Opinions on getting a new gaming computer

TeruTeru

Posts: 48   +1
Hi,

I'm not that knowledgeable with PC specs so I want to have opinions on this. I'm currently not having any part in mind but it is probably good if it could run Dota 2 smoothly.
  • What are you going to use the PC for?
Gaming
  • How much is your budget?
600$ (could be more, preferably less)
  • Where are you located and what sort of system do you currently have, if any? (I.e. fill out your profile)
Philippines, system... no?
  • Are you going to buy online or from a retail store? (be sure to think about shipping costs in this case)
Retail.
  • Are you going to re-use anything from your current rig?
No.
  • Do you need peripherals like a monitor, keyboard and mouse, amongst others?
Yes. But the 600$ budget is only for the tower.
  • Have you already bought any components?
No.
  • Do you already have an Operating System (OS) or will you be buying one? (this may add a significant amount of cost to a low-budget system)
Yes.
  • Will you need any aftermarket cooling, such as a CPU\GPU cooler or a watercooling setup?
Yes.

On a side note, a reference to a laptop for gaming and could run Dota 2 smoothly would also be much appreciated. Thank you all.
 
It's hard to build a gaming system within a $600 budget, but here's a list I put together a couple months ago.

AMD Budget Gamer
CPU - AMD FX-6200 ($140)
MOBO - Asrock 990FX Extreme 3 ($120)
RAM - G.skill Sniper1600 CL9 1.5v 8GB ($40)
PSU - XFX Core Edition Pro 550 ($75)
CASE - Xigmatek Asgsrd II ($50)
HDD - WD Blue 500GB 7200rpm ($70)
VGA - HIS iCooler HD 7750 ($110)
HSF - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo ($35)
TOTAL - $640

No really a powerhouse, but should play DotA 2 at decent frame rates, and can be upgraded as funds become available.
 
It's hard to build a gaming system within a $600 budget, but here's a list I put together a couple months ago.

AMD Budget Gamer
CPU - AMD FX-6200 ($140)
MOBO - Asrock 990FX Extreme 3 ($120)
RAM - G.skill Sniper1600 CL9 1.5v 8GB ($40)
PSU - XFX Core Edition Pro 550 ($75)
CASE - Xigmatek Asgsrd II ($50)
HDD - WD Blue 500GB 7200rpm ($70)
VGA - HIS iCooler HD 7750 ($110)
HSF - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo ($35)
TOTAL - $640

No really a powerhouse, but should play DotA 2 at decent frame rates, and can be upgraded as funds become available.
I agree for the most part, but I would up the GPU to a 7790 or 650Ti. Maybe cut back on the Evo if the OP isnt gonna overclock.
 
You'll see better gaming performance switching out the motherboard to something that costs in the $80-$90 range and getting rid of the CPU cooler.
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses. Anyway, I've actually found a copy of the receipt of the current PC I'm using (was bought by someone else).

These are the specs for it as copied from the receipt. Prices had been converted from php to usd:
  • Intel Core i3-3220 (3.20 GHZ)/3MB
  • ASUS P8B75-M LE LGA1155/2XDDR3/PCI-E/2PCI/SATAIII/USB3.0/S/VIRTU/GLAN/MATX
  • Kingston 4GB DDR3 Hyper x Blu 1600MHZ 1x4
  • SEAGATE 500GB 7200RPM SATA
  • Cooler Master Extreme 2 525W
  • Thermaltake SPINQ VT CPU Cooler
  • MSI NVIDIA N630GT-MD2GD3 2GB DDR3 126BIT DVI/D-SUB/HDMI/VIDE
  • SAMSUNG 22X SH-222BB/R SBS SATA DVD WRITER BLACK
  • ANTEC DF-10 DarkFleet W/O PSU Casing
I tried to tally the prices for each part with a broschure coming from the retail store it was bought in but somehow it didn't tally with the total. The total price for this was $581 +.

I'd probably get something real similar to this with a budget of $630 - $650. Could you suggest any improvements for this? I was actually eyeing the entry-level rig suggestion but looking up the parts here at my place would probably fetch around $800-900. I'd probably consider upgrading to those parts sometime in the future.

Also, even though I'm not overclocking, the cooling system can't be dropped cause of the high temperatures at my place and the fact that the PC may be used for almost 20 hours a day.
 
The PC you have now just needs 4 more GB of RAM along with a better GPU. An i3 is about equal to a 4/6 core AMD.
 
Your CPU is upgradeable, RAM too, along with other parts. I'd just get a new PSU (Corsair 650W+), RAM, GPU.

Props to you for also posting correctly - haven't seen that in a while.
 
Hello again,

Thanks for the replies. Due to some circumstances, I really can't find myself buying the same specs as the current PC I'm using. Your suggestions are much appreciated though and would probably consider them when upgrading. Anyway onto new specs.

I went to a retail store and asked for advice regarding most of the entry-level rig recommended parts and here was what we came up with. Please take note that these specs already costs more or less 30,000 php which is $737. This is the utmost of my budget.

  • ASRock Z77 Pro3
  • Intel Core i5-3470
  • Kingston 4GB DDR3 Hyper x Blu 1600MHZ 1x4
  • INNO3D N640-IDDV-E3CX 2G DDR3 128B DVI VGA HD
  • SEAGATE 500GB 7200RPM SATA
  • SAMSUNG 22X SH-222BB/R SBS SATA DVD WRITER BLACK
  • Cooler Master Extreme 2 625 WATTS
  • Cooler Master HAF 912 W/WINDOW
  • Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler
On the other hand, someone referred me to the site below which compares Intel Core i5-3470 and Intel Core i5-3570k wherein it claims that if I'm not overclocking, getting an expensive CPU is not efficient. I've never tried to overclock nor have I thought of anything to use it for at the moment so you could say that it is not a likely choice for me right now. If so, is it still worth it to get the i5-3470? Or should I really push more (*shrugs*) and get i5-3570k?

For the graphics card, I'm fine with a lower one right now with my limited budget. Will be upgrading it as time/money/need permits in the future.

Hello again,

Thanks for the replies. Due to some circumstances, I really can't find myself buying the same specs as the current PC I'm using. Your suggestions are much appreciated though and would probably consider them when upgrading. Anyway onto new specs.

I went to a retail store and asked for advice regarding most of the entry-level rig recommended parts and here was what we came up with. Please take note that these specs already costs more or less 30,000 php which is $737. This is the utmost of my budget.

  • ASRock Z77 Pro3
  • Intel Core i5-3470
  • Kingston 4GB DDR3 Hyper x Blu 1600MHZ 1x4
  • INNO3D N640-IDDV-E3CX 2G DDR3 128B DVI VGA HD
  • SEAGATE 500GB 7200RPM SATA
  • SAMSUNG 22X SH-222BB/R SBS SATA DVD WRITER BLACK
  • Cooler Master Extreme 2 625 WATTS
  • Cooler Master HAF 912 W/WINDOW
  • Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler
On the other hand, someone referred me to the site below which compares Intel Core i5-3470 and Intel Core i5-3570k wherein it claims that if I'm not overclocking, getting an expensive CPU is not efficient. I've never tried to overclock nor have I thought of anything to use it for at the moment so you could say that it is not a likely choice for me right now. If so, is it still worth it to get the i5-3470? Or should I really push more (*shrugs*) and get i5-3570k?

For the graphics card, I'm fine with a lower one right now with my limited budget. Will be upgrading it as time/money/need permits in the future.

http: //www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4. html
 
I really dont agree really with whoever you talked to at the store. He is 95% incorrect in his advice lol.
This is what I would go with (in USD):
CPU: Core i5 3570K ($219.99)
Motherboard: Either the ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 ($134.99) or the ASRock Pro 3 ($94.99). You dont really wanna go too cheap with the motherboard. I would recommend the Extreme 4 over the Pro 3 if we are under budget.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile (LP) 8GB - 2 x 4GB @ 1600Mhz ($64.99)
GPU: EVGA GTX 650Ti Boost ($169.99)
HDD: Wester Digital Caviar Black ($89.99) or the Wester Digital Caviar Blue ($74.99)
DVD: ASUS 24x DVD Burner (Model DRW-24B1ST to be exact) ($19.99)
PSU: Corsair TX650 V2 ($89.99)
Case: Corsair 200R ($49.99)
CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 Evo ($34.99)

Total: $875 for the higher end configuration (Extreme 4 + Caviar Black) or $820 for lower end configuration (Pro 3 + Caviar Blue).

This may seem a lot over your budget, but I will revise it to try to lower the cost. Where will you be purchasing these products from?
 
After rethinking the build, I remembered you are only gonna be playing Dota for the mean time. Will you plan on playing any other games in the future (you most likely will)? Which games are you planning on. If you wanna stay in your budget, then go with a i5 3330 ($174.99) (-$39.99). I would still recommend the 3570K, but with Dota, it wont matter. The CPU cooler will also not be needed since the 3330 isnt unlocked (-$34.99). Finally, since Dota isnt that graphically demanding either, you can cut back on your GPU (your choice really). But if you plan on futureproofing as long as possible I would recommend the 3570K and the 650Ti Boost. If you can wait a few months though, Haswell chips are gonna be released with increased performance. That will cause IB (for example, the 3570K) chips to decrease in price.
 
The price difference between the CPUs is only $20 or none at all, so of course get the 3570K (I've seen it on sale for $189, bought mine for $200 six months ago ). Look at it this way, when they test the fresh chips, they bin each one according to how well it does certain things, like overvolt and overclock. The best ones go in the 3570K bin, the ones not quite up to par go in the 3570 bin, 3550, 3470, etc. In other words, they all start out as the same die, but some have flaws or impurities that cause them to under-perform to expectations, and these are what you get for your lousy $20 or $30 savings. The top binned CPU was able to meet certain specs, but even then there's no guarantee it will overclock well - some are better than others - but you get the idea.
As for you not having any use for overclocking, trust me, you'll soon decide that the free 25% (or more) boost across the board is well worth the cost of an aftermarket CPU cooler. After you load Windows up with programs and use it for a while, it won't be as snappy as it was at first, for a lot of reasons. Overclocking will reduce the impact of that inevitable slowdown. Today's unlocked CPUs and recent motherboards are made for overclocking, that's why the multiplier is unlocked (which was very rare until a couple of years ago). OCing used to be done almost exclusively by raising the base clock, which affects the PCI bus, north bridge, RAM, and everything else, so you had to change ratios and underclock things to keep it stable. Now it can still be done the old fashioned way, but only to a certain extent on the newer chipsets, and the best way is to leave the base clock alone and only change the multiplier and some voltages. There are also boards made just for OCing (ASRock Z77 OC Formula) and Intel now offers overclocking insurance on some of their CPUs.
Even if you feel no need to overclock now, you'll catch the fever once you see how it makes your system and user experience so much better. I have a fairly mild OC on my 3570K (4.3 GHz) and a Corsair H100 radiator to cool it, and my temps are under 60c at full load, my system is stable, and I'm enjoying 26% more speed and power for any task that kicks in the boost multiplier (gaming, audio/video conversion, photo editing, CAD, rendering, etc). It put's me at about the level of a 3770K at stock clocks, for $120 less.
 
Is that first part about the bin true? I wouldnt be surprised. Recycling! haha. Well said though. I agree 100%. When I build my PC, I gotta learn how to OC, It seems to help with gaming (you can gain about 10 fps depending on the game). Since he is on a budget though, I think the Asrock Extreme 4 is his best bet. It will handle the OC better than the Pro 3.
 
The bin thing is generally true but the differences are small and it's not very clear cut, meaning there are sure to be for example 2500ks that do better than 2600ks. Really only something to be concerned with if you're a serious overclocker.
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses again. I can really consider 3570k but that will be the last adjustment for me. Any more and it would be unreasonable to my budget whatever the case is. I'll be buying at PCExpress http://pcx.com.ph/

Well I just set Dota 2 as my mark for games cause it never had low settings although it is true it doesn't require much graphics. Perhaps I'll consider playing Guild Wars 2/Starcraft II/Vindictus/Tera Online. Haven't really been eyeing any high graphic games lately. And I can tolerate playing with low graphics so the GPU can stay low for the meantime.

As for the board,
  • ASRock Z77 Pro3 ($114 - retail store)
  • ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 ($184 - retail store)
The price difference for Extreme would really be impossible for me unless other parts go lower. If I take i5 3570k, I'll already be at $908. Way way over the budget but I can at least push it to just that much.

JC713 - I checked some of your recommended parts on the brochure I got from the store. Most of the parts were not available unfortunately. Also, is Hyper 212 EVO the Cooler Master 212 EVO? That was what was written in the brochure and it is cheaper than the Thermaltake. Will get that one if it is. Thanks.
 
I would recommend the GTX 650ti if you are gonna play Guild wars 2. But since you dont care about settings, then get something like a gtx 650. Dont get the GT 640 since it uses DDR3 not GDDR5.
 
Hmm... I really can't go above the current budget. Am thinking now of following your advise in waiting a few months for Intel's new product release so i5 3570k would go down. Perhaps that is the wisest choice for the meantime. Thanks a lot for everyone's time. Every opinion had been much appreciated.

I'll update the post if ever I change my mind (may change when I get my salary or a sale pops up or anything). Thanks again.
 
Sounds good. Best of luck. Unfortunately though, the price decrease isnt that much. Maybe like 30 bucks or so. The motherboards are a ton cheaper though.
 
You'll do a lot better getting the 650ti instead of the Hyper212. It's really not necessary to use an aftermarket cooler and the stock cooler can overclock a reasonable amount.
 
Right a lot of games in general will be GPU bound even with the 650ti and a stock the 3570k.
If you think about it a 3570k is a top consumer grade CPU while the 650ti is more mediocre.
 
Right a lot of games in general will be GPU bound even with the 650ti and a stock the 3570k.
If you think about it a 3570k is a top consumer grade CPU while the 650ti is more mediocre.
I gotta get your likes up kitty haha. There are 2 for you *nerd*. haha
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for the recommendations. Anyway, I just caught wind of a sale happening sometime next week with Asus products. I won't have my salary till the 15th but I've got some money right now to buy one part that'd cost $122 or so ($1 = 40.70 php).

The 650ti is really not within my budget anymore even with its discounted price below. Was thinking of getting the one before it 1gb Asus GF GTX 650, DirectCU, ddr5, 128bit. Any thoughts?

Here's the list and prices of what they got for sale https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByU3sYi7-NStS1FtbWJSTmFLLUE/edit
 
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