Maximum PC

Hi all,

I'm looking to build a budget gaming desktop to play Battlefield 3, Borderlands 2, Hitman: Absolution and a few older games. I don't need to play them at the highest quality settings, just decent resolution and detail. I'm trying to stick around $600-800, with lower being better. I've put together this build from Newegg, just wondering what people thought of it. Feedback would be appreciated!

Case: SilverStone SST-PS07B MicroATX Mini Tower
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-F2A75M-D3H FM2 AMD A75
CPU: AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz Socket FM2
GPU: XFX CORE Edition Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition
HDD: WD Black 1TB 7200 RPM
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
PSU: Cooler Master GX 450W
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Thank you!

Don't go with an AMD APU. That's if you have a system that doesn't need a discrete card but still want something better than traditional iGPUs. Also, APU motherboards are locked to just APUs. You can't fit a regular processor in them.

And you may want something that's more in the 500W range for a PSU.

OK if AMD APUs are out of the question, what about an FX processor? I know that there will be some performance loss when compared to Intel processors, but how much?

If this is any indication among other things, let's put it this way, a $70 part (Pentium G860) is as good as a $100 (FX-4100)

Something like this might work for you:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jnm2

Things to consider:

- This is an Intel Core-i3 build, but can be upgraded to a faster CPU later if desired.

- I just picked more or less the cheapest RAM instead of my "go to" Samsungs, even if the savings is only $10 or so (no one listens anyway lol).

- 2 TB cheap HDD = more value than a more expensive 1 TB WD Black.

- Radeon 7770 is a good option for a budget gaming card, but consider faster/more expensive cards since this will be a gaming build. Check out the benchmarks here just to make sure you know what you are getting:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536

- I took the liberty to select an ATX mid tower instead of the micro-ATX case. I was just not sure you wanted the m-ATX form factor. But if so, you may substitute something like this m-ATX mobo for the ATX I originally selected.

- The Seasonic PSU I selected is solid, but might be the weakest link to any potential upgrades in the future. Specifically, this PSU might accomodate a GTX 670 or Radeon 7950 GPU, but it's probably not a good idea.

- According to my build, total cost is about $600. If you can afford another $80 or so, add a decent 128 GB SSD for your OS and select programs.

Well, I'd argue against this. Considering that a lot of people have been complaining that hard drives recently have been sucking and failing more often and that a lot of drives these days that are affordable with bang for the buck have 1 year warranties. Hard drives are also one of those things that don't get upgraded or tend to jump from build to build. And really, 2TB might be excessive unless you hoard high quality HD movies or, in my case, refuse to redownload anything big (like my Steam Collection). Either way, even if you manage to use a good chunk of that 2TB of space, it sucks when the drive goes kaput. Yes you should have backup drives with your data, but let's not assume that everyone has one.

Either way, I'm more confident in Caviar Blacks simply because it carries a 5 year warranty. That means WD is saying it's reliable for at least 5 years and they're willing to replace your drive for that long, for free. So they have to ensure that the drives last. A 1 year warranty doesn't buy me much confidence, especially for a part that might need to out last the rest of the system.


If EVGA's product sheet for the GTX 680 is anything to go by, the PSU barely meets the minimum requirement on the 12V rail. But yeah, I wouldn't put a GTX 680 on a 520W PSU.

@LatiosXT
Yeah I was hoping to save $100, but I realized that there was no upgrade path after seeing that a Phenom II was better than a FX processor. Decided to go with a Core i3-3220 like @hindolio suggested.

@hindolio
I went with a Micro ATX system because I'd like it to be more compact. The only downside is that you can fit less hardware in it, but it looks really slick, too . But I was wondering whether it would be worth the extra size to be able to run two 7770s in CrossFire later down the road, or whether I should just go with a single medium-range card of the latest gen. I thought about going with a 2TB Seagate drive, but I really don't like the one year warranty like @LatiosXT said. Much more comfortable with five years vs. one . I also thought about buying an SSD, but I can always add that later when I have more money.

@LatiosXT
Have to agree with you on the five year vs. one year warranty issue. I've always thought that WD drives were higher quality and more reliable than Seagate, but that's just my bias .

Here's the Micro ATX Build and here's the ATX Build. Any suggestions?

If the only real difference between the two builds is the case, I vote for the m-ATX. I do agree that the micro form factor is potentially more elegant. Generally most people don't need so many connections, too.

I'm not familiar with that MSI mobo, but I'm sure it ain't a stinker. But if you haven't yet, look up reviews for the sake of looking up reviews. It does have a limited number or PCI-E connections though, so make certain the board fits your needs.

Re CrossFiring two 7770s, I'd think you'd do better with a single GPU solution. From my limited knowledge of dual GPU setups with what's out there right now, single cards are preferable unless you are looking at multiple monitors at something like a 5760 x 1200 resolution. If you are concerned that the 7770 is not enough GPU for you, you might be right. But the only way to address that is spend more on a better GPU. Money is the answer and the crux of the matter as usual.

Doing a similar build, the guy does not OC or upgrade for years so once you get that out of that restriction a good performing build can be had



Should have pretty good performance in that price range - the InWin case, probably the best air cooling performance in a mATX factor (going to try some quiet 4 x 120mm's on the side ONLY so all other vents are exhaust and see how it goes).

Since he will already have an i5 quad / 8Gb / H77 / HD7850 no need for piecemeal upgrades for a few years then this thing can be re-purposed into a nice HTPC (which is exactly what I am going to do with his c2d & 2Gb rig).

Well, hope this gives you some ideas.
Cheers!