Very strict $900 budget Need OS and Monitor too

shell shocke

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I DON'T NEED MOUSE AND KEYBOARD.

I want this to be Intel based.
I'll be playing games such as D3, League of Legends, Maybe Battlefield 3, Microsoft flight simulator, and some other rented games.

I'm from America, so I'd like everything from Newegg.
I need every part including OS and Monitor. I don't plan on Crossfiring, maybe eyefinity. Only thing I do plan on overclocking is my GPU, maybe in the future.

That's about it. I'm on a strict budget, I was told people could make a quad core build with $900 most of my money when I made a build went to my GPU, OS, and Monitor.
 

cranked

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shell shocke

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If I went with the i3 and the 7850, would I have to changed that 430W power supply? Should I changed the MoBo I don't plan on overclocking the CPU, and how's the cable management on cooler master elite 430?
 

cranked

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You could get a cheaper board since you can't/won't OC. Try one like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130616

You could get a bigger PSU. Not sure that you need it, but the money you save going to a board like the one I linked could get you up to this PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

ETA: I am unfimiliar with that case. Newegg reviews say cable management is tight, but on your budget you don't have a ton of choice. Maybe someone else could offer a suggestion in that price range?
 

noahfor

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All of the cases mentioned are pretty decent budget cases. While I'm still of the opinion that a quad core is a better choice for a modern system in 2012 (which means i5 and not an i3) I can't argue that trimming it down to make room in the budget for a 7850 video card over the 6870 will net some very strong performance gains.


As of today, most games do not use more than 2 cores of a CPU, with the exception of Battlefield 3 in multiplayer. This is why I generally recommend and AMD Phenom II over a dual core i3 if there is no budget for an i5. (Much to the chagrin of may Intel fanboys on these forums who like to accuse me of being an AMD fanboy-- but I digress :lol:) While most games TODAY do not use more than 2 cores, this can very easily change at any time. Also a quad core is going to perform better in multitasking and general day to day computer use.

An i3 uses a technology called HyperThreading, basically it allows the dual core i3 to "pretend" to have 4 cores. Its quite efficient, but its not quite as good as having 4 REAL cores.

Although as to Diablo 3, and League of Legends, pretty much ANY CPU on the market can handle those. This holds true with the video card as well. a 6870 is very capable of max settings on both of these games, and fairly high settings on Battlefield 3. Since LGA1155 is set to be discontinued by Intel in early 2013, I still think you would be better off getting your quad core CPU today, since you can always stick a new video card in 2 years from now if you find the 6870 isn't cutting it anymore. Upgrading the CPU on the other hand will entail buying a new motherboard 2 years down the road.
 

shell shocke

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Do you think the 430W power supply will be enough for the system? And Since I won't OC, do I need a z68 motherboard? Or will it allow me to upgrade CPU's in the future?

EDIT: The i5-3550 is only $209? Should I spend the extra cash for it?
 

thegame8019

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Before I ask what I am about to, let me go ahead and say I like both AMD and Intel. But I was curious you mentioned some of the newer games and stated the i3 and Phenom 2 with a mid level card will be more than sufficient to run these games at highest settings. Well I guess my question would be what about a game like Guild Wars 2 would you think they will be enough with the extremely demanding PvP and even the extremely in depth environment and variables that Anet has added in both the PvP and PvE environments. I am soon to upgrade myself due to GW2 release but I wonder if perhaps it would be best to hold out for, if not the architecture, the drastic price drop of the AMD's Pile driver will have on the market.
 

430 watts should be enough for a 6870 video card. Ideally, I'd step up to a Corsair CX500, they cost a little bit more though.

You don't have to get a Z68 motherboard no, but theres not a whole lot of money to be saved by dropping down to a P67 board (and I wouldnt not drop down to a bargain basement H61 which most of them do not have USB 3.0, or even SATA III)


Theres no real advantage to the 3550 over the 2400 for gaming, no... Ivy is at best a 6 percent improvement over Sandy Bridge. Considering the 2400 is already pretty decent, the extra 20 bucks is not really justified.
 


In the case of Diablo 3 and League of Legends, this is correct. These games are not particularly system demanding. A 6870 will easilly max them out. Guild Wars 2 I have no personal experience with but Wikipedia says its playable on Intels HD3000, which is a complete pile of crap in terms of game playing, I can't imagine a mid-level graphics card would have much trouble with that either.
 

cranked

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Very good point. For games he plays maybe sticking with the 6870 isn't the worst route to go.
 


I thought I answered that already. This is because in early 2013, Intel will be discontinuing both Ivy and Sandy bridge CPUs in favor of Haswell, which will be on the LGA1150 socket. Meaning the LGA1155 is effectively dead. Is it possible that say 2 years down the road you could find yourself a quad core Ivy Bridge 3570K? Probably. But you'll most likely end up paying the same amount for it (or close to it) as you could for whatever the latest and best Intel quad core happens to be at the time. (Albiet to get yourself the best in a year or two, you'll be buying a new motherboard to put it on)

Take for example Intels LGA1156 (prior to Sandy and Ivy Bridge).. Yes theres still a few around.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115220

$180 bucks for yesterday's CPU, and this isn't even the best LGA1156 socket CPU they made at the time. This is one of the advantages of AMD (one of the few I admit), Intel does NOT reduce the prices of their previous generation CPUs. You can see that even though Ivy Bridge is well underway, the price of Sandy Bridge CPUs has not budged. AMD on the other hand has dropped the prices of their Phenom IIs as well as their Bulldozers. So, if you're thinking "Well, Ivy Bridge in 2 years will be cheap!".. No it won't.

Now to be fair MicroCenter on the other hand has been selling Sandy Bridges, significantly cheaper than other merchants (For example 2500Ks are and have been an in-store only special for 179.99, meanwhile every other merchant is still charging over 200 for them), I don't know exactly what MicroCenter has done to be able to sell them so cheap, but I can say confidently its not because Intel dropped their MSRP.

It comes down to simple business practices (yes I know I'm going off topic a bit, but humor me), Intel outsells AMD in the CPU market about 5 to 1. They can afford not to cut their customers a break in price for "day old donuts".
 

shell shocke

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I understand what you're saying and I never expected Ivy bridge to be cheap in the future, I just can't afford them atm. I plan on upgrading my CPU AND my MoBo in the future, maybe in 1 or 2 years (where I can afford it). I appreciate the helpful information and everything, but I think I'm going the i3 route.
 

If you think thats the best way to go about it, by all means, its your computer, and its you that has to be happy with it. I think at this point you've gotten some great advice from everyone to make a decision. If you need any help with the building let me know.
 

thegame8019

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Thanks for the info, I have been tossing around building a new rig for the release, now I know I can wait until the new AMD processors come out because the machine I have, though a bit outdated should be ok for now....