Gaming Computer?

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : I kinda want to future proof it for a little while - is there really not much of a difference between i5 and i7?

I'm glad you're listening and not stuck in your ways. I was in your exact situation a few months back. I wanted to buy a pre-built because of the convenience but ended up building one and couldn't be happier.

For gaming purposes the i5 is just as good as the i7 and is cheaper on the wallet. I put in a build for around $700 for someone not long ago I will find and post it shortly.

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : I'm officially convinced to build it. I guess now I'm just in need of pointers on parts. I understand ram, processors, graphics cards and stuff, but as far as motherboards, cases, fans, PSUs, I'm quite clueless. You've helped me a lot so far and I appreciate it.

Here's a build I'm using slickdeal prices from the past month or so....someone had a $600 budget, if you have more to spend, you could get a 256gb SD drive instead, or an even better graphics card.


i5 $180
mobo $100
128gb SSD $60
1tb HD $60
corsair 500w psu $40
case $40
8gb ram $40
gtx 560ti $130

$650

Quote from jbonez21 : Here's a build I'm using slickdeal prices from the past month or so....someone had a $600 budget, if you have more to spend, you could get a 256gb SD drive instead, or an even better graphics card. i5 $180 mobo $100 128gb SSD $60 1tb HD $60 corsair 500w psu $40 case $40 8gb ram $40 gtx 560ti $130 $650

What mobo did you go with? I'm looking for a Z77 for an I5-3570k. I'm leaning ASRock, but I've always liked ASUS.

Quote from AntiCommie : What mobo did you go with? I'm looking for a Z77 for an I5-3570k. I'm leaning ASRock, but I've always liked ASUS.

I went with this Mobo, MSI Z77A-G43 [newegg.com]

It's currently $100 on Newegg. If you get a free Shoprunner account you can get free 2-day shipping also.

You can't go wrong with the ASRock or Asus either. Back when I was researching I noticed a lot of RMA on ASRock mobos so I went with MSI and am very happy with it.

If you do end up building, remember not to skimp on the power supply. It really is important, so go for a good brand name with at least 500-600 watts (depending on how powerful a computer you are planning on building). Good brands would be Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec.

Quote from AntiCommie : What mobo did you go with? I'm looking for a Z77 for an I5-3570k. I'm leaning ASRock, but I've always liked ASUS.

There was a combo deal a while back for an ASRock extreme6 with i5. Total ~$250 or something like that for both so I grabbed that and just did a build for a friend a week ago

This:
http://slickdeals.net/f/5833684-A...rboard-106

Quote from jbonez21 : Here's a build I'm using slickdeal prices from the past month or so....someone had a $600 budget, if you have more to spend, you could get a 256gb SD drive instead, or an even better graphics card. i5 $180 mobo $100 128gb SSD $60 1tb HD $60 corsair 500w psu $40 case $40 8gb ram $40 gtx 560ti $130 $650

Excellent. That seems like quite the budget gaming computer. I will keep an eye out for a combo like the one that was mentioned.

If I might ask, though, how is there not much of a difference between the i5 and i7? I understand in society we are blinded by numbers, but it just seems the i7 would be much better. Or is this a situational thing - an i5 and i7 serve the same purpose for a gaming PC?

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : Excellent. That seems like quite the budget gaming computer. I will keep an eye out for a combo like the one that was mentioned. If I might ask, though, how is there not much of a difference between the i5 and i7? I understand in society we are blinded by numbers, but it just seems the i7 would be much better. Or is this a situational thing - an i5 and i7 serve the same purpose for a gaming PC?

An i5 is good enough for gaming, but if you plan to do any heavy processing like video processing/editing an i7 would help. The performance of an i5 vs i7 on gaming has a minor effect, so I would spend that money on a better graphics card instead.

On the build your own computer path get ready to learn to how fix computer problems and have the time to do so. Sometimes you do end up with bad computer parts and you need to find which part is bad through some testing.

Quote from jbonez21 : Windows 8 is not a good OS for gaming. You want either 7 or XP.

do you have a source for this? i've had 0 issues with gaming in win 8.

i wouldn't recommend XP. it is beyond the end of life and MSFT no longer issues security updates.

Quote from himeko123 : An i5 is good enough for gaming, but you plan to do any heavy processing like video processing/editing an i7 would help. The performance of an i5 vs i7 on gaming has a minor effect, so I would spend that money on a better graphics card instead. On the build your own computer path get ready to learn to how fix computer problems and have the time to do so. Sometimes you do end up with bad computer parts and you need to find which part is bad through some testing.

I agree with the i5 vs i7, but disagree on building your own computer causing problems.

As long as you get quality computer parts built by quality manufacturers from reputable merchants you'll have less issues than with pre-built PC's. I've spent no amount of time working on issues. In the off-chance you receive a bad product you can easily figure it out by unplugging components until you isolate the problem child.

Quote from dayv : do you have a source for this? i've had 0 issues with gaming in win 8. I wouldn't recommend XP. it is beyond the end of life and MSFT no longer issues security updates.

I use Windows 7 and love it. I know a lot of developers such as Valve have condemned Windows 8 as a gaming platform. Good to know you haven't had any issues.

Quote from jbonez21 : I agree with the i5 vs i7, but disagree on building your own computer causing problems. As long as you get quality computer parts built by quality manufacturers from reputable merchants you'll have less issues than with pre-built PC's. I've spent no amount of time working on issues. In the off-chance you receive a bad product you can easily figure it out by unplugging components until you isolate the problem child. I use Windows 7 and love it. I know a lot of developers such as Valve have condemned Windows 8 as a gaming platform. Good to know you haven't had any issues.

I'm just saying there is possibilities hardware/software issues which are pain in the butt solve sometimes. It helps to have access to multiple computer/parts to find out what is bad, if on the slight chance it happens.

Going with what you said on RMA issues with Asrock motherboards, I may have to agree with you. I built my own computer with an Asrock Mobo(stable since Sept 2012), so I decided to put that into my cousin's custom built. It seems that he has an issue with the Ethernet network connection breaking randomly. I'm thinking it might be a router issue or motherboard's Ethernet port is defective. This is just one example of a computer that runs fine, but has random problems you need to solve. HalfAmazingOne, I wish you luck in avoiding problems such as this and hope you enjoy the savings/building process.

Regarding buying a computer case, I would recommend getting a quality and easy to use computer case. Try to ignore the higher initial costs because cases last forever, the case will be easier to clean/maintain, and be easier to install parts into.

Corsair 550D $149.99 with $10 rebate [newegg.com]
Fractal R4 $109.99 [newegg.com]

I personally worked with both cases. They are easy to clean because they have fan filters at all the intakes and have plenty of room inside to fit everything. You definitely want fan filters for all your air intakes for case because you definitely don't want to clean out your every couple months to remove all the collected dust. It's much easier to take off all you fan filters every month, wipe them off in the garbage, and be done with cleaning your case.

Quote from jbonez21 : I went with this Mobo, MSI Z77A-G43 [newegg.com] It's currently $100 on Newegg. If you get a free Shoprunner account you can get free 2-day shipping also. You can't go wrong with the ASRock or Asus either. Back when I was researching I noticed a lot of RMA on ASRock mobos so I went with MSI and am very happy with it.

How much did your MSI cost and which one did you buy? I want to buy a new computer soon.

Quote from ManhoL : How much did your MSI cost and which one did you buy? I want to buy a new computer soon.

I paid $100 3 or 4 months ago. It's currently $99 at Newegg plus has a $10 rebate card. It's the same one I linked above. It's an awesome mobo. Future proofed and has a GUI BIOS.

Quote from himeko123 : I'm just saying there is possibilities hardware/software issues which are pain in the butt solve sometimes. It helps to have access to multiple computer/parts to find out what is bad, if on the slight chance it happens. Going with what you said on RMA issues with Asrock motherboards, I may have to agree with you. I built my own computer with an Asrock Mobo(stable since Sept 2012), so I decided to put that into my cousin's custom built. It seems that he has an issue with the Ethernet network connection breaking randomly. I'm thinking it might be a router issue or motherboard's Ethernet port is defective. This is just one example of a computer that runs fine, but has random problems you need to solve. HalfAmazingOne, I wish you luck in avoiding problems such as this and hope you enjoy the savings/building process. Regarding buying a computer case, I would recommend getting a quality and easy to use computer case. Try to ignore the higher initial costs because cases last forever, the case will be easier to clean/maintain, and be easier to install parts into. Corsair 550D $149.99 with $10 rebate [newegg.com] Fractal R4 $109.99 [newegg.com] I personally worked with both cases. They are easy to clean because they have fan filters at all the intakes and have plenty of room inside to fit everything. You definitely want fan filters for all your air intakes for case because you definitely don't want to clean out your every couple months to remove all the collected dust. It's much easier to take off all you fan filters every month, wipe them off in the garbage, and be done with cleaning your case.

Do you think it's necessary to pay that much for a case? I see them here on SD for $50 or less sometimes. Are those less quality?