17 replies to this topic

[Rafflez]

Hey guys, I want to make my first gaming PC, with limited knowledge in the computer parts. I have a tight budget ranging from $400-650, and I picked out parts I really like but need to downgrade or get a way to make it fit the budget. I hope you guys can help, I really want to start playing GW 2 after the parts ship in and I get the PC.

HDD:Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM(91.33)

Motherboard:AS Rock LGA1155 Intel Z77 Quad CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 A GbE MATX Motherboard Z77(109.99)

CPU:Intel Core i5-2500K Quad-Core Processor 3.3 GHz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155(194.99)

Graphics Card:EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2048 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card(249.99)

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast series 650 watt 80 plus bronze certified power supply compatible with i3, i5, and i7 (89.99).

Memory:G Skill RipJaws series 4GB (2x2) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 CPC3 12800 Desktop memory model. (40.95)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 - MidTower Case with All black interior (41.98).

Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD- Rw Serial ATA internal OEM Drive (23.89).

And I already have around $200 in on the optical drive, case, RAM, and Power supply. So if you guys could help me I would really appreciate it. If you guys want me to list the memory, optical drive, case, and power supply, just ask. I didn't bother because it was the things that cost the least.

Edited by Rafflez, 21 December 2012 - 08:58 PM.

[Mr.Kotte]

If you could, bump up the processor to a Intel 3570k. So much more preformance for so little extra!

The weakest point I can see is the GPU. For maybe $70 more (converting my local currency to dollars, may differ more depending on where you live) you could get the 660Ti, which is the card I'm using, and I'm really, really getting my money worth out of it. Even with my broken Northbridge controller (slot where you stick it in), making the card run on about 20-30% of what it should, I can play GW2 on high settings and still get 40+ FPS. (not in WvW tho, but thats because of my processor )

Do list the PSU so we can see how much power you have to play with

Edited by Mr.Kotte, 21 December 2012 - 08:32 AM.

[Quaker]

Rather than an old 2500K, you could shave a bit off the cost by using a newer Ivy Bridge based i3 or i5 processor such as an i3-3225 or an i5-3350P. The i3-3225 is not as powerful as the 2500K, of course, but for most gaming, the actual performance difference is relatively small and there's only so much you can do within your budget. The i5-3350P is basically an i5-3450 without the on-chip GPU (and good riddance )

If you are interested in overclocking the 2500K (or other K version).... well, again there's only so much you can do within your budget and OC'ing is highly overrated anyway.

Some of your prices seem a bit high. What country are you in and/or where are you purchasing from? (For example a 560Ti is around $220 CDN at NCIX)

Edited by Quaker, 21 December 2012 - 04:37 PM.

[Rafflez]

I put up the Power supply and the memory. I get the prices from Amazon, should I be getting the parts from somewhere else like newegg?

[Zerk2012]

Rafflez, on 21 December 2012 - 08:57 PM, said:

I put up the Power supply and the memory. I get the prices from Amazon, should I be getting the parts from somewhere else like newegg?

Do you have a operating system if not thats more $

[Zerk2012]

Your trying to build a $1,000 PC with a $650 max budget that's not going to work. The PC case you picked only comes with one fan so add a few more dollars for a fan in the back  to blow air out.
Or to help a man out this is in your budget and will play just fine includes the operating system. Some do not offer free shipping so it could go  over some you can click on the item and it will list  the sellers.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tzeC

Edited by Zerk2012, 22 December 2012 - 12:57 AM.

[Rafflez]

Yeah, but aren't dual core processors not meant for gaming?

Zerk2012, on 22 December 2012 - 12:27 AM, said:

Do you have a operating system if not thats more $

Yeah, I bought Windows 8 separately already.

[sinst4r]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but Guild Wars 2 doesn't really require a really high end, high cost PC to run fairly well.

I built a computer for my gf on black friday and total cost was 300$  (OS/PSU/Keyboard/Mouse not included already had all that.)

I was skeptical as to how it would work.  Impressively enough, it does the job well enough!

Here are the specs.

-A8-3870K APU, Black Edition 3.0GHz w/ 4MB Cache
-MSI A75A-G35 w/ DDR3 1866, 7.1 Audio motherboard
-Corsair vengeance 16gb dual channel DDR3 1600mhz 2x8gb
-LG 21.5 led LCD
-500gb WD SATA HD
-Zalman 600w PSU
-LG 24x DVD writer
-Zalman gs1000 SE case
-Logitech G15 Keyboard
-Razer Naga 2012 Edition

You really don't need much to make this game work.  Game is working off default settings beautifly.


This shouldn't cost you anything over 600$ if you shop for some deals.  

[Quaker]

Rafflez, on 22 December 2012 - 03:56 AM, said:

Yeah, but aren't dual core processors not meant for gaming?

No CPU is "meant for gaming". They are simply "used for gaming".

For some handy reading:
http://www.tomshardw...clock,3106.html

[Rafflez]

Okay, so are they decent? I need a CPU that can run games well, and I'm not into overclocking so that doesn't bother me in the least if I can't overclock.

[Marc1k1]

Rafflez, on 21 December 2012 - 04:33 AM, said:

Hey guys, I want to make my first gaming PC, with limited knowledge in the computer parts. I have a tight budget ranging from $400-650, and I picked out parts I really like but need to downgrade or get a way to make it fit the budget. I hope you guys can help, I really want to start playing GW 2 after the parts ship in and I get the PC.

HDD:Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM(91.33)

Motherboard:AS Rock LGA1155 Intel Z77 Quad CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 A GbE MATX Motherboard Z77(109.99)

CPU:Intel Core i5-2500K Quad-Core Processor 3.3 GHz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155(194.99)

Graphics Card:EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2048 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card(249.99)

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast series 650 watt 80 plus bronze certified power supply compatible with i3, i5, and i7 (89.99).

Memory:G Skill RipJaws series 4GB (2x2) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 CPC3 12800 Desktop memory model. (40.95)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 - MidTower Case with All black interior (41.98).

Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD- Rw Serial ATA internal OEM Drive (23.89).

And I already have around $200 in on the optical drive, case, RAM, and Power supply. So if you guys could help me I would really appreciate it. If you guys want me to list the memory, optical drive, case, and power supply, just ask. I didn't bother because it was the things that cost the least.

Those specifications are perfectly good to run Guild Wars 2 pretty smoothly on the Highest settings

Good luck with the build dude and hope you have a good time in-game!

.:EDIT:.

Just looked up the Chassis online and it has two fans, that's not to bad as the graphics card will definetly have a fan of its own however if you really want to keep it cool you can find Chassis of the same price with four fans in them like this for example (apologies for it being Amazon.co.uk and not US)

http://www.amazon.co...55308766&sr=8-1

Edited by Marc1k1, 23 December 2012 - 04:37 AM.

[Quaker]

Note - the number of fans means squat. What matters is the total airflow and the proper placement. One 100cfm fan moves as much air as two 50cfm fans.
Of course, noise can be a factor - the single 100cfm fan is apt to be noisier than two 50cfm fans.

Also, of course, some people go crazy with fans. An average build with a single mid-range video card doesn't usually need more than one or two fans. (For example, my case has two 120mm fans in the front and a single 120mm in the rear - i5-3570K with an HD7870)

[Zerk2012]

Marc1k1, on 23 December 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

Those specifications are perfectly good to run Guild Wars 2 pretty smoothly on the Highest settings

Good luck with the build dude and hope you have a good time in-game!

.:EDIT:.

Just looked up the Chassis online and it has two fans, that's not to bad as the graphics card will definetly have a fan of its own however if you really want to keep it cool you can find Chassis of the same price with four fans in them like this for example (apologies for it being Amazon.co.uk and not US)

http://www.amazon.co...55308766&sr=8-1

http://www.coolermas...product_id=2989
The 430 has one front fan

[Zerk2012]

Quaker, on 23 December 2012 - 04:49 PM, said:

Note - the number of fans means squat. What matters is the total airflow and the proper placement. One 100cfm fan moves as much air as two 50cfm fans.
Of course, noise can be a factor - the single 100cfm fan is apt to be noisier than two 50cfm fans.

Also, of course, some people go crazy with fans. An average build with a single mid-range video card doesn't usually need more than one or two fans. (For example, my case has two 120mm fans in the front and a single 120mm in the rear - i5-3570K with an HD7870)

I think I fit the bill crazy with fans.
Corsair C70 case 2x 120mm front / 140mm bottom / 120mm back all with red and blue LED's. H100 CPU cooler in the top with 4x 110CFM 120mm blue LED fans push/pull. 2x blue LED fans on the memory. 2 x blue and 2x red LED strips.
i5 2500k @ 4.4 a nice and cool 50C temp when the PIC's were took in Lion's Arch with 56FPS using 69% of the CPU and 23% of the GPU is this game CPU bound or what?
Also pictured is my Kill-A-Watt meter with the game running showing 326 Watts from the wall with a Corsair TX 850 so I figure it was using 277 Watts from the power supply.
Z68 mother board
16GB 2133 ram
Saphire 6970 @ 950/1425
2x Samsung 830 SSD's 64 & 256GB
1TB SB HDD
Acer 24" Monitor Panasonic 22" HD TV
To many lights to take pictures without some glare.
http://s1274.photobu.../y423/Zerk2012/

Edited by Zerk2012, 24 December 2012 - 08:34 PM.

[Quaker]

Yes, you certainly do qualify as "crazy with fans". You could probably remove the bottom and back fans with no affect on the cooling. And of course, you could remove all of the LEDs with no performance change at all.

[Marc1k1]

Zerk2012, on 23 December 2012 - 11:21 PM, said:

http://www.coolermas...product_id=2989
The 430 has one front fan

Yes, apologies don't know where I got two from!

[Zerk2012]

Marc1k1, on 28 December 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

Yes, apologies don't know where I got two from!

No biggie I have built alot of PC's with that case and always grind my teeth it has 0 Cable management and  got to get extra fans but that could be my OCD of cable managenent and cooling.

[Marc1k1]

Zerk2012, on 28 December 2012 - 02:55 AM, said:

No biggie I have built alot of PC's with that case and always grind my teeth it has 0 Cable management and  got to get extra fans but that could be my OCD of cable managenent and cooling.

Personally I'm not new to messing around with PC's but I've never built my own from the parts up (will be soon however) but that Chassis sounds awful! the one I linked from Amazon will be the one I'm working with, I thought it sounded cushdy with four fans