Budget Gaming PC

maxwellian on 10/01/2013 - 22:04

Hi, Looking to piece together a budget gaming PC after being using OSX based computers for the last 10 years I am bit out of the loop. I have a windows 7 licence. As well as a 128GB SSD (sandisk) and a 2tb external hdd). I also have 16GB ram in my HP N40L which only recognises as 8GB.

So plan at the moment was something like this
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Intel-3rd-Gen-Core-i3-3220-CPU-Du…

And then popping the 8GB ram into the MicroServer and putting the 16GB G.Skill Ares DDR3 PC10600 ram into the new pc. Going to likely purchase a mates old Radeon 7770 1GB as he is upgrading it to something a little fancier.

I have an Antec Case with matching PSU laying around that will suit as well. My main question to ask now is can anyone suggest anything cheaper than the linked combo, or anything I should be looking at instead.

Intention is a "SteamBox" to play CS:Go and the likes, and to have a capable machine ready to run when Sim City gets here. Maximum resolution I expect to need is 1920x1080 (HD via HDMI to television). Likely will purchase a monitor at some point tho.

Computing

Comments

cooldude123 on 10/01/2013 - 22:12

+1

Probably might be a better idea to purchase from a local store such as MSY or the like rather than eBay and will save you the trouble of warranty issues etc. down the track.

How much were you intending to spend?
- maxwellian on 10/01/2013 - 22:32
  
  Budget for peices I need to go and buy is $300. This seller appeared to be locally based and no one seems to offer similar prices. I am not located in the city therefore MSY is not an option to me. People who offer shipping is the only option. And I also object to inflated shipping costs that most online retails subscribe to.
  - scrimshaw on 10/01/2013 - 22:54
    
    +2
    
    MSY ships. And their shipping is quite cheap.
    
    I can confirm that it's cheaper via MSY. Not the same board, but has the same specifications.
    $243.02 shipping included
    http://imgur.com/vvJzI
    
    Cheaper than the eBay listing by about $15 bucks.
    - maxwellian on 11/01/2013 - 08:44
      
      Cheers for taking the effort. I had a brief look on their (slow loading) website after I posted. However you had to register to get any kind of shopping cart working. I do live a little more rural 2300 but I image price shouldn't differ much. I will have a better look at their website and look at other board options, but the one you suggested does look suitable.
      
      Again greatly appreciate your effort.
      
      EDIT- sorry for neg, have no idea how to reverse. I sneezed when +ing you
_Bruce_ on 10/01/2013 - 22:15

i3 is a great CPU, you system looks fine to me.
ethereal88 on 11/01/2013 - 09:49

-3

i3 isn't enough. You need a quad for gaming, something like a 3470. GPU minimum 660 Ti, 670 if you can swing it.
- _Bruce_ on 11/01/2013 - 16:56
  
  +2
  
  Sources? For 'gaming' you can using anything, depends what games at what detail. An i3 will run any game ever made.
  
  http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overcl…
  Note how the 3220 is ONE tier from the top, and MANY quad cores are below it.
  - ethereal88 on 12/01/2013 - 16:59
    
    -3
    
    Rubbish. BF3, Metro 2033, Crysis 2 and upcoming 3, all run faster (and recommend) on a quad. This isn't 2005, dual core isn't sufficient.
    - _Bruce_ on 12/01/2013 - 22:35
      
      http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-3-graphics-p…
      
      Specifically:
      http://media.bestofmicro.com/Y/Z/313595/original/intel%20cor…
      
      Also:
      http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/game-performance-bottlen…
      
      Didn't find a good source quickly for Crysis 2/3. But read the above link and you'll get the general idea.
      
      So think whatever you want, but check before you go telling everyone else how things work in your own world.
    - ethereal88 on 13/01/2013 - 08:03
      
      -3
      
      Wrong again. BF3 multiplayer needs more cores. If you actually played recent games you'd know.
    - _Bruce_ on 13/01/2013 - 10:26
      
      Because you just think so? Care to provide any information to back this up?
    - ethereal88 on 13/01/2013 - 16:04
      
      -2
      
      Here is one:
      
      http://www.techspot.com/review/608-hitman-absolution-perform…
      
      Borderlands 2 is another. Games need more cores, especially in 2013. An i3 is an office CPU with a bit of grunt, nothing more.
    - ProspectiveDarkness on 13/01/2013 - 16:14
      
      A better description would be 'budget CPU' - which is exactly the reasoning behind the OP's and Bruce's suggestion.
      
      No offense, but you seem to have trouble grasping the fact (over multiple threads) that not everyone has the cash or interest for mid to high end PC components. People like you and I would aim for such an area, but for the casual PC gamer, it's often just not worth it.
      
      One of the OP's main requirements was 'budget' - it's up to him/her to decide how far this extends, and what is/isn't worth it.
    - _Bruce_ on 13/01/2013 - 20:36
      
      http://www.techspot.com/review/608-hitman-absolution-perform…
      
      Which just confirms that the i3 outperforms many quad cores, so what is your point again?
      
      Borderlands 2 is another.
      
      Again no sources.
      
      Games need more cores, especially in 2013.
      
      See above.
      
      An i3 is an office CPU with a bit of grunt, nothing more.
      
      After this entire thread, you STILL think this? You are either very slow or just trolling.
    - SydStrand on 14/01/2013 - 13:40
      
      -2
      
      @ethereal88, The 3220 with HT is currently the most bang-for-your-buck CPU on the market now and is more than capable of running any game under the sun right now, hardly an 'office CPU.'
      
      Again, you're not providing any evidence. Your URL is useless since there is no comparison between the i3/i5/i7, and there's nothing to back your oversimplified 'moar core' mantra. From established benchmark tests, differences in number of physical cores only changes the fps by ~10% since the GPU is the usual bottleneck.
    - ethereal88 on 14/01/2013 - 17:27
      
      -1
      
      You can't afford it, then back to consoles you go. If you are too cheap to jump from 120 to 190 you shouldn't be PC gaming. YOU NEED A QUAD IN 2013. Is that clear? Next gen consoles are coming this year, all AAA games will run best on a quad. There is no such thing as casual PC gaming. You are either in or out.
    - _Bruce_ on 14/01/2013 - 17:40
      
      YOU NEED A QUAD IN 2013.
      
      Just like you need a monster cable. It isn't even slightly clear and repeating a wrong 'fact' doesn't make it right.
    - ProspectiveDarkness on 14/01/2013 - 17:42
      
      There is no such thing as casual PC gaming. You are either in or out.
      
      That is ridiculous beyond words. I think that's enough feeding for you, for one day.
    - Riczter on 14/01/2013 - 19:57
      
      +1
      
      Make sure you get your Monster HDMI Cable with virus protection. Trololol
      http://www.zdnet.com/this-xbox-hdmi-cable-has-anti-virus-pro…
    - ethereal88 on 15/01/2013 - 09:06
      
      -1
      
      Did you not read any recent game reviews at techspot? 10FPS in favour of a quad. Big difference. But no, feel free to recommend dual's like its 2006.
- r3volt on 15/01/2013 - 07:03
  
  I only have a 560 ti. Back to Playing with DOS it is for me.
- deal seeking missile on 15/01/2013 - 16:35
  
  @ethereal88: DUDE! He cant afford a high end computer. No matter how interestd in games you are, you will ALWAYS be restricted by your budget. If all games recommended you to go and buy a $20,000 computer would you do it? No, you wouldn't, you'd get what you can afford and play what you can at the best FPS you can push it to. Plus he never said that he was a serious hardcore gamer. He just wants to play some counter strike. The recommended system requirements for CS:GO are as follows:
  
  CPU: Dual core Intel or AMD processor
  RAM: 1GB for Windows XP, 2GB for Windows Vista/7
  Graphics: DirectX 10 compatible 512 MB graphics card, Nvidia 400 series or AMD 5000 series.
  Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit
  DirectX compatible sound card
  6 GB of hard drive space
  
  Sources:
  http://digitalbattle.com/counter-strike-global-offensive-sys…
  http://infoflavour.com/counter-strike-global-offensive-cs-go…
  
  @dewy: What other games are you interested in playing exactly?
  Oh, and dont worry about what etheral88 is saying, what you have there should be more that enough for CS:GO
battler on 11/01/2013 - 10:39

+3

whirlpool is also a good place to get ideas & dvice:
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_gaming_conf…
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/7?g=77
- Skinnerr on 14/01/2013 - 01:05
  
  ^this. go to whirlpool for pc advice, not a bargains site.
scrimshaw on 11/01/2013 - 17:04

+1

Just food for thought, if you have the cash, invest in a better board that gives you 2 PCIE slots so that in the future you can Crossfire the 7770. A bit of future proofing won't hurt.
- _Bruce_ on 11/01/2013 - 19:33
  
  +2
  
  It is almost always better to just replace the card later, don't pay the premium for such a motherboard unless you really want it.
  - scrimshaw on 11/01/2013 - 22:36
    
    A 7770 in Crossfire mode kicks quite a lot of butt — almost as good as a Radeon 7950 at 1080p. It scales pretty well as you can see here:
    
    http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7750_7770_CrossFir…
    
    Of course CFX isn't always seamless, some games have micro stutter issues while some are smooth. YMMV.
    
    A crossfire capable board only costs $85, so the premium isn't that much.
    - _Bruce_ on 12/01/2013 - 09:45
      
      Some quick searching suggest that a 7870 is actually faster than 7770s, but let's argue that they are equal (Your link has ONE test at a resultion that no one with such a set up will run that has the 7770s beating a 7950).
      
      I can get a 7770 for $130 and 7870 for $270. 2 * 130 + 15 = 275.
      
      So for $5 more you get:
      
      Need for a bigger power supply
      
      Need for a bigger case
      
      More noise
      
      More heat
      
      More power consumption
      
      More issues running some games
      
      Also note that this is if you purchase both cards today. The 7870 (or equivalent) will fall in price much faster than a 7770, so in the future the comparison will be even worse.
ultraskool on 13/01/2013 - 07:03
If you're after a Gaming Desktop PC, then I reckon this is a great dealhere:

Gaming Package from JW.com.au 3dec2012

JW 3770UGT Gaming Tower
J&W Computers
JW 3770UGT Gaming Tower,
Assembled to Order (Generally 3-5 days)
$799.00
Add to CartSafe and Secure 256bit SSL Encryption
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Availability
This product is assembled to order
Dispatch: Usually 3-5 Days, Express Service available. See Options
Pricing
Ex. GST: $726.36
GST: $72.64
Finance Price: $926.00
Extra Info
Weight: 15.00kg
Model No.: JW 3770UGT Gaming Tower
Specifications

Processor Processor Intel Quad Core i7-3770 Processor 3.4Ghz (8M Cache, Max Turbo Frequency 3.90 GHz) RAM / Memory RAM / Memory Latest 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR III 1333 MHz Premium System Memory Operating System Operating System Genuine Microsoft Windows 8 64Bit Motherboard Motherboard "JW Standard H61 Chipset Mainboard with Intergrated Lan, Sound & VGA" Hard Drive Hard Drive 1000GB (1TB) Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive Graphics Card Graphics Card 4GB nVidia Geforce GT640 Sound Card Sound Card Integrated High Definition Audio Chipset Optical Drive Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD Rewriter - Supports Dual Layer (8.5GB) - Bundled With Nero Essential Burning Software Case/Chassis Case/Chassis CoolerMaster K350KWN1 Gaming Tower with 550w PSU Power Supply Power Supply JW 500W Standard Power Supply
- _Bruce_ on 13/01/2013 - 10:29
  
  It if is an option you will be much better off trading CPU for a better video card (see above discussion).
- scrimshaw on 13/01/2013 - 15:57
  
  +1
  
  That's not a gaming computer…. A low level GT640, and a budget 500w power supply means that for any decent level of gaming, you're going to need to spend even more money upgrading the GPU and PSU.
  - ProspectiveDarkness on 13/01/2013 - 16:17
    
    Indeed; yet another person perpetuating the misconception that a higher number in the name always translates directly to better performance (in terms of VRAM on the GPU, and model number of the processor).
    - tonyjzx on 13/01/2013 - 19:59
      
      why would you put a $300 cpu in a $59 board?
      
      a H61?
      
      what a pile of shit
      
      gt640 is low range too
SydStrand on 14/01/2013 - 13:25

I just built a mini-ITX 'Steam Box' a month ago and after getting some advice from here, Whirlpool, friends etc, the Intel i3 3220 (or i5 3470) + Radeon 7770 + 8GB ram + SSD/HDD combo is a pretty nice sweet spot right now for cost/performance.

What is your budget? I'd recommend scabbing as much as you can and MSYing the rest.
- MrGareth on 14/01/2013 - 17:02
  
  I would definitely agree with that. I have a more powerful machine myself, but for my daughter I had a bunch of left over parts (120Gb SSD, 640Gb HD, Antec case + PSU, DVD drive, ATI 6770 which I'm assuming is very similar to a 7770)…. and for my mainboard, I went to MSY and bought a B75 based board (since it gave a lot of extra features like USB3, SATA3 etc), 8Gb DDR3 and for my CPU I used… a Pentium G860, which is a dual-core 3Ghz job (basically a Sandy Bridge i3 with hyperthreading disabled).
  
  It's only a smaller LCD with a 1680 x 1050 resolution, but it handles all the games I have on it pretty damn well (batman arkham city, L4D2, dead space etc etc). Mind you these are all older games though.

Budget Gaming PC

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