Looking to build a mid-range gaming PC

SaiyanZ

SaiyanZ

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I used to keep up to date with new hardware releases but haven't been doing so for the last few years. I'm looking to build a mid range PC, in the same league that the i5 760 and HD4870 was back in 2009/2010. Just need some advice on the CPU, Motherboard and GPU. The rest of the stuff is easy enough to decide on.
 
I'll also be looking to order as much as possible from http://pcint.co.za/

They were the cheapest for most parts a few years back so I assume that the still are the cheapest? Can order a GPU elsewhere if they don't have what I need or if someone else is a lot cheaper.
 
 
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SaiyanZ said:
I used to keep up to date with new hardware releases but haven't been doing so for the last few years. I'm looking to build a mid range PC, in the same league that the i5 760 and HD4870 was back in 2009/2010. Just need some advice on the CPU, Motherboard and GPU. The rest of the stuff is easy enough to decide on.
Click to expand...

Whats your budget? And what Games do you want to play? And do you plan on overclocking?
 
brenjacct said:
Whats your budget? And what Games do you want to play? And do you plan on overclocking?
Click to expand...

No real budget but mid-ranged specs usually gives the best bang for buck. I don't want to spend a lot for a minor difference. Will be playing the latest games and also installing demanding mods on old games like Skyrim. I will overclock as well.
 
This is what I've come up with and used similar parts, Running Intel now but AMD definately gives you the most bang for buck.

Mobo: 990fx gigabyte ud3 - R2500

CPU: amd fx 6350 - R2000 or fx 6300 (if you can find one its slightly cheaper)

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 - R500

Ram: (2x4gigs)8gigs Corsair Vengence ddr3 1600 - R1000

GPU: HD7850 - R2500 I'm currently running one of these

HDD: WD caviar Blue 500gig - R750

PSU: Corsair GS500 - R900 any 500w bronze plus certified PSU will do

Case: Corsair 200R - R750 You need a good looking home for your parts, I actually have a 300R

You should be able to run all the latest games at 1080p on high settings.
 
brenjacct said:
This is what I've come up with and used similar parts, Running Intel now but AMD definately gives you the most bang for buck.

Mobo: 990fx gigabyte ud3 - R2500

CPU: amd fx 6350 - R2000 or fx 6300 (if you can find one its slightly cheaper)

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 - R500

Ram: (2x4gigs)8gigs Corsair Vengence ddr3 1600 - R1000

GPU: HD7850 - R2500 I'm currently running one of these

HDD: WD caviar Blue 500gig - R750

PSU: Corsair GS500 - R900 any 500w bronze plus certified PSU will do

Case: Corsair 200R - R750 You need a good looking home for your parts, I actually have a 300R

You should be able to run all the latest games at 1080p on high settings.
Click to expand...
You can save a lot of cash and get a better GPU, by just buying a cheaper motherboard for now.

Paying more for your motherboard than CPU when you are on a budget and intend to game is silly.
 
brenjacct said:
This is what I've come up with and used similar parts, Running Intel now but AMD definately gives you the most bang for buck.

Mobo: 990fx gigabyte ud3 - R2500

CPU: amd fx 6350 - R2000 or fx 6300 (if you can find one its slightly cheaper)

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 - R500

Ram: (2x4gigs)8gigs Corsair Vengence ddr3 1600 - R1000

GPU: HD7850 - R2500 I'm currently running one of these

HDD: WD caviar Blue 500gig - R750

PSU: Corsair GS500 - R900 any 500w bronze plus certified PSU will do

Case: Corsair 200R - R750 You need a good looking home for your parts, I actually have a 300R

You should be able to run all the latest games at 1080p on high settings.
Click to expand...

Nice build, except move R800 from motherboard to graphics card.
 
+1 for spending less on mobo and more on graphics card. The 970 chipset boards should be fine for single GPU purposes (I assume from budget gaming that you're not intending to SLI \ Crossfire). The MSI 970A is about a grand...just check what exactly you're going to be using it for and whether it makes sense for your purposes.
 
Are the AMD CPUs decent these days compared to a similar priced Intel? I've always had an Intel CPU.
 
SaiyanZ said:
Are the AMD CPUs decent these days compared to a similar priced Intel? I've always had an Intel CPU.
Click to expand...

Yes. Especially since games like Battlefield 4 actually use more than four cores.
 
Don't forget that the next gen consoles are all AMD and that's where all the PC ports come from.
 
EmileS said:
You can save a lot of cash and get a better GPU, by just buying a cheaper motherboard for now.

Paying more for your motherboard than CPU when you are on a budget and intend to game is silly.
Click to expand...

Point taken. In my experience the Mobos under 2k don't OC very well compared to the UD3. You could always drop in an FX8350 in to future and supports 2 way SLI and Crossfire. Some of those cheaper boards might not Support SLI.

And the Black PCB looks great compared the those other blue PCBs.:D
 
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I've gone the AMD route and i must say its VERY nice for gaming! From the outset the purpose for my upgrades was mailny for gaming @ 1080p on high or ultra and I'm very happy with what I got.

Rig:
FX8350 still running stock speeds (for now:p) paid R2600 at the time
CM Hyper 212 Evo R389
Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0 paid R2223
4x2gb (8gb) Samsung Low Profile 1333Mhz ram (Brand new I scored free off a friend that I did a huge favor for:p)
Ocz Vertex 2 100gb SSD (did a trade on Carbonite forum for it)
PowerColor Turbo Duo R9 280X R3799 Wootware at the time and skyrocketed since!

The rest like case, psu etc. I had already...

Here's a little vid of a replay of mine on Grid2

This is on a Sony Bravia 40" lcd @ 1080p on Ultra 4xaa on which I'm getting on avarage between 55 - 65 fps. On 2xAA it goes up 75 fps!

Excuse the quality of the vid as this was shot with my now exctinct Nokia 701 lmao! In reality it looks waaay better!

 
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