Poor man's Gaming Rig

[Nyaya]

Hi all,

I'd like some tips on putting together a low-budget gaming rig, modeling Marest's "Budget Gaming 560" build. I pretty much copied everything across the board, swapping only the case, as the Cougar has USB 3.0 access whereas the listed Xigmatek Asgard does not (according to pcpartpicker). Following Marest's advice, I checked out other parts, but I wasn't totally convinced that anything else really needed to be changed. But I am open to suggestions!

Here's the link to parts and prices: pcpartpicker.com/p/xw77

MoBo: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP
CPU: Intel i3 3220
RAM: G.Skill 1600MHz 2x4GB
GPU: HIS Radeon 7850
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500GB
PSU: Antec VP-450W
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

The above came to $622.84 (in the US), which is within my budget ($650 max). Seems quite good, considering I need to buy an OS. I don't need any other peripherals at this time. I'm only playing WoW, and fair/good/high settings would all suit me fine.

Again, any suggestions and constructive comments are welcome and much appreciated. Thanks!

[DeltrusDisc]

That should do very well for you! Hope to see pictures in the Post Your Gaming Setup megathread!

[Noctua]

Looks good man.
That'll do WoW no worries.

[glo]

Could save $60 by getting a Windows 8 upgrade for $40 (download the official Win 7 iso, install it without a key - then format Win 8 upgrade).

Take the money and put it towards a GTX 660.

[chazus]

What are you currently using/posting on now? Is it possible to A) Sell that system or at least B) Use the OS currently on that one in the new one?

Also since you're sticking with HDD, can you transfer your old one over if its large enough?

Double also, since this is a budget setup, is it worth it (to you) to spend an extra $10-$20 to get a Z77 motherboard to support both a higher i5/K processor with overclocking, in case you want to go whole hog somewhere in the future? I don't think its necessary, but it's certainly something to consider for little extra cost.

[Gurushock]

What Glo said.

[chazus]

Take the money and put it towards a GTX 660.

A 660 might even be worth it without saving money. A 7850 hits about 45fps on Ultra average, and a 660 hits just shy of 60 on Ultra.

I personally have a 660 and love it. It's right on the cusp of 'perfect' for WoW, which of course most people play on this forum. It's not a dollar shy of doing well, and not a dollar over being overkill. I'm a fan of medium range systems, rather than going crazy every 2-3 years.

[Baelic]

Though there's certainly nothing wrong with using Windows 8, I don't see a decent enough reason for upgrading when Windows 7 works perfectly fine. Would save the potential headaches of learning a significantly different interface (yes I'm aware you can mod Windows 8 to have it function like Windows 7 but you shouldn't need to do that in the first place).

I'd consider upgrading to a Core i5 2500(K) or 3570(K) (the K added in case you desire to overclock) in the future but otherwise that'll run most games on medium-high settings. For those touting the 660, remember that although a more powerful GPU certainly can improve FPS, the CPU also plays a factor. In my opinion his bottleneck will be the CPU for now.

[Nyaya]

Thanks to everyone for your comments and feedback. Really appreciate all of you helping me to think this through.

For glo: I'd rather not go with Windows 8. But if I went with a GTX 660, would I also have to consider upgrading the mobo/cpu/gpu? Is any of that advisable?

For chazus and Baelic: I've a notebook for personal and office use, but not gaming, so I'm building this one. I'd prefer using Windows 7, since I'm not totally sold on Windows 8 (yet). And might I see that big of a difference swapping to an Z77/Core i5 while keeping the 7850, or rather keeping the H77/Core i3 and swapping to a GTX 660? I don't plan to play on Ultra; High/Good is good enough for me. No present or future plans to overclock, so I can't justify spending more for those options.

I might be making a slippery slope, but I'm afraid that if I start upgrading parts (mobo/cpu), I'll end up doing the same for the video card, and eventually memory and gpu, upgrades that will exceed my budget. Are there certain upgrades which should have priority, or is that something dependent on what you're going from and to, or based on preferences, or usage?

On another note, a buddy of mine is worried that a 450w gpu isn't enough for the 7850, since it recommends minimally 500w. Is this sound advice? And is adding a cpu cooler anything I should consider/think/worry about?

Okay, enough of my questions. Thanks in advance!

[DeltrusDisc]

Thanks to everyone for your comments and feedback. Really appreciate all of you helping me to think this through.

For glo: I'd rather not go with Windows 8. But if I went with a GTX 660, would I also have to consider upgrading the mobo/cpu/gpu? Is any of that advisable?

For chazus and Baelic: I've a notebook for personal and office use, but not gaming, so I'm building this one. I'd prefer using Windows 7, since I'm not totally sold on Windows 8 (yet). And might I see that big of a difference swapping to an Z77/Core i5 while keeping the 7850, or rather keeping the H77/Core i3 and swapping to a GTX 660? I don't plan to play on Ultra; High/Good is good enough for me. No present or future plans to overclock, so I can't justify spending more for those options.

I might be making a slippery slope, but I'm afraid that if I start upgrading parts (mobo/cpu), I'll end up doing the same for the video card, and eventually memory and gpu, upgrades that will exceed my budget. Are there certain upgrades which should have priority, or is that something dependent on what you're going from and to, or based on preferences, or usage?

On another note, a buddy of mine is worried that a 450w gpu isn't enough for the 7850, since it recommends minimally 500w. Is this sound advice? And is adding a cpu cooler anything I should consider/think/worry about?

Okay, enough of my questions. Thanks in advance!

A 450 watt PSU is good enough for most GPUs of this generation. For your CPU, you really don't need a dedicated heatsink.

GPU and video card are the same thing, also. :P You upgrade the GPU/video card, you really don't need to worry about the motherboard/CPU as the GPUs are interchangeable and plug into the same slot.

[chazus]

I only suggest the Z77 board because it only costs 10-30 extra. It will not improve your performance NOW, however if you want to get the beefier i5-3570K and overclock down the road, you can. The H77 will support the CPU, but not overclocking. So thats more a future investment kind of thing. If you don't feel you'll overclock, dont worry about it.

[Nyaya]

A 450 watt PSU is good enough for most GPUs of this generation. For your CPU, you really don't need a dedicated heatsink.

GPU and video card are the same thing, also. :P You upgrade the GPU/video card, you really don't need to worry about the motherboard/CPU as the GPUs are interchangeable and plug into the same slot.

DeltrusDisc: Derp. Thanks, yeah, I meant 450w PSU there, not GPU. That's what happens when you don't proof read!

chazus: Thanks again, I'll definitely take that into consideration!