First gaming computer build

spencer

spencer

Posts: 201   +22
I am planning to build a gaming computer for bf3,the witcher 2.etc for around 700$ this is my current build and would like your input

case:Rosewill Blackhawk:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

Cpu:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Ram:8gb kingston hyper x

Gpu:
ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5-V2 Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121651

Psu:
OCZ ModXStream Pro Power Supply - 600-Watt, Modular, Dual +12V Rails, SATA, 80Plus:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4362114&sku=O261-2017

dvd/r-w drive

And a
GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3 AMD 970/SB950 AM3+ motherboard

let me know if theres compatability issues/concerns or reccomendations .etc Thanks
 
Avoid that OCZ PSU at all costs. This high quality 550W XFX one seems to be a good price.

Not sure which Kingston Hyper X RAM you picked, but you want to avoid the 1.65V kits. This Samsung set is easily the best RAM for the price, rated at only 1.35V and very overclockable which will come in handy with your Phenom II.

Other than that the build looks good, you need to add a HDD/SSD.
 
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Hi Spencer!
Alright, so I redid the list a little and I think you'd get better performance outta this.
one thing:
- does your $700 budget include peripherals? (monitor, mouse, keyboard, windows, etc - or do you already have them?)
also you left out the Hard Drive. Do you already own one or do we need to take it into account?

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk
- Cases can be much cheaper than this, leaving room for better internals. If you're on a budget, a budget case is recommended, for example:
1. Bitfenix Merc alpha - $49.99
2. Antec One - $49.99
3. NZXT Tempest 410 - $69.99
4. Bitfenix Shinobi - $79.99
Personally I'd go with the Antec One, I've built in it for a friend and it's actually a pretty solid case. nice design too. Keep in mind, those cases I listed were just off the top of my head, there's plenty more out there, so I'd recommend you take a bit of a look at some cheaper cases (stick to reputable brands though).

CPU: intel i3 3220
- Switched you over from an old AM3 socket to the newer ivy bridge counterpart from intel. To be put simply, this CPU would perform marginally better in everything from gaming to PS or just general usage. plus it's not much more expensive.

Graphics Card: ASUS HD7850
- I agree with this choice of card. Great value for the money and should have no issues playing modern games on high or ultra at 1080p.

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41
- Great Bang for Buck mobo. USB 3, Z77, SATA 6GB/s, 4 DIMM slots, and MSI make decent motherboards too.

Power Supply: OCZ ModXstream Pro
- I'm a little torn here, my head's telling me to go for a better PSU, yet my heart's telling me stay with the cheap one.
OCZ make semi-decent stuff, but you really should never skimp on the PSU, so If you can afford it, upgrade. If you can't, that's OK (only if it's absolutely unavoidable), but it'd be better (and safer) in the long run to go with a more solid PSU, like the one slh28 recommended, or perhaps an Antec Neo Eco 520W.

Alright, so the total of this should not be more than $40-50 over your original, even less If you downgrade the case.
The performance would be better with this list, plus you'd be going with the newest architecture. If you have any more questions please ask, and I'm sure either myself or another techspot member will assist accordingly.
 
Sorry about the lack of details Im also getting a WD Caviar 500gb 7200 rpm 16mb cache hdd for 70$
already have monitor and peripherals bought. I would prefer a quad core cpu opposed to an i3,I have decided to adopt slh's samsung ram and psu. as far as the case I'm undecided... because I choose the blackhawk for it's cooling capabilites.
any comments/suggestions are welcomed
 
I think you can go either way with the i3 or Phenom II, but the games you mentioned (BF3, Witcher 2) do really benefit from a quad core. However the i3 is way more efficient and is a lot faster when it comes to single threaded applications.

Case is pretty much personal preference, get whichever one you think looks the best and has decent airflow.
 
Well the i3 is technically a quad core CPU since it has hyperthreading (2 physical cores, 4 virtual cores). plus, I don't know of any modern games that even utilize more than 2 cores. Sure there are CPU-intensive games, but even then, the i3 would be able to handle them quite adeptly. If I were you I'd go with intel, not only because it'll perform marginally better than the AMD CPU you selected, but also because you'll be able to upgrade with much more ease; the AM3 socket is a little outdated and you would be hard pressed to find a CPU that you could upgrade to which would actually be worth it. Whereas the intel mobo, it's already the latest architecture so when you get a bit more money in the future, you're perfectly set up for a pretty beast CPU.
 
The antec 300 is a solid case, but it's got barely any features, most notably being the airflow. since there's no cable management in that case, the jungle of cables coming from your non-modular PSU will simulate a tentacle-monster, effectively blocking 90% of airflow, therefore restricting cooling.
If you really love the design or something, at least go for the Antec 300 two.
Although, take a look at the Antec one, which I mentioned earlier. it's a great budget case with nice features as well.
 
I can't say much about that case since I haven't worked with it. 5 minutes of Googling produced no real results either, but, from what I gathered, it seems to be a decent case with 'cable management' and 4x 120mm fans.
but hey, do a little homework on it, and if you like it - go for it.
 
Your build looks pretty good, but I agree with xclyent's tweaks. That will most likely get the job done when it comes to current day gaming.

I recently built a gaming computer on just about the same budget as you. I had a few friends pitch in spare parts, so in reality my build would have been priced a bit higher, but for the most part I followed TechSpot's PC Buying Guide (Swapping a few things out from both the Entry-Level Rig and the Enthusiast's PC) to make my decisions. I also made some choices based on future investments (Mobo/PSU with SLI/Crossfire support, Unlocked i5 for OCing, etc.) so that I can easily maintain the core components of my rig and just upgrade the parts as opposed to the whole thing.

Here's a link to TechSpot's guide: https://www.techspot.com/guides/buying/

I got the following parts for about $650 (Including tax):
Case: $60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 - Very nice case with good features for the price.
Mobo: $180 - ASRock Z77 Extreme6 - Lots of features and a fairly low price. Mixed reviews though, so maybe MSI or ASUS might be a more reliable way to go. I haven't had a single problem with mine, so no complaints.
CPU: $230 Intel Core i5 3570k - Unlocked version (k) isn't necessary if you're not planning to OC in the future, so you could save a few bucks by going with the 3450 as suggested in the Entry-Level section of the guide.
RAM: $20 - 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws
PSU: $80 - Corsair Enthusiast Series 650TX - 650 can be a bit overkill as well if you're not looking for future expansion, so you could get a lower wattage and save some cash.

I had the rest of the parts lying around already (Monitor, Keyboard/Mouse, HDD) and my friend was kind enough to let me have his old GTX 470.

So far I'm loving the rig and building one from scratch as opposed to going out and buying one from a vendor was the best decision I've made... so you are definitely on the right track. Good luck to you and I hope you enjoy your new rig!
 
Hey what do you guys think of the fx-6100 I know the fx series has got a LOT of criticism but im just curious whether of not it's a good gaming processor or at least better than the 965. Also I think amd gpus would work better with amd cpus, as some would say nvidia works better with intel.
 
spencer said:
Hey what do you guys think of the fx-6100 I know the fx series has got a LOT of criticism but im just curious whether of not it's a good gaming processor or at least better than the 965.
Click to expand...
It's good for games/applications which take advantage of extra cores, and BF3 and Witcher 2 are games where the FX processors actually perform very well compared to the Intel counterparts. But single threaded/IPC performance is actually worse than the Phenom II.

spencer said:
Also I think amd gpus would work better with amd cpus, as some would say nvidia works better with intel.
Click to expand...
That's 100% false, I challenge you to find a source to back this up.
 
I have the FX-6100 and I can confirm that It actually does handle modern games quite well. People give AMD more hate than necessary, and even though I can agree that intel make better high-end CPUs, nobody seems to want to acknowledge that AMD CPUs usually have a better bang-for-buck than intel.
If you're on a tight budget then you should maybe consider AMD cpus.
Anyway, with my frail little 550ti + FX-6100 combo I can actually get 50-60 FPS on Skyrim, 30-40 FPS on BF3, 50-60 FPS on Mirrors Edge, and around 30-40 FPS on Crysis 2 (these are all on medium/high settings, ultra for Mirrors Edge).
Also that idea that AMD+ATI and NVIDIA+intel is the way to go, is false. It's just a myth.
 
I was just making sure that rumor wasn't true but if it did I wouldn't be surprised if you get a Microsoft os there gonna recommend Microsoft peripherals, as for the source I can't exactly remember, probably saw it on some overclock or toms hardware thread.
 
Not sure whether trolling or sadly misled.
jokes, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask :)
 
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