looking for a good cheap gaming computer

[themaniac]

I'm looking for a gaming computer that is cheap but can run pretty fast
if anyone knows of a good gaming computer please tell me

 

[quilciri]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-performance-benchmark,3357-5.html

 

[themaniac]

thanks

 

[themaniac]

I've been for awhile and I decided to save up for a $1000 pc so I was wondering how good is this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28o90

 

[quilciri]

I've been for awhile and I decided to save up for a $1000 pc so I was wondering how good is this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28o90

On a $1000 budget I strongly recommend intel.

part by part on this build though,

8350 - not a good value, priced too close to I5's, and is nothing more than an 8320 with an overclock. With these chips, you're going to want an aftermarket cooler regardless of overclocking. the stock AMD air coolers are poor.

1250w PSU - heh, now you've gone to the other end of the spectrum. This PSU is complete and utter overkill. This is the PSU you'd get if you want to run four GPU's, which brings me to the motherboard...

mobo - while it does "support" 4 video cards, you do not want to run 4 280x's here. AMD boards run pci-e 2.0, not 3.0. reducing a 280x to four pcii-e 2.0 lanes will completely choke off it's performance.

 

[quilciri]

My humble suggestion on $1000 budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($162.24 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($86.20 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1029.37
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[AK139]

If you're going with a 1k build you should really get a unlocked processor and an aftermarket cooler so you can overclock. I have added an operating system in there which in the earlier posts u needed. My suggestion would be:


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28PC4
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28PC4/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28PC4/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($200.49 @ SuperBiiz) Unlocked processor so you can overclock
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC) Cheap and efficient (probably get 4.2ghz with this cooler if not more)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.99 @ Newegg) Quality Motherboard Crossfire support if you wish to upgrade
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg) Cheap RAM, Can go for more quality RAM like Corsair Vengeance for $70
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US) WD is the highest quality make of HDD's
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($316.13 @ Newegg) Powerful GPU for its price with a good cooler and some overclocking capability
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter) Sexy Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Microcenter) Quality PSU and modular
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg) Just a DVD driver
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $988.54
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-26 04:08 EST-0500)

 

[quilciri]

If you're going with a 1k build you should really get a unlocked processor and an aftermarket cooler so you can overclock. I have added an operating system in there which in the earlier posts u needed. My suggestion would be:

Good catch on the OS, I'll post a revise build when time allows.

I find more often than not, first time builders don't want to deal with overclocking. Unless they specify, I build systems for out-of-box performance. It's a false assumption on both our parts though. To themaniac, do you want to overclock or not?

I don't recommend the corsair builder series in general. They are mediocre-at-best CWT built units. the only one to have received consistently good reviews is the 430. All XFX PSU's are made by Seasonic. Seasonic also makes the high end PSU's for several vendors, including corsair.

Also,if you're going to give him a motherboard that can support multiple video cards, make sure to give him a PSU that can as well. 600w isn't enough for that upgrade.

 

[quilciri]

On the video card; I like the AMD cards in single GPU systems, but their frame pacing is still behind Nvidia's. In any build with multiple GPU's or build that can support multiple, I recommend Nvidia.

*The pci-e xfire implementation in the R9 290/290x is better, but still not as good as nvidia.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290x-hawaii-review,3650-22.html

That seems to be a bit of a middle finger from AMD to anyone that bought previous AMD cards; the new hardware xfire topology implies that development on a pure-driver fix for the frame latency issue is slowing down. If that's true, anyone with crossfire cards besides the 290/290x (including the rest of the "R" series, since they're re-badged older cards!) is left out in the cold.

So, the only AMD card I'd come close to recommending in a potentially multi-GPU rig is the 290/290x. Even then, the Nvidia solution is smoother.

 

[themaniac]

how's this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/28TRe

 

[quilciri]

Critique here, I'll post suggested changes in a second.

The cooler isn't any better than intel's stock

The RAM is 1333mhz - 1600 is best for this platform. 16gb is also overkill for a gaming system right now, but that's not as big of a deal as the RAM speed.

The Raidmax case is pretty poorly constructed - also only includes 1 120mm fan.

PSU - couldn't find any reviews for this specific unit, but I recommend steering clear of EVGA PSU's as well. The NEX series has had mixed reviews - some models are good, others are bad.

Rule of thumb - never cheap out on the PSU. A failing PSU has the potential to take out every other component in your system. Even when it's working, a poorly designed or built PSU can have wide ripples in current that cause fatigue in the circuits of your components, leading to hard-to-diagnose faults, a shortened system lifespan, and/or outright component failure.

 

[quilciri]

Going with the 3570k was a good idea. The 4670 isn't much faster than the 3570 (or the 2500 for that matter!), and the 3570 is much cheaper.

suggested changes to your build.

- You can buy a CPU cooler later when you actually want to overclock. Until then, the stock intel cooler is quite decent.

-1866 mhz case 9 RAM is actually cheaper than all the 1600 right now >.<

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.47 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.00 @ Amazon)

Total: $1089.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[themaniac]

ok thanks I just wish the 780 ti was at least $100 cheaper

 

[themaniac]

how many decks does the GeForce gtx 780 takes up

 

[quilciri]

two, you can see it in the pictures when you click the link.

 

[themaniac]

ok thanks

 

[themaniac]

will there be any bottleneck with 780 sli I know I should of asked this earlier but will there

 

[quilciri]

Not with a 3570k

 

[themaniac]

without overclocking and how much would I be able to overclock it

 

[quilciri]

If you get a decent aftermarket cooler (the Coolermaster hyper 212 EVO is the goto around here @$30), you'll be able to reach at least 4.3ghz.

 

[themaniac]

ok thanks

 

[themaniac]

I saw on a thread that the gtx 770 has better price/performance ratio if that is true would you recommend that instead of the gtx 780 and should I get an after market cooler with the build so I don't have to get it later

 

[themaniac]

and does the hyper 212 evo come with its own thermal paste or do I have to get my own and if it does not come with thermal paste what would you recomend

 

[quilciri]

There are, of course, better compounds out there, but yes, the cooler comes with decent thermal paste.

I still recommend the 780, it is the cheapest GK110 card, while the 770 and 760 are the same GK104 chips used in the 600 series. The translates into good overclocking on the 780 and weaker overclocking on the 770 (as the 770/680 is close to as high as that chipset can go)

However, If you're going to drop down from a 780 for price/performance, I suggest a 670.

770 - basically rebranded 680. not a lot of overclocking headroom, 670 is nearly as fast.
760 - weaker card than the 670 and the 670 is the same price.

Nvidia is actually going to be re-branding the 670 as the "760 Ti" and charging more for it, so I've been recommending people grab the remaining 670's while they can.

 

[themaniac]

ok