1. #1
    Deleted

    Unsure of what to buy.

    I'm looking for a budget gaming PC as my old one is on its last legs and seriously needs to be put out to pasture.

    I'm working with a tight budget due to having to sort out a deposit for buying a house.

    I've been looking at both these setups and I have no idea which to choose. Being next to clueless on all things PC.

    Specifications of option 1:

    • 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ (Ivy Bridge) i5-3470 3.20GHz Quad-Core Processor
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
    • 8GB Corsair (2x4096) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual-Channel Memory (32GB Max)
    • 2TB (7200rpm) SATA 6GB/s (SATA III) Hard Drive
    • GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 (Socket 1155) Micro-ATX Motherboard
    • 500W Corsair Builder Series 500CX 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
    • Corsair Carbide 200R Black Midi Tower Gaming Case
    • DVD +/- RW Drive w/ m-Disk Support
    Specifications of option 2:

    • AMD (Piledriver) FX-6300 Black Edition 3.50GHz (4.10GHz Turbo Speed) Six-Core Processor
    • AMD Radeon HD 7870 Tahiti LE GDDR5 2048MB DirectX 11 Graphics
    • 8GB Corsair 1600MHz DDR3 (2x4096MB) Dual-Channel Memory (32GB Supported)
    • 500GB Hitachi SATA Hard Drive - OS, Applications & Storage
    • GIGABYTE AMD 760G Express Chipset Motherboard w/ 2x USB 3.0 Ports
    • 500W Corsair Builder Series 500CX 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
    • ARIAnet Triton Black Midi Tower Gaming Case w/ Blue LED Fan
    • AMD CPU Cooler
    • Lite-On DVDRW Dual Layer SATA 24x DVD±R Rewriter (m-Disk Support)
    • Onboard 2/4/5.1/7.1 Channel High Definition Audio
    I know the graphics card is better on one but the other has a better cpu. Can't post links to them unfortunately.

    Does anyone have any advice or pointers?

    Thanks in advance for your time. I really appreciate it.

  2. #2
    Deleted
    Your post got stuck in the spam filter - sorry about that! Enjoy this free bump as compensation. (If further issues emerge just PM me or another Moderator).

  3. #3
    Bloodsail Admiral Killora's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    BFE, Montana
    Posts
    1,105
    Whats your exact budget? A "tight" budget isn't too descriptive.

    Are you willing to build your own from various parts? It's fairly easy to do.

    Both of them have Corsair Builders, which as a lot of people on this forum will tell you, are not renown for their quality.

  4. #4
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    3,858
    Never buy a computer with a CX unit, they are garbage. Coil whine after a weeks use and fan is EXTREMELY loud, so freaking loud. They degrade fast and I had to RMA it for a new unit. They sent me the new unit CX 600 V2, which they fixed some issues. Sadly I had same problems, but this unit died on me 6 months later.

    I suggest you build yourself, It's very likely both of these pre-build are overpriced. Building yourself will probaly net you a 3570K & 7870XT for the same price.

    Country and budget would go a long to help you
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Sorry for not including the budget etc.

    I'm from the UK

    Would be looking around £650, could squeeze a bit more there if I can keep it below the radar of the missus.

    I would be willing to build my own, although the thought scares the bejesus out of me a little.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by dofwalmer View Post
    Sorry for not including the budget etc.

    I'm from the UK

    Would be looking around could squeeze a bit more there if I can keep it below the radar of the missus.

    I would be willing to build my own, although the thought scares the bejesus out of me a little.
    It really isn't as hard as you might think it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls

  7. #7
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    3,858
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£68.30 @ Amazon UK)
    Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£40.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.26 @ Amazon UK)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£203.64 @ Amazon UK)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£38.65 @ Ebuyer)
    Power Supply: XFX 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£34.99 @ Maplin Electronics)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.77 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £631.58
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-08 23:26 BST+0100) Windows is included in the 650 budget? If yes then I would go over budget and get this setup which will handle most games on maxed.
    Last edited by Toffie; 2013-04-08 at 10:28 PM.
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  8. #8
    Bloodsail Admiral Killora's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    BFE, Montana
    Posts
    1,105
    PCPartPicker part list

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£68.30 @ Amazon UK)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£47.18 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.26 @ Amazon UK)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£203.64 @ Amazon UK)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£38.65 @ Ebuyer)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£47.63 @ Amazon UK)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.77 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £650.41
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-08 23:31 BST+0100)

    Revised from above. Can't recommend a case, but the 450W PSU isn't going to cut it with a 7870 XT and i have no idea who GeIL enhance is.

  9. #9
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    3,858
    450 quality psu is more than enough, card takes 300 watt max. Theres a person running a 670 & 3570k at extreme overclocking just fine with a 450 unit. I believe it's noctural.
    Last edited by Toffie; 2013-04-08 at 10:45 PM.
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  10. #10
    Bloodsail Admiral Killora's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    BFE, Montana
    Posts
    1,105
    Quote Originally Posted by Toffie View Post
    450 quality psu is more than enough, card takes 300 watt max. Theres a person running a 670 & 3570k at extreme overclocking just fine with a 450 unit. I believe it's noctural.
    Overall system power will be 350-400w. That PSU only has 34A on the 12v rail. Making it only 400w.

  11. #11
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    3,858
    http://www.bitsandchips.it/9-hardwar...oglie?start=22 still doesn't hurt him going with the 550 when it's within budget, would last him longer. Just saying 450 is more than enough
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  12. #12
    Bloodsail Admiral Killora's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    BFE, Montana
    Posts
    1,105
    Quote Originally Posted by Toffie View Post
    http://www.bitsandchips.it/9-hardwar...oglie?start=22 still doesn't hurt him going with the 550 when it's within budget, would last him longer. Just saying 450 is more than enough
    if you had one with more amps on the 12v maybe, but that particular one would be pushing it. capacitor degradation wouldnt take long to catch up.

  13. #13
    Deleted
    How does this look, guys?

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£143.99 @ Aria PC)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£68.30 @ Amazon UK)
    Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£32.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.26 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£128.39 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card (£146.18 @ Dabs)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£38.65 @ Ebuyer)
    Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£36.18 @ Aria PC)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.77 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £646.71
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-09 00:14 BST+0100)

  14. #14
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    3,858
    SSD is nice to have, but i wouldn't sacrifice performance for it. Final say is up to OP though.
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  15. #15
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Toffie View Post
    SSD is nice to have, but i wouldn't sacrifice performance for it.
    I agree with this, partially. You can sacrifice some performance for the convenience that a SSD offers, but it depends on how much it steals from your budget. At $500, a SSD takes a too large chunk of your total budget. At $1000, the chunk (%) is smaller.

    I find the sweetspot to be somewhere around a $800/900 budget, excluding OS. Here a SSD uses around $80-90 for an entry-level device which is about 10% - totally manageable without sacrificing too much performance. It's when you are looking at a GPU in the ~$200-250 range that a SSD first becomes viable, I'd say.

    For anyone feeling stressed about buying a new computer and unsure of how much you can realistically spend - skip the SSD. It is still mostly a luxury component in many regards and easily something you can live without.

  16. #16
    Deleted
    Actually, my build can go up to a 3570K and Z77 mobo for £20 more. Then get the HYPER 212 EVO for £25 quid and £700 for my build - to this:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£74.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£32.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.17 @ Aria PC)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£128.39 @ Aria PC)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card (£146.18 @ Dabs)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£38.65 @ Ebuyer)
    Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£36.18 @ Aria PC)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.77 @ Amazon UK)
    Total: £704.30
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-09 09:21 BST+0100)

  17. #17
    Deleted
    That 7870 XT would be nice to have instead of the 650 Ti boost though, wouldn't it?

    I myself would prefer a somewhat smaller SSD perhaps, to allow for the 7870 XT, if this was my personal build and a fixed budget.

  18. #18
    Bloodsail Admiral Killora's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    BFE, Montana
    Posts
    1,105
    I really wouldn't recommend dropping to a 650 TI boost just for a 250gb ssd.

    PCPartPicker part list

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£68.30 @ Amazon UK)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£41.77 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£72.99 @ Amazon UK)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£75.29 @ Amazon UK)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£204.40 @ Amazon UK)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£39.95 @ Aria PC)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£47.73 @ Amazon UK)
    Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£15.04 @ CCL Computers)
    Total: £733.46
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-09 09:36 BST+0100)

    Best i can do with an SSD, really, while maintaining a 3570k, good cooler, and decent motherboard.. But if 733 is too much for you, drop the SSD and just go for a 7870 XT. Like has been said above, SSD's are a luxury and you shouldn't sacrifice too much performance for one (which you would be.)

  19. #19
    Deleted
    I'd agree with Killora. Perhaps you can switch the PSU to the one in Tenagrychicken's build, which would save 11 pounds. Still ends 22 pounds over budget, but it's a bit closer to it at least.

    Edit.

    I see you wanted to stick to 650. I'd probably get rid of the SSD then. It's a shame, since it's a major (MAJOR) quality of life improvement, but it's just that. It won't net you any actual performance.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •