Need help!

Hardware Hub Build a PC
1

Ok guys, I currently have a budget of $700-$750 and I want a gaming PC. But I'm a n00b and I have no idea whats good for the price. I do know for sure that I want my build to be inside of a white BitFenix Prodigy case so mini ITX only please. It could either be Intel or AMD, I hear good things about both. However, I do already have a hard drive, optical drive and an OS ready to go. So please leave those off the build. All I need is the CPU, Motherboard, GPU, RAM and a Power Supply. I really want my build to be kinda future proof. I don't wanna build a PC and only be able to play the games that came out before I built it. I want it to be able to run the games that will come this holiday and into next year. So if you can, please, have at it and help me build a gaming rig.

 

Also, I should note that as of now, I am looking to run games like ArmA 2(with DayZ) & 3, Battlefield 3, Skyrim(with multiple mods), GTA4(and 5 if it comes to PC), Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, SimCity, Fallout 3 & New Vegas and whatever may be on the summer/winter steam sales. I wanna be able to run these games on high or ultra when ultra is avaliable. Thank you guys for any and all help! :)

2

tiny bit over budget but...here you go

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQzS

3

I was going to start a new post but this one fits my mold as well. I don't have an answer for you Hellraizer but would like to be assisted by those who may assit you. My dilema is similiar. Here is my build.

  • http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Murk/saved/1uu2

I have a couple of questions. Will my ATX motherboard fit in the mid tower or am i required to get the a full tower. I hope i can keep that Fractal mid tower the reviews on it are awesome. My next question is obviously what kind of GPU do I put in this thing. I would like to run pretty much the same games as HellRaizer, mainly GTA IV and hopefully V. I was so confused by the SLI and Crossfire talk that I just relagated my inquires here. Im frankly too much of a noob to figure out which GPU to select. I just need more info on them. I dont wanna get too high on the price side. So be wallet friendly with me. I have Storage and as well RAM. Thanks guys in advance.

MurK

4

Your ATX mobo will fit in the case however if your buying a unlocked chip get a z77 motherboard

Put the best gpu you can afford in there at least a HD 7850-650 ti bost as a starting ground 

A 7950 or a 660ti will be better 

5

1.) Yes it will fit. No issues there

2.) For the same price point? If you're set on getting that case, then most likely a 7870. I would recommend going a bit cheaper on the case to get a better grapics card, but to each his own.

3.) Don't worry about SLI and CrossFire. In laymans terms, it's basically connecting 2 of the same GPUs together to get better perfomance,

4.) If you have a hard drive already and are still going for the same price point then you already have enough for a btter GPU. I would recommend trying to get a 7950 if you can.

5.) If you have RAM already then just make sure it's atleast 1600Mh RAM.

Don't go intel for a budget build. If you're trying to save as much money as possible then I would recommend going for an AMD processor.

Only go for Intel if you don't mind spending more money for a small amount of performance boost.

6

I have no idea what these numbers mean. Like the 7850 and things of that nature. Could you elaborate a little bit. I could downgrade on the case for a better gpu i think i would stop at 650..I think this is a good price for what i have but i will create a amd build and place in on here tomorrow so we could stack them up. Thanks btw

7

Also what is a unlocked chip.

8

Most Intel mini-ITX mobo's have iffy reviews, so I selected a good one to fit into the BitFenix case:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQQt]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQQt/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQQt/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k]Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)

[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77ideluxewd]Asus P8Z77-I DELUXE/WD Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard[/url] ($174.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c8d8gab]G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100354oc2l]Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card[/url] ($204.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-case-bfcpro300rrxkrrp]BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case[/url] ($101.98 @ Newegg)

[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9]XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Total:[/b] $836.93
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-20 04:31 EDT-0400)[/i]

* This is about the minimum that I'd do for an Intel build for gaming. You could change the CPU to an i5 3350p (no integrated GPU) and save about $40 off, but you'd lose any OC'ing down the road if you desire that option.

* GPU is good, but personally I'd go with a cheaper (and more flexible case) to give you more bang for the buck when it comes to gaming, IMHO.

*AMD's options are limited to FM2 socket, which limits you to their APU's. This isn't a bad thing too much, but the socket will probably limit your upgrade path, if you end up using that option. Since this socket has a very limited upgrade path, I have a bit harder time recommending it over the Intel option. Obviously you can build an AMD system and still have a viable gamer for less than my above build.

With that in mind, here's an AMD system with the BitFenix case:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQTt]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQTt/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQTt/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad580kwohjbox]AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($123.74 @ Amazon)

[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fm2a85xitx]ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard[/url] ($103.98 @ Newegg)

[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d8gab]G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003522l]Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card[/url] ($275.66 @ Newegg)

[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-case-bfcpro300rrxkrrp]BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case[/url] ($101.98 @ Newegg)

[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9]XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Total:[/b] $740.34
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-20 04:41 EDT-0400)[/i]

Now if you would change the case you could have:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQUG]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQUG/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RQUG/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k]Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)

[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z77pro3]ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard[/url] ($94.99 @ Amazon)

[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d8gab]G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003522l]Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card[/url] ($275.66 @ Newegg)

[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r]Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($49.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9]XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Total:[/b] $775.61
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-20 04:44 EDT-0400)[/i]

So with the last Intel build you get:

* More flexibility with the setup.

* Better gaming system (mainly because of GPU upgrade) for less!

Sorry for the long post, but I find it easier to peruse a build this way, instead of always having to click on a link and have to come back to see the rest of the comments.

9

Murk,

An Unlocked chip means that the Multiplier has been unlocked (multiplier is one item that is used to set the frequency of the CPU - Freq x Bus speed = Final CPU speed, IRRC). You pay more for this option on Intel chips than AMD's, but it allows you to OC the CPU MUCH EASIER and recently Intel chips that aren't unlocked are virtually stuck at the stock speeds.

10

If I went intel should I get the unlocked CPU? I really know LITERALLY nothing about overclocking at all. As I have mentioned in the past, Ive never once even had a gaming rig or even had time to play with someone elses. Plus Ive heard Intel doesnt really overclock well. Idk if its true or not. My current rig has a freakin Celeron processor...why my Dad ordered that to be installed instead of at least an i3, idk. It barely gives me 2.2ghz so the most Ive ever been able to play on it was like SimCity 4. So does overclocking help with gaming? And if so, how easy is it to do? And thank you very much Lunyone for taking time out to build those. Much appreciated.

11

OC'ing the i5 3570k or even the A10 5800k or even AMD FX xxxx CPU's are all quite easy. You don't have to OC them to get good performance, it's just available for you at a later date if you feel you need a bit of a boost and don't want to spend anything (unless you want better cooling or more room for a higher OC).

Comparable AMD setup:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RXnb]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RXnb/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RXnb/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8350frhkbox]AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor[/url] ($194.15 @ Amazon)

[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-970extreme4]ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard[/url] ($99.99 @ Amazon)

[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d8gab]G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003522l]Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card[/url] ($275.66 @ Newegg)

[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r]Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($49.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9]XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Newegg)

[b]Total:[/b] $754.77

[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-20 17:29 EDT-0400)[/i]

12

So with this latest AMD build, the FX-8350 and the 7950...would that be able to play games like BF3, Far Cry 3, Skyrim, etc on the highest setting?

13

Well you shouldn't have any issues. I've listed Tek's Youtube video comparison:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE

14

HellRaizer, these guys have adviced you really well, but I once was in your position.
There are some things you must understand first:


You can live without overclocking at all, but we advice it for the people like you, that in a future may learn the overclocking ropes and get a boost of performance without spending a cent.

The Graphic card is the main part of any gaming system, and it will provide almost 75% of the in game experience. You got Nvidia and AMD, both great, the higher the number on the name, the better -out of the box- performance, but the higher the price.

The 1st number of any graphics card tells you the Generation number. the current one is 6 for Nvidia, and 7 for AMD, stick always to this, you want the current gen, the other numbers, the higher the better, the more expensive it is and the more power it draws from the PSU. For Nvidia the lowest gaming card is GTX 650 and the highest, the GTX 690, the  -ti means PLUS ( better than the non-ti version). And for AMD the lowest end is HD 7750, and the high end is 7990.

Last but least, don't cheap on the PSU never, but don't get one so big you won't even need, and good cases are worth its price.