Budget PC Build [$700-$800]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to pull the trigger on a new rig and I've put together two different builds (one Intel and one AMD)
Just to give you some context, I'm aiming to spend about $300-$$1050 on the CPU and GPU combo. If anyone has any killer suggestions that fit within that budget, please let me know!

Intel version:

Intel i5-3570 - $567
Nvidia GTX 660 - $467
Motherboard - ASRock B75 Pro3 - $183
RAM - 8GB HyperX - $183
Power Supply - 500W Enermax $117
Total = roughly $1533

AMD version:

AMD 8350 - $467
Nvidia GTX 760 - $567
Motherboard - ASRock 970 Pro3 - $183
RAM - 8GB HyperX - $183
Power Supply - 500W Enermax $117
Total = roughly $1533

Also, I’m planning to grab a case from $83 to wrap it all up.

What do you guys think? Which route should I take?
I'm leaning toward the AMD version because it seems like I could swap in a much beefier graphics card later on, which is pretty huge since this machine is strictly for gaming.

I've already got my peripherals sorted out (monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.).

Which build would you personally pick, and do you see any obvious parts I should swap out?
Realistically, can these setups handle newer titles on High or Ultra settings?

edit: Just a heads up, that price also includes a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD, which is about $150

1 x Intel Core i7-4770K Box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX 970 WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5, HDMI, DVI
1 x HDD TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 (3.5", 1TB, 32MB, SATA III)
1 x Kingston DDR3 1600MHz,C11, 8GB
1 x Fortron Hyper 600W, 80+
1 x Raijintek Arcadia, USB3.0, black
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD

5147.45
futura-it

1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x FORTRON 550W Raider Power Supply, RA550, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX 970 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X Performa, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. ATX Standard
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K Processor 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,LGA1150

$1664
www.newegg.com
Without blowing your budget, you've got a solid rig for gaming here. 🙂

@Robert Rodriguez2/">@@Robert Rodriguez2
I’m a little worried about hitting a bottleneck with this setup. Honestly, that GPU is such a beast compared to the CPU that I’m sweating the idea of the graphics card just sitting there waiting on the processor instead of running at full throttle.

@Amy Vaughn12

That build looks solid, though! So, if I pick this up, am I looking at cranking modern titles on Ultra settings without much trouble? Like, can I expect to pull around 40 FPS in games like Call of Duty or Halo?

Thanks a ton!

You won't run into any bottlenecking issues using an Intel Core i5-3570K with an NVIDIA GTX 970. Both setups will handle those games just fine. You probably won't hit max settings on everything, though—just dial back the anti-aliasing and a few other tweaks and you'll be good to go.

Thanks a ton!
I might just set aside another $100 so I can grab an Intel Core i7-4770K and really sleep easy at night.
That feels like the safe bet.

Or, if you guys have any bright ideas, maybe I should just dump those $100 into a beefier graphics card instead.

silentcobra3 said:Alright, thanks a ton.
Maybe I'll scrape together another $100 and just grab the fx 8320 to be safe.
That should do the trick.

Unless you guys think I should dump those extra $100 into a better GPU instead.

Honestly, just go for the fx 8320. You aren't getting anything significantly better on the GPU side for $100 anyway, and the fx 8320 is a solid chip for the long haul—it'll let you slap a much beefier graphics card in there down the road.