Mid-Level Gaming PC Thoughts

[IBeRamen]

With the release of the GTX 960 I was wondering if I can build a Gaming PC that can run games at 1080p without breaking the bank. I would like to know what you think of this build and if I should change out any parts.

Budget: $650

Target: Run games (Such as: CS:GO, BF4, BF3, Bioshock Infinite, DayZ, Payday 2, Minecraft, etc.) on High/Ultra in 1080p.

PC Part Picker

Parts (As of 3/16/2015):

 

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

[Bravosgrad]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($81.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($66.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.98 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $687.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-16 20:35 EDT-0400

[Ostwind]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($81.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($66.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.98 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $687.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-16 20:35 EDT-0400

 

 

$80 case for a sub$700 build is dumb

 

[IBeRamen]

Would a Core i3 out preform an AMD FX-300 6 core?

[IBeRamen]

Update: Changed the case to a Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case. (Cheaper than the previous case and has a window).

[megaant4]

You won't be able to get any good frames on High/Ultra for DayZ with a 960.. That game is so poorly optimized and is more CPU demanding anyway.. Just letting you know.. I struggle running the game on the lowest details in the cities, even with a 770 and overclocked FX-8350..

[IBeRamen]

You won't be able to get any good frames on High/Ultra for DayZ with a 960.. That game is so poorly optimized and is more CPU demanding anyway.. Just letting you know.. I struggle running the game on the lowest details in the cities, even with a 770 and overclocked FX-8350..

That's fine considering I won't be playing it THAT much but as long as it's playable. What about the others would those be fine to run at 60+ FPS?

[Vek1313]

Minecraft would be around 300 fps w/o OC (I know from a friend)

[IBeRamen]

Minecraft would be around 300 fps w/o OC (I know from a friend)

Thanks! Would it be around the same with modded Minecraft too?

[Steven9595]

I'd definitely take an i3 over the amd. With Intel, you have a upgrade path for the future whereas with AMD, the FX line of processors is long dead.

[Vek1313]

Thanks! Would it be around the same with modded Minecraft too?

I mean my friend spent $677 on his with the FX 8320 and the R9 280 or 280x not quite sure. But he is like me an mainly does pvp so I think the only mod he runs is Optifine. Depending on the resourcefulness of the mods you should still easily get 250+ but my friend my not use mods but he does have a lot of texture packs loaded, some smaller and some 80,000+ kb and it still runs smooth so I know you should be good on Minecraft, he has maxed settings without OC and gets 350+ FPS. But it will vary as I am sure you know with different servers there is different FPS