Budget Gaming PC

[retroality]

Looking for a few kind folks to help me in finding parts for a budget build. I'm currently using a Macbook Pro and am in need of Windows for most of my programming classes at school and I figured I would just build a PC rather than play with too many workarounds to get my mac to do what I need.

I mainly want to be able to play WoW on the best settings I can within my budget but I'd like the room for upgrades that will inevitably come in the future.

My budget is $500-$600 before Windows
I have a spare 1920x1080 monitor I plan on using
Located in the US. Cincinnati to be exact
No peripherals needed
And if possible, a wireless network card

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Cover25]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Kwmz

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.47 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($135.66 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.19 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($86.61 @ Amazon)
Total: $610.37
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-30 21:10 EST-0500)

With this build you should be fine on medium/high. But increasing your budget would be ideal to play on high/ultra.

[chazus]

Modifly'd it a little. More RAM, SSD. The SSD isn't needed, however with $80 there isn't much room to upgrade things to any great benefit. You could always just save the money, too, for later upgrades.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.19 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $607.78

[Cyrops]

Both i3 builds look decent, BUT if you want to upgrade any of them, you will have to replace parts with better ones. I find that it is not a good deal.
But if you are fine with that, it's your choice.

Now if you want a system you can upgrade without replacing any parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $605.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-31 01:36 EST-0500)

It doesn't have a graphics card, but for WoW the Intel graphics 4600 on i5 will be fine on low/medium settings (I played on intel 4600 for over a month on my 4771) and there is also no aftermarket cooler, so those would be your future upgrades. And when you get the money, you can upgrade the system to be beast without throwing parts away

And depending on how intense your coding will be, overclocked i5 will compile faster than i3.

[Fluorescent0]

Modifly'd it a little. More RAM, SSD. The SSD isn't needed, however with $80 there isn't much room to upgrade things to any great benefit. You could always just save the money, too, for later upgrades.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.19 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $607.78

I'm surprised you suggested going for an SSD instead of a 660, that's what I'd do.

[Deleted]

this is what i´d go for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.20 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N10 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $579.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-31 06:40 EST-0500)

added a stronger gpu and skipped the ssd, which u can add later on (it wont give u any performance increase in games, just reduce the first load times by some seconds).

[retroality]

Both i3 builds look decent, BUT if you want to upgrade any of them, you will have to replace parts with better ones. I find that it is not a good deal.
But if you are fine with that, it's your choice.

Now if you want a system you can upgrade without replacing any parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $605.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-31 01:36 EST-0500)

It doesn't have a graphics card, but for WoW the Intel graphics 4600 on i5 will be fine on low/medium settings (I played on intel 4600 for over a month on my 4771) and there is also no aftermarket cooler, so those would be your future upgrades. And when you get the money, you can upgrade the system to be beast without throwing parts away

And depending on how intense your coding will be, overclocked i5 will compile faster than i3.

If I decided to go with this build and wanted to drop the SSD and pick up a GPU, what card would I want?

[Toffie]

Depends, can you go over the 600 $ budget? Because dropping the SSD only leaves you 75 $.

[retroality]

Depends, can you go over the 600 $ budget? Because dropping the SSD only leaves you 75 $.

Yes, gonna try to keep it in the 600-675 range if possible.

[glo]

If I decided to go with this build and wanted to drop the SSD and pick up a GPU, what card would I want?

If you're OK with adding the SSD later, this was the best build already posted:

this is what i´d go for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.20 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N10 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $579.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-31 06:40 EST-0500)

added a stronger gpu and skipped the ssd, which u can add later on (it wont give u any performance increase in games, just reduce the first load times by some seconds).

Worrying about upgrading is kind of silly considering by the time you want to, a new socket will be out (Broadwell) and you'll need to get a new motherboard again anyway. The i3-4330 can handle any game at maximum settings regardless, and will not bottleneck any currently available card outside of high end SLI systems. The main difference between that chip and an i5 will be a bit higher of an FPS floor and overclockability but that's all.

[Cyrops]

If I decided to go with this build and wanted to drop the SSD and pick up a GPU, what card would I want?

Then you should go with i3 and get a powerful GPU.

[Fluorescent0]

If you're OK with adding the SSD later, this was the best build already posted:



Worrying about upgrading is kind of silly considering by the time you want to, a new socket will be out (Broadwell) and you'll need to get a new motherboard again anyway. The i3-4330 can handle any game at maximum settings regardless, and will not bottleneck any currently available card outside of high end SLI systems. The main difference between that chip and an i5 will be a bit higher of an FPS floor and overclockability but that's all.

Broadwell will still be 1150, but pretty much agreed with the rest of the post.

[glo]

Broadwell will still be 1150, but pretty much agreed with the rest of the post.

Sure, you could stick it in a Z87 board, but it isn't going to work out well. Broadwell chips will be lacking IVR on the processor. They're moving it back onto the motherboard.

Basically, Haswell will only work on Haswell boards and Broadwell will only work on Broadwell boards.

[Revolutions]

Both i3 builds look decent, BUT if you want to upgrade any of them, you will have to replace parts with better ones. I find that it is not a good deal.
But if you are fine with that, it's your choice.

Now if you want a system you can upgrade without replacing any parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150HG 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $605.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-31 01:36 EST-0500)

It doesn't have a graphics card, but for WoW the Intel graphics 4600 on i5 will be fine on low/medium settings (I played on intel 4600 for over a month on my 4771) and there is also no aftermarket cooler, so those would be your future upgrades. And when you get the money, you can upgrade the system to be beast without throwing parts away

And depending on how intense your coding will be, overclocked i5 will compile faster than i3.

Drop the SSD and go down to 4gigs of ram and get a GTX 660, that would be the optimal upgrade

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133470

So it'll be 160 after MIR, a little over target but you'll run MoP on ultra.

If you are waiting to build I would check reddit.com/r/buildapcsales on a daily basis, I've seen the GTX 660 drop pretty low and with the 800s coming out soon it'll probably go down even more.

[Harmzuay]

In most ~$500 budget builds I see other places, people recommend the AMD FX-6300 or X4 760K CPU. Any reason no one seems to be recommending either of those? I even see the 6300 in chaud's setup of the month. Serious question out of sheer ignorance.

[Fluorescent0]

Their IPC (instructions per clock, you multiply that by core frequency to get instructions per second) is ~50% behind Intel's processors. This means that in any CPU-bound game (since most don't really use more than 3 cores anyways so extra cores are pretty much useless), the suggested ones are going to perform leaps and bounds better.