Help deciding on a gaming rig

[zenmaster4life]

I need help deciding between a couple gaming rigs. One is a pre-built i5-4690/GTX 960 4GB and the other would be a DIY built AMD FX-8320/GTX 970 4GB. They are roughly 30 dollars difference in price. This build is for my son who is an avid gamer.

At the end of the day, I would assume the AMD rig would be better at running games as it has the much faster video card. Any opinions on this?

 

[James Mason]

Why are the the same price if the DIY is a DIY?

If you're willing to DIY, you can do better than a pre-set combo most likely, what's your budget?

 

[zenmaster4life]

Yes, you would think I could build it for less than a pre-built. I can get w/in 20 bucks but can't seem to beat the price. Though, I have been looking at just Newegg as opposed to many sites. The pre-built computer is priced at $700 which is my budget (includes OS, taxes, shipping). If anyone can beat this price or even match it, I would consider building. Is it safe to assume, in a DIY build the components would be of a higher quality?

Here are the specs of the pre-built computer, it is an ABS Vulcan Computer found at Newegg. Any DIY build would have to at least match or exceed the performance (gaming) of this one :

Intel i5 4690 3.5 Ghz
8GB DDR 3 RAM
NVIDIA Geforce GTX 960 4 GB (MSI Brand)
400 Watt PSU (Cougar Brand)
ASUS DVD Drive
1 TB 7200 RPM HD
Keyboard & Mouse
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit

I can beat it another way which someone posted in a different thread,. I could buy this for 400 :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014QVM2KO

Could just buy a GTX 960 4GB card for around $195 and then replace the PSU with a 500 watt one for around $55. Total of $650 before tax/shipping.

Thoughts?

 

[James Mason]

Here's the best I can do for $700, the r9 380 is a bit worse than 970, but better than a 960.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.55 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($92.99 @ Adorama)
Keyboard: V7 CK0A2-4N6P Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.50 @ Amazon)
Total: $710.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 12:50 EST-0500

 

[zenmaster4life]

Thanks for the tip on the R9 380, I am going to research that as a better alternative to the GTX 960. It is a bit less efficient but as long as I get a decent PSU, should be ok.