# [SOLVED] Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help



## Gyrfalcon (Dec 15, 2008)

Will the knowledgeable members of the board please review the parts list for my new computer build.
Are there any compatibility issues and/or did I chose any bad/to-be-avoided parts?

My goal is to build a machine that exceeds the required spec's (and if possible the recommended spec's) for the newer games I want to play -including Diablo 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur- without breaking my meager bank, with the idea that I can upgrade the GPU (and even the CPU) when newer game spec's require it, and/or when I have more money. With this in mind, I looked to start with a Motherboard with the latest chipset in the hope that it would allow me to upgrade upgrade components (faster CPU, GPU, RAM or even HD) for the longest time possible.

Here is the build.

*Motherboard* $155 (I'm looking at two M/B's)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard PCIe Gen 3
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

This MB's specs look similar to the ASUS P8P67 PRO, & the ASUS SABERTOOTH P67, but it has the newer Z68 Chipset and it saves me $15 to $45.

The other board is ASUS (from the "Want to Build a New Intel or AMD System" thread)
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard 
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Note: The ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) is out of stock everywhere.


*CPU* $128
Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual Core D Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
Newegg.com - Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120

I know this is only a Cord 2 Duo, and not a Quad Core i5/i7, but it's speed (3.3GHz) exceeds the recommended specs of most games, and it still exceeds the required specs for the two games (Amalur/Witcher 2) that recommend a quad core.

*Graphics Card* $160 (found it on sale)
PNY VCGGTX560XPB GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
(I believe this card requires a minimum 12V current rating of 24A, so I think my PSU is OK???)
Newegg.com - PNY VCGGTX560XPB GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

*RAM* $30
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

*Hard Drive* $86
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - PCPartPicker

*DVD Burner* $17
LG Black 24X DVD & CD Burner
Newegg.com - LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - CD / DVD Burners

*Case* $50
COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

*Power Supply* $75
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W (80Plus Cerfied) Modular High Performance Power Supply
Output: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

*Sound Card* $85
ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

*CPU Cooler* $40
Cooler Master Hyper N520
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible

Total $829

Thank You all, in advance.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Take a look at the $800 Intel build in our sticky:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2012-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

The GIGABYTE motherboard you listed looks like a perfect choice for everything you'll need today and expandability in the future.

The CPU cooler is unnecessary. i3s can't overclock, so if you want additional cooling your first investment would be to purchase a couple high-rpm case fans for the front and rear of your case. The COOLER MASTER case you listed is perfect for this. Example fan:
Newegg.com - Thermaltake AF0032 120mm Blue LED Case Fan

$160 for a 560 is pretty good. Should run everything very well.

The Power Supply you've chosen may have Hardware Secret's approval but not ours. The cheapest PSU I would recommend is SeaSonic's 620w 80+ Bronze:
Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
For information on PSU selection, check out our sticky:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html
About two-thirds of the way down is a list of recommended PSUs that many of the shop owners on the hardware team here use exclusively. These units are top-quality and worth the extra $20 or less it will cost you.

The sound card will be unnecessary unless you have a high-end surround sound setup. Onboard sound adapters are very good now. I remember back when I experienced an actual fps gain as well as surround improvement on Oblivion when I installed an Audigy 2 ZS, but today's motherboards have more than sufficient sound built-in. At most you would free up some CPU power, but negligible.

Looks like your build is going to turn out great :grin: I prefer AMD in this price range, myself, but that motherboard is Ivy Bridge-ready, leaving you a solid upgrade path in the future. BTW you will certainly be able to max out Reckoning. I was hitting a rock-solid 60fps with my old 6850 on max graphics. And the loading screens were too fast to finish reading :frown:


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

What you have listed looks good with a couple of exceptions.
Onboard sound is quite good so you could drop the Sound card.
If no OC'ing will be involved you can drop the aftermarket CPU cooler.
SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair (not the CX-GS-M Series) for the PSU. 650W minimum for the 560.
Personally, I prefer the P67 chip.


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## bruiser (Jul 30, 2005)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Drop the sound card and use that money to upgrade the CPU and PSU.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Better yet use the P67 UD3 gigabyte board > Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
All the Z68 is going to give you is access to the integrated video which you don't need and the ability to run a ssd drive as a cache disk certainly not needed on a budget build. 

Put the money towards a i5 2500

Drop the sound card and aftermarket cooler and upgrade the PSU.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*



wrench97 said:


> access to the integrated video which you don't need


Having integrated graphics helps you spot GPU problems.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Not really, using another card is better test.


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

What if you don't have another graphics card?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Borrow one, why run the overhead on the board and pay an extra $50 just in case someday you might need to trouble shoot it?
Remember the title of thread "Budget Build"


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

I personally like the idea of having an extra GPU if you don't have any extra video cards lying around, but it's not necessary if you would like to have the p67 chipset.


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*



wrench97 said:


> Borrow one, why run the overhead on the board and pay an extra $50 just in case someday you might need to trouble shoot it?
> Remember the title of thread "Budget Build"


Because there is barely a difference between P67 and Z68 now in terms of cost.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Yea only $45


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*



wrench97 said:


> Yea only $45


That could be put to better use.


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## Gyrfalcon (Dec 15, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Thank you to each of you for responding. I appreciate all your information and advice.

I have just a few clarifying questions.

Regarding aftermarket CPU Coolers
I am considering upgrading to an i5-2500K. Would I still not need a CPU cooler? Or, more specifically, are aftermarket CPU Coolers needed ONLY if you plan to overclock, and not just to make the CPU run more efficiently, or to protect the CPU by keeping it cool? I am not planning to overclock, just want to get the most life out of the CPU as possible.

Regarding the MotherBoards
Tyree & wrench97 expressed a preference for the P67 M/B's (over the Z68). Is this because there is some deficiency in the Z68 chipset in general, or in this M/B (the GA-Z68XP-UD3) in particular, or because the P8P67 Pro (Rev3.1) and/or the GA-P67X-UD3_B3 are just superior in some respect, or is it simply because that P67 M/B is less expensive?

-And, if the P67's is in some way superior to the z68's, how does this M/B 
(from the "Want to Build a New Intel or AMD System / Revised 2012..." thread)
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

compare with the GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 suggested in this thread?
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Thank you all again for your time and assistance.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Lower temps are always better, but the aftermarket cooler is only necessary if your load temps exceed 60°c (stress tests can go a _little_ higher). Overclocking will raise your temps considerably.

There are also less expensive z68 boards of good quality, too, like this one:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
z68 vs p67 is up to what you prefer.

Besides the ASUS board having better heat spreaders (which is a good thing for overclocking), I see no significant differences between the two p67 boards you linked. Small differences, but nothing that would concern me.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

The OEM CPU cooler is fine if no OC'ing is involved. 
The P67 chip is simply a better bang for buck.
The Asus & Gigabyte Mobo's you linked two are both good quality and either would be a good choice.


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## Gyrfalcon (Dec 15, 2008)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

Thank you both, again.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*

You're welcome and best of luck.


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Budget Gaming Rig - New Build - Please Help*



Gyrfalcon said:


> Will the knowledgeable members of the board please review the parts list for my new computer build.
> Are there any compatibility issues and/or did I chose any bad/to-be-avoided parts?
> 
> My goal is to build a machine that exceeds the required spec's (and if possible the recommended spec's) for the newer games I want to play -including Diablo 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur- without breaking my meager bank, with the idea that I can upgrade the GPU (and even the CPU) when newer game spec's require it, and/or when I have more money. With this in mind, I looked to start with a Motherboard with the latest chipset in the hope that it would allow me to upgrade upgrade components (faster CPU, GPU, RAM or even HD) for the longest time possible.
> ...


Sound cards are not needed. Onboard sound has improved significantly in the past few years. Get the Hyper 212 EVO instead. The PSU is ok, but I recommend XFX, Seasonic, or Corsair Power Supplies. With the $85 you save, upgrade to a 560ti.


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