First time home PC build for $700

[Heinrich Thetard]

I want to build my own pc for the first time. $700 is my maximum expenditure. i would like to get an amd but im never sure if it is worth it compared to the intel range. i cannot unederstand the difference; AMD on average seem to have better performance on paper (4.0 Ghz for AMD vs the 3.4 Ghz for i7's), but even from my own experience ive found that intel runs smoother, please explain if possible. the idea would be that the pc remains upgrade-able without compromising on the performance. I want to install BF3 (and eventually BF4) on it and play without any lag as that is the problem with my current laptop (hence the upgrade to Desktop). enough is enough now. thanks for all the help.

 

[Transmaniacon]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($204.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $692.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-18 08:53 EST-0500)

Intel performs better, but it costs more. There is more to CPU performance than clock speed, but AMD will still give you a great gaming computer. If you need an OS, I will need to make some changes, otherwise this would fit your needs well.

 

[Ratul Chakrabarty]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.32 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($215.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec GX700 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $691.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-18 08:57 EST-0500)

 

[Heinrich Thetard]

thanks for the quick response. i would probably need windows 8 as my os. i was considering ubuntu but im not sure whether il be able to play all my games on the os. the pc will be for gaming primarily with some varsity programs but that is very mellow.

 

[Transmaniacon]

Since you need an OS, I made a couple changes:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.34 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($83.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($73.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($204.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $697.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-18 10:17 EST-0500)