Gaming Build for Battlefield 3

dandrews

Distinguished
Jun 29, 2011
17
0
18,510
I'm looking to build my first gaming PC. Trying to make it the best I can in no more than $850 bucks. If I can go cheaper, I'll do it, but 850 is my max. I think I have everything squared away, but I just wanted to get some fresh eyes on my build to see if it's the best I can build in my budget.

motherboard
CPU
graphics card
HDD
Memory
Case
Aftermarket Fan
PSU
DVD/CD
Monitor

My main goal is to play Battlefield 3 in 1920 x 1080 the cheapest way possible. If it can handle BF3, it should be able to handle mostly everything I throw at it.

Basically what I want to know is

1. Should I downgrade from a 2500k to a phenom x4 965 and save costs? (I do the occasional video/audio encoding. Not a deal breaker)
2. Will my GPU play Battlefield 3 in 1920 x 1080?
3. Does a 530W PSU give me sufficient headroom. (I might do some mild overclocking, and possibly a Crossfire setup in a year or so.)
4. Can I achieve my goals in a cheaper manner?

Thanks in advance for the advice

Donny
 
Solution
The links given by you are not working.
This build that I give makes some compromises in terms of overclocking,and dual GPU setup, but upgrades GPU and Monitor. It includes a 23" monitor as well.

CPU & Motherboard : $262-i5-2400 & Biostar H61MU3 (Great processor , and decent motherboard)

RAM : $35- GSkill NS 2X 2GB

Power Supply: $55- Antec NEO ECO 520(insufficient if a second card is added in future)

Graphic Card : $240- MSI Twin Frozr II 560Ti (Great Card for its price )

Monitor: $160- Acer 23" LED Backlit 1920X1080

HDD: $40- Seagate Barracuda 500GB (Same)

Case: $35- Sentley Black

Optical Drive : $19- LiteOn

Total(Excluding Rebates) : 846 USD

Rebates : 20 USD

If this goes...

z_4

Distinguished
Apr 21, 2011
367
0
18,960
The links given by you are not working.
This build that I give makes some compromises in terms of overclocking,and dual GPU setup, but upgrades GPU and Monitor. It includes a 23" monitor as well.

CPU & Motherboard : $262-i5-2400 & Biostar H61MU3 (Great processor , and decent motherboard)

RAM : $35- GSkill NS 2X 2GB

Power Supply: $55- Antec NEO ECO 520(insufficient if a second card is added in future)

Graphic Card : $240- MSI Twin Frozr II 560Ti (Great Card for its price )

Monitor: $160- Acer 23" LED Backlit 1920X1080

HDD: $40- Seagate Barracuda 500GB (Same)

Case: $35- Sentley Black

Optical Drive : $19- LiteOn

Total(Excluding Rebates) : 846 USD

Rebates : 20 USD

If this goes overbudget . possible downgrades include :
1. Get Acer 21.5" LED Backlit worth $130. Save $30.
2. Drop the card to Sapphire Radeon 6870 worth $175. Save $65.

These downgrades would allow you to get i5-2500K and a SLI/crossfire capable motherboard (like i5 2500K and MSI p67 G45 worth $325)

Hope that helps





 
Solution