Seeking help with building a Gaming Machine.

[McClendon0115]

Hey everyone I was given an i5 3470 CPU and have been wanting to build a gaming computer for a long time and have finally got some money saved up to build one, and I was planning on basing the build around this CPU.

My question is, is that a wise choice? I would have to get a Z77 Mobo which is slightly older now (ASRock Z77 Extreme6 seems to be out of stock everywhere) and there are definitely better boards out there if I was to buy a new CPU but the money saved on the current CPU could go towards an SSD and a better GPU.

I was looking at the i5 4690K which is a much better CPU but also takes ~$220 from my budget...

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. I am also open to any suggestions on components as I tend to get baffled when looking at all the different options.

For instance: Would it be worth getting a XFX R9 290 GPU with an i5 3470 CPU? Or should I consider a lesser card because of the weakness of the CPU?

 

[Diox55]

The cpu should hold up just fine with an r9 290. It may be an older cpu, but it's not going to bottleneck or anything.

 

[ZeroWhite]

That CPU is a good chip. Any 2nd generation and up i5 is still a solid processor to use in modern games. Personally I think you should go with a 280x, 290x is kinda pricey vs the 280x for a moderate performance boost, not saying the 290x isn't a great card just not to sure if its worth it. That would save you 100 bucks right there to dump into a larger ssd, or a more reliable power supply.

 

[jollypirate]

Yes, it would be worth getting a 290x with that processor, a GPU is more important than games than a cpu. Your cpu should not be a bottleneck at all, the only thing you should be worried about is if your psu is good enough for the 290x ( a quality 600w 80+ will be good enough)

 

[TimeLass]

you dun nid a Z77 board for a non-k proc, go with a H77 board will do, i would go for GTX 970 for the 250$ - 350$ price range for 1080p gaming.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1056?vs=1355

 

[McClendon0115]

you dun nid a Z77 board for a non-k proc, go with a H77 board will do, i would go for GTX 970 for the 250$ - 350$ price range for 1080p gaming.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1056?vs=1355

Hey thanks for the solid advice I have had a hard time understanding the differences between all the #76 and #77 boards.

For an H77 Board would a GIGABYTE GA-H77-D3H be an okay choice? Everyone seems to be sold out of most H77 and Z77 boards, or should I consider a Q77 board?

 

[TimeLass]

you dun nid a Z77 board for a non-k proc, go with a H77 board will do, i would go for GTX 970 for the 250$ - 350$ price range for 1080p gaming.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1056?vs=1355

Hey thanks for the solid advice I have had a hard time understanding the differences between all the #76 and #77 boards.

For an H77 Board would a GIGABYTE GA-H77-D3H be an okay choice? Everyone seems to be sold out of most H77 and Z77 boards, or should I consider a Q77 board?

the GIGABYTE GA-H77-D3H is a good choice