Gaming PC - AUS$ 1500+ - future proof (till next GPU/CPU upgrade)

The question is if I should downgrade some parts like CPU (FX-6300) and GPU (7870 gHz / GTX 760 Superclock) to save some money and buy better parts in a year? The games I play right now are Skyrim, Torchlight II, Anno 2070, Assassins Creed 3, GTA IV, mmos - no FPS.

Or if I should stick with that and OC the hell out of it.

Another question is if the GPU is voltage locked (is that a problem?) and I rather should buy the MSI 7950 Twin Frozr or the Gigabyte/Sapphire version?

I really would appreciate some input here - thx.

EDIT1: Changed some suggested parts & added pcpartpicker link

Kraznevil · August 12, 2013, 4:58am

That's an awesome build you got there, if you can afford the fx-8350, it's a good buy and very fast. If you just plan on gaming though, go with an fx-6300. For your GPU, stick with the 7950 and i'd go with the twin frozr from MSI.

wazuas · August 12, 2013, 5:04am

Hey dude,

I have been pricing a similar build... I just found out recently that pcpartpicker will check pricing with pccg scorptech and some other syd store... You should sign up and put your parts list in there people tend to like that better.

Here is a build I was looking at:http://au.pcpartpicker.com/user/wazaus/saved/27d2

I spent a bit more on memory and graphics. Not sure you need the sabertooth as the model I listed is pretty decent.

As far as "future proof" goes your system is only going to be as future proof as what you want to do with it. For gaming this will be pretty solid for some time I would say. You can always upgrade the graphics card when needed for heavier games.

Edit: If your not overclocking much then the h100i is probably not needed.

Edit: the price for the ssd is not represented in the total so keep that inmind.

W

8bix2 · August 12, 2013, 5:28am

Yeah, just gaming and some photo editing.

I really would like to save some money and take the fx-6300. Just thinking about future games and the OC potential of the fx-8350.

About the MSI twin frozr, I researched a little bit and ppl recommend the Gigabyte version over the MSI. And than some say again the Sapphire is better in cooling and quieter. So I struggle there with my choice.

Eques · August 12, 2013, 5:43am

Here's some suggestions to make it cheaper.

Go cheap on the mouse and keyboard

You could drop the 8350 down to a 8320 which is essentially a downclocked 8350.

The ips monitor is a nice option but if you wanted to save you could just get a regular 1080p monitor.

8bix2 · August 12, 2013, 5:47am

I went to pcpartpicker first and most of my parts would have been from pc case gear. So I stick with one supplier and save the shipping cost.

Your motherboard would be my 2nd choice. Actually my 1st but others always write if you can affort it go with the sabertooth. The next gen CPUs would be on the same socket, right? And if i could stick with a good motherboard I'm fine with spending a little bit more. But a good point to save a little bit here.

The future proof part for me is buying high quality components that I don't have to upgrade any time soon. Like the case, hdd, motherboard (hopefully), cooler,...

A GPU isn't a big deal to upgrade. But replacing the CPU with the motherboard is what I hated most. Especially with my intel builds in the past.

Do you think I need the h100i for OC? i could go with the Noctua NH-D14 but I think the Havik is a litle bit better.

And thx for your build. Gives me something to think about.

wazuas · August 12, 2013, 6:59am

Yea you can overide the suggestions from Pcpart picker so it always uses one store over the others. It just gives you a nice way of managing your lists. Then you can create new lists from the master list and compare the results.

your use case suggests you won't really need a mobo/cpu upgrade in the near future. Having said that the 8350 is about a year old and who knows when the next generation will be released.

The H100i is certainly not necessary but I think it would be better obviously the price to match. Maybe even a h80? See if there are some bench marks to compare between them.

I think mcwopppersnaggy is right. The monitor money might be better spent elsewere or not spent at all.

I think the sabertooth is for sure a better choice but thats almost a $50 saving going for the otherboard and really what are you getting extra from the sabertooth that you will use. I think the money is better spent on a SSD tbh. I would never run a new pc with anything but an ssd for the os drive. once you go ssd...

EDIT: Here are the differences I spotted.

Pro

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2133(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066

vs

Sabertooth:

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz

Pro:

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x1
1 x PCI

vs

Sabertooth:

3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16/x8/x8) *1
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x1
1 x PCI

Sabertooth has an extra 6gb's sata port and exra e-sata port also 2 x extra usb 3.0 rear port

Extra Audio features on the Pro:

- DTS Ultra PC II
- DTS Connect

The sabertooth when pushing the over clocking has TUF ENGINE! Power Design : - 8 +2 Digital PhasePower Design

vs

- Industry leading Digital 6 + 2 Phase CPU Power Design

a bunch of other "special features" differ between them.

W

feralshad0w · August 12, 2013, 10:31am

The build is good, but I would consider the gtx 760 4gb.. its better and worth the money. The main thing is the future proofing. It supports more features and has more performance... That said, its more expensive. It's something to consider though.

8bix2 · August 12, 2013, 3:48pm

Really good. The 8320 is A$43 cheaper. Was so focused on the 8350 as everyone uses it. Just have to think about the OC in the future.

IPS vs TN hmmm, I never saw a IPS panel in real live so I for sure wouldn't miss it.

The BenQ RL2450H 24in LED Widescreen Gaming Monitor would be around A$200

8bix2 · August 12, 2013, 4:01pm

Thank you and also the others for your time. You convinced me to take the Pro instead of the sabertooth.

A monitor is a must have - otherwise I would stare at the blank wall (that means I don't have a monitor at all). Maybe just take a normal TN BenQ RL2450H 24in LED Widescreen Gaming Monitor.

Pcpartpicker is an awsome website and I really should make an account there. I update my post later after some sleep and work.

8bix2 · August 12, 2013, 4:13pm

Thx for your input. The 760 2Gb version was one of my choices. I don't think that I would need 4GB VRAM with a single monitor on 1080p. Sure the games in the future will use more VRAM, maybe all my skyrim mods already do that. I need a card that serves me well for the price in the next 1-1.5 years. Till I get forced to upgrade my system again. But I gonna check the benchmarks for the 760 4GB (it's priced at A$400 for EVGA and A$420 for the OC gigabyte version).

feralshad0w · August 12, 2013, 6:53pm

My heavily modded skyrim uses about 2.5 GB vram. If you are going to upgrade in less than two years, then just go for the 7950 because it has 3gb vram. But if you wanted to just upgrade the system later, you could sli gtx 760 4gb's in two years and save some cash later. The CPU should last you longer than 2 years, just overclock it. oh Decisions decisions...

spitesuicide · August 12, 2013, 7:10pm

The msi 7950 would be worth the 10 dollars over the saphire one.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22854