Looking for a good budget gaming build

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Hey guys, Gathering parts lists for possible new gaming machine builds. Basically just deciding on what CPU to build around. I plan on running CFX HD 7850's, re using the one in my current rig, and buying another to match it. I am not brand partial on anything except I prefer Asus mobos. But keep in mind this is going to be a budget build, and I'm not one to spend a ton to have the fastest thing out there. I would like it to be around $900 or so for the rig, including a copy of Win 7, minus the extra GPU. Max is $1000. I will probably run my single 7850 for awhile, and then buy the second one at a later date.

I have 3 CPU's in mind at the moment, the FX 8350, the FX 9370, and I5 3570K. The 9370 made it to my list only because it comes with a liquid cooler, and I would proably be buying one for the other 2 CPU's anyways as I plan to OC, so it seems to be around the same price range if the liquid coolers are added with the others. Have also thought of the FX 6300 or 8320 to save a bit more, but not sure about the 6300 for the CFX 7850's. As far as Intel goes, the I5 CPU's are pretty much max as far a price goes. Any input and opinions are appreciated! Please, no fan boy crap. Don't care about branding, just price for performance.
 
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lunyone
No the case is just personal option. I don't mind a somewhat bland case, since it's going to be hidden mostly for me, but to each his own. I'd rather spend the $ on other parts or a better GPU, but that is just me.

Here's another option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State...
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How about selling the 7850 and use it towards this rig:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $962.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 00:15 EDT-0400)
 
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There is no need for a liquid cooler, a air one works as good as. Only use liquid if you hate big metal thingys handing off your motherboard.
I use a H60 since I got it for cheap :)

Decent units also don't cost too much, only about $30 on sale

I would say get an i5, I'll post a full list later

If you do sell your 7850, you could run a 7970 or R9 280x as shown above and still hit your budget target

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Zalman LQ-310 Liquid CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.75 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.95 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $733.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 00:19 EDT-0400)
 
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This is almost the exact parts list I assembled for a 8350 build ideas. Price is definitely nice on this one, and without that GPU ( will probably use my 7850 for now) it is very cost effective. Also thought of using an 8320 with this config to save a bit more. Also, nice idea selling the 7850 and buying a better single card. I have entertained that idea as well as running CFX 7850's. Can't decide which way to go yet though. More so just want to get the rig up and running in a good enough state, then figure out the GPU situation after that.

 
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This one I like too. Only question mark I have is the MSI board. But, I suppose a comparable Asus board can't be too much more. I've had other boards in the past, but have had great luck with Asus as compared to the others.
 
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Also, forgot to mention, this will be my first ground up build that I am doing myself, have done several upgrade builds using existing machines. And worked on a ground up build with my cousin a few years ago. That one was around a Phenom II hex core and Asus cross hair 2, I believe.
 
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Yea I have no complaints about it. I've had it for a few months so far and it's done everything I expected, and more in some cases. Was a mind blower going from an old GTS 250 to it, thats for sure hahaha. How do they perform in crossfire though? It would be much cheaper to buy another one and crossfire. But I'm not sure how that would stack up performance-wise compared to a 280X or a 7970. I think the exact one I have is about $150 on newegg at the moment.

 
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7850 in crossfire might do better than a single R9 280x, but that might only be good for certain situations. I prefer to stick to a single GPU solutions for a few factors:

* Less heat generated (especially on top GPU).
* Less PSU usually needed to power 2 x GPU's.
* Crossfire complexity might create issues on some situations/games (the crossfire drivers are getting better with AMD - see frame pacing issues on numerous sites).
* Mobo doesn't need to have at least 2 x 8x PCI-e slots on Mobo.
* Generally less cost overall, see above reasons.
 
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I would think that you might get a bit better than the R9 280x most of the time, but you might fall under it at times, but is a pretty decent idea. I know AMD has been working on their frame pacing issues (Crossfire lag) quite a bit, so this should get a bit better than it has been. Thus crossfiring becomes less of an issue to me.
 
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Makes sense. A single card is definitely less hassle I would assume. Alot less to worry about too. Either way, the performace being roughly the same, I have that option of CFX if I decide to go with it. It seems the choices for the CPU are pretty much down to the 3570K and FX 8350. Seems the price is almost the same for the 2. The only problem is that Asus boards for Intel cost quite a bit more than AMD do. What would be the best bang for the buck Intel based Asus board? I was looking at this one http://, but that puts the price quite a bit higher than the 8350/8320 build.
 
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The 8350 is usually around $180, but is currently up to about $200 (probably due to BF4 being released).
It's up to you on what platform that you want to buy.

Here are some options to consider:

AMD w/current 8350 prices and Air cooler (which should be good enough for most people):

*Also Dual GPU options included on Mobo*

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $948.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 22:47 EST-0500)

Intel i5 3570k build w/same parts except CPU & Mobo:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $996.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 22:48 EST-0500)

Intel 3350p CPU, so NO OC'ing, but good performance and good for 1 GPU:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8B75-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $889.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 22:52 EST-0500)

Haswell Single GPU option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1001.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 23:00 EST-0500)

Sorry for the long post, but I think you might have a clearer picture with the options listed. Obviously you can tweak these builds how you like. The Haswell option will need a bit more consideration when building, because you will need to make sure you have a Haswell compatible PSU for the lower power states (Most reputable PSU brands are Haswell compatible, but will need to be checked out before purchasing).

 
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That long post helped quite a bit, I must say! Well, I'm beginning to lean a little more toward the 8350 or 8320. Was previously leaning toward the I5, but after reading up on the two a bit more, it seems they perform fairly similarly in real world comparisons, and with the AMD option I can get an Asus mobo for cheaper than with the I5. And I have a funny feeling that games in the not so distant future will begin to utilize more cores like BF does. Might go with air cooler unless I can find a good price on a liquid cooler. Very nice build you have put together for the 8350, that is pretty much exactly what I am looking for.

With liquid coolers, which ones are recommended? Is the Corsair H-60 a decent option? Seeing as it is fairly cheap, I may just go with that right away. One other question I have is how important is RAM frequency to AMD CPU's? Is running 2400 recommended over say 1866?
 
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Well the water cooling is a nice option, if you have the room in the case and it doesn't cost too much, IMHO. I tend to stick with air cooling, because it is pretty cheap and does the job pretty good for the $.

Well the RAM running at 2400 is generally better than 1866, but it depends on the RAM set and also what your trying to accomplish.
Corsair's Blog on faster RAM on BF4 looks interesting. It's not conclusive in all situations, but is an interesting read. The RAM I selected in the builds is a really good buy and even if you run at stock voltage of 1.5v and at 1600 or 1866 mHz you will like the possibility of running at 2400 mHz on 1.65v if you need it later. It's totally up to you what you want to do, but at the price they are giving for 2400 mHz RAM, it's hard to pass up, IMHO. It's not the fastest RAM at 2400 mHz, but it's not bad either.
 
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if its cheap then get it, but really not much point to it
those bf4 numbers are interesting

I personally run an H60, only went for it because it was same price as an 212 EVO at the time

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AveragePerfDiffRAMBottleneck2013.png



 
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Yeah generally 1600/1866 mHz RAM at CAS 9 timings are usually going to be good enough for 99% of users. Good deal on the H60, Stickmansam. I would have consider the H60, if I had saw it at the price you got it for, but I ended up with the EVO and really like it's performance at this point.
 
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Well, found the H 60 for $40, so I'm probably gonna go with that. I'm most likely going to go with this http:// for a case, so it should fit in there nicely. Found this Ram the other day, http:// and it got me thinking a bit more on timings and such. Latency at 8 is pretty low for 1866 I think, so would this be a good option? I have found it for as low as $65 too.

Edit: Almost forgot, What is the max frequency of Ram supported by the M5A99FX and 8350 combo, would I have to O.C. it to run 2400?
 
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I generally wouldn't worry about the max speed of the RAM with a dedicated GPU setup. The faster RAM comes in handy if you have an AMD APU setup and are using the RAM for the CPU & iGPU (APU) only. Once you get a dedicated GPU the RAM speed isn't nearly as important. The Asus Mobo will go up to 2133 mHz (if OC'd). It does say that 1600 & 1866 mHz speeds are good on it without any OC.

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2133(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz ECC, Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Link to Mobo specifications on Asus website.

The RAM at 1866 mHz will be fine, especially since it's CAS 8! I don't know if it's worth the ~$10 more than other options, but it will work out just fine.
 
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