[Solved] Build Advice (~$700)

[supermochalala]

Here it is:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vbEn

Already have a 1920x1080 monitor I'll use for it.

I'm looking to stay around the $700 mark, possibly going up to $720 if you guys have any advice for me. All advice is appreciated! Thanks!

P.S. My priority is on gaming. I'd hope to be able to run most games at a playable FPS on at least medium, preferably high or ultra settings.

 

[cball1311]

I know you are probably going to get a lot of responses saying stick with Intel. I feel that if your priority is gamine, go with a good budget AMD build and put the extra into the GPU. This will be your primary concern for gaming. It's a bit over $720 but worth it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.55 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($231.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $733.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 15:59 EST-0500)

 

[TheBigTroll]

id at least get this. at around the 750 dollar mark, thats when you can get ultra settings
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vbY5

 

[supermochalala]

I'm kind of new to the PC building scene, but are you sure going for a lesser processor and upping the graphics power is better? How much processing power do I actually need?

 

[TheBigTroll]

yes/ if you pair a i3 + a 7970 vs a i5 + a 7870, the i3 + 7970 would win. but then when you do other things such as multi-tasking, the i5 just wins

 

[supermochalala]

Multitasking is something I'm interested in. While my main focus will be gaming, I may also be doing some video and/or photo editing. So would my original build be better if that was taken into account?

 

[cball1311]

The GPU is the main concern for graphics, especially in games. Right now I have a Phenom II X4 sitting at 3.5GHz OC'd and I can play Assassin's Creed 3 on ultra settings 8xMSAA and 4xSupersampling without a hitch. Two 560 Ti's SLI with is less than the 7870 GHz 2GB that I recommended.

Here is some more advice.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/350119-33-hd7870

See if these suit your fancy
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_fx_8350_8320_6300_processor_4300_performance_review,4.html

 

[supermochalala]

Thanks so much, guys!

 

[TheBigTroll]

a i5 would be more suitable. but then the fx 6300 is another option. just that they suck a lot more power than a i5

 

[cball1311]

And sucks more from your wallet .

 

[Coldice54]

I know you were warned, but go with intel. Are you planning to OC?

 

[cball1311]

And kiss that 7870 good bye

 

[Coldice54]

Anyways, here is my initial suggestion, knowing if you want to OC would help me revise it:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.88 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $708.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 19:30 EST-0500)

 

[Coldice54]

Also, the 7870 is an amazing card. I can currently max out METRO 2033 and Battlefield 3. Right now, since it's on sale, I would get it!

 

[cball1311]

Anyways, here is my initial suggestion, knowing if you want to OC would help me revise it:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.88 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $708.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 19:26 EST-0500)

Forgot the OS.

 

[Coldice54]

Forgot the OS.

Ah, you're right. Making revisions based on that knowledge.

 

[Coldice54]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.88 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $693.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 19:33 EST-0500)

 

[cball1311]

And there goes the graphics card. AMD is the only way to go here to give the OP what he wants unless you are going to sucker him down into the low end i5 or upper i3s and please look at the benches from the guru3D link for your multitasking concerns.

 

[jonjonjon]

for $40 more. and you could get the B75 mb you listed for $10 less.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.28 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $741.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 19:42 EST-0500)

 

[cball1311]

My last response to this debate. $711.90 before any rebates.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($217.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $684.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 19:51 EST-0500)

 

[Coldice54]

Sadly, your case does not have USB 3.0, and having an intel makes the computer more upgradeable, and concerning the graphics he could crossfire the 7770. And I did check the benchmarks, they might be about the same, but my last sentence explains it.

 

[Coldice54]

Also, what games do you play?

 

[cball1311]

Sadly, your case does not have USB 3.0, and having an intel makes the computer more upgradeable, and concerning the graphics he could crossfire the 7770. And I did check the benchmarks, they might be about the same, but my last sentence explains it.

There will be a much better experience with a single card, less power consumption, and 2GB of vRAM. The OP is still limited to 1GB of vRAM with CF. What is the difference in upgrade ability with AMD and Intel. As soon as they change sockets, you're back to buying a CPU and motherboard. Either way both CPUs can be upgraded.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/339028-33-does-crossfire-double-dedicated-memory

 

[supermochalala]

After looking over this a million times, I think I'm going with cball's last build. I'll probably get a case with USB 3.0, though. Thanks for all the help, guys. And you Intel people: I thought long and hard over which side to go with. You made a good argument

 

[supermochalala]

Also, one more question. Would my original case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210e001) work for cball's build I'm going with? (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vdMO)