Building a computer!

[Vicente Gomez]

Hey guys,

 

I'm new to this forum. I am planning to build a computer over the summer and all my friends have been bombarding me with parts that I should choose. "Go with AMD, no go with Intel". Its crazy! I am putting my foot to the ground and asking you guys, Intel or AMD? My top choices for both include AMD FX 9590/8350 and Intel Core i7 4700k. I want my computer to be mainly for gaming usage. I am a big FPS/MMO player and I am tired of being limited to what my notebook PC can handle. At the end of this post, I will leave a link to the top three builds that I want you guys to help me choose. I am still a little bit shaky on what video card I should choose. So if you guys can, please help me choose a video card that will make my games look what they are suppose to look like. Thanks for the help and I hope to speak to you guys soon.

 

PS: Do not hesitate to give your opinions on what I should. 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4uay

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4w8I

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4LhZ

[Shd0w2]

You don't need a 4770k for gaming or 16GB of ram.

[MegaDave91]

Budget and location?

 

Looks to be around $1300 and in the US.

[Fred Castellum]

For gaming get a intel i5 if you have the money. 8gbs of ram should be sufficent, however more never hurts.

[Marvzl1357]

Your ram is excessive, and it would be better to not go with amd ram because reasons.

760 is good, I have it and runs most games satisfactorily with mostly medium settings and some on high.

If your main/only use is for gaming, then i5 would be better, and 8gb of ram is fine (I got 16gb but it was on discount) more is safer

[Str_Mape]

Based on the fact that your budget seems to be around $1300 I'd go with this.
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($142.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler:  Scythe SCNJ-3100 110.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($45.69 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($120.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($141.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($119.00 @ B&H) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($83.97 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card:  PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card  ($301.20 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($75.98 @ Newegg) 

Monitor:  Acer H226HQLbid 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($49.98 @ OutletPC) 

Headphones:  Logitech G230 Headset  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1274.76

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 22:08 EDT-0400)

[jtrier1]

Hey guys,

 

I'm new to this forum. I am planning to build a computer over the summer and all my friends have been bombarding me with parts that I should choose. "Go with AMD, no go with Intel". Its crazy! I am putting my foot to the ground and asking you guys, Intel or AMD? My top choices for both include AMD FX 9590/8350 and Intel Core i7 4700k. I want my computer to be mainly for gaming usage. I am a big FPS/MMO player and I am tired of being limited to what my notebook PC can handle. At the end of this post, I will leave a link to the top three builds that I want you guys to help me choose. I am still a little bit shaky on what video card I should choose. So if you guys can, please help me choose a video card that will make my games look what they are suppose to look like. Thanks for the help and I hope to speak to you guys soon.

 

PS: Do not hesitate to give your opinions on what I should. 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4uay

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4w8I

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vicenteg24/saved/4LhZ

You're spending too much on RAM. 8GB is more than enough (2x4gb) for now.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OFt2

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OFt2/by_merchant/

Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OFt2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.94 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($72.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($74.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital WD SE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($132.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II  Video Card  ($319.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ TigerDirect)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Acer H226HQLbid 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($119.99 @ Amazon)

Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($49.98 @ OutletPC)

Headphones: Logitech G230 Headset  ($39.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1165.82

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-22 01:16 EDT-0400)

[Faceman]

For gaming, especially since you play MMOs, you have to go Intel, this is not up for debate.  AMD and MMOs do not mix.  Not only will you get much better performance for MMOs, but overall Intel is better than AMD for gaming.  Even an i3 beats out a FX8320.

You could wait a few weeks for the release of Devil's Canyon, the brand new Intel processors.  Pick up an i5-4690k and pair it with a Z97 Motherboard.  For just gaming, an i7 is not necessary as games cannot properly utilize hyperthreading.

 

For gaming, you only need 8GB of RAM.  Start out with 8, if you are not happy, then upgrade to 16.  But start with 8GB.

 

Nothing impacts performance more than your GPU, you want to spend as much as possible on this component to get the best performance and longevity out of your build. If you are going for the best possible performance, anything less than an R9 290X or GTX 780 is a failure to allocate funds properly.  If you would like to save some money, you could go with an R9 290(Make sure it is non-reference.)

 

Here are some benchmarks of high end cards. 780Ti > 290X > 780 > 290 > 770

 

I selected an Enermax PSU.  The company that manufactures Enermax's ETL PSUs is the same company that makes the Corsair CX series.  This PSU is 550W of Bronze rating and semi-modular, which is plenty for 1 CPU and 1 GPU, both overclocked.

 

I selected you a very nice, LG 23" IPS panel monitor that I am sure you will love.  I personally own the Sidewinder X4, and it is a fantastic keyboard for $50.  The Superlux headphones are incredible, I dare you to find a bad review on those headphones.  You can pick up a $5 microphone + stand at radio shack to pair with the headphones.

 

Here is the final build:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OGdE
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OGdE/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OGdE/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($499.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($42.00 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 23MP55HQ-P 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($135.00 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Headphones: Superlux HD681 Headphones  ($30.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1330.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-22 02:02 EDT-0400)

[i_build_nanosuits]

you play MMO's, go intel i5 you will better like your experience, most of these rely on good single-threaded performance and the Intel is king in that department.

[Vicente Gomez]

Some of you guys are saying that I should go with i5, isn't i7 better?

[Faceman]

Some of you guys are saying that I should go with i5, isn't i7 better?

The difference between an i5 and an i7 is Hyperthreading.  Games cannot utilize hyperthreading, so buying an i7 for a gaming rig is a waste of money.  If you do video editing, rendering, or workstation related tasks, then an i7 with hyperthreading will be useful.

 

The i7 is 100Mhz faster at stock speeds, but that doesn't matter because you will be overclocking.