Gaming Rig

[Prominer44]

Hey there folks, long time no see. I need some help. I'm currently working in building a PC for gaming/recording & editing for my YouTube channel. My current budget is about $880, I have $430 now, and will be getting the rest throughout the summer (gotta work in order to have the money to play), anyway, I've been working the price of this current build down and feel it is close to being ready, however, I'd like a second opinion. Feel free to give any tips/criticisms about the build that you feel would be helpful.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.70 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.30 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.93 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.70 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card ($162.36 @ Amazon)

Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.93 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.76 @ Amazon)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.47 @ Newegg)

Total: $798.15

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-27 20:18 EDT-0400)

Edited April 28, 2013 by Guest (see edit history)

[Humin]

This looks decent for its price.

I'm taking it you already have the user input/output devices?

[Prominer44]

This looks decent for its price.

I'm taking it you already have the user input/output devices?

 

Yep, almost all I/O devices are already in place. I will be borrowing a monitor my parents don't use for a little while until I can get my own, but all other peripherals are bought and ready to go!

Edited April 25, 2013 by Guest (see edit history)

[Obsidian]

I'd save up for at least a 3570k, since you can squeeze more performance out of it than the 3470 via overclocking. I'd also look into how your editing programs perform on the 3570k versus the AMD 8350. If the AMD performs better, that would save you money on the mobo since AMD-based boards typically run cheaper than Intel-based boards.

[BTGBullseye]

Actually, for most gaming that 3470 should be just fine. (video recording/editing can max out anything, but a few seconds of wait time is worth saving $100) It's really hard to get CPU bound in gaming when you're not using SLI/Crossfire.

 

PSU might be a little underpowered, (I wouldn't go under 600w personally, just to make sure, and to make it all last longer) but otherwise it looks like a very solid build. I also would save up an extra $30 and get a blu-ray reader instead, just in case you end up wanting to play HD movies, or install a certain few games. (and if you want a code to make that Win 7 Home Premium become Ultimate for free, let me know)

 

That build should run Crysis 3 at medium-low and get ~30-40 FPS.

[Prominer44]

Actually, for most gaming that 3470 should be just fine. (video recording/editing can max out anything, but a few seconds of wait time is worth saving $100) It's really hard to get CPU bound in gaming when you're not using SLI/Crossfire.

 

PSU might be a little underpowered, (I wouldn't go under 600w personally, just to make sure, and to make it all last longer) but otherwise it looks like a very solid build. I also would save up an extra $30 and get a blu-ray reader instead, just in case you end up wanting to play HD movies, or install a certain few games. (and if you want a code to make that Win 7 Home Premium become Ultimate for free, let me know)

 

That build should run Crysis 3 at medium-low and get ~30-40 FPS.

 

Thanks for the feedback! One thing I've been considering is swapping out the nVidia card with this one, what do you think?

[BTGBullseye]

It only has 1GB RAM... Better to go with something that has more. (it'll allow no slowdown when you max the texture settings in anything if you have at least 2GB) Better to stick to your original 650 ti... (you can get it for $154 on Newegg though) Or if you want, there is a Zotac version for an extra $2 S&H, but it has a $15 rebate. (also a bit faster RAM)

 

Also, don't buy from Sapphire... Their tech department is horrible, their customer service is crap, and they charge you for a whole new card (and won't pay it back when you return the card) if the one you get fails inside the manufacturer warantee, but outside the Newegg warantee. (I know from experience with a HD 3450 that had a major grounding issue they didn't understand, and wouldn't cover)