Build Questions

[littlepigboy5]

Making a build for my friend, most graphic intensive game he will be playing is borderlands pre-sequel, and i went with nvidia because of physx, and i want to know if there are any ways of making the build less expensive, or better without making it more expensive, thanks

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TbjFHx) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TbjFHx/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad760kwohlbox) | $73.98 @ OutletPC 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaf2a88xmhd3) | $55.18 @ Newegg 

**Memory** | [Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/team-memory-tzrd38g1600hc9dc01) | $64.99 @ Newegg 

**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | $57.99 @ NCIX US 

**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $51.99 @ Directron 

**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43751kr) | $119.99 @ Newegg 

**Case** | [Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cougar-case-spike) | $29.99 @ Mwave 

**Power Supply** | [Logisys 480W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logisys-power-supply-ps480dbk) | $13.98 @ OutletPC 

**Optical Drive** | [samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe) | $13.99 @ Newegg 

**Monitor** | [Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umwg7aa001) | $108.00 @ Newegg 

**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-sgb3011kkmf1us) | $29.95 @ Amazon 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $620.03

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 14:15 EST-0500 |

[C0LL0SS0S]

altough its a bit more expensive you really should use a 250gb SSD, Do you really wanna use a 22$ PSU in a 600$ build ?

[Lotus]

Well, I usually recommend staying away from CPUs that have either low single-threaded performance (like AMDs) and low multi-threaded performance (like cheaper Intel CPUs), and in your price range you can really do better than the X4 760k. Also, Logisys PSUs are positively crappy. You really don't want an SSD at this price range as they are a luxury item and do not improve any performance number. They only help with boot/load times, not in-game FPS or anything meaningful. Optical drives are also unnecessary in this day and age. You can install the OS from a USB flash drive, and that's usually the only use people still have for an optical drive. For a $500 build (plus monitor/keyboard), I think you can do better. Here is what I would do if I were you:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($45.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Directron)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($141.00 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $483.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 14:23 EST-0500

 

It does rely on rebates, but so did yours so I didn't feel bad about that. It's got a significantly better GPU/CPU combo, which are by far the two most important parts in your build, yet doesn't really cost more.

[littlepigboy5]

Well, I usually recommend staying away from CPUs that have either low single-threaded performance (like AMDs) and low multi-threaded performance (like cheaper Intel CPUs), and in your price range you can really do better than the X4 760k. Also, Logisys PSUs are positively crappy. You really don't want an SSD at this price range as they are a luxury item and do not improve any performance number. They only help with boot/load times, not in-game FPS or anything meaningful. Optical drives are also unnecessary in this day and age. You can install the OS from a USB flash drive, and that's usually the only use people still have for an optical drive. For a $500 build (plus monitor/keyboard), I think you can do better. Here is what I would do if I were you:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($45.98 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Directron)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($141.00 @ Newegg)

Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $483.93

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 14:23 EST-0500

 

It does rely on rebates, but so did yours so I didn't feel bad about that. It's got a significantly better GPU/CPU combo, which are by far the two most important parts in your build, yet doesn't really cost more.

id like to re include the keyboard mouse combo and monitor, so i can get a direct comparison in price, i also re added the optical drive because they are cheap and my friend uses discs still.  Why would i not go with the 760k, faster clock speed, (which i realize doesn't matter much), but it also is less expensive, has more cores, and has been proven very useful in gaming.  i don't know much about the i3s, so could you fill me in on why it's a better choice other than it's intel, (i personally prefer intel as well).  ALso, can i use PhysX in borderlands with an AMD card?, if not, i would probably just go back to the 750 ti because it has been preoven to play borderlands pre sequel very well at 1080p.  also, i would like the ssd, purely because of the boot times, i realize 120 isn't much but its for the OS, and a few games, and startup programs, i personally use a 120gb ssd (i plan to raid it in 0 with another later for 240 gb) and i find it very useful.  and i knew i should have picked a better powersupply.  i would like to keep it under 25 bucks (not counting rebates), because i don't need efficiency, i just need something that will work and not die.

Thanks

[Lotus]

Here, with the other stuff thrown in. The addition of the DVD drive is what makes it more expensive, which I hadn't planned for. Keep in mind that this does rely on rebates, which I do try to avoid.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($45.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Directron)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($141.00 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($29.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $635.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 17:06 EST-0500

 

When it comes to CPU performance, it really all boils down to two categories: single threaded performance, and multi-threaded performance. The i3 blows your X4 out of the water in single-threaded performance, and still manages to have slightly better multi-threaded performance. It's vastly better. Clock speeds are only comparable if the architecture of the chip is identical, but these are completely different chips so clock speed comparisons are completely meaningless.

 

AMD GPUs generally won't run PhysX, but it's game dependent. Some will let you run it on medium/low settings. Honestly, that's not a factor for me. You get way better GPU performance, and for real physics stuff not just rendering unimportant yet cool stuff your CPU is the one doing the work anyway.

 

If you really think the difference between 40 seconds at 15 second boot times matter to spend $70 (don't get the V300, it's a shit SSD) on a $500 build, you've got very unusual priorities. It offers absolutely zero in-game performance benefits. It doesn't actually DO anything for performance. It's a luxury item. However if you want to gimp your performance hardware for the sake of a luxury item, that's your call. It's just one I absolutely do not agree with in this price range.