Good motherboard + CPU for gaming?

[johnbytost]

Hello guys, I'm fairly new to building my own PC (or more in my case, slowly upgrading), and would like to know a good motherboard + CPU combo that would be good for gaming (preferably overclockable incase needed.)

As of now I have looked and found a combo that I think would be good, but would like your opinion on.

MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157330

CPU: Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G630
URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116406

If you guys know of any better things for, that would be great. I am restricted by price though, as I only have a minimum wage job, and no self-control with money

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

That is not a very good combo. There is no point in getting a z77 mobo unless you have an overclockable cpu.

 

[johnbytost]

Ah, I had thought I saw that somewhere, that it wasnt overclockable. Was slightly hoping it was wrong. Any suggestions for a good cpu that can be overclocked?

 

[kassuba39]

I'd suggest going AMD. Are you on a small budget?

 

[johnbytost]

I'd say a moderate budget. And well I can't say I'm for AMD. My laptop is a AMD, and was twice as good spec-wise with my desktop, and my desktop was faster. If you can suggest a good and reliable AMD chip, then I'll take your advice!

 

[maxalge]

Hello guys, I'm fairly new to building my own PC (or more in my case, slowly upgrading), and would like to know a good motherboard + CPU combo that would be good for gaming (preferably overclockable incase needed.)

As of now I have looked and found a combo that I think would be good, but would like your opinion on.

MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157330

CPU: Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G630
URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116406

If you guys know of any better things for about the same price, that would be great. I am restricted by price though, as I only have a minimum wage job, and no self-control with money

So you have a $175 budget for both?

 

[johnbytost]

Well no, sorry, I worded that wrong. I'll fix it now. What I meant was that I'm trying to stay fairly cheap, but still good.

 

[kassuba39]

Well no, sorry, I worded that wrong. I'll fix it now. What I meant was that I'm trying to stay fairly cheap, but still good.

What you're going to want is this:

MOBO: MSI 760GM-P34(FX) AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130657

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

I'm planning on getting this setup myself because a buddy of mine currently has it and absolutely loves it. The CPU I recommended is unclocked too so you can overclock it with ease. If you're questionable on the CPU it's very popular, just Youtube the games you want to play with this processor and a potential video card. Also account the framerate is nerfed a bit because of their recording software.

 

[johnbytost]

I like how that looks actually. Nice pricing for it! My only question is that it only has 1 PCI Express 2.0 slot. Is crossfire/SLI worth it, or should i just stick with 1 GPU, and slowly upgrade it as needed?

 

[kassuba39]

What I am doing is getting just 1 GPU. In particular the Sapphire Radeon 6670 1GB DDR3 which only runs $64.99. My friend put this in his rig and it runs great! In some's opinion it's a low end graphics card and to stay away from it if your intending to game but... you can actually do a lot with this! The 2.1 PCI Express on this card is compatible with the PCI 2.0 on the motherboard so no worries on compatibility! I'm just getting this card and once it starts to get outdated, I'll be able to get a card like a 550ti because the AMD Phenom I recomended is a total workhorse.

 

[kassuba39]

I like how that looks actually. Nice pricing for it! My only question is that it only has 1 PCI Express 2.0 slot. Is crossfire/SLI worth it, or should i just stick with 1 GPU, and slowly upgrade it as needed?

Also, what games do you plan on playing? How big is your monitor?

 

[johnbytost]

Okay, that sounds great then! And well an assortment of games. Planetside 2 plus other FPS games. Like Half-Life 3 (If it ever comes out) and perhaps some battlefield again. Really just don't like consoles due to being a PC gamer my whole life, so.

And my monitor is a 19" Samsung Syncmaster 932BW.

For christmas I am also getting me a GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB

URL: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

Though now that I really look at that, with the motherboard you recommended, I'm not sure if that's a good choice. And it's been out of stock for 2 months now

Also, could you recommend a good RAM manufacturer for that motherboard? I know that there are some problems for RAM with certain motherboards not compatible with some RAM chips. I'm aiming for 8 gigs, due to the low price of RAM ha

 

[kassuba39]

That graphics card should do just fine! And, from my reading up on the motherboard, the only con is that sometimes the ram can get in the way of your cpu fan. Do you plan on putting an after-market fan on?

I think with this you'd be safe with this either way:
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $33.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422

 

[kassuba39]

...the motherboard I recommended on is in stock on Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130657

 

[johnbytost]

I have already purchased a aftermarket fan for it, a coolermaster hyper 212 plus. I am actually upgrading my PC, but it's as good as new when I replace the motherboard. I will be wiping everything off the HDDs I have, and starting over completely. And okay, thanks for your input on the GPU! And for the RAM! And I meant the GPU I had selected, is not currently in stock. But either way, thanks for all the help! I think I'll be purchasing these with my next pay!

 

[kassuba39]

Okay well if you bought an aftermarket fan, you probably shouldn't get that mobo I recommended. In some of the reviews I read they said if there's an aftermarket fan on it, it gets quite crowded and makes it then hard to place your ram. Maybe you could give this one a try but, I can't find many reviews on it. It seems fine to me though.

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 AM3+ AMD 760G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565

This one has two dual-channel memory slots. Not an extreme upgrade from the MSI Mobo but if you ever want more ram you can add it easily! The ram I recommended would still be fine on this.

 

[johnbytost]

That one looks nice aswell! And includes some USB 3.0 incase I ever come across anything that it would be useful for! Thanks buddy, you've been a great help!

 

[camohanna]

If you want intel, an i5 and a z68 will go nicely with that 7850, thats if you have more to spend

 

[johnbytost]

Thanks for the suggestion camohanna! Unfortunately that is alittle over my price range. But thanks for the help!

 

[camohanna]

No problems, in that case, look for AMD as there is no point in having a i3 for gaming as it is only dual core.

ASrock 970 extreme4 and FX-4170 or higher CPU will do you well.