Gaming PC >$900 that will run most new games (lowest setting)

[Jake323021]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

I am looking to build my own computer for video games seeing as it is much cheaper than buying a computer whole. What I'm wondering is what parts I would need to get what I want. These are my reqs:

- be >$900
- run starcraft 2 WoL/HotS on high
- run some of the new games like x-com, total war: Rome 2, etc. at least on low settings with good fps ( I know these system reqs may not have been released yet, but I'm sure you can guess better then I what they might be)
- Preferably intel and nvidia as I am familiar with them (but if AMD would be better suited I am okay with that)

That's about it. I don't know much about computer parts and will probably pay someone to put it together for me if I can't figure it out from youtube videos.

These are the things I'm looking for:
-case
-cpu
-gpu
-mobo
-ram
-hd
-psu
-monitor

3 things I could use help on, but I am more fmailiar with are:
-mouse
-keyboard
-mic

Any help would be appreciated extremely. I know very little about what is compatible with what so I' leaving it up to your judgement. Just the name of each would be helpful and I can look up the price for myself. Thanks for helping me! 😀

 

[MajinCry]

Well, AMD is far cheaper than Intel. The 965 BE is £80, the i5 2500k is £165. The i5 2500k is around 25% faster than the 965.

But yeah. I'm not a dollars guy, so I won't attempt at a build; don't know how things are in the US and which websites are the good unns.

 

[Sunius]

^ More like 40% faster.

Anyway, you said your budget is more than $900. How much more exactly? At $900 you can get a PC that will max out most games:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($11.55 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($233.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $907.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-21 17:52 EDT-0400)

 

[whatsthatnoise]

He most likely meant < $900 (aka below), not > $900 (aka above).

 

[Jake323021]

Yes I meant below $900. Im amazing at math and I can't believe I had mad such a stupid mistake. Sorry about that. Thank you Sunius for your answer, even supplying me with the prices and total! Way beyond the answer I was expecting to get.

 

[Jake323021]

Best answer selected by Jake323021.

 

[Sunius]

Glad I helped .

 

[maddogfargo]

^ More like 40% faster.

Anyway, you said your budget is more than $900. How much more exactly? At $900 you can get a PC that will max out most games:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($11.55 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($233.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $907.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-21 17:52 EDT-0400)

40% difference? In apps and some synthetic benches, maybe.

In games, no.

The difference between AMD and Intel in gaming is small in current and older games that use fewer cores, thus favoring intel's superior per core performance. But in many recent games able to use 4, 6 and even 8 cores, the AMDs match and sometimes even pull ahead of intel. It all depends on the particular game and it's ability to use more cores or not.

Intel is still probably a better choice *right now* given his specific games. But thinking ahead the trend is already shifting toward using more cores. So consider this before deciding.

 

[trogdor796]

^ More like 40% faster.

Anyway, you said your budget is more than $900. How much more exactly? At $900 you can get a PC that will max out most games:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($11.55 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($233.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $907.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-21 17:52 EDT-0400)

2GB of RAM...seriously? I'm hoping that was an accident...