Need help building a low/medium budget PC for gaming

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Super-TeddyGuy

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May 6, 2013
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I'm buying a new PC soon, but I have no experience with building one on my own (choosing parts and building it) what-so-ever, so after some research and I came up with this parts:

-Intel Core i7-3770S
-Cooler Master Vortex Plus 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing (CPU Cooler)
-MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
-Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 RAM Memory
-Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
-MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card
-Fractal Design Core 1000 Cases, Black
-Cooler Master Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply
-Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer

But, some time ago, I talked to a close friend of mine that works in a computer store and he said four things to me:

-First: He said that micro ATX motherboards aren't recommended for gaming PCs because they warm up really easily and recommended buying an ATX full tower motherboard;
-Second: The power supply that I'm using isn't going to give me enough wattage and the PC would turn off by itself when I'm playing;
-Third: That instead of using a power supply from cooler master, I shoud use a Zalman power supply.
-Fourth: The next Generation of Video Cards is coming really soon, so my PC will be obsolete in no time.

Now here is the thing: I'm going to the USA in two weeks from now, and since everything in my country (Brazil) is expensive, I'm going to use this oportunity to buy all my PC components in there, but since that talk with my friend, I'm really unconfortable with my build, and now I want to change the Motherboard and the power supply of my build but I dont know what to use and I don't think I'm going to the USA again any time soon, so I cannot wait the next gen of video cards to get released.
Also, I need something that fits my budget that is something between 700-900 dollars.

Now here is the question: Do you guys thing that this build is an efficient one for my budget? And what motherboard and Power Supply should I use?

More Info:
Approximate Purchase Date: in two-three weeks

Budget Range: 700-900 dollars

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and School work

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, but in Brazil.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: None

Location: Campinas/SP, Brazil, but buying in Boston, USA

Parts Preferences: No brand preference

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Not sure what this is...

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: The motherboard from my old PC literaly fried and since is an old PC, I'm buying a new one.





P.S. (Since I'm from Brazil, naturaly, English isn't my native language so forgive me for any grammar or spelling mistakes.)
 
Solution
J
I wouldn't use an mATX unless you need to because of the size of your case. In turn, I wouldn't use a small case unless you have a specific reason to do so.
That PSU is a little small for that rig, but more importantly it's from a poor-quality brand. You want to get Antec, Corsair, or SeaSonic when you buy a power supply.
I've not really heard anything for or against Zalman power supplies, but I would still go with one of the aforementioned brands.
The nVidia 700 series is coming out very soon, but a well made rig using current cards isn't just going to suddenly cease to be functional. If you have the option to wait on purchasing until after the release of the 700 series, I would, due to it likely shaking up GPU prices. However, the...
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Zalman sucks, only buy from XFX, Corsair, Antec, and Seasonic. Also, double that RAM. 8GB is a must in a system over 500$. Finally, an i7 makes little difference in gaming, especially the S series. Get these things:

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157304

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=xfx%20550&IsVirtualParent=1

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231645


Can you buy from somewhere other than Newegg? If so, I might be able to get you a MUCH better deal.

 
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Thanks for the tips, and yes, I only used this websites as references for the parts, I'm still going to search somewhere else to buy al the part. Do you have a store or a website that you recommend?
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $852.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 17:21 EDT-0400)



OK, this is pretty good. It should run games on pretty high settings without trouble.
 
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I wouldn't use an mATX unless you need to because of the size of your case. In turn, I wouldn't use a small case unless you have a specific reason to do so.
That PSU is a little small for that rig, but more importantly it's from a poor-quality brand. You want to get Antec, Corsair, or SeaSonic when you buy a power supply.
I've not really heard anything for or against Zalman power supplies, but I would still go with one of the aforementioned brands.
The nVidia 700 series is coming out very soon, but a well made rig using current cards isn't just going to suddenly cease to be functional. If you have the option to wait on purchasing until after the release of the 700 series, I would, due to it likely shaking up GPU prices. However, the change is likely to be less than what you would be expending to buy in Brazil.

I would recommend this build, if you have no intention of overclocking (note: the sale on the PSU expires soon, so you may need to downgrade that unless you can order ahead of time):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.16 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.61 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $901.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 17:26 EDT-0400)
Edit: Just noticed that you need an OS. One moment, I will rectify my build.
Edit 2: Build altered to add OS.
 
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Solution


He said that he did not want to overclock, so a -k series CPU and CPU cooler won't be terribly useful to him.
 
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Thanks Thanatos and Jack, both of you helped me alot and saved me some good time but I will go with the build that Jack made, but thanks both of you.

Now the next thing I need to do is find a good internet provider here in Brazil which is almost impossible on this hell on earth that I live... hehehe, well many thanks for both of you!
 
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I'm glad we were able to help!

I feel your pain. I lived in an archipelago for most of my life, and the internet was barely good enough to load 360p YouTube videos.

Good luck on the internet hunt and happy gaming!
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1038.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 18:00 EDT-0400)

Ups already solved
 
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Also, that build is significantly weaker than the ones we suggested.
 
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