Gaming Are these good parts for a gaming computer?

[324atk]

Hey guys, I was looking into building a new pc at a budget price of about $650 The games I'd be playing the most are Minecraft, Skyrim, Portal 2, and mayyyyybe BF3. I'd also probably be running emulators but those are optional.

I want to know if these parts could handle those games and some of the more cpu heavy emulators. If not, or if you have any ideas about how I can do better for the same price or lower the price for the same thing please let me know. I'm open to any criticism, as long as it's constructive. Thanks

Link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/43ej

 

[Zerosuit connor]

Anyway the CPU is Good, 24GB of ram (nuff said), the Video Card is pretty good, this computer should suit what you want. Don't have any of the games except minecraft. With this computer I would be set.

Minecraft would run at Max Settings, with no lag.

[member='Vulpes Abnocto'], should have a look considering he is really good with computers.

 

[324atk]

Minecraft would run at Max Settings, with no lag
Max Settings. No lag.
no lag.

*Boner
....Jk

But, anyway that makes me very happy. I love minecraft but I can't play it at all because it lags so much, so that is EXTREMELY good news for me!

 

[Saken]

1. You don't have a motherboard...

2. 24GB RAM is really not needed. And you will be needing 6 slots in your motherboard to install all of the RAM. Therefore you would have to pick a more expensive motherboard (usually). If i were you i'd probably get less RAM (8GB is plenty) with a better buffer and at least 1600Mhz.

3. Don't cheap out on the power supply, 500W may be cutting it a bit tight with a 550 Ti, i would say around 600W is fine. Try aim for a recognisable brand like Corsair, Silverstone or Thermaltake. Cheap power supplies will only cause a lot more problems in the future.

 

[324atk]

1. You don't have a motherboard...

Whoops.. my bad

2. 24GB RAM is really not needed. And you will be needing 6 slots in your motherboard to install all of the RAM. Therefore you would have to pick a more expensive motherboard (usually). If i were you i'd probably get less RAM (8GB is plenty) with a better buffer and at least 1600Mhz.

Better? http://pcpartpicker....mx8gx3m2a1333c9

3. Don't cheap out on the power supply, 500W may be cutting it a bit tight with a 550 Ti, i would say around 600W is fine. Try aim for a recognisable brand like Corsair, Silverstone or Thermaltake. Cheap power supplies will only cause a lot more problems in the future.

http://pcpartpicker....-supply-st60fes

 

[Chhotu uttam]

About the CPU,it you're going with AMD the n I'd say go for phenom X6 1090t(probably the best CPU from AMD).
You can cut back on RAM from 24gb to 8/4 gb(8gb at max,I say).
If you can,then try to get a GTX 560 Ti(MSI Twin Frozer 2).
Also,Mobo is not mentioned in your list.

 

[324atk]

About the CPU,it you're going with AMD the n I'd say go for phenom X6 1090t(probably the best CPU from AMD).
You can cut back on RAM from 24gb to 8/4 gb(8gb at max,I say).
If you can,then try to get a GTX 560 Ti(MSI Twin Frozer 2).
Also,Mobo is not mentioned in your list.

I knew about the RAM and the motherboard thing and i have revised them both here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/43oG
I also took you up on you offer of the CPU. Better specs, lower price. IMO at least

 

[Puregamer]

Yea cut down on the ram, the max you need is 8gb for practically any game on a PC,
Instead of AMD i would go with Intel.
Get an amazing graphics card, it's the most important thing when you consider a gaming pc. RAM requirements for games are normally atleast 2gb, but the graphics card is extremely important. It'll reduce lag and increase the overall quality of the game. Lag in most games isn't due to lack of processing power from the CPU, it's lack of graphic power from the GPU, well in my case atleast.

 

[Chhotu uttam]

After google(ing) a bit,I found that Asus 870 Extreme 3 is best mobo for AM3 socket.
http://www.tomshardw...eview,3107.html

 

[Costello]

if it were just me (but you've already taken some stuff into consideration):
- I wouldn't go with more than 4 or 8 GB of ram... anything beyond that is just useless and a waste of power. On all my computers right now I've never had more than 2 GB of ram, even on my main desktop PC which plays Skyrim on max settings. It doesn't lag and when i open up the task manager it says the skyrim process takes up less than 1 GB.
- I hate AMD CPUs. I've had a terrible experience with them. I would go for a good Intel Core i7 if I were you... AMD CPUs have brought me nothing but overheating, burnt components, PC shutting down at random, throttled performance due to heat, etc. I will NEVER buy an AMD based computer again.
- if you have a bit of cash you could get a good SSD drive too. Love those, the performances of a standard HDD are ridiculous compared to a good SSD.

 

[Berthenk]

1. You don't have a motherboard...

2. 24GB RAM is really not needed. And you will be needing 6 slots in your motherboard to install all of the RAM. Therefore you would have to pick a more expensive motherboard (usually). If i were you i'd probably get less RAM (8GB is plenty) with a better buffer and at least 1600Mhz.
You won't notice the the difference between 1333 MHz and 1600 MHz unless you get your panties in a bunch over benchmarks. Same with latencies. However, if the price difference is not that much (a few bucks) you could just as well get higher clocked memory just for the heck of it. Also, e-peen.

3. Don't cheap out on the power supply, 500W may be cutting it a bit tight with a 550 Ti, i would say around 600W is fine. Try aim for a recognisable brand like Corsair, Silverstone or Thermaltake. Cheap power supplies will only cause a lot more problems in the future.
500W is fine for this config seeing as the 550 Ti doesn't pull that much and AMD CPUs in general don't grab that much electricity (except for Bulldozer). I agree, though, on the cheap power supplies.

if it were just me (but you've already taken some stuff into consideration):
- I wouldn't go with more than 4 or 8 GB of ram... anything beyond that is just useless and a waste of power. On all my computers right now I've never had more than 2 GB of ram, even on my main desktop PC which plays Skyrim on max settings. It doesn't lag and when i open up the task manager it says the skyrim process takes up less than 1 GB.
- I hate AMD CPUs. I've had a terrible experience with them. I would go for a good Intel Core i7 if I were you... AMD CPUs have brought me nothing but overheating, burnt components, PC shutting down at random, throttled performance due to heat, etc. I will NEVER buy an AMD based computer again.
- if you have a bit of cash you could get a good SSD drive too. Love those, the performances of a standard HDD are ridiculous compared to a good SSD.

Skyrim is 32 bit software so it won't use more than about 3.2 GB of RAM anytime soon, I think. I don't actually know much about 32 bit software but I assume it's the same as Windows in that it can't use more than said 3.2 GB of memory.
Also, it seems like you've had some bad luck with AMD processors. I've been running my Athlon for almost a year now and it's always been fine.
I would probably agree on the SSD part if I had one however I don't, so I'll leave that up to you guys to discuss.

 

[Zetta_x]

If you have an abundance amount of RAM. Use RamDisk to allocate a portion of it as storage space = super fast and no fragmenting.

 

[Originality]

Skyrim using only 3.2GB of your RAM? There's a mod for that! You can use all your RAM if you can find that mod... I've yet to actually play it though, so I'm no expert.

RamDisk is good, but it's also volatile. If you have to copy all the data on/off it to a HDD every time you use it, you start to lose the speed benefit. Or you just lose whatever is on there after each reboot. Best used on computers that are on for long periods of time.

 

[Pyrmon]

I just finished a build for a friend and it ended up looking like this:

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($106.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ 550W ATX12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $579.90
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-01-25 21:35 EST-0500)


This build will be able to play Minecraft, Portal 2, Skyrim and probably BF3 at atleast medium settings on high resolution. I sadly haven't been able to fully test it out before it had to go to my friend/customer, but the CPU is pretty powerful and can be unlocked by Asus Mobos (probablly others) to become a X6 for much cheaper. The GPU I would personally upgrade to a 6850/6890 and the HDD I would upgrade to a Caviar Black from WD. The 550Ti should be pretty good too, but I'm less familiar with Nvidia software and prefer AMD/ATI GFX. 4GB of RAM is imo more than enough for these games. I wouldn't spend more money on 8GB and would instead get a better PSU like http://pcpartpicker.com/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz550fty as you really shouldn't go cheap with the PSU. If it goes down, it usually brings other stuff with it and the 20-30$ you saved on the PSU won't cover the 100$ you put on your fried Mobo. I've never used a Silverstone myself and can't vouch for them. But the OCZ I linked is a modular PSU which is going to make cable management much easier. Plus it's got shiny lights. Never underestimate the sex appeal of shiny lights.
Also, I personally don't think an aftermarket HSF is really worth it. Unless you overclock, the temperatures will stay reasonably low, especially in a case with good airflow. Plus, the HSF you picked is gigantic and may interfere with the RAM slots of your Mobo, which is micro-ATX for some reason. It does interfere on a Full ATX board, so I can't imagine on a Micro-ATX one.

 

[Originality]

I wish your friend good luck. SeaGate are not known for their reliability as a high number of their drives die in the first year.

Btw, incase any forum regulars are wondering why I've not made any suggestions in this thread, I have little idea of the best way to build a good gaming system with a budget of under $700 because I don't know the American market that well.

Ok, a little advice. With HDDs, for a boot drive you should avoid "green" drives. Get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 or WD Caviar Black. "Green" drives tend to make for a slower and more stuttering performance and since the HDD is the slowest part in the system. Actually an ideal setup is a 60-90GB SSD with a 1TB+ "green" storage drive, if budget allows.

If you are building a gaming rig, put as much of the budget into the graphics as possible. Aim for a GTX 560 Ti if you can. You want the graphics to last as long as possible. Likewise, don't neglect the quality of the power supply and case, since power and cooling are equally important.

Finally, don't forget about the motherboard and CPU. They are the hardest parts to replace, so get as good as you can afford with your leftover budget. Also, Intel are better than AMD. I'm not going to get into a debate, but the Intel i5-2500k is one of the best CPUs to buy. I bought an ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard with it and Corsair H60 liquid cooling and holy Easter bunnies does it make a difference!

One viable option for those who can't afford everything at once - stick with integrated graphics for a while and save up for a better graphics card.

 

[Berthenk]

Skyrim using only 3.2GB of your RAM? There's a mod for that! You can use all your RAM if you can find that mod... I've yet to actually play it though, so I'm no expert.

If I recall correctly it only checks the 64 bit flag thingie on the .exe which is not quite the same as real 64 bit coding (it's actually called "Large Address Aware"). The game was later patched to not accept a modified executable, however, there's a new workaround. Too bad TES Nexus and Skyrim Nexus are down, though.

 

[Pyrmon]

I wish your friend good luck. SeaGate are not known for their reliability as a high number of their drives die in the first year.

I am well aware of that. But that is just a drive I got him until the prices go down a bit. Otherwise it would have meant sacrificing budget on the GFX/CPU/Mobo, which is really not a good idea.

Finally, don't forget about the motherboard and CPU. They are the hardest parts to replace, so get as good as you can afford with your leftover budget. Also, Intel are better than AMD. I'm not going to get into a debate, but the Intel i5-2500k is one of the best CPUs to buy. I bought an ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard with it and Corsair H60 liquid cooling and holy Easter bunnies does it make a difference!

I have to disagree here. While the high end i5/i7 CPUs are undeniably better than any AMD processor, the price/performance ratio on AMDs is much better. And for a budget build, sticking to an AMD quad core is definetely a good idea, as that means he can make sure to get a good GFX/PSU/Other important parts. An i5-2500K is 229$ while a Phenom II X4 960T is 130$ and will most likely meet his needs. Plus, these do overclock very well and can even unlock to six cores. Honestly, you shouldn't consider an i5 if your budget is under 800$.

 

[Originality]

Re: HDD prices... not any time soon. I've heard it'll take around 2 years for the factories to be restored to their previous levels, and the only thing that will make the prices go down any quicker is the natural development currently being researched in HDDs, such as the whole 4KB cluster size that they're trying to phase in.

Re: AMD/Intel debate... as I said, I'm not going to get into a debate, so that's all I'm saying.

 

[marcus134]

I feel like I'm gonna take part in that build suggestion thread.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/460z
(considering that you supply your own OS)

strong point:
8gb of ram
i5 2400
HD 6850

Down side: a bit over the price target

to take it to your price target, I see three road:
1.Get a lower gpu, It'll lower your performance with commercial games but you'll be able to keep the i5 for emulators, as they are more demanding on cpu power. on the other side you'll be able to keep up with commercial game by adding a new gpu in 2½ or 3 years witch should cost you 100-150$.

2.Get an i3, it wont make a big difference for current gen games and emulator as quad core implementation isn't perfect yet, however seeing how fast intel get rid of their socket it's hard to tell whether there will be an interesting cpu upgrade path in 2 or 3 years without having to change the mobo.

3.Go the amd road, it shouldn't make a difference on commercial games, however emulators will be a bit slower (though they may go a bit faster than with a i3 once quad core implementation get better). Considering amd history of socket compatibility, we can suppose that there will be a cpu upgrade route. Bulldozer doesn't look good at the moment but amd says that's because of the way windows handles thread and scheduling and they're working with Microsoft to solve the problem.