[MusicJazz]

So, I sorta want to be ready for this game when it comes out..hopefully sometime next year. I've just recently started to put aside a solid amount of my paycheck towards a new PC. Right now I have gathered around $500. My goal is to have a solid gaming system that will be able to play Blade and Soul and other games at high (Max settings not necessary) settings with no stuttering and minimal frame drops. I've had this mediocre gaming system for 3 years and I just want to make my own computer for the first time and work from there for the future

I've tried messing around with Fatal's topic on how to pick parts for a computer and some of the builds listed there, but I got so overwhelmed at all the choices, price ranges, and ratings of the many components that my brain is decently fried at the moment. So If someone could help me out, this would be great for a first timer like me!

Things I'd Like For This New System:

Capable of running the following games at Medium High, to High settings. Max settings not necessary:

~Blade and Soul
~Aion
~League of Legends

(These are the main games I play, and I'm confident that if this new system can play BnS and Aion at medium high to high settings, it'll play anything below them)

The system should work with my budget of : $850 (This includes Microsoft 7 , However, I'll push the limits of my budget slightly for a very good reason if I'm given one.)

A Hard Drive capacity of 500 GB would be nice

The Things I DON'T Need For The System:

-A Monitor
-A Mouse
-Speakers
-A Crossfire capable Mother Board
-A fancy case. As long as it has the airflow needed.

If you need any more information or specifics of something, please, don't be afraid to ask me !

So please, would anyone help me? Or if I'm asking for too much, just throw me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.

This post has been edited by MusicJazz: Dec 19, 2012 - 12:30 AM

[Ishmael]

For a start, you'll need an AMD CPU and a Motherboard that can support it. because a good Intel CPU would cost $700-$1000+ which already is out of your budget. an AMD six-core like a Phenom or FX 6100 or even an Eight-core would be pretty cheap. They go for less than $200 and sometimes less than $150 if you look cautiously. My build costs roughly 700 and I can play Blade & Soul with absolutely no lag or FPS drop. just that i need a new hard drive...

My Specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom II Six-core 3.3 Ghz
Motherboard: AMD Asus 990FX
RAM: Kingston 8gb 1333-1800 mhz
Video/Graphics Card: Asus GTX 560 Ti
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750 Watt
My build isn't overclocked, but with a few benchmark tests, if it was there would be no such thing as performance deficiencies. Make sure it's properly ventilated though, cause AMD parts can overheat quickly.

[Fatal]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tbUv

If you're willing to wait a bit I'd rather you go with the Gigabyte 7870

PM me about getting the OS.

This post has been edited by Fatal: Dec 19, 2012 - 1:43 AM

[KTcraft]

In response to Ishmael- No, a budget processor from intel is closer to $200, you would be getting an i5 most likely.
Funny thing is I actually recently planned out a $675 budget build PC.
Assuming you can assemble it yourself(big assumption I know) I'll link the parts.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769 Hard Drive WD Caviar Blue 500gb 7200RPM $70
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371025 Power Supply Antec 750w modular $90
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811517013 Case AZZA Toleda ATX Mid Tower $65
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428 RAM G.Skill Ripjaw 2x4gb(8gb) DDR3 1600 $40
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128514 MotherBoard Gigabyte UD3 AM3+ $144
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103727 Processor AMD Phenom II x4 3.4ghz Quad Core $100
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814161402 Graphics HIS 7770 ghz edition $135

It comes out to be just under $700.
Now I should mention right now, that I personally think that Intel is ahead even in budget building. I do not have brand loyalty to either AMD or Intel, but in terms of power, even in cost efficiency-power, Intel is ahead.
If you would like to go the Intel route instead, you will end up spending another $150 ish

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128546 GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H $150
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K $215


Lastly between ATI and Nvidia, I prefer ATI simply due to the games that are optimized best for it(Skyrim, Fallout, Blade and Soul). In the end it is of course your choice, and if you go the Nvidia route I would recommend something like a 650GTX due to budget constraints.

[MusicJazz]

Ishmael, on Dec 19, 2012 - 12:45 AM, said:

For a start, you'll need an AMD CPU and a Motherboard that can support it. because a good Intel CPU would cost $700-$1000+ which already is out of your budget. an AMD six-core like a Phenom or FX 6100 or even an Eight-core would be pretty cheap. They go for less than $200 and sometimes less than $150 if you look cautiously. My build costs roughly 700 and I can play Blade & Soul with absolutely no lag or FPS drop. just that i need a new hard drive...

My Specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom II Six-core 3.3 Ghz
Motherboard: AMD Asus 990FX
RAM: Kingston 8gb 1333-1800 mhz
Video/Graphics Card: Asus GTX 560 Ti
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750 Watt
My build isn't overclocked, but with a few benchmark tests, if it was there would be no such thing as performance deficiencies. Make sure it's properly ventilated though, cause AMD parts can overheat quickly.

From the research I've been doing though, Intel seems to be more powerful than many current AMD stuff for the price like the i5-2400, and i5-2500k, so I'm not sure about AMD processors Thanks for the suggestions though!

Fatal, on Dec 19, 2012 - 1:41 AM, said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tbUv

If you're willing to wait a bit I'd rather you go with the Gigabyte 7870

PM me about getting the OS.

Woah, thanks Fatal! This actually comes real close to my budget, which is fine. I see many things I like in there! Why do you suggest the Gigabyte 7870? I have time to wait since I'm only at $500/850 in my savings to get the comp...and about that OS

KTcraft, on Dec 19, 2012 - 2:21 AM, said:

In response to Ishmael- No, a budget processor from intel is closer to $200, you would be getting an i5 most likely.
Funny thing is I actually recently planned out a $675 budget build PC.
Assuming you can assemble it yourself(big assumption I know) I'll link the parts.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769 Hard Drive WD Caviar Blue 500gb 7200RPM $70
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371025 Power Supply Antec 750w modular $90
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811517013 Case AZZA Toleda ATX Mid Tower $65
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428 RAM G.Skill Ripjaw 2x4gb(8gb) DDR3 1600 $40
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128514 MotherBoard Gigabyte UD3 AM3+ $144
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103727 Processor AMD Phenom II x4 3.4ghz Quad Core $100
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814161402 Graphics HIS 7770 ghz edition $135

It comes out to be just under $700.
Now I should mention right now, that I personally think that Intel is ahead even in budget building. I do not have brand loyalty to either AMD or Intel, but in terms of power, even in cost efficiency-power, Intel is ahead.
If you would like to go the Intel route instead, you will end up spending another $150 ish

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128546 GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H $150
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K $215


Lastly between ATI and Nvidia, I prefer ATI simply due to the games that are optimized best for it(Skyrim, Fallout, Blade and Soul). In the end it is of course your choice, and if you go the Nvidia route I would recommend something like a 650GTX due to budget constraints.

This is also real good, and I agree that Intel is ahead in the processor area. I've still got time for research and comparing stuff, but over all, all these suggestions are great!

I like Fatals set up quite well too!

Thanks guys! I still have a while till I can actually sit down and buy this stuff (Prolly around 2 months or so), but I'll keep an eye on this thread.

[Fatal]

KTcraft, on Dec 19, 2012 - 2:21 AM, said:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769 Hard Drive WD Caviar Blue 500gb 7200RPM $70 $5 more gets a 1tb drive
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371025 Power Supply Antec 750w modular $90 Overkill, your chosen configuration will never use more than ~300W
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811517013 Case AZZA Toleda ATX Mid Tower $65 Mediocre
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231428 RAM G.Skill Ripjaw 2x4gb(8gb) DDR3 1600 $40
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128514 MotherBoard Gigabyte UD3 AM3+ $144 Does not fit price constraint
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103727 Processor AMD Phenom II x4 3.4ghz Quad Core $100 Not the best option
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814161402 Graphics HIS 7770 ghz edition $135 650ti is better at this price point


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128546 GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H $150 Again, does not fit the price comstraint.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116504 Intel Core i5-3570K $215

MusicJazz, on Dec 19, 2012 - 2:34 AM, said:

Why do you suggest the Gigabyte 7870?

Better cooler.
Better warranty.

[Gutso]

you don't have to spend $700-$1000 on an intel chip, I bought my Core i7 a year ago for 199, and i can run a lot of games on max settings with no Frame skipping.

Ex:
http://www.microcent...Boxed_Processor

And you can get some half assed 1tb hard drive for lie ke 50 bucks....

This is the pc I'm running, and have no problems playing any games on all high settings, while still running SLI GTX 260s



All in all, you can build a pretty decent pc with what you're willing to spend

This post has been edited by Gutso: Dec 19, 2012 - 11:13 AM

[KTcraft]

Few things, the hard drive is currently going for a 45% discount. Unless Jazz plans to purchase said hard drive soon, it will likely go back up to something closer to its full price. Next, for $90, a modular Antec power supply(750w no less) is simply a steal and a good investment should future upgrades be likely. Third, I HIGHLY recommend Gigabyte mobos for a starting build simply because they have an extremely user friend BIOS-which I feel will be important in this case.

[Ishmael]

wow where did u guys find your Intel parts? even some i5's I've found on various websites (Newegg Tiger Direct even ebay) cost a pretty penny. I must've not looked hard enough. Nonetheless my current build is still flawless is terms of performance; excluding the failing hard drive. Intel's are better than AMD, but sometimes you do what you gotta do.

[Zenek]

If you want PC for B&S, better w8 for at last news about beta test. Hardware do like get old, and prices do like to go down.

If you need PC at this moment, I would like to support this idea:

Fatal, on Dec 19, 2012 - 1:41 AM, said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tbUv

Probably if I would create PC for myself I would like to make few changes. But it could be very cosmetical changes, not worth discussion why I prefer one company over another. And overall performance could be very similar. IMO critical elements (CPU, GPU etc.) are very well balanced for this price and you should be happy from this PC.


Only one is worth to change - if you have way to save old HDD, that is good option to keep it and buy SSD instead of new HDD. Good chose could be: http://pcpartpicker....-ct128m4ssd2baa

Ishmael, on Dec 19, 2012 - 4:30 PM, said:

Intel's are better than AMD, but sometimes you do what you gotta do.

No in this case. In some games difference is too big. Any sacrifice is good enough for get intel CPU, even if it means i5 with no K and on B75 chipset.

This post has been edited by Zenek: Dec 19, 2012 - 5:02 PM

[Ishmael]

Zenek, on Dec 19, 2012 - 4:53 PM, said:

No in this case. In some games difference is too big. Any sacrifice is good enough for get intel CPU, even if it means i5 with no K and on B75 chipset.

Uh what? I'm sorry but I should've rephrased what I meant. I was trying to say that AMD chips are a good last resort to Intel chips. I don't know what you're problem is with AMD but the issue here is budget; the best for less, as in the part with the best performance for less coin. you can find an AMD eight core for less than 200, which has much better power and potential than any i5 out there (the i5 on pcpartpicker link is still more expensive than an AMD 8100 FX). In terms of durability, Intel would be the victor but I hope you realize that newer programs will require more processing power. An i5 in the next year or two will be the equivalent to an i3 duo core where as an 8 core with 4.5 Ghz can last five years. In all honesty I've been new to AMD since this current pc I'm using, but I'm telling you, I would rather get a good AMD chip rather than a backwater Intel. Also it could be temporary, most good motherboards support AM3+ and Intel sockets so an AMD like that would be a good temporary chip.

[KTcraft]

No, for gaming more Cores=/= better performance. There are very few games that offer multicore support- i mean unless you are absolutely obsessed about Civilizations 5 or playing against AI chess. Sorry but in terms of gaming performance, an i5 outperforms most AMD procs-and no i am NOT an Intel fangirl

[Ishmael]

KTcraft, on Dec 20, 2012 - 3:46 PM, said:

No, for gaming more Cores=/= better performance. There are very few games that offer multicore support- i mean unless you are absolutely obsessed about Civilizations 5 or playing against AI chess. Sorry but in terms of gaming performance, an i5 outperforms most AMD procs-and no i am NOT an Intel fangirl

I don't ever recall saying more cores was better. I've seen benchmarks between the two and that is enough for me.

[MusicJazz]

I'm actually real close to having all the money for the system due to holiday gifts

Does anyone know if all these slashed prices I see everywhere (Newegg, Amazon etc.) will stick around after christmas a bit, or will they get bumped up again? I couldn't find the info anywhere

[Zenek]

I can only say how it look in Poland - christmas price cuts are fake here. Best months for buy hardware is February - March and August.

Ishmael, on Dec 21, 2012 - 2:15 AM, said:

I don't ever recall saying more cores was better. I've seen benchmarks between the two and that is enough for me.

If you base only on benchmark... that is not enought for give advice. Benchmarks use everything what CPU have, use all threads/all cores. But games do not use multiple cores, do not use few other things. For games the most important is performance of single thread. Only few % of games use multiple cores and no1 MMO, while OP want PC for MMORPG games. We have only 2 big announced MMO: B&S and AA - all do not use more than 4 cores, and nothing new is not even announced. What means min for next 3 years we will not see MMORPG what use more than 4 cores.

Also AMD do not have 8 cores. That is 4 modules, with 2 incomplete cores. That is much more similar to expanded HT than true 8 phisical cores. It my have more potential power, but for games we need real power and difference is big. (http://pclab.pl/art51125-3.html - sorry for Polish language, but that is very good test what include CPUs from last few years and current ones)

Simple example from Tera - my last Phenom II offered me only 20-30 FPS and 0-1 during Nexus, after switch only CPU and MOBO, i5 offer me 40-70 FPS and 20-30 during Nexus. If you see on Benchmarks this Phenom II is not that slower than other CPU-s. That is how MMORPG games are different if it come to perfomance issues. (OP want PC for B&S what is on same engine as Tera - Unreal engine)

CPU is critical element if you want CPU for MMO and there is no reason for economize at this element.

[Ishmael]

Zenek, on Dec 21, 2012 - 5:38 AM, said:

If you base only on benchmark... that is not enought for give advice. Benchmarks use everything what CPU have, use all threads/all cores. But games do not use multiple cores, do not use few other things. For games the most important is performance of single thread. Only few % of games use multiple cores and no1 MMO, while OP want PC for MMORPG games. We have only 2 big announced MMO: B&S and AA - all do not use more than 4 cores, and nothing new is not even announced. What means min for next 3 years we will not see MMORPG what use more than 4 cores.

Also AMD do not have 8 cores. That is 4 modules, with 2 incomplete cores. That is much more similar to expanded HT than true 8 phisical cores. It my have more potential power, but for games we need real power and difference is big. (http://pclab.pl/art51125-3.html - sorry for Polish language, but that is very good test what include CPUs from last few years and current ones)

Simple example from Tera - my last Phenom II offered me only 20-30 FPS and 0-1 during Nexus, after switch only CPU and MOBO, i5 offer me 40-70 FPS and 20-30 during Nexus. If you see on Benchmarks this Phenom II is not that slower than other CPU-s. That is how MMORPG games are different if it come to perfomance issues. (OP want PC for B&S what is on same engine as Tera - Unreal engine)

CPU is critical element if you want CPU for MMO and there is no reason for economize at this element.

As much as I'd like to continue arguing, I think its time to stop, it's getting far too critical. I mean I have more information but this bickering isn't going anywhere. Besides I'm pretty sure MusicJazz finalized his decision, that's what this whole topic was about anyway. The white flag has arisen.

[Blissed]

I would suggest you wait another 4-5 months. The next generation of GPUs are coming around then. Prices of current GPUs will obviously drop, and you might even have more saved up by 5 months. I myself plan to get the 8970, had my 6870 for 2 years now, and its time to upgrade (I upgrade every 2 years).

Along with the fact that Intel are releasing new CPUs as well, so the i5 and i7 will hopefully drop too. Overall I would prefer intel CPUs, I've had bad experiences with AMD CPUs. But ATi GPUs on the other hand, I greatly admire.

This post has been edited by Blissed: Dec 25, 2012 - 8:24 AM

[MusicJazz]

Blissed, on Dec 24, 2012 - 10:08 PM, said:

I would suggest you wait another 4-5 months. The next generation of GPUs are coming around then. Prices of current GPUs will obviously drop, and you might even have more saved up by 5 months. I myself plan to get the 8970, had my 6870 for 2 years now, and its time to upgrade (I upgrade every 2 years).

Along with the fact that Intel are releasing new CPUs as well, so the i5 and i7 will hopefully drop too. Overall I would prefer intel CPUs, I've had bad experiences with AMD CPUs. But ATi GPUs on the other hand, I greatly admire.

Hmmmm, If only I was that patient to wait 4-5 months. Gaming is like a hobby to me, and this cruddy computer I'm on now is not doing it for me. Since I'll be able to upgrade now as well instead of having to buy whole new desktop, I'll be able to follow a solid upgrading cycle. I also got $150 in Visa gift cards that I'm putting into this new computer, so I'm pretty much all set to purchase all the parts!!

I just need to make the Visa giftcards into Newegg giftcards so I can use those there and then go from there. It's a bit annoying that I'll potentially have to buy from 3 different websites, but so it is the life of technology I just hope prices don't increase in the next 2 days or so

[Blissed]

Well, I'm waiting until then to purchase myself a new laptop, with the new intel CPU and the upcoming 8970m.