Building a Gaming PC : What to Look for (2013)

[Henry]

UPDATE : WILL BE UPDATED FOR INTEL HASWELL, AMD'S RICHLAND APU'S, AMD'S UPCOMING NEW FX PROCESSORS, NVIDIA'S 700 SERIES, and AMD'S 8000 SERIES.

 

Building a gaming PC? Look no further, here, I will show you what you need to make the perfectly well balanced gaming PC.

In a desktop, the following pieces of hardware will be needed:

1. Processor
2. Motherboard
3. Graphics Card (Or onboard graphics for entry level computers)
4. Hard Drive
5. Chassis
6. Memory
7. CPU Cooler (Highly recommended to not use stock cooler)
8. Optical Drive (To install your OS)

 

But in this tutorial, the only things we will be focusing on are the key components to differentiate a "Normal PC" with a "Gaming PC"

 

Processors

People usually say that "oh, quad cores are not fully utilized in gaming yet". However, there are quite a few games that are. For example : Crysis 3 , Battlefield 3 and the upcoming Battlefield 4. Therefore, I highly recommend a quad core over a dual core.

Recommended AMD Processors : FX4300, FX 6300, FX 8320, FX 8350

Recommended Intel Processors : i5 3570k, i7 3770k

 

Overall: I recommend getting the FX 8350. I know what you're thinking , "That's BS! It performs worse than the 3570k!" At one point, that was true. However, with the recent hotfix (but now recalled, Google for ways to get it) on Windows 7, it performed better (slightly) than the i5 3570k. Same with Windows 8. Its slightly better for gaming, cheaper, and is better for applications that take advantage of multi cores.

When building a gaming PC, you should NEVER overspend on a graphics card and get a stupid i3 2XXX for example. This will result in bottlenecking. Bottlenecking is when one component of the entire system holds back the performance of the whole, kind of like the weak link in the chain. Your weak processor would hold back the graphics card's full potential, giving you a less FPS count than what you really should be getting.

If you cannot afford these processors, I recommend the following: (No specific order)

1. A10-5800k (If you are building a $400-$500 gaming PC)

     - Recommended to get decent ram. AMD APU's rely on system memory for more memory for the GPU.
2. A8-5600k (If you are building a $300-$400 gaming PC)
     - Recommended to get decent ram. AMD APU's rely on system memory for more memory for the GPU.

NO, do not get an i3. Why? Overpriced for what you get compared to this.

Graphics Cards

I highly recommended AMD. Why? Best bang for buck. Same with their CPU line up.

My evidence to back it up: 

What to look for in a graphics? Do your research. Find a game you like, and see how well it performs in that game. Now look at the card right above it, and below it. Find what is the best for bang for your buck and get that. Not that there is anything wrong with spending the extra money for something not worth it (Ex: 2 frames more for $20 more).

Recommended graphics cards for moderate gaming (No specific order) :

1. Radeon HD 7770 

2. Radeon HD 7750

Recommended graphics cards for hardcore gaming (No specific order): 
 

1. Radeon HD 7850
2. Radeon HD 7870
3. Radeon HD 7950
4. Radeon HD 7970
5. GTX 660 
6. GTX 660 Ti
7. GTX 670
8. GTX 680

Like I said before, ALWAYS get a graphics card that will balance with your processor. Meaning : Do not get super high end processor with crappy graphics (Not causing bottlenecking, but the extra money couldve gone to a better graphics card), or high end graphic with crappy graphics. Always make sure they are balanced to reduce bottlenecking.


Memory

8GB, 16GB, 1333mhz, 1600mhz, what type of memory should you get? 8GB of 1333 or higher memory. 16GB is highly overkill and will never be used up. Not even close. If you do memory intensive applications, and not just gaming, than go for it. Anything over 6GB is fine, but 8GB works best. I do NOT recommend 4GB.

Recommended Processor/Graphics Card Combinations

Here is a bunch of balanced combinations so that you do not end up with a bottlenecked system. (No specific order)

1. FX 4300 + Radeon HD 7750
2. FX 6300 + Radeon HD 7770, Radeon HD 7850
3. FX 8320 + Radeon HD 7870 or Radeon HD 7950 or GTX 660 Ti or GTX 670
4. FX 8350 + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 670 or GTX 680
5. i5 3570k + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 660 Ti or GTX 670
6. i7 3770k + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 670 or GTX 680


So, there u go, my tutorial on what to look for in a gaming rig 

- Henry

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Rig

Intel i5 2500k
ASUS P8P67 Motherboard
Radeon HD 6950 2GB MSI Twin Frozr Edition
120GB SSD (OS and Drivers)
1TB HDD (Storage)

[Henry]

Please leave feedback on how I can improve this and I will update this.

[Blade of Grass]

You don't actually need an optical driver to install windows, you can make a bootable USB :P

[melchiorvester]

What about a GTX 650ti Boost?

[Jay123]

You should mention that if you're getting an APU that you will benefit from faster RAM. Also, you could add in a bit about compatibility with components. BTW these examples of builds at different budgets in your other posts along with this guide should be really helpful to people, good work!

[Idle Master 3000]

 

or high end graphic with crappy graphics.

 

I think you mean a crappy CPU 

[That Norwegian Guy]

Like any other year, look for deals at the time of purchase.

As for the OP, I disagree with two things:

1) Your fear of bottlenecks is irrational. If you have $20 extra to spend, and that will get you the next tier of GPU but not both a tier up in CPU *and* GPU, there is no reason not to get a better GPU. 90%+ of new games, including many games that aren't released yet, do not leverage the CPU as much as they do the GPU, and thinking you HAVE to upgrade your CPU every time you upgrade your GPU is irrational, wasteful and unfounded. Because you have an i5-3570 and GTX 680 now, does not mean that you won't get a benefit from upgrading just the GPU the next generation. You get slightly less of a boost, but a boost none the less. I see a lot of people swapping out almost their entire system every generation of new hardware, and I just feel sorry for them for being so wasteful.

2) You are clearly biased towards AMD and the 8350 "hotfix" BS has been refuted multiple times. In fact, you still get what you pay for (what a shock!) until there are a lot more, and more diverse, games to leverage 6+ cores. I say 6+ cores because 6 AMD cores roughly equals 4 Intel cores at this tier. Also, recommending AMD to everyone because of Crysis 3, Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 - three games of which the first is bad, the second is soon dead and the third isn't even out yet, is terribly silly.

[Henry]

Like any other year, look for deals at the time of purchase.

As for the OP, I disagree with two things:

1) Your fear of bottlenecks is irrational. If you have $20 extra to spend, and that will get you the next tier of GPU but not both a tier up in CPU *and* GPU, there is no reason not to get a better GPU. 90%+ of new games, including many games that aren't released yet, do not leverage the CPU as much as they do the GPU, and thinking you HAVE to upgrade your CPU every time you upgrade your GPU is irrational, wasteful and unfounded. Because you have an i5-3570 and GTX 680 now, does not mean that you won't get a benefit from upgrading just the GPU the next generation. You get slightly less of a boost, but a boost none the less. I see a lot of people swapping out almost their entire system every generation of new hardware, and I just feel sorry for them for being so wasteful.

2) You are clearly biased towards AMD and the 8350 "hotfix" BS has been refuted multiple times. In fact, you still get what you pay for (what a shock!) until there are a lot more, and more diverse, games to leverage 6+ cores. I say 6+ cores because 6 AMD cores roughly equals 4 Intel cores at this tier. Also, recommending AMD to everyone because of Crysis 3, Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 - three games of which the first is bad, the second is soon dead and the third isn't even out yet, is terribly silly.

1. Of course there are combos that dont have bottlenecks that I "fear" that I dont include, those are just the recommended. BUT, the ones I chose match the closest, therefore, I chose it like that. Of course if you have a i5 3570k and upgrade to next gen, it will be fine. Wont be good as a difference, but will be good enough. But the combos I listed were to make sure that beginners stay clear of bottlenecking (like those people who think they should get a cheap cpu, and get a gtx 680).

 

2. The hotfix was BS? Also, I did not mention this in the thread, because its not nearly as big as Frys or Best Buy, but i5 3570k is the better purchase because it is VERY cheap at Microcenter, only $189.99 and the i7 3770k being only $229.99. 

 

Just because Battlefield 3 is being replaced, doesnt make it a good way to test hardware. Still pretty new.

[That Norwegian Guy]

2. The hotfix was BS?

 

That was poorly worded by me, I meant it didn't have the huge impact a lot of people were saying it had the first week.

[Henry]

That was poorly worded by me, I meant it didn't have the huge impact a lot of people were saying it had the first week.

But was it large enough to make it above the 3570k (without overclocking) or no?

[That Norwegian Guy]

But was it large enough to make it above the 3570k (without overclocking) or no?

 

No it wasn't, not even in the games where AMD was favoured.

 

It is still a respectable performing chip though, don't get me wrong.

[tito]

But was it large enough to make it above the 3570k (without overclocking) or no?

No it isnt, Im using an AMD chip, and yes I noticed some improvement, but the overall experience is the same.

 

You only recommend K processors. Why is that? Not every gamer wants to OC their machine. Not being rude, just a constructive criticism.

[SkilledRebuilds]

If the hotfix's did the same as disabling coreparking, then the only gains that happen are minimal, but decent for what they are.

TombRaider for example Gaining MINFPS a bit from 26>32fps, AVGFPS is up a tad from 44.6>45.8fps & MAXFPS takes a small dip from 64>61fps

[Lemonsquare]

You should mention the Core i3 3220 as a less expensive Intel option. It is a better CPU combined with a dedicated GPU than both the FX 4300 and A10 5800k at the same price point. So frankly, you're wrong about the i3 and Intel in general. It all depends on your budget and what you want in terms of performance and playability. Try being more objective, or at least appearing less favourable to one side over the other in a guide. 

[Kamus]

"4. FX 8350 + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 670 or GTX 680
5. i5 3570k + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 660 Ti or GTX 670"

 

 

Hello is the gtx 660 ti and fx 8350 in bottleneck? or why is better the 3570k for that particular video card?

[Henry]

No it isnt, Im using an AMD chip, and yes I noticed some improvement, but the overall experience is the same.

 

You only recommend K processors. Why is that? Not every gamer wants to OC their machine. Not being rude, just a constructive criticism.

Very small price difference, and in some cases, especially sales, are cheaper.

[Henry]

"4. FX 8350 + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 670 or GTX 680

5. i5 3570k + Radeon HD 7950 or Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 660 Ti or GTX 670"

 

 

Hello is the gtx 660 ti and fx 8350 in bottleneck? or why is better the 3570k for that particular video card?

There is no bottleneck, it would be better to get 660 ti with a lower processor to save money.

[excalibrax]

Another place you might mention for a bottleneck, and isn't as much as an issue as it once was, is to make sure to get memory at the same clock speed as your processor that your mobo can support. This isn't as much as an issue now, but you can get ultra expensive memory that is rated at 2133 speed that is really 1300 just garunteed to overclock to 2133. If you aren't planning on overclock don't spend the money on the higher clock speed, get the lowest latency you can get at the speed your going to run the machine at. 

[Henry]

Another place you might mention for a bottleneck, and isn't as much as an issue as it once was, is to make sure to get memory at the same clock speed as your processor that your mobo can support. This isn't as much as an issue now, but you can get ultra expensive memory that is rated at 2133 speed that is really 1300 just garunteed to overclock to 2133. If you aren't planning on overclock don't spend the money on the higher clock speed, get the lowest latency you can get at the speed your going to run the machine at.

the motherboard will downclock automatically if necessary tho. At least i hink so

[Semi1114]

i5 3470 is also a great intel cpu

[excalibrax]

the motherboard will downclock automatically if necessary tho. At least i hink so

Thats my point, its a place where someone who is not going to overclock spend money towards something that wont net them better results.

[kirashi]

Definitely a great thread to start for someone who's new to PC building, or for someone with an older rig who hasn't necessarily kept up with all the new hardware. Personally, I am a HUGE AMD fan, strictly because of performance for price, but don't take that the wrong way; if you have the extra cash or can score a great deal, buy whatever works out to be in your favor. So in support of being unbiased, definitely take what the OP has said into account with a sense that things will change with market pricing and new technology. Regardless, this is still an excellent starting point.

[6kenyonm]

You should mention the Core i3 3220 as a less expensive Intel option. It is a better CPU combined with a dedicated GPU than both the FX 4300 and A10 5800k at the same price point. So frankly, you're wrong about the i3 and Intel in general. It all depends on your budget and what you want in terms of performance and playability. Try being more objective, or at least appearing less favourable to one side over the other in a guide. 

an i3 has only 2 cores and the point was made clear 4 cores was better. also if your on a budget a A10 5800k would be better for the simple reason it has a gpu. and with the i3 a dedicated graphics card would be needed as it has no integrated graphics.

[xToFxREAPER]

this is probably the best unbiased guide ive ever seen, you suggest intel nvidia and amd equally depending on price target and use, really good for the newbies out there.. wish this was around when i got started last year xP

[WoodenMarker]

i5 3470 is also a great intel cpu

I couldn't agree more. It hits quite well right alongside the 3570k in medium budget builds.