Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti and the 260X (which actually pack a bit more punch)

It's a solid choice... much higher quality motherboard...

As for why not go with an i5—I assume you aren't planning on overclocking and will just stick to stock settings. Honestly, that specific setup might actually end up being cheaper and likely performs better for what you need...

EDIT

Here, if you have the option (especially if you're paying cash), an R9 280 will fit, specifically the Windforce model.

1 x Intel Core i5-4440 Processor (3.10GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, s1150, Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2xDDR3
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3.5", 24mo
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GVR928WO3D-00-G, 28nm,
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard

$1652 + and if you want a real beast $40

If I were in your shoes, I’d opt for an i5 4xxx paired with a budget-friendly H81, B85, or H87 motherboard...

Look, the FX 8320 really pushes power consumption up, so you definitely want a higher-quality motherboard to handle the load. Personally, I wouldn't dream of pairing it with anything less than a Gigabyte 970 A-DS3P.

That Real Power Bronze might get you through, but honestly, if you're looking at builds like this on that kind of budget, an XFX 450, a Corsair CX430/500, or even an EVGA LC6460gp3 is the true sweet spot. You'll get a much better balance of wattage, price, and overall reliability.

Actually, I wouldn't say so, since 500GB hard drives are usually about $10 cheaper anyway.

Bryan Jackson12 said:I was browsing through some of the pre-built setups at Futurin, and I stumbled upon this one:

What do you guys think? It seems to include several components that you all recommended.

There’s also a version featuring an Intel processor:

It's decent enough, mostly because Futurin actually puts effort into their pre-builts compared to most shops—they at least list the specs clearly for most builds. However, I honestly can't see a single reason to buy a pre-configured machine. Once you cross the $2,000 threshold, you get free assembly anyway, plus you have the freedom to customize everything to fit your specific needs and budget (which usually ends up being cheaper). For instance, looking at that first build, I wouldn't opt for the E-series CPU since the standard version costs about the same and offers a few more FPS out of the box; I'd swap in a Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 if it wasn't already there, and so on. That second configuration is basically just a clone of Halek's setup but for $67 more...

You’ll get support for ATX motherboards, plus that Z3 case comes pre-installed with three fans, offers more breathing room, fits beefier coolers, and accommodates massive GPUs (though that shouldn't matter to you right now). By the way, you don't actually need 400W, but you should definitely grab a reliable entry-level unit like an EVGA 430W or a Corsair CX series—especially if you're planning on upgrading your graphics card down the road. You don't have much of a choice here; you could go with a cheap 350W Fortron unit, but everything else at that price point is just straight-up junk when it comes to build quality.

It can even run in 45W mode

We tested the Intel Core i3 today, and it’s capable of running in both 45W and 65W TDP configurations—plus any specific value in between those two points, since you can manually adjust it in 1W increments via the UEFI. It features four x86 CPU cores (two modules) and six GPU cores (384 shaders). Based on these results, it's clearly a bit weaker than the higher-end A10 series due to having fewer GPU cores. In the 65W TDP setting, the CPU base clock sits at 3.3GHz with a max Turbo frequency of 3.8GHz. When dropped to the lowest 45W TDP setting, the CPU runs at a 3.1GHz base clock with a 3.3GHz Turbo peak. The GPU frequency stays locked at 720MHz. With a suggested retail price of $119, it's positioned to go head-to-head with the Intel Core i3-4330.

Source

If I were handling this, I'd just disable turbo boost and undervolt it; then even a stock cooler would handle it easily.

Since there’s actually a little breathing room left in the budget, you might as well go with Dual Channel DDR3—it makes a world of difference for integrated graphics performance. Grab two of these and pair them with a motherboard that has four RAM slots, like this one or even this one which features a dedicated VRM cooler.

Look, you just can't have it all—a top-tier processor, heaps of RAM, a dedicated GPU, and an SSD all at once. Your budget is the ultimate bottleneck here. You could opt for the SSD instead of a graphics card, but don't expect to get much gaming done on integrated graphics; even though the Intel HD 4600 is a decent little chip, it won't cut it for titles like Grand Theft Auto IV. On the bright side, picking the SSD now makes it much easier to pick up a real graphics card down the road.

Roger Mitchell4 said:I hear you. Now that you mentioned that review quote, I’ve seen the HD7790 pop up quite a bit, but I had no idea it was actually just a rebranded 260X.
Thanks, I'll check out that guy's channel.
Is it even realistic to expect a budget rig like this to run Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Grand Theft Auto, or Black Ops on Ultra settings?

Actually, they basically just rebranded the HD7790 as a 260X for the new series and tossed in one extra feature—true audio.

Grand Theft Auto? No way. You're looking at Medium settings if you want a decent experience. As for Call of Duty, I assume it'll run fine, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare should hit near-Ultra if you turn off FXAA and maybe tweak a few other details—High or Very High settings should perform well enough in single-player. This is just my personal take, so for exact settings, you should definitely dig into specific reviews or check out some YouTube gameplay clips. Honestly, if you want Ultra settings with FXAA enabled and solid FPS in the most demanding titles, you're going to need a card that costs $667 + or nobody would bother buying them in the first place...

It’s definitely the smartest move, provided he doesn't need any extra room and the price tag isn't too steep.

If you're building a rig specifically for gaming, the bottom line is this: prioritize getting an AMD Radeon R9 280—it's easily the most powerful GPU you can grab within that budget. Specifically, the Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 WF3 OC is an absolute standout model if you can snag it.

#isplatise

It’s honestly not worth buying anything under 500GB if you're looking at new drives.

That’s most likely a Q6600, and I’d bet my life the power supply is some cheap junk

Look $20, if you want to hit that $1 trillion mark, you’re going to have to step up your game and put more skin in the game.

Keep in mind that this is YouTube—they probably capped the gameplay recording at 30fps, and the visual quality usually takes a hit during playback compared to how it actually looks. It isn’t a perfect representation, but it should give you a decent ballpark idea. Honestly, your best bet is to dig through some professional GPU reviews.

The 260X is essentially a rebranded Radeon HD 7790, which performs roughly on par with a GeForce GTX 750 (and since those are the only two cards you're considering in this budget, that's your answer right there).

On a side note, this guy produces fantastic benchmark videos with incredibly precise data. This is how testing should be done. It's a shame he doesn't have more hardware to work with these days.
For your specific needs, check out his videos featuring the Phenom II 945 (a similar tier CPU) and the HD7850 (a slightly more powerful card).
Check this one out too regarding how much a stronger graphics card makes a difference.

Essentially, you can watch any gameplay footage for a GeForce GTX 750, the 260X, or a Radeon HD 7790, provided the system isn't being held back by a CPU bottleneck (like those old dual-core processors).

If you aren't planning on adding an extra 8GB of RAM but still want to overclock, you can definitely make an i7 4790K work with a Z97 motherboard and a high-end cooler—check out Best Buy or Micro Center for some decent deals if you're looking at something like the Corsair iCUE series...
Because honestly, that H97 board performs almost as well as a budget-friendly Z97, like the ASRock Z97 ANNIVERSARY. Unless you're aiming for something top-tier like an Extreme 4 or a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3, there's really no need to overspend...

You can, just keep in mind you'll need an ATX case. Honestly, you can't really go wrong picking out a motherboard for a non-K Intel chip—as long as it’s the 1150 socket, you're golden. From there, just double-check the number of connectors you actually need. I’d definitely recommend grabbing an aftermarket cooler for that CPU, though. Even if it’s a non-K model and you aren't planning on overclocking, it still runs pretty hot when it's under a heavy load for a while. You might also want to look into an i7 4790.