# [SOLVED] Building a gaming PC



## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

Hello, I am going to build a new gaming PC for about $1000 and I have a couple of questions.

Which CPU would be better I focus on, AMD or Intel? And what about GPU...R9 series or 7xx series from Nvidia?

Also any other tips or recommendations? I have been through pinned threads so Im just asking


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Intel or AMD is a personal choice and either will do what is needed.
Same for GPU chips, also a personal choice.
AMD has been noted for putting out flaky graphics drivers but not using their latest will usually remedy that.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

On top of Tyree's suggestions there is a whole bunch of suggestions here:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-hardware-teams-recommended-builds-2014-a-668661.html


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*



slayerdeath555 said:


> I have been through pinned threads so Im just asking


I assume the OP has read the Suggested Build List.


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Ok thanks guys, here is my build if you could please take a look at it and tell me your opinion. I was aiming for 280x but its a little too high price. Is there anything in my build that would not get affected if I downgraded it? Also is it good build, combo and all? Its first time Im building a PC from zero to end.

CPU:
AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 9370 Black Edition 4.40GHz (4.70GHz Turbo) (Socket AM3+) Processor - OEM [FD9370FHHKWOF]
180

Motherboard:
Asus Crosshair V Formula Z AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard [90-MIBJ70-G0EAY0VZ]
180

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance RED 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600Mhz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10R) [CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10R]
140

GPU:
Sapphire Radeon R9 270X Toxic OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Card [11217-02-40G]
175

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1003FZEX) HDD [WD1003FZEX]
80

SSD:
Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) [MZ-7TE120BW]
87

PSU:
Corsair Builder Series CX 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020015-UK) [CP-9020015-UK]
75


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

the corsair builder series are made by fsp as most corsair power supplies are now so they are not recommended. XFX and seasonic and the antec HCG power supplies are good.

There is no need for 16GB RAM if your just gaming, no game uses anywhere near 8GB.

I always go intel and nvidia but as said it's personal choice.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

On top of Bruce's comments you should see if you could find a cheaper Gigabyte or Asus branded motherboard.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

As above about the PSU. 620W will be more than plenty and you get a 5 yr. warranty with the better quality brands mentioned by greenbrucelee.

Same as Masterchiefxx17 on the Mobo. Do you really need 4 x PCI-E X16 slots? :smile:


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Ok thanks, I tweaked a build a little please take a look at a new one, and please let me know how it is? Is there a big difference between r9 270x and r9 280 in gaming? Because this build is a little over 1k€ and I need it to be at about 950€ or so.

Mobo:
Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard [GA-990FXA-UD3]

CPU:
AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8350 Black Edition 4.00GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail [FD8350FRHKBOX]

Memory:
Corsair Vengeance Pro Blue 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY16GX3M2A1600C9B) [CMY16GX3M2A1600C9B]

GPU:
Sapphire Radeon R9 270X Toxic OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Card [11217-02-40G]

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (WD1003FZEX) HDD [WD1003FZEX]

SSD:
Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) [MZ-7TE120BW]

PSU:
Antec High Current Gamer 620W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply [0761345-06208-4]


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

That's better although why do you need 16GB RAM? no game can use nowhere near 8.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*



greenbrucelee said:


> That's better although why do you need 16GB RAM? no game can use nowhere near 8.


Ditto ^?


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Well basically..few friends have 8GB and thats pretty much why I would like 16GB


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*



slayerdeath555 said:


> Well basically..few friends have 8GB and thats pretty much why I would like 16GB


If you want 16GB so you have more than your friends by all means purchase it but it's basally a waste of money.


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Ok I have changed a build a little and lowered the total cost so now I can put 1 r9 280x in. I found Sapphire version on overclockers.co.uk but it is a pre order one. Any ideas when it will be ready? And is it worth upgrading to this card?

Sapphire Radeon R9 280X TRI-X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Card []


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

its not a new card its just that overclockers haven't got any in stock at the moment and are waiting for new stock to arrive. You will have to ask overclockers to see when the new stock is arriving.

it is slightly better but what it has over your original card is that it is very overclockable and has better cooling but in terms of graphics capability its not that much of a step up.


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Ok thanks I got it  Now there is 1 thing Im not really sure about.

Should I go with Intel + Nvidia or AMD + AMD? Will be mainly used for gaming.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Would be personal choice. Either will be very capable. You might also choose Intel + AMD or AMD + Nvidia.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

As above ^ Strictly a personal choice regardless of the intended use.


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## slayerdeath555 (Jun 15, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*

Ok  I would like to thank to everyone who helped me and stayed with me through whole thread


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Enjoy the project slayer. :thumb: 

Threads like these make me want to build a computer again.. but I don't need to. :sad:


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*



slayerdeath555 said:


> Ok  I would like to thank to everyone who helped me and stayed with me through whole thread


You're very welcome....enjoy!


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## hulettk (Feb 12, 2007)

*Re: Building a gaming PC*



greenbrucelee said:


> why do you need 16GB RAM? no game can use nowhere near 8.


I keep hearing people say this... but since when is buying more ram ever a bad thing?

More memory is generally ideal for multi-tasking.
In many games these days, you are rarely JUST in the one game, you are connected to TeamSpeak/Raidcall/Vent or something along that nature... and you may even have a web browser up for researching videos/websites with information about that game. 

Hell, with web-browser based games now, you may have several sessions open with different accounts coordinating an attack, etc. 

The PC I built for my g/f has 3 monitors and 16GB of RAM. She is the quintessential multi-tasker and loves web-based games like C&C TA, etc. 
She loves that PC - it handles everything she throws at it.

If he has the money, buying more memory is rarely ever a bad choice. If you don't need it now, chances are you will in the next 6-months to 1 year.

Just my 2 cents.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

As recently as a year ago, the same thing was said about 4GB; a few years before that, 2GB. At one time something very similar was said about 64*K*B.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

As of now, very few games/apps can utilize over 4GB of RAM. More RAM is not a bad thing but why spend, or recommend someone else spend, more money on something that will not offer any benefit. 
By the time 16GB becomes useful, for normal use, any PC built now will be more than obsolete.


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## FoolOfATook930 (Mar 3, 2011)

Regarding PC gaming builds. Whenever I see someone recommend an AMD Bulldozer-based CPU as being viable or competetive with Intel CPUs for gaming, I facepalm. I don't want to come in here and say you're wrong, but if you think AMD CPUs are a good choice for gaming, you're straight-up wrong.

I seem to recall skimming some of the TSF build guides on here before, and remember seeing AMD builds being posted as a viable build option. I didn't say anything at the time, although I really should have. 

Why do you guys think that AMD CPUs are any good? Especially for gaming, no less. Do you guys even look at benchmarks? Bulldozer has TERRIBLE single thread performance, because it has terrible FP performance, because it has only one FP core for every two integer cores. Piledriver improved things a bit, but it's still not all that great. I don't know how Steamroller is (haven't really checked up on that yet) but from what I've heard it's about a 10-15% IPC performance if I recall correctly. Still not anywhere near competetive with Sandy Bridge and up.

I wanna stress that a dual core i3 will outperform 6 "core" FX's. The FX's will only start to pull away from the i3's (and look feasible) when you start overclocking them.

*Really, if you are going to build a gaming rig:*



On the CPU side of things, go Intel. Depending on your budget, anything from an i5 (preferably unlocked) to an i3, and maybe even a dual core pentium depending on. The 6-core FX's are arguably the only viable alternative from AMD.
On the GPU side of things, it truly is a toss-up and just a matter of brand preference. Both NVIDIA and AMD offer near-identical performance, for the most part. The single notable differing exception between the two is that AMD scales better at higher resolutions/multi-monitor setups. NVIDIA produces better drivers.
As for the rest, 8GB of the cheapest RAM that won't fail, a 500W PSU (don't go overkill on the PSU), and the cheapest overclockable motherboard that won't fail. Case is arguably the most personal part of the build. And finally storage is extremely easy to deal with; if you can get your hands on ANY old HDD, and you're happy with it, use it and save the money of spending on another part. SSD if you want.


Took


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

While you are entitled to your opinion, your post is somewhat inaccurate.
Many people use AMD CPU's for serious gaming and have no problems.
500W is fine as long as it's sufficient for the components but most upper tier GPU's, like those intended/used for gaming, will require more.
Using lower quality components is an individual's choice but we, for obvious reasons, only recommend top quality.


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## FoolOfATook930 (Mar 3, 2011)

Yes, I didn't intend to write as much as I did when I first started writing :uhoh:

Honestly, ignore what I wrote about all the other parts. My main intention in posting here was to make it clear that AMD CPUs are indeed underpowered, relative to Intel CPUs. 

Now, what I did not mention in my above post is indeed what has also been echoed by many people at many places that I have been to: That while AMD CPUs underperform relative to Intel CPUs, the difference is almost never seen, due of course to the fact that the vast majority of games are GPU bottlenecked as opposed to being CPU bottlenecked. And this I respect and concede. 

But my original point still stands. Intel CPUs far outperform AMD CPUs in terms of gaming performance, when *you are CPU bottlenecked*.

Took


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Intel do have more money behind them thats why they can put more research and development into CPUs but AMD still make good CPUs.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The thread was marked solved, has since gotten off topic and is closed.


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