Gaming PC build for the next 2 years?

I’m looking to build a new rig that’ll be used about 99% for gaming—mostly heavy hitters like ARMA III, the latest GTA, and stuff like that. I don't have a strict budget, but I want a setup that runs flawlessly for at least the next two years without any overheating issues or wasted cash on useless parts. As long as it hits those marks and can handle whatever comes out in that timeframe, I don't really care about specific brands.

I haven't even set a price point because honestly, I have no clue what a decent setup costs these days. To get a machine that stays relevant for two years, should I go with $1000, $1667, or $5000? I'll need a monitor included too.

Thanks, cheers!

1 x ASUS 990X, AM3+, Intel 990 x SB950, 4x DDR3
1 x Intel Core i7 Processor, 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x 8GB DDR3 (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, Corsair Dominator, KHX1600
1 x 1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Dell DVD Drive, SATA, Bulk Black
1 x XFX GeForce GTX 970, 3GB DDR5
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, 2011/1366/1156/775/AM3, 626g, 13-32dB
1 x Corsair CX600M Modular Series Power Supply, 600W, ATX, ATX12V
1 x Zalman Z3 PLUS Mid Tower Case, 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm, ATX Standard

$2229 ADM

The CPU clocks past 4GHz pretty easily, which I guess makes a huge difference for ARMA III:

http://www.techspot.com/review/712-a...rks/page5.html

Sam Rodriguez55 said:I'm building a new rig mostly for gaming—heavy stuff like ARMA III, the latest GTA, you name it. I don't have a set budget, but I want something that won't struggle for at least the next 2 years. No useless parts, no overheating issues, just smooth gameplay. Brands don't matter to me; I just need it to hit those marks.

I can't even guess the price because I have no clue what things cost these days. Should I expect to drop $1000, $1667 or $5000 for a gamer setup that lasts 2 years? I'll need a monitor too.

Thanks, cheers

Building a PC without a ballpark budget is pointless. You could end up with anything from a potato to an extreme build you probably couldn't afford anyway...
Give me a rough budget and a max limit you're willing to stretch to. Once I have that, I can put together the best possible setup within those bounds.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:There’s zero point in building a PC without a ballpark budget. Since you could technically pick out anything—even extreme high-end stuff you probably couldn't afford anyway—it doesn't help us much...
Give me a rough budget you're working with, plus a little wiggle room if you want to go over, and I'll put together the best possible build within those limits.

I can drop up to 10 $0.00 but looking at this forum, people are putting together gaming rigs for $1000 too. Just so we're clear, I don't expect this setup to last more than two years. I'm not expecting a $10,000 build, but I didn't give a budget because I wasn't sure where to start.

Alright, so here’s the cheapest gaming build that won't be total junk for at least two years.

crimsonstag84 said:1 x ASUS 990X, AM3+, Intel 990 x SB950, 4x DDR3
1 x Intel Core i7, 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, Corsair Dominator, KHX1600
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Dell DVD Drive SATA Bulk Black, SATA
1 x XFX GeForce GTX 970, 3GB DDR5
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, 2011, 1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g, 13-32dB
1 x Corsair VS550, ATX, ATX12V
1 x Zalman Z3 PLUS mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard

$2229

This might take a little over 2 minutes... though I guess it depends on if you're a total detail freak.😬

Sam Rodriguez55 said:I can drop up to 10 $0.00 but looking at this forum, people build gaming rigs for $1000. I'm not planning on keeping this setup for more than 2 years. I don't expect it to cost 10,000, but I didn't specify a budget.

then just go with what crimsonstag84 put together for you🙂

motherboard:1 x ASUS Motherboard, AM3, AM3+, Intel 990 x SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
processor:1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
ram:1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
hard drive:1 x Seagate ST250 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
power supply:1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
case:1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
optical drive:1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
graphics card:1 x GeForce GTX 750 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, GV-R927XOC-2GD, 28nm
cpu cooler:1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

$1651
unless you're some massive tech nerd, this 🙂 could be cheaper. Grab a GeForce GTX 750 without the OC and a cheaper case🙂

motherboard:1 x ASUS Motherboard, AM3, AM3+, Intel 990 x SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
processor:1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
ram:1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
hard drive:1 x Seagate ST250 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
power supply:1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
optical drive:1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
cpu cooler:1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
graphics card:1 x MSI GeForce GTX 750 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Call of Duty: Battlefield 4, 28nm
case:1 x Spire Maverick 6009, ATX/micro ATX case

$1559

Thanks for the tip. Could you please break down which part is the GPU, the PSU, the hard drive, etc.? I'm completely out of the loop on all this stuff lately.

Sam Rodriguez55 said:Thanks for the tip. Can you list out the GPU, PSU, hard drive, etc.? I'm totally out of the loop on this stuff.

I edited your post. Take a look.

I went through the entire "build for $2667" thread by Timothy Fisher79 from start to finish, and he actually picked up a solid setup there. You’re suggesting an GeForce GTX 750 here, but over in that thread, they're pushing the 280 or even the 290. Please, give me the breakdown—what's the actual price-to-performance ratio on those three models?

Sam Rodriguez55 said:I went through that entire "builds for $2667" thread by Ziva, and he actually posted a decent setup he bought there. You're listing an r9 270x and a 270 here, but they're recommending a 280 or even a 290 over there. Can someone explain the price-to-performance ratio for those three models?

You asked for the cheapest gaming rig that lasts two years, and that's exactly what you got.
The stuff in that other thread could last much longer, but it costs way more than this build I put together for you.

There's not much to overthink here. An r9 270 is basically AMD's "entry-level" for anyone trying to play anything serious—you could find even cheaper cards that still work, but let's stick to this path. A 280x is a step up, but it hits the wallet harder, though obviously, you get better performance. If you want the 290 or 290x, you're looking at high-end gear that'll give you the best experience possible, but yeah, that comes with a massive price tag.

If you're looking for a setup that’s actually going to last you more than just a couple of years—say, through the next three or four hardware cycles—then my honest advice is to steer clear of anything in that $3,000–$1667...
range.

Timothy Fisher79 said:Look, if you want this rig to actually last more than two years—like, say, through the next three or four—my advice is to stop looking at anything in the $300 range and aim for $1667...

The "Reality Check" vs. Robert Rodriguez2's build

Robert Rodriguez2
Motherboard: 1 x ASUS Motherboard, AM3, AM3+, Intel 990 x SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
CPU: 1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
RAM: 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
Hard Drive: 1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
PSU: 1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
Case: 1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
Optical Drive: 1 x Dell DVD Drive, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
GPU: 1 x GeForce GTX 750 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, GV-R927XOC-2GD, 28nm
CPU Cooler: 1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
$1.75

The Reality Check
EVGA Radeon R9 290, Intel Core i7, ASUS Motherboard
Intel Core i7
Asus M5A97 R2.0
......
HDD 1TB Caviar Blue 7200 448.26
Dell DVD Drive 148.50
Thermaltake Chaser A21 381.1
Zalman CPU cooler 120mm FAN 249.00
Corsair VS550 489.35
Total $2.50 cash

If I throw in a monitor for $0.50, the whole thing jumps to $3.00 for the high-end version. Should I upgrade the cooler or something on either of these builds? Based on my luck so far, every PC I've owned has basically turned into a space heater.

Sam Rodriguez55 said:The "Brutal Truth" build vs. Flatron's configuration

Flatron
Motherboard: 1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3, AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, 5200 MHz BUS, DDR3
Processor: 1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
RAM: 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
Hard drive: 1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
Power supply: 1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
Case: 1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
Optical drive: 1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
Graphics card: 1 x Gigabyte R9 270X 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, GV-R927XOC-2GD, 28nm
CPU cooler: 1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
$1.75

The "Brutal Truth"
SAPPHIRE Radeon R9 290 3.300,00
AMD X8 FX-8320 1.202,11
Asus M5A97 R2.0 623,07
......
HDD 1TB Caviar Blue 7200 448,26
LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 148,50
Thermaltake Chaser A21 381,1
Zalman CPU cooler 120mm FAN 249,00
Raider sa 550 489,35
Total $2.50 for cash

If I toss in a monitor for $0.50, the more expensive option ends up costing me $3.00. Looking at these two setups—should I be adding some beefier cooler or something similar? Based on my past experiences, all my computers seem to end up overheating...

Then there's this one

Intel i5 4670
Asrock B85-Pro4
Kingston HyperX Beast 2X4GB 160Mhz
VC Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 280 x 3
WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Kingston V300 120GB
LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x
Fortron Raider S PSU 550W, 80+ SILVER
Zalman mid tower case black (Zalman Z1)
Zalman CPU Cooler 92mm Perform

+

LG monitor 24EA53VQ-PAH-IPS

$3042 Futura It

You’ve got a solid machine there—one that won't overheat and should let you enjoy some peace and quiet for the next few years... Honestly, if you can hold out until Windows 8.1 rolls around and Uzishop reopens, you'll probably find the absolute best bang for your buck there.

Timothy Fisher79 said:So basically

Dell Inspiron Desktop with Intel i5, Kingston RAM, and AMD Radeon GPU
Asrock B85-Pro4
Kingston HyperX Beast 2X4GB 160Mhz
VC Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB
WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Kingston V300 120GB
Samsung DVD Writer Bulk Pack
Fortron Raider S PSU 550W,80+ SILVER
Cooler Master Z1
Zalman CPU Cooler 92mm Perform

+

Samsung monitor 24EA53VQ-PAH-IPS

$3042 Futura It

You're looking at a solid bucket here that won't overheat, so you can just chill with it for the next few years. Honestly, if you can hold out until 8.1 when Newegg opens up, you'll get way more bang for your buck there.

I don't mind waiting, and I actually dig this setup. Can someone break down SSDs for me? Is it worth grabbing one for a gaming rig? The pros sound awesome—way faster read speeds. The cons seem to be low capacity and shorter lifespan. That's what I'm seeing on the forums, so let me know if I've got that wrong... What about running an SSD and an HDD together?🤔

Your games will load significantly faster if you install them on an SSD. Beyond that, you won't notice much of a difference in actual gameplay performance (unless you're playing something like STALKER). Generally speaking, though, it'll make your whole PC feel much snappier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpiZ44GyYU

Sam Rodriguez55 said:I don't mind waiting; I actually really dig this configuration. Can someone break down SSDs for me? Is it worth grabbing one for a gaming rig? The pros sound amazing—way faster read speeds and all that. The cons seem to be small capacity and a shorter lifespan. That's what I keep seeing on the tech forums, so let me know if I've got that wrong... Maybe a combo of an SSD and an HDD? 🤔

I'm dying to know how much truth there is to this:

Back when SSDs were first hitting the scene, people were buzzing about how stored data would just evaporate after a couple of years. That’s total nonsense today. You can run reads and writes on an SSD all day long and the data integrity will hold up for well over 200 years. Basically, your SSD's storage life could literally outlast you!

Sam Rodriguez55 said:I honestly don't mind waiting—this build looks great to me. But could someone break down the whole SSD situation for me? Is it actually worth investing in one for a gaming rig? The perks sound amazing—that massive boost in read speeds is hard to ignore. On the flip side, I keep reading about limited capacity and shorter lifespans on various forums... am I off base there? Also, what do you think about running an SSD and an HDD together? 🤔

An SSD is absolutely fantastic; honestly, in this day and age, it’s almost a crime not to have one—especially when you're working with a high-end budget like this. It just takes everything to a completely different level. Since they're still relatively "new" tech in terms of mainstream pricing, they tend to hold their value quite well, so the most practical move right now is definitely that SSD + HDD combo. Personally, I'm really hoping that in the not-so-distant Future, SSDs will completely phase out HDDs altogether. If that happens, prices should plummet, and I'm sure they'll continue to work on making them even more reliable...

If you aren't in a rush and can hang tight for another six days, I can put together a custom build using parts from Uzì that I'm certain will outperform the one I put together for you at Future—all for the exact same price. Plus, you'll get a full two-year warranty on everything.

Sam Rodriguez55 said:cosmicseal98's build and the flat screen setup

cosmicseal98
Intel Core i7 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
AMD X8 FX-8320
Asus M5A97 R2.0
......
1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200 RPM
Dell OptiPlex
Thermaltake Chaser A21
Zalman 120mm CPU cooler
Corsair RM550
Total $2.50 cash

If I add a monitor at $0.50, the total comes to $3.00 for the more expensive version. I suppose I should wonder if either of these builds needs a beefier cooler or something similar. In my experience, my previous PCs always seemed to run too hot.

That wasn't mine, just one option I looked at. I ended up going with the Intel route—you can see the breakdown a few pages back. I guess I've been pretty satisfied so far, given how little time I've actually spent gaming. As for an SSD, man, if my math is right, Windows 7 boots in about 6 seconds. 🙂 Games load just as fast, so I'd say go for the SSD if you can. Maybe grab the Zalman Z5; it seems decent. Regarding the GPU, I had to step up to a stronger card because I play at very high resolutions. I might even regret not picking the 290. For instance, running Crysis 3 at max settings on a 2500p resolution, my FPS sometimes drops to 15 or 20. If I dial things back a bit, it looks fine. I haven't heard any loud noise from the GPU or the system in general. It’s quite quiet, I suppose. It might be thanks to the three fans in the Z5 and the CPU cooler.
I'll post photos later; I promised I'd wait until I calmed down after this busy week.
Poz

Drew Sanchez82 said:

I’m genuinely curious about how much weight there is to this argument:

Even SD cards have a decent lifespan. Take USB flash drives, for instance—they often fail due to poor handling, yet the data itself can almost always be recovered. As for SSDs, it's quite possible too. After all, think about how many vinyl records survived decades of ownership despite being subjected to all sorts of physical wear and tear.