Help me build a 400$ gaming PC ...

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I am running a Fx8350 clocked at 4.4 and am very happy with the gaming performance. I also have a 3930k rig which I got not to long ago. I have't felt the need to make it my main rig as the Fx rig is doing all I need it to do and more. The 3930k is just a crunching rig running Linux.

 

[Tatty_Two]

I'm using a g3258. Managed 3.8 ghz @ 1.2v (gigabyte h81 limit) using the stock cooler. Hits about 65c at max load. Literally the only thing I changed was the multiplier. Kept all the voltages on auto. Anyone can do that.

really 1.2V for 3.8gig? you must have got a bad one, even with the Biostar overclocking utility (I don't use auto overclocking was just playing) it gave me 4.4gig @ 1.2V. I don't play a lot of games but the ones I have played don't ever seem to hold back my 280X.

 

[Dent1]

I am running a Fx8350 clocked at 4.4 and am very happy with the gaming performance. I also have a 3930k rig which I got not to long ago. I have't felt the need to make it my main rig as the Fx rig is doing all I need it to do and more. The 3930k is just a crunching rig running Linux.

^^^xfia ...are you mad

 

[wolar]

For 400 i think this is the best option to go, you can change the motherboard to your preference if you don't like this one.

Edit: I like the Asus a88x-Gamer but i couldn't find it on pcpart, if you can find it, check it out

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($82.24 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($87.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.56 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.98 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg Canada)

LINK

Total: $403.70

 

[xfia]

anyone with a half way decent job can save up for a gpu in a month or two and intel has no reason to drastically drop prices when they have no competition.
whats incorrect about a i3 kicking 9590 ass in a lot of games? eh don't bother
really going to act like AMD makes a rockn gaming cpu? eh don't bother
fx cpu's nearly sunk the AMD ship because the gaming performance..
yeah games have been getting better optimized for awhile but at the end of the day a better cpu is just better and a outdated socket is just outdated.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Well we all have our opinions but I haven't seen a game I couldn't play And I don't know of a game that is totally unplayable due to having an AMD cpu. So what if you don't get the absoulute highest frames per second, doesn't mean the game won't play. If absolute highest frames per second where needed people would be in here saying get an i3 they be screaming for high end i7's which the op can't get with his $400 budget.

 

[krusha03]

anyone with a half way decent job can save up for a gpu in a month or two and intel has no reason to drastically drop prices when they have no competition.
whats incorrect about a i3 kicking 9590 ass in a lot of games? eh don't bother
really going to act like AMD makes a rockn gaming cpu? eh don't bother
fx cpu's nearly sunk the AMD ship because the gaming performance..
yeah games have been getting better optimized for awhile but at the end of the day a better cpu is just better and a outdated socket is just outdated.

AMD vs I7 using SLI
http://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedi...g-gtx-780-sli-vs-gtx-980-sli-at-4k/index.html

 

[Dent1]

anyone with a half way decent job can save up for a gpu in a month or two and intel has no reason to drastically drop prices when they have no competition.

If saving came naturally to the OP his budget wouldn't be only $400.

whats incorrect about a i3 kicking 9590 ass in a lot of games? eh don't bother

Oh. Then explain why the the i3 gets demolished. Why is the FX performing on par with the i5 and i7. Explain why the FX is outperforming some of the top i5s and i7s? Please explain why the 3770k barely fends off the FX in Dirt 3.

Please explain why in Street Fighters IV the FX 9590 performs on par with the i7 4770k and i73960 Extreme Edition. I would love your explanation please.

You really think an i3 is better than a 9590 @ 5GHz. Really, really?

720p

1080p

Full review: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...62166-amd-fx-9590-review-piledriver-5ghz.html

 

[xfia]

yup I know about 4k and cpu cycles though its still game dependent and you need at least 2 gpu's for 4k and the game to support it unless its really old or some casual game.. would maybe be something decent to try throw in my face if there was even a newer i3 on there.. who even did those silly benchmarks.. running like 400fps haha
guess we could just go to a real source if you really want some AMD vs. Intel war that AMD always looses these days.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-fx-8370e-cpu,3929-7.html

there is also that if you overclock a fx cpu the cost of the motherboard and cooler to do so kills any value there was plus going over like 4.2ghz means efficiency is going out the window.
you start factoring in streaming and even the instant response you get with simple things like changing settings.. what is there even to talk about.

 

[krusha03]

yup I know about 4k and cpu cycles though its still game dependent and you need at least 2 gpu's for 4k and the game to support it unless its really old or some casual game.. would maybe be something decent to try throw in my face if there was even a newer i3 on there.. who even did those silly benchmarks.. running like 400fps haha
guess we could just go to a real source if you really want some AMD vs. Intel war that AMD always looses these days.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-fx-8370e-cpu,3929-7.html

there is also that if you overclock a fx cpu the cost of the motherboard and cooler to do so kills any value there was plus going over like 4.2ghz means efficiency is going out the window.
you start factoring in streaming and even the instant response you get with simple things like changing settings.. what is there even to talk about.

No body ever said AMD is faster than Intel but it is not a lot slower. On the same link there are also current games:

Yes AMD is slower at stock, especially because most current games like more GHz vs more cores. But this is changing slowly. Plus you can pretty easily get 500 - 1000 MHz from the AMD FX 6/8 series

 

[xfia]

benchmarks show some things but they don't speak for customers about the actual experience.. go to tom's forum and see how many people trade up per day for a i5 when a game they like runs like shit on a fx.
I just see no reason to even buy a AMD cpu especially if you add in premium for overclocking.
If more gamers where better informed before buying it might make AMD stop dragging ass and put out something competitive sooner.

I know madshot is a cruncher and they are pretty good for that.

 

[Dent1]

benchmarks show some things but they don't speak for customers about the actual experience..

That's funny because ThE_MaD_ShOt gave you a real life actual experience as a "customer". Post #26 But you conveniently disbelieved him

I am running a Fx8350 clocked at 4.4 and am very happy with the gaming performance. I also have a 3930k rig which I got not to long ago. I have't felt the need to make it my main rig as the Fx rig is doing all I need it to do and more. The 3930k is just a crunching rig running Linux.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-fx-8370e-cpu,3929-7.html

Why are you posting a video of an FX 8370e vs 4670k?

This video this doesn't prove the i3 is faster than a 9570 @ 5GHz like you previously claimed. Please post a relevant video.

If more gamers where better informed before buying it might make AMD stop dragging ass and put out something competitive sooner.

You mean demolishing the i3, whilst performing on par with the top i5s and i7s including the i7 4770k and sometimes outperforming it (according to hardwarecanucks.com). Whilst also having enough horsepower to compete with i7 3960 Extreme Editon - That isn't competitive enough?

 

[xfia]

yup.. it took me a long time with no help to figure all this out with no help and not knowing where to look.. pc gaming is not some prized world of great optimizations.. tis shit for the most part and you need a cpu with good single core performance.
ask any moderator here what you get when you buy a Intel cpu
I know at least 3 things will be upgrade ability, efficiency, performance

I'm done though and put off of this place for a few days

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I know madshot is a cruncher and they are pretty good for that.

Yes I am but I also game, a lot. I haven't found a need to switch platforms yet for my main rig which is also my gaming rig. My Fx 8350 @ 4.4 takes everything I throw it it with ease. I also have plenty of room to oc it more if need be. I just can't in my head justify rebuilding my main rig around the 3930k just for a couple extra frames if I would even see them. My gaming res is 1920x1600. And don't even get me going on the efficiency deal. For the average user you may if your likey see your electric bill go up, and this is stretching it $5 to maybe $10 a year by using a Amd cpu over an Intel. I spend right around $5 a day to power all 11 of my 24/7 crunching rigs. Thats all of them not per rig. My electric bill is Right around $250 a month in my house with all the rigs and everything else in the house burning electric. I figure the rest of the house is using around $100 of that and the rigs are using $150 of it.


So back to the op, I have built complete Fx8350 rigs minus hdd and mind you on the onboard graphics so not counting a dedicated gpu with all new parts from Newegg for just under $400. Thats complete ready to run case and all minus hdd.

 

[Dent1]

I know at least 3 things will be upgrade ability, efficiency, performance

I'm done though and put off of this place for a few days

Upgradability?? Realy, Really?

So you don't remember AM3 processors having both DDR2 and DDR3 controllers, allowing for support for ancient AM2 and AM2+ motherboards. You could literally go from an ancient Athlon 64 single core to a Phenom II X6 without a motherboard change. Meanwhile Intel was chopping and changing sockets.

Efficiency? So vague. Please explain this vague term you use.
Performance? Your right. You don't get performance with AMD. The hardwarecanucks.com review is wrong

 

[newtekie1]

AMD vs. Intel is kind of a pointless argument when talking about gaming. There are really only two scenarios when you are actually playing games in the real world. Either the game is so light weight that the GPU is under utilized, in which case you are going to be getting 100FPS+ regardless of what CPU you have, even if the CPU is the limit you're getting 100FPS+ so who the F cares OR the GPU is the limit and all that extra horse power from the Intel CPU just goes to waste anyway.

I think some people have lost site of the OP's situation, I'll try to put you back on track, he's building a budget system with a 750Ti. There is really no situation where the GPU isn't going to be the limiting factor. Even if he upgrade to something better, he'll likely never go more than a single GPU, and my guess is nothing beyond mid-range. So the processor, in the end, makes little difference.

 

[Caring1]

An Intel i3 is a perfect match for a 750Ti, perhaps someone could nominate the AMD equivalent Processor?

 

[R-T-B]

If you need a PSU, I'm going to be listing a Rosewill non-modular platinum 550W PSU in the FS forum tomorrow. Watch for it maybe? It should be around $50, dirt cheap like all my stuff. It's a cable nightmare but a very solid PSU otherwise.

Just an idea from the PSU side of things. Still need photos before I can properly put it for sale though, that'll have to wait a day.

EDIT: Oh, you're in Canada. Best off ordering something local then, most likely.

 

[m&m's]

First thing first, all of you around the world seems to forget that shipping cost are expensive in Canada (that's what happens when a big country in area is underpopulated) so buying from 4-5 different websites is often a bad idea when you add all the shipping costs. The best thing to do is to buy from a single website that has a feature like "If you find better somewhere else, we'll match the price". NCIX has this feature and it's called "Price Match". You can use tools such as pricebat.ca to find the best deals all around Canada.

For 400$ I would buy the following:

AMD
CPU: FX-6300 -> 123.98$
MOBO: Gigabyte 970A-DS3P -> 89.97$

Intel
CPU: i3-4160 -> 138.98$
MOBO: ASUS B85M-G R2.0 -> 86.66$

RAM: F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL -> 73.40$
PSU: EVGA 500W -> 39.99$
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB -> 57.98$

AMD total: 385.32$
Intel total: 397.01$

You can save money on the Intel build by choosing another motherboard, I chose this one because it has 4 DIMM slots instead of 2.

 

[Toothless]

The fanboys were waiting for this thread... The FX-6300 is a good choice to pair with the 750TI, while a 2500k is also a good choice. Knock off the fanboism.

 

[Dent1]

An Intel i3 is a perfect match for a 750Ti, perhaps someone could nominate the AMD equivalent Processor?

The FX 6300 performs about the same in gaming, dominates it in every other activity, has longevity due to developers becoming multithreaded focus, often overclocks better, costs the same as i3.

i3 is still a very good processor and would match a 750Ti well. Just don't think its the best value for money.

Edit: Saying that if you are determined to go the Intel route on a budget the i3 is still very good. Just acknowledge its shortfalls.

 

[xfia]

AMD vs. Intel is kind of a pointless argument when talking about gaming. There are really only two scenarios when you are actually playing games in the real world. Either the game is so light weight that the GPU is under utilized, in which case you are going to be getting 100FPS+ regardless of what CPU you have, even if the CPU is the limit you're getting 100FPS+ so who the F cares OR the GPU is the limit and all that extra horse power from the Intel CPU just goes to waste anyway.

so horribly wrong..

 

[R-T-B]

Rome 2 is a good counterexample to not needing a good CPU for gaming... but I will admit what you say newtekkie is true for a GOOD AMOUNT of games on the market. Just not all.

But with a 750ti, again, his CPU choice is nearly irrelevant here.

 

[xfia]

I would say a G is fine but some games don't even support a plain dual core anymore so go for a i3.

a FX cpu is a bad investment for gaming unless there is no plans to ever upgrade so no not irrelevant and some people around here need to get off delusions about it and actually read or even easier watch a video from someone that knows what they are talking about.

 

[R-T-B]

I suppose upgradability is perhaps an argument. That AMD socket is going to have to get killed off soon I think. It's ancient by now.

That said, Intel switches sockets quite frequently so I don't know which'll happen first.

Either way the CPU is probably not going to make a huge difference in this build.