[New Build] Good gaming and editing PC under $600

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Q

qzyxya

Honorable
Oct 10, 2012
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10,680
this is my first build so i am a TOTAL noob at this.

What I'm thinking
AMD Phenom 955/655 (not sure which is better, same price) - $90
AM3+ Mobo 990x (ASrock) - $130 but with free 8gb ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281)
GTX 560 Ti - $159 with rebate
I have no idea what PSU
Cooler Master HAF 912 (not sure about htis one either) - $50
standard optical drive - $10-20

Could someone tell me if this would make a good build for mostly editing in adobe premiere pro and after effects, with a little gaming on the side (BF3, skyrim, tf2, bfbc2, a bunch of othergames)? Would I benefit from a more expensive processor like the AMD 8 cores or an intel i5? I want the GTX 560 for the CUDA support, and because the TI version is available for only $160. I am thinking the 990x mobo because it has support for up to 32gb of ram, so I can upgrade to that in the future If I need that much (i've talked to a bunch of people who say after effects and 3d rendering can chew through ram really fast). Is there another option that is better for the money? Also could someone recommend a good case for a noob like me? This is my first build, and I'd like one with a good amount of cooling built in, and maybe a good amount of space so I can expand and fit more into it.

Would I be better off going on the intel boat? Pls someone reply.
 
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Important to clarify it cant be used on 3 motherboards AT THE SAME TIME .

It can be transferred if your motherboard is replaced

In practice MS are generally pretty good about letting you transfer oem software is you activate via the phone option . They have been in the past anyway .
 
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Whilst Anandtech benches are useful as a guide, to compare pairs of CPUs and GPUs, they do need to be treated with caution. CPU comparasons are quite good, although they can't take into account the different OC potential, of different CPUs. Comparasons of GPUs are more difficult. Not only can't they take into account different OC, there are differences between different versions, and because they obviously can't retest every card, whenever they add new ones, they tend not to take latest drivers into account.
Very useful, but need "interpretting".
 
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IMO anandtech make some quite misleading comparisons .
What use is a chard comparing the performance of a single core? No one disables 5 cores on an FX 6300 and 3 on an intel quad in real life . Worse still what intel call a core is more like an AMD module

The gaming benches are particularly useless since they get run at lower resolution . At 1080p the results can be quite different

having said that the anadtech link above comparing the FX 6300 to a Phenom 965 is reasonably useful . Since I just ordered my FX 6300 its pleasing to see it beats the phenom in almost every bench
 
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Is there meant to be a link?
Microsoft are often flexible about installing OEM versions, on a 2nd mobo. After all, your mobo might have failed, forcing you to replace it. If you chose to be "economical with the truth" that is, of course, up to you.
 
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I'm really confused at weather its worht it to get the newest piledriver amd FXs or the older bulldozer ones. Which would have best bang for the buck for me, the FX6300, the fx8120 (same price, $140), or the phenom 965? Is it worth it to spend 60 bucks more for the fx 8120/6300? What about the newer piledriver (or whatever) fx 8 cores or the older bulldozer 6 cores? Thanks
 
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I have just ordered an FX 6300 for myself

I think you get very marginal extra performance in a gaming computer if you spend more than this on a processor

Yes get the new piledriver models if you can afford them

The performance of the 4300 will be higher than any of the intel dual cores , and if you can stretch your budget to include the FX 6300 you will have gaming performance nearly as good as any processor
http://www.techspot.com/review/586-amd-fx-8350-fx-6300/page6.html
 
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The 4300 isn't better than i3-3220, until you get to multi-core apps, which very few gaming apps are. Even 8xxx doesn't necessarily beat i3, in most gaming. Agreed, for multi-core there may be a case, for 8xxx, over i3, but then would prefer something like i5-3470, in that price range, given you don't need cooler, and overclock, for decent performance.
 
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http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-4170-core-i3-3220-benchmarks,3314.html
The 4170 is better than the i3 pretty much everywhere , but especially in encoding applications
In DX 9 games that cant multithread its a behind , In DX 10 and 11 games the margins are so small they are unnoticeable

Since the 4300 is more powerful than the 4170 its a safe bet the intel doesnt stand a chance

 
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So, to sum up. i3 beats FX in gaming, although, in some games, only by a small margin, assuming you overclock an FX. The FX can beat i3, in some multi-threaded apps, like video editing, with some software, but most gaming apps aren't multi-threaded. When you take everything into account i3 is no more expensive, than FX, and costs less to run. For a strictly gaming rig, the incentive to get FX is.......?
Would agree, for an editing rig, prefer FX to i3, but, then, would prefer i5, even a locked one, over FX. It all depends on budget.
 
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No overclocking is required for a 4170 to match the best intel i3 in DX 10 and 11 games . Where there is a margin its too small to even notice

the 4300 is faster than the 4170 and will probably be faster in most games than the best intel dual core , by an imperceptibly small margin

In very rare , poorly coded , apps that cant multithread the intel can win . Everywhere else it falls behind the 4170 and even further behind the 4300 .

And then of course you can OC the AMD chips and pull even further ahead if you wish

There is no reason to ever consider the intel dual cores for a gaming pc , and evn less if the pc will be used for encoding where less than $10 more will get you an FX 6300
 
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Thanks, I've pretty much decided on the FX chips for my rig. Just what is the difference between the 1st gen bulldozer and the 2nd gen piledrivers? I know obviously the newer piledrivers are going to be a bit better, but is it worth the extra money? Also is it a straight upgrade from the 6 core fx to the 8 core fx or do you sacrifice something? Like will a 1st gen fx 8 coer 8120 beat a 2nd gen 6 core 6300? I honestly dont care too much about gaming, since that relies on the gpu much more and I just want to be able to play them and not havethe best possible preformance out of my gpu. It will be mainly editing/multithreaded applications.

I've gotten the idea that the older phenoms are going to be much worse, but they are still pretty good for their price. Would I be much better off with the fx's for $40-50 bucks more than say a 955? Also how are the 6 core phenoms? Are they any good?

 
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May be a slightly pointless discussion, for OP, as I would concede 6 core FX will be better, for most photgraphic applications, than i3, as most can utilise, some, if not all of those extra cores, but something like FX4300 isn't better, than i3-3220, in single threaded apps, like most gaming, assuming both have the same graphics card. FX4300 can be up to 40% behind i3. Here are the general benchmarks.<a http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/700?vs=677 /a>. Cinebench R10 is a reasonable comparason, between single, and multi-core apps.
 
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Three Builds would run your game fine there all under 600$...

BULD 1:-
CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.99 @ Mac Mall)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.99 @ Mac Mall)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($35.83 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(if your reusing HDD maybe you can take off the HDD+CPU and get a better CPU.)
Build 2:-
CPU Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor $119.99 (same price as the A10 xD)

Motherboard ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $69.99

Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $40.99


EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $229.95

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply $44.99

Optical Drive LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer $17.99
About 580$ doesn't come with an HDD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Build 3:- Oh buddy here we go 😉
CPU Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor $179.99

Motherboard MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $54.99

Memory Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $38.99

Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card $229.95

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply $64.99

Optical Drive LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer $17.99
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Build 4:- Low Budget build would run BF3 ON HIGH 1920x1080 😉 *comes with windows 7 and other stuff*
CPU AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor $119.99

CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $26.82

Motherboard ASRock FM2A75M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard $54.99

Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $40.99

Storage Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $54.99
OCZ Vertex Plus R2 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $49.99

Video Card HIS Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card $89.99

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply $44.99

Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $91.99
Costs 600 but if you drop the Hdd's and the Win7 you can probably get this for 480$
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor $119.99

Motherboard ASRock B75M-GL Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $59.99

Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $40.99

Storage Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $54.99
OCZ Vertex Plus R2 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $49.99

Video Card MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card $124.99

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply $44.99

Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $15.99

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $91.99
Same as the other build but i thought you may not like AMD so this one has INTEL 😉
Both run greatly and both if you drop the HDD's and Win7 would be just around 500$ Enjoy
 
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How does that more expensive GTX660 compare to the GTX560 ti? Should I invest in that (the gpu) or should I invest more into the cpu? I kind of feel like buying an i5 3750k since its only like $70 more. On the other hand, I could also buy a fx 8350/8320 for less and invest the rest in a better mobo/gpu or whatever. That intel i5 rig you posted,
Build 3:- Oh buddy here we go
CPU Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor $179.99

Motherboard MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $54.99

Memory Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $38.99

Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card $229.95

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply $64.99

Optical Drive LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer $17.99

How much better does the i5 preform compared to the fx 8 cores in stuff like photoshop and encoding? If I lose say 10fps by going with the amd 8 core, but gain a lot of preformance in rendering I'd rather have that. I feel like either way, with a powerful gpu I will get fine preformance in gaming.
 
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Which VIDEO EDITING GAME is that. To be fair, I have to keep reminding myself, we're talking about V/E, with gaming, on the side.
 
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Do I need the 2gb 660 or do they have a 1gb version? Also should I invest in the $50 to the 660 from the 560 or should I just put that into a better cpu? Could someone aswer my earlier post?

"How does that more expensive GTX660 compare to the GTX560 ti? Should I invest in that (the gpu) or should I invest more into the cpu? I kind of feel like buying an i5 3750k since its only like $70 more. On the other hand, I could also buy a fx 8350/8320 for less and invest the rest in a better mobo/gpu or whatever. That intel i5 rig you posted,
Build 3:- Oh buddy here we go
CPU Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor $179.99

Motherboard MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $54.99

Memory Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $38.99

Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card $229.95

Case Cooler Master Elite 330 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case $39.99

Power Supply Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply $64.99

Optical Drive LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer $17.99

How much better does the i5 preform compared to the fx 8 cores in stuff like photoshop and encoding? If I lose say 10fps by going with the amd 8 core, but gain a lot of preformance in rendering I'd rather have that. I feel like either way, with a powerful gpu I will get fine preformance in gaming."
 
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