Gaming Rig Advice

[Mahui_II]

Hey all,

A few of my friends (including Oddjob) have gotten together to build a friend of ours who is getting married a gaming pc as a wedding present. Best wedding present ever if you ask me. He will probably be joining the EA 117 community too for BF4.

I wanted your opinions on what you think about the parts I was thinking about getting. I have 3 lists:

Build 1
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oGZ2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oGZ2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oGZ2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($198.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $826.90

Build 2
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHoQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHoQ/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHoQ/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($198.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $820.92

or Build 3
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHzR
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHzR/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1oHzR/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.03 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $847.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-05 23:46 EDT-0400)

The budget is $900. And he wants to play games like BF4. I also want to keep the part lists to around 800 so we an afford the OS.

[mikeyteh]

Power supply on rig 2 is pretty weak. Other than that, it looks good. My only other advice I can give on the Battlefield series specifically: never skimp on the video card. The BF series is completely dependent on the video card. Nothing makes a bigger difference to the game.

[S.O.S]

I'll go with Build #2 with some changes.

1. If you are getting the i5-4670K from microcenter, get mobo at the same time. They offer $40 off for a combo. The ASUS Z87-A will be $109 after rebate and the discount.
2. Unless you plan to overclock, the OEM HSF works just fine.
3. Get a Radeon HD 7950 or GTX 660 Ti to have a better game play with BF4. Search eBay for good deals. I got my 660 Ti for $225 6 months ago.
4. PS should be at least 700W. You won't use 700W, but a bigger cushion puts less stress on the PS and it will be quieter too as the fans may spin at a lower speed. Go with brand names like Seasonic, Antec, Corsair. The PS is the heart of your rig, don't be cheap on it.

Good luck.

[Mahui_II]

thank you

We will soon have a new ea117 member. I'll post pics when the build is complete