_D_Bowen]

The texel rate on the GTX660 (non Ti) is much higher than the HD7850...
- http://www.hwcompare.com/13303/geforce-gtx-660-vs-radeon-hd-7850/

The GTX660 Ti is faster still.

Do your games need power or agility?
Does minimum frame rate concern you? (eg: higher average, lower minimum = less constant frame rate with more stuttering).
Do you play with Vsync on or off?
etc.?

At least if you get a Core i3 you can upgrade it later.

 

[voiidwulf]

Yeah, we agreed 660 beats 7850, but 7870 beats 660, especially overclocked.

EDIT: Looking at that link you posted, it appears the 7850 is better than the 660? I thought the 660 was better than the 7850.

 

[Rammy]

Yeah, we agreed 660 beats 7850, but 7870 beats 660, especially overclocked.

EDIT: Looking at that link you posted, it appears the 7850 is better than the 660? I thought the 660 was better than the 7850.

Not exactly. The 660/660ti are both limited by their memory bus width in comparison to the 78xx/79xx. What that means in the real world is that when you increase resolution(or detail, but resolution hikes are the big killer), then Nvidia cards loose more performance than the AMD cards.
If you want to play at over 1080P, then the GTX660 will struggle, even with settings turned down, compared to the 7850. Problem with this comparison is that if you want to play games on high settings at higher resolutions, you probably should spend more on the card, so in a way it's a pointless argument.

In some Nvidia favoured games a GTX660 will outpace a 7870 at mainstream resolutions. In other games, the 7850 is more than a match for the GTX660.
As Scott was alluding to, it really depends on what you are using and what you are using it for. My understanding is that Skyrim is a bit more consistent on Nvidia cards but AMD cards perform higher than average, presumably due to driver differences.

 

[tomniko]

If your interested in gaming, Id recommend an Intel build. AMD look great on paper, but as everyone says, they get demolished. If you have a microcenter around you, look up the i5 3570k. Its $169 (normally $220) and as a bonus, you get an additional $50 off any motherboard. And the rest you can use newegg.


This is the exact build I am about to pursue

It is actually the other way around......AMD always looks bad on paper (Benchmark tests) but they are really fast....
Bro's computer is an i5 I have AMD FX 8350.......

He has Nvidia GTX560 and I have AMD 7870....I can play any game MAXED OUT so far where he cannot......

The 8350 is clocked at 4.0Ghz and Skyrim loves it.......

 

[tomniko]

I've heard the 660 would be better than the 7870 for gaming, [/i]

Wrong. The 7870 is similar price and pulls ahead in most benchmarks.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-geforce-gtx-660-review

This review above has side-to-side video comparisons......

Note that the difference is only a few FPS so get whichever you can find cheaper.....
But I am an AMD fan so whatever floats your boat.......

 

[Sunius]

It is actually the other way around......AMD always looks bad on paper (Benchmark tests) but they are really fast....
Bro's computer is an i5 I have AMD FX 8350.......

He has Nvidia GTX560 and I have AMD 7870....I can play any game MAXED OUT so far where he cannot......

The 8350 is clocked at 4.0Ghz and Skyrim loves it.......

Of course you can. Your graphics card is twice as expensive, though. It's not because AMD is superior.

 

[voiidwulf]

Of course you can. Your graphics card is twice as expensive, though. It's not because AMD is superior.

Well said. As if a GTX 560, non Ti, could beat a 7870. Even if you had some CPU from 5 years from now the 7870 would win.