Gaming build ideas?

Hey there! So, like the title says, I'm looking for some suggestions on a PC build that can handle slightly newer games, specifically things like Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4. My budget is around $1333. I don't really need a case, a monitor (I'll just hook the computer up to my TV), or a DVD drive since I already have those lying around. Any and all suggestions would be super helpful! 🙂

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I’ve got one Asrock H81M-DGS on hand—it's an Intel H81, M-ATX board with dual Channel 2xDDR3 support, running at 1600.
Just picked up an Intel Core i5-4430, 3.00GHz, Haswell. It's a solid little chip.
Just picked up a single 8GB stick of Kingmax DDR3 running at 1333MHz. It’s the non-ECC kind with a CL9.0 latency. Simple enough.
I've got one MSI GTX 650 for sale. It’s the 1GB GDDR5 version with a 128-bit bus (model N650-1GD5/OCV1), and the core clock sits at 1071 MHz. Just a solid little card if you need it.
I've got one 1TB Western Digital hard drive here—it's a Caviar Blue 10EZEX. It's a standard 3.5" SATA3 drive with 64 MB cache, sitting at a 1TB capacity. Just a solid, reliable little workhorse.
I've got one Zalman CNPS8000B CPU cooler on hand. It uses a 92mm PWM fan that runs anywhere from 1,400 to 2,000 RPM.
I've got one Corsair VS Series power supply on hand—it's the 550 Watt model, standard ATX, running the ATX12V v2.31 spec.

$1341

ADM.com
Free assembly and delivery included.

What kind of case are you rocking? If you don't know the exact model, just let me know if it's an ATX, mATX, or whatever—it matters. Also, definitely double-check if your drive uses a PATA or SATA connection, because a lot of the newer motherboards out there only support SATA interfaces now.

It would also be super helpful if you could mention how you're planning to pay—like, cash or card? If you're going the card route, let me know which bank you're with and if you're looking to split it into installments. That way, I can figure out which local shops would actually be the best fit for you.

Drew Sanchez82



😁Here are two paths you can take based on your preferences.

AMD Build (Overclocking focused)

1 x CORSAIR CX Series 430W, 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x Kingston DDR3 4GB (1x4GB), 1600MHz, CL9, Hyper X, KHX1600C9D3B1/
1 x MSI R9 270 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Battlefield 4, 28nm
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3, AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3

$1338Admin, they can just pick up another 4GB of RAM later on.

Intel Option

1 x CORSAIR CX Series 430W, 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Kingston DDR3 4GB (1x4GB), 1600MHz, CL9, Hyper X, KHX1600C9D3B1/
1 x MSI R9 270 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Battlefield 4, 28nm
1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz), 6MB
1 x MSI H61M-P20-G3, Socket 1155, CPU: Sandy Bridge, Intel H61

$1331

If you want 8GB of RAM right out of the gate (note this uses a slightly weaker GPU than the R9 270):

1 x CORSAIR CX Series 430W, 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x Intel Core i5-4440 (3.10GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84W, 1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2 xDDR3 - 1600
1 x Sapphire R7 260X 2GB GDDR5 OC, 2GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Corsair CX500, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 7200rpm
1 x Kingston DDR3 8GB (1x8GB), HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10

$1336

Drew Sanchez82 said:I’ve got one Asrock H81M-DGS on hand—it's an Intel H81, M-ATX board with dual Channel 2xDDR3 support, running at 1600.
Just picked up an Intel Core i5-4430, 3.00GHz, Haswell. It's a solid little chip.
Just picked up a single 8GB stick of Kingmax DDR3 running at 1333MHz. It’s the non-ECC kind with a CL9.0 latency. Simple enough.
I've got one MSI GTX 650 for sale. It’s the 1GB GDDR5 version with a 128-bit bus (model N650-1GD5/OCV1), and the core clock sits at 1071 MHz. Just a solid little card if you need it.
I've got one 1TB Western Digital hard drive here—it's a Caviar Blue 10EZEX. It's a standard 3.5" SATA3 drive with 64 MB cache, sitting at a 1TB capacity. Just a solid, reliable little workhorse.
I've got one Zalman CNPS8000B CPU cooler on hand. It uses a 92mm PWM fan that runs anywhere from 1,400 to 2,000 RPM.
I've got one Corsair VS Series power supply on hand—it's the 550 Watt model, standard ATX, running the ATX12V v2.31 spec.

$1341

ADM.com
Free assembly and delivery included.

It’s not quite there 😬

1 x Asrock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 - AMD 970, AMD SB950, ATX, Dura Caps
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue Corsair CX500, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, Hyper X, KHX1600C9D3B1/
1 x MSI R9 270 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Battlefield 4, 28nm

$1362 Best Buy

But first, we probably need some answers from the author regarding the questions asked by graniteharbor85.

You basically just insulted the boss and the whole precinct 3.1 miles at once... if I were you, I’d just go with that first AMD build 🧐
. . You picked everything right... you aren't cheapening any single part, which is the 👍 key
. Maybe just swap in an XFX 450W instead of the Corsair or even what 😬 suggested from Silverstone.

graniteharbor85 said:What kind of case are you rocking? If you don't know the exact model, just let me know if it's an ATX, mATX, or whatever—it matters. Also, definitely double-check if your drive uses a PATA or SATA connection, because a lot of the newer motherboards out there only support SATA interfaces now.

It would also be super helpful if you could mention how you're planning to pay—like, cash or card? If you're going the card route, let me know which bank you're with and if you're looking to split it into installments. That way, I can figure out which local shops would actually be the best fit for you.

Well, here's the deal:
I don't actually have a case yet, but a buddy of mine is going to give me one, and he mentioned everything I need should fit in there without any issues, haha. The drive is definitely SATA. As for payment, I'll mostly be using cash, though I guess I wouldn't rule out using a card if needed, but let's just plan on cash for now.
I live right outside of Tampa (near Castel).
And hey, thanks so much for all the suggestions so far! 😁

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Robert Rodriguez2 said:You basically just insulted the boss and the whole precinct 3.1 miles at once... if I were you, I’d just go with that first AMD build 🧐
. . You picked everything right... you aren't cheapening any single part, which is the 👍 key
. Maybe just swap in an XFX 450W instead of the Corsair or even what 😬 suggested from Silverstone.

I read somewhere that they aren't even stocking them anymore, and they were actually pulled from the AMD website today.

I’d suggest checking out that first FX 6300 setup for Kimberly Gomez34, but honestly—I’m pretty sure they aren't carrying the MSI R9 270 anymore. Those standard models flew off the shelves the second they hit the floor, so definitely double-check with them first.

Anyway, here’s an alternative build for you—it’s got a slightly beefier power supply and a GPU that’s roughly the same strength (you might see a few FPS difference depending on which game you're playing):

FX 6300
SPIRE KEPLER R2.0
ASUS M5A97 R2.0
A-DATA 4GB 1600 MHZ
TOSHIBA 3,5 500 GB SATA 3
MSI GTX 660 2GB OC
CHICONY HIPRO 500W 80+

= $1338 - Futura IT

If you’re dead set on getting R9 270 + BF4, and it turns out that guy doesn't have the MSI version in stock, just swap the motherboard to the Extreme3. It’s more than enough for the FX 6300—plus it lets you overclock it and eventually upgrade to something like a better FX 8320 later on.

With everything else listed above, that’s basically $1336it.

Nicholas Fox3 said:Well, here's the deal:
I don't actually have a case yet, but a buddy of mine is going to give me one, and he mentioned everything I need should fit in there without any issues, haha. The drive is definitely SATA. As for payment, I'll mostly be using cash, though I guess I wouldn't rule out using a card if needed, but let's just plan on cash for now.
I live right outside of Tampa (near Castel).
And hey, thanks so much for all the suggestions so far! 😁

Sent from Nokia 3310

Just a heads up, if you go with an AMD case, make sure it supports ATX motherboards.

I've got this really cool PC case sitting at my place, but I have a feeling it might be a bit too small for what I need.
Something similar to this one, too—it used to hold an Intel motherboard with a Celeron processor, but that whole setup ended up being total junk. 🙄

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Robert Rodriguez2 said:You basically just insulted the boss and the whole precinct 3.1 miles at once... if I were you, I’d just go with that first AMD build 🧐
. . You picked everything right... you aren't cheapening any single part, which is the 👍 key
. Maybe just swap in an XFX 450W instead of the Corsair or even what 😬 suggested from Silverstone.

I just threw that together quickly because, at first glance, it seemed like a decent deal for the money. To be honest, when I'm building a high-end rig, I tend to go wild since I "know my way around" the expensive stuff better. 😬
So don't be surprised that the budget option felt a bit off to me. 😬

That's a pretty mediocre setup 😬

- For a 4-core gaming rig (plus those extra parts), a GTX 650 is just way too weak.
- Honestly, the Corsair VS series is some of the biggest junk this company has ever produced. The components inside are cheap, which might be fine for this specific build, but you can find much better power supplies for that kind of money.
- Buying a Zalman cooler is just throwing money away. You don't really need an aftermarket cooler for that CPU—even though Haswell runs a bit hotter—the stock one does the job just fine.
- If you're shopping at Micro Center, you can grab an i5-4440 for less than what you'd pay for the 4430.

Everyone thinks they can build a PC, but it’s simple: just look at the price tag. The numbers don't lie. 😬

Like I said, I know my thinking was a bit fuzzy there, but I figured someone would call me out on it since I know how much this crew keeps an eye on every single build here. 😁
It wasn't just a slip-up with the PSU and the GPU; even the socket itself was a total oversight on my part.

I completely missed that 4440 because I was too busy sorting through all the cheapest components I could find just to make sure everything fit into four slots.

Sometimes a high price tag doesn't actually guarantee quality, 😁 and you end up landing yourself some overclockable CPU paired with the wrong motherboard socket, no cooler, an overkill power supply, a weak graphics card, and so on. 😁

Honestly, I’d probably just swap in a brand-new case for you too at this point

AMD FX-6300
Asus M5A78L LX3
Adata DDR3 4GB 1600MHz, AD3U1600C2G11-R
MSI R9 270X GAMING BF4, 2GB
Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Corsair CX500
Corsair CX500 PSU, 500W, CX Series
MS Logic A32 case (no PSU included)

$1388 FuturaIt

Grace Peterson17 said:Honestly, I’d probably just swap in a brand-new case for you too at this point

AMD FX-6300
Asus M5A78L LX3
Adata DDR3 4GB 1600MHz, AD3U1600C2G11-R
MSI R9 270X GAMING BF4, 2GB
Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Corsair CX500
Corsair CX500 PSU, 500W, CX Series
MS Logic A32 case (no PSU included)

$1388 FuturaIt

You can't overclock this board. It only has 3+1 phases and zero VRM cooling.
At the very least, you need an Asrock 970 Extreme3 R2.

Don't get me wrong, but I remember just a few weeks ago Grace Peterson17 couldn't even tell the difference between Intel and AMD, and now suddenly they're out here putting entire PC builds together? It feels like a bit of a leap. 😁

Sandra Vaughn said:Don't get me wrong, but I remember just a few weeks ago Grace Peterson17 couldn't even tell the difference between Intel and AMD, and now suddenly they're out here putting entire PC builds together? It feels like a bit of a leap. 😁

What are you even talking about? Seriously—about a month and a half ago, I sent over a few inquiries regarding some parts because, honestly, I was a little lost when it came to the whole assembly process (it’s been maybe five years since I really spent any serious time doing that kind of thing). But now? Now I’m here every single day helping folks pick out their gear, and I’ve actually put together a few full rigs already. It seems like you're just one of those people who loves to stir the pot—you know, someone who waits for things to boil over just so they can jump in and start an argument, right?

Alexander Moore67 said:You can't overclock this board. It only has 3+1 phases and zero VRM cooling.
At the very least, you need an Asrock 970 Extreme3 R2.

You're absolutely right, Alexander—it’s true. But if we go down that route, we start drifting pretty far away from what was originally intended as a "budget" build—though, I really hope he doesn't run into issues later and decides he can swing a little extra $67 to pick up a 970 motherboard instead...

@Kimberly Gomez34 put together some great builds 👋
If you can, try to aim for 6-8GB of RAM. We’re seeing more unoptimized titles coming out this year that really chew through virtual memory—just look at how Ghost and Battlefield 4 handled things. Sure, developers usually patch those issues later on, but I'd rather you not have to wait for the fix.🙂