Mainstream Gaming PCs v3.2: Price Cuts and Performance Boost!
Updated on January 12th 2012.
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking for a Mainstream Gaming PC, to play video games at a 1080p resolution, you’re at the right place. Otherwise, check out our other Do-It-Yourself Computer Systems or The Best Laptops For Your Money instead.
The EVGA SuperClock CPU Cooler, recommended for Tier 6 and 7 of the Mainstream Gaming PCs. No worries, it does include a fan.
Click on a section to jump to it:
- Five Tiers to choose from
- Recommended parts summary
- Computer Builds FAQs
- Recommended parts in details
- Budget/High-End Gaming PCs
- Mainstream/High-End SFF Gaming PCs
About Hardware Revolution’s Mainstream Gaming Computers:
High-End Performance at a Mainstream cost
Our mainstream gaming PCs feature parts that were chosen to offer the best performance possible at a given price aka the best bang for your buck.
Designed with reliability in mind
They feature a safe, reliable power supply and a case with good cooling abilities, so that your PC will last you many years and to ensure that it will not overheat.
Tier System:
Instead of having several articles that each cover one specific build, there are Tiers, allowing you to pick one of several systems at broader price points.
The Tiers are color coded as such:
Choose from five Tiers:
Tier 3 (Identified by a Red color): $667
Our lowest cost Tier that includes an Intel Sandy Bridge Quad-Core CPU. Tier 3 is the only Mainstream Gaming PCs Tier that does not include a SSD in its budget but it’s ready for one if you want to add one.
Tier 4 (Identified by a Green color): $871
Our lowest cost Tier that’s equipped with a 120GB SSD. Also equipped with a powerful Intel Core i5-2400 processor and an equally powerful Geforce GTX 560 Ti, Tier 4 is one heck of a powerhouse PC at a relatively low price considering the performance that it offers!
Tier 5 (Identified by an Orange color): $1055
Tier 5 offers a more future-proof motherboard, that’s ready for Intel’s next CPU architecture (Ivy Bridge) and PCI-Express Generation 3.0. It’s also equipped with a more powerful video card.
Tier 6 (Identified by a Dark Red color): $1262
Offers not only a step-up in performance from Tier 5, but also a CPU with an unlocked multiplier, along with improved CPU voltage delivery unit cooling on the upgraded motherboard and improved CPU Cooling with the upgraded CPU Cooler.
All of this results in a Tier that’s not only powerful as it is, but that’s also optimized to be easily overclocked, in order to reach new summits of performance! Of course, it features the same future-proof features as Tier 5, while its higher performance, both at stock and overclocked frequencies, makes it even more ready for tomorrow’s video games!
Tier 7 (Identified by a Fuchsia color): $1562
This Tier takes performance to the next level, with the a video card equipped with the fastest single GPU available: The Radeon HD 7970 3GB. Just like Tier 6, Tier 7 features a CPU with an unlocked multiplier, along with improved CPU voltage delivery unit cooling on the upgraded motherboard, improved CPU Cooling with the upgraded CPU Cooler and better case cooling.
All of this results in a Tier that’s not only powerful as it is, but that’s also optimized to be easily overclocked, in order to reach new summits of performance! Of course, it features the same future-proof features as Tier 5 and 6, while its higher performance makes it even more ready for tomorrow’s video games!
Need a Tier recommendation for a specific video game?
Ask us on the forums: Tell us about the video game, the level of details that you want (i.e. I just want to be able to play the game, medium, high or maximum details) and finally the resolution (e.g. 1920 x 1080.) of the monitor (HDTVs are usually 720p/1080p) that you’ll use.
Recommended Parts Summary:
Main recommendations, upgrades and alternatives:
1. Recommended Components are in Bold, with one or more colors/symbols for the Tier(s).
2. Suggested Alternatives and Upgrades are in Italic. You can upgrade as many parts as you want to, including parts from higher Tiers.
3. All Parts are interchangeable/compatible with each other. Ask us on the forums if you want us to double-check your build.
Building this System, Got a Question, Need Help?
Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
1. You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
2. Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
3. Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
4. Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Recommended step-by-step guides to build your PC:
1. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
2. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Software (EFI/BIOS, Windows, etc.)
Free Assistance
If you have any question(s) about the build, simply head over to the forums and our community will be there to assist you.
No worries, there are no stupid questions here on Hardware Revolution. We all started from scratch and learned through our mistakes. We”ll just help you make sure to avoid those mistakes 
If you want to have your final build double-checked and get my opinion on it before ordering, or for anything else, don’t be shy, just post a thread on the forums.
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Recommendations in details:
Motherboard:
Socket: LGA1155
SandyBridge CPUs (Core ix-2xxx) use the LGA 1155 socket and the followung chipsets H61, H67, P67 and Z68 and thus are incompatible with older motherboards/chipsets.
CPU Coolers compatibility: However, CPU Coolers that are compatible with the LGA1156 socket are also compatible with the LGA 1155 socket. Some LGA1155 motherboards support LGA 775 CPU Coolers too.
Chipsets: Currently available are the H61, H67, P67 and Z68 chipsets.
- H61 and H67 supports the integrated GPU found in the CPU and thus allow for video output without a discrete video card. However, they do not support CPU overclocking.
- P67 does not support the integrated GPU found in the CPU, but does support CPU overclocking.
- Z68 brings the best of both worlds. It supports the integrated GPU (for QuickSync) and overclocking at the same time. It also support “SSD Caching”. It’s not without its faults though, more on this below.
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Z68: About Intel’s QuickSync and SSD Caching:
Z68 allows you to access the IGP from the CPU, which allows you to take advantage of Intel’s QuickSync, a technology that lets you use the IGP in your CPU to accelerate video conversion (amongst other things), allowing you to convert video faster than with just a CPU.
However, the drawback is that the quality of converted videos is lower than if they are converted with a CPU. This is subjective though, so the loss in quality might be an acceptable drawback for you, if you value the time than you gain.
As for SSD Caching, AnandTech has two excellent articles on the subject:
- Intel Z68 Chipset & Smart Response Technology (SSD Caching) Review
- Z68 SSD Caching with Corsair’s F40 SandForce SSD
In short, while SSD caching is an interesting technology, you’re better off using your SSD as your boot drive and manually managing where your applications and games get installed (SSD or HDD), if you want the best performance possible, all the time.
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For a Gaming PC: P67 or Z68?
From a performance point of view, both P67 and Z68 offers identical performance.
The exception to this is when you use a Z68 motherboard in tandem with Virtu (a program that intercepts the dedicated GPU and the IGP calls, to direct the calls to the right GPU (depending on whether you’re gaming with the dedicated GPU or converting videos with the IGP) which actually decrease performance within video games, by 5-10%.
If Virtu is not used, performance is identical on both platforms, but then you’re not using the IGP to convert videos, making P67 just as good as Z68.
On top of that, most Z68 motherboards feature video outputs ports (VGA, DVI and/or HDMI), which take space that could be used for additional USB, FireWire, E-SATA and other actual useful ports that are present on P67.
In short:
- If you absolutely want to use Intel’s Quick Sync to convert videos, despite the lower quality of converted videos and that you don’t mind the performance hit (5-10%) in video games, go with a Z68 motherboard.
- If you don’t care about Quick Sync, don’t intend to use SSD Caching (which as I explained above, you don’t want to use anyway) and would rather have the extra ports, go either with a P67 motherboard or a Z68 motherboard without the extra ports, unless you can get a good deal on a Z68 motherboard (hence why I recommend one for Tier 4 and 5, due to its killer $100 price.)
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Tier 3 and 4:
$70 – ASRock H61M/U3S3 LGA1155 H61 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 M-ATX B3
A basic motherboard at a great price that’s a perfect match-up for Tier 3/4 and the Core i5-2400/2500 CPUs.
Note that the H61 chipset allows you to use the integrated video card from the CPU. While the performance of the integrated video card is no where good enough to play recent games, it can still be used until you buy your video card, if you’re on a tight budget.
Also note that the H61 chipset does not support overclocking, which isn’t a problem with the Intel i3-2100 and Core i5-2400 because those CPU offer none or little overclocking potential anyway, but it’s something to keep in mind if you intend to go with say, an i5-2500K or an i7-2600K.
Finally, this motherboard only includes two SATA cables, so you’ll need an extra one if you get a SSD (Tier 4) or if you add an additional hard drive or optical drive. I recommend this one: Additional 18″ SATA Cable for Tier 3. The motherboards of other Tiers come with at least three SATA cables, so this is not an issue for other Tiers.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
- Ports on the back: 2x PS/2, 4x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 LAN, 3 audi0 ports (for 5.1 sound) and VGA/DVI/HDMI outputs.
- Expansion slots: One PCI-Express 2.0 16x slot (In Blue), one PCI-Express 1x and two PCI slots.
- Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Two fan connectors (2 x 4 pins), four SATA 3.0Gb/s, two SATA 6.0Gb/s, two USB 2.0 headers (for up to four USB 2.0 ports coming from the headers in total), and support for LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156 CPU Coolers.
- Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual and CD.
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Tier 5:
$122 – ASRock Z68 Extreme3 PCI-Express3.0 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 ATX
This is the motherboard for you if you want the following features:
- A full-size ATX motherboard with more expansion slots.
- The Z68 chipset, which allows for CPU overclocking.
- USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps
- Finally, this motherboard is PCI-Express 3.0 ready* and is compatible with Intel next generation of CPUs, Ivy Bridge.
You’ll just need a BIOS update before upgrading to Ivy Bridge after it comes out. So far, rumors are pointing out to a April 2012 launch.
The only “downside” to this motherboard is the cooling for the CPU voltage regulation is “only” average, so while it’s plenty good enough to handle stock frequencies, I recommend upgrading to the Tier 6-7 motherboard below if you intend to overclock your CPU, seeing as it features improved cooling for the CPU voltage regulation, which will ensure that your overclocking won’t get limited by the motherboard.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
- Ports on the back: 4x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, One PS/2, HDMI, VGA, DVI, 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 LAN, Clear CMOS button, Optical S/PDIF and 5 audi0 ports (for 7.1 sound).
- Expansion slots: Two PCI-Express 2.0 (3.0 with Ivy Bridge CPU) 16x slots (8x, 8x). Two PCI-Express 1x and two PCI slots.
- Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins), two SATA 6.0Gb/s, four SATA 3.0Gb/s, IR and COM ports, Debug LED, power and reset buttons, three USB 2.0 headers (for up to six USB 2.0 ports coming from the headers in total) and support for LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156 CPU Coolers.
- Included in the box: Motherboard, three SATA cables, Molex to SATA power adapter, Rear I/O panel shield, manual and CD.
*The PCI-Express slots run at PCI-Express 2.0 with a Sandy Bridge processor and will run at PCI-Express 3.0 with an Ivy Bridge CPU.
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Tier 6 and 7:
$150 – ASRock Extreme 4 P67 Gen3
Why did I pick this motherboard:
In my opinion, the ASRock P67 Extreme4 Gen 3 has the best set of features overall, many of which that I consider very important for the High-End Gaming PCs:
- PCI-Express 16x 3.0 support: One of a few select motherboards that will support Generation 3 PCI-Express 16x slots, when used with the future Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (Coming March 2012 according to the latest rumours) which means that it’s more future-proof as it won’t be a bottleneck to future generation of video cards that demand more bandwidth.
- Two slots worth of space between the two main PCI-Express 16x slots, which gives the top video card some space to “breath” in order to stay at a reasonable temperature, when you use two video cards in SLI or in Crossfire
- A PCI-Express 1x slot that is located above the top PCI-Express 16x slot, allowing for a dedicated sound card without reducing the airflow to the top video card.
- Nothing short of six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins)
- A USB 3.0 header and an included 2 x USB 3.0 bracket that can installed in an external 3.5″ bay or on a free PCI bracket.
- PS/2, FireWire, E-SATA and USB 3.0 ports, as well as a Clear CMOS button, are all located on the back of the motherboard. The Clear CMOS button alone is hugely useful when you overclock and need to clear the CMOS. No more need to move a jumper, which is a pain compared to using a simple button.
- Power and Reset buttons on the motherboard, allowing you to easily test your PC outside your case.
- Top-notch power delivery cooling, allowing for even more CPU overclocking than the Tier 5 motherboard.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
- Ports on the back: 2x PS/2, 6x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0 (Two more are included with the USB 3.0 header + 2 x USB 3.0 bracket), FireWire, E-SATA, 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 LAN, 5 audi0 ports (for 7.1 sound), Coaxial + Optical S/PDIF Out and finally, a Clear CMOS button.
- Expansion slots: Two PCI-Express 3.0 16x slots (single at 16x or dual at 8x/8x), one PCI-Express 16x 2.0 (running at 4x), two PCI-Express 1x and two PCI slots.
- Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Six fan connectors (Two 4 pins, four 3 pins), four SATA 6.0Gb/s, four SATA 3.0Gb/s, FDD, power and reset buttons, 4-pin Molex connector for additional power for the PCI-Express slots, USB 3.0 header (to be used with included bracket), three USB 2.0 headers (for up to six USB 2.0 ports coming from the headers in total), FireWire header, LED debug, SLI/Crossfire support (obviously) and support for LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156 CPU Coolers.
- Included in the box: Motherboard, four SATA cables, two Molex to SATA power cables, 3.5mm audio cable, SLI dongle, USB 3.0 3.5″ bracket (as well as an included PCI bracket, if you prefer to put the USB 3.0 ports in a free PCI bracket.), FDD cable, manual and CD.
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Performance difference between 16x/16x vs 8x/8x PCI-Express slots: Wait, what do I hear? You NEED 16x/16x PCI-Express slots or the performance will crumble? Let me tell you this: That’s rubbish.
Here’s an excellent quote that resumes the situation: “NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 480 is a very fast graphics processor. To maintain its speeds, it would hypothetically require high system bandwidth, leading one to think that lesser PCI-Express configurations would cripple it.
The theory couldn’t be more wrong, as seen by the mere 2% performance loss going from x16 to x8 (which reduces bandwidth by 50%). To cite results from one of the latest and resource-heavy games in our bench, Collin McRae DiRT 2, that translates into something like 63.2 FPS vs. 62.1 FPS, at 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution – barely a difference.“
More information on this is available at techPowerUp. As you can see, unless you use two dual-GPU cards, 8x/8x is just fine, unless losing 1.1FPS will kill you…
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Upgrades to consider:
- $190 – ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z
- $200 – ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 B3 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 ATX
– With its TUF Thermal Armor – Total Airflow-Boosting Heat Dissipation, its TUF Thermal Radar – Real Time Temp Detection and Heat Removal and its TUF Components [Alloy Choke, Cap. & MOSFET; Certified by Military-standard] – Certified for Tough Duty, the ASUS Sabertooth is a unique motherboard with an unique look to match.
- The $207 – ASUS P8P67 DELUXE B3 P67 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 CF/SLI ATX
is a motherboard with pretty much every back connection that you could ask for. Dual LAN, Bluetooth, E-Sata, FireWire, USB 3.0, the list goes on.
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CPU:
Tier 3-4:
$190 – Intel Core i5-2400 3.1-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core
The Core i5-2400 is a slightly slower (-200MHz) version of the popular Core i5-2500. It was picked for tier 3 and 4 for its lower price compared to the Core i5-2500.
When it comes to gaming performance, the Core i5-2400 has no problem outperforming the AMD competition, whether it’s the older $190 -Phenom II X6 1100T or the newer $190 – FX-6100.
In short, it’s the best CPU for $150-200 when it comes to gaming performance.
However, it’s not a perfect CPU. One big con is that you cannot overclock it, since overclocking via the base clock is not really an option with SandyBridge CPUs (You can only raise the base clock by a few MHz before getting stability issues) and also because you cannot overclock via Turbo bins, because it also does not come with Turbo, unlike the Core i5 and i7 CPUs.
Overclocking by raising the multiplier is also not an option, since that option is limited to the “K” variant of Core i5 and i7 CPUs, the i5 2500-K and i7 2600K to be exact.
Then again, if you desire either or both of these features, you can simply upgrade to one of the unlocked K-series Core i5 or i7 CPUs recommended below.
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Tier 5
$210 – Intel Core i5-2500 Quad-Core 3.3-3.7GHz Turbo 95W
A recap on SandyBridge:
Intel current generation of CPUs, known under the codename SandyBridge (SB from here on) is here. Replacing Intel’s LGA1156 Clarkdale (Known as Core i3/i5/i7 3xx, 5xx and 8xx) CPUs, the LGA1155 based SB CPUs (Known as Core i3/i5/i7 i2xxx) bring in a 10%-50% performance improvement and lower power consumption, compared to the previous-generation of LGA1156 Clarkdale CPUs.
Overclocking: With the previous generations of Intel CPUs, to overclock, all you had to do was to raise the BCLK (baseclock) or FSB frequency, until you reach the limit of your CPU and/or motherboard and/or cooling solution.
With SandyBridge, this is no longer the case: the 6-series chipsets integrate the clock generator. What once was a component on the motherboard, the PLL is now on the 6-series chipset die. The integrated PLL feeds a source clock to many other controllers (e.g. SATA) to the CPU itself. The problem will that is if you if you raise the BCLK frequency, you will also raise the frequency of many other controllers and that will cause your PC to crash. So forget overclocking via the BCLK.
To overclock, you’ll want to raise the CPU multiplier. How much you can raise it depends on your CPU:
- If you have a CPU that offers no Turbo mode (e.g. Core i3-2100), then you can’t raise the multiplier at all and thus can’t overclock. In short: Your CPU is completely locked.
- If you have a CPU with Turbo modes (e.g. Core i5-2500), you can overclock, but just a bit, using a motherboard equipped with a P67 or Z68 chipset. In short, you are limited to an overclock of 4 processor bins above and beyond the highest turbo frequency. See the picture below for details.
In the picture above, we’re looking at a Core i5-2500, which runs at 3.3GHz by default. When a single core is active, the chip can turbo up to 3.7GHz. If you want, you can change that turbo state to go as high as 4.1GHz. Overclocking these chips relies entirely on turbo however. In the case above, the fastest your chip will run is 4.1GHz but with only one core active. If you have four cores active the fastest your chip can run is 3.8GHz. Makes sense?
- Finally, there’s the K-series of CPUs, with the Core i5-2500K and Core i7-2600K currently available. These chips are fully unlocked and will let you overclock them as far as the CPU and/or your cooling can sustain.
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The Core i5-2500 vs the competition:
Now that I’ve quickly explained SandyBridge (See AnandTech full review of SandyBridge for more details) to you, let’s compare the Core i5-2500 to the competition and let me explain why I picked the Core i5-2500 as my recommendation.
Compared to the competition: As you probably heard by now, AMD launched their “Bulldozer” CPUs, with the FX-8150 CPU being the fastest model. Here are the hard facts:
- The Core i5-2500 outclasses the FX-8150 when it comes to gaming performance, as well as the majority of other tests, according to AnandTech.
- The Core i5-2500 costs slightly less than $200. The FX-8150? $280. Lower gaming performance and higher cost, what else is there to say here really?
V.S. the previous generation: Curious to see how Sandybridge performs compared the previous LGA1156 CPUs top-performers? Check out those charts from AnandTech:
Why not recommend a K version to begin with?
The reason is simple: If you don’t intend to overclock, why spend more on the K version?
Want to overclock?
If you do want to overclock, I recommend going with the motherboard, CPU Cooler and power supply of Tier 6 and 7, which are optimized for overclocking. That way, you’ll be sure that your motherboard and the power supply can handle the additional power consumption and that the CPU Cooler will keep your overclocked CPU temperature in check.
In the end, this is YOUR custom PC and I prefer to give you the possibility to choose what’s best for you, instead of imposing my ideas
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Tier 6 and 7
$220 – Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3-3.7GHz Turbo Unlocked Multiplier
CPU performance wise, the Core i5-2500K is identical to the Core i5-2500. The Core i5-2500K offers a better integrated GPU than the Core i5-2500, but considering that you’ll be using a dedicated video card (which offers far superior performance) and not the integrated GPU, this will make no difference in performance.
The main advantage of the Core i5-2500K over the Core i5-2500 is its unlocked multiplier, which allows you to overclock it to your heart’s content.
Of course, Tier 6 and Tier 7 featured recommended components that are optimized for overclocking, meaning that your overclock won’t be limited by an inadequate CPU Cooler or something alike.
Recommended upgrades (Compared to the Intel Core i5-2500K main recommendation):
- $295 – Intel Core i7-2600 3.4-3.8GHz Turbo 95W
– The i7 series brings with it Hyper-Threading, which is useless for gaming (i.e. it brings no more performance to gaming), but brings additional performance for video editing and other highly-threaded workloads. The i7-2600 is also 100MHz faster (Both at default and with Turbo Boost) than the i5-2500.
- $320 – Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4-3.8GHz Turbo Unlocked Multiplier
– This is the K version of the Core i7-2600, meaning that it comes with an unlocked multiplier for full overclocking.
To avoid:
Also currently available are the Core i7-2700K ($370, 3.5GHz-3.9GHz Turbo, Unlocked Multiplier) and the Core i5-2400S ($205, 2.5GHz, 3.3GHz Turbo 65W). I recommend avoiding them both for the following reasons:
The Core i7-2700K, which is basically a Core i7-2600K with a 100MHz speed bump and oh, a $55 price bump too…I do not recommend it, considering that you could simply bump the multiplier up on the Core i7-2600K and save yourself a cool $55.
Cherry-picked CPU with better overclocking potential? Hard to say.
Some say that it overclock better than the Core i7-2600K, being a “cherry-picked” CPU from Intel and being capable of reaching 5GHz more easily and with less voltage. However, those claims are hard to verify and considering that the Core i7-2700K is based on the same stepping as the Core i7-2600K, I’m at best skeptic about those claims.
Even if it did overclock better than the Core i7-2600K, is an extra 100-200MHz, when you’re running it at 4.6-5.0GHz, really worth an extra $55 over the Core i7-2600K? I’m inclined to say no.
For the i5-2400S: This is a low-power CPU, which has a TDP of 65W compared to 95W for the i5-2400. While this is a great CPU for say, an HTPC, it is to avoid for a Gaming PC, since it’s reduced frequency will greatly hurt performance.
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Video Card:
A few important recommendations and notes regarding video cards:
- Get the latest version of the video card drivers directly from AMD or Nvidia. That way, you’ll be sure to get the latest bug fixes as well as the best performance possible from your video card(s).
- To confirm whether Crossfire or SLI is working or not, use GPU-Z which will show that information to you in the last field at the bottom of the program.
- SLI Guide: How to enable SLI, check if SLI is enabled, actually working in your game and what to do if it’s not is a great guide from the Notebook Review forums. If you know of a similar guide that covers Crossfire, let me know, I’ll make sure to add it to the article.
- When using two or more video cards in Crossfire or SLI, you want to connect your monitors into the top video card, i.e. the video card that is the closest to the CPU.
- Most video cards require one or two PCI-Express 6 or 8 pin power connector(s) to be plugged into them to function properly. Make sure that your power supply comes equipped with enough 6 and/or 8 pin connectors for your video cards. Of course, I double-checked that already for the recommendations in this article, I simply mention it if you decide to modify a build to your own taste.
Tier 3
$165 – Radeon HD 6870 1GB
Nvidia doesn’t really have much of a competitor at this price range, as the $130 Geforce GTX 460 overclocked is on par with the Radeon HD 6850.
The Radeon HD 6870 performs on average almost on par with the $190+ Geforce GTX 560 (Non-Ti), while costing $25 less.
The Radeon HD 6870 has no problem outperforming the previously recommended Radeon HD 6850, as well as the older Radeon HD 5850, while performing above the stock Geforce GTX 560 Non-Ti and on par with the factory overclocked 850MHz core GTX 560.
What games can this video card handle?
The Radeon HD 6870 is capable of handling pretty much any game at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 with maximum visual quality. 1080p (1920 x 1080) gameplay is usually not a problem either, although you might have to scale back details in more demanding games.
Finally, it is DirectX 11 compliant, HDCP ready, able to handle HD content (e.g. Blu-Ray) and stream audio over HDMI.
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Tier 4:
$210 – Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 Ti
The Geforce GTX 560 Ti costs only about $45 more than the Radeon HD 6870, while offering clearly better performance, especially in demanding games.
The Geforce GTX 560 Ti, which is not to be confused with the Geforce GTX 560 (without the “Ti”, which is a slower card), is an excellent card for ~$210, that performs nearly on par with the more expensive Radeon HD 6950 ($250+).
Do note that this particular model from Gigabyte comes with a nice dual-fan cooling, giving you some overhead to overclock this video card, if you want to that is.
What games can this video card handle?
The Geforce GTX 560 Ti is capable of handling pretty much any game at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 with maximum visual quality. 1080p (1920 x 1080) gameplay is usually not a problem either, although you might have to scale back details in the most demanding games.
Finally, it is DirectX 11 compliant, HDCP ready, able to handle HD content (e.g. Blu-Ray) and stream audio over HDMI.
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Tier 5:
$240 – Radeon HD 6950 2GB
With AMD’s performance improvement of the 6xxx series through newer drivers, the Radeon HD 6950 2GB is now considered quite a bit faster than the Geforce GTX 560 Ti instead of being just a tad faster and is easy to recommend over a factory overclocked Geforce GTX 560 Ti.
Besides, you can overclock or even perhaps unlock the Radeon HD 6950 into a Radeon HD 6970, resulting in even higher performance!
This Radeon HD 6950 2GB can possibly be unlocked into a Radeon HD 6970:
Note that this particular card can possibly be unlocked into a Radeon HD 6970, with a flip of a switch and a reboot! No BIOS flash required!
Now, of course, keep in mind that not ALL cards will successfully unlock to a Radeon HD 6970. Mind you, if you want to be sure to get a Radeon HD 6970, you can simply upgrade to one.
What games can this video card handle?
This card will run pretty much any game at 1920 x 1080, including Crysis Warhead (At Gamer overall settings, with some Enthusiast settings) and other demanding games, with less or more AA/AF, depending on the game.
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Tier 6:
$320 – Radeon HD 6970 2GB
While the recently launched Geforce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores at $290 offers similar performance to the Geforce GTX 570, I recommend avoiding both the $290 GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores and the $350 Geforce GTX 570.
Why? Because you can get a Radeon HD 6970, which edges out both the Geforce GTX 570 and the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores, for $320.
Not convinced? See yourself how the Radeon HD 6970 2GB compares to the Nvidia Geforce GTX 570. Remember that the GTX 570 is a notch faster than the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores.
Another pro of the Radeon HD 6970 2GB vs the GTX 560 Ti 448/GTX 570 is the fact that it has 2GB(2048MB) of VRAM, compared to 1280MB for the GTX 560 Ti 448/GTX 570. With video games already using more than 1GB of VRAM, especially if you push AA/AF to high levels or play at a resolution of 2560×1600 or on multiple monitors, 2GB of VRAM will ensure that your video card is more future-proof.
This card will run nearly any game at 1920 x 1200 (or 1080 for 1080p) maxed out, with less or more AA/AF, depending on the game, as well as most games at 2560 x 1600, although with lowered details in some games.
Versus the Radeon HD 6950 2GB:
Versus the Radeon HD 6950 2GB, it’s clearly faster, outperforming it in all cases.
In my opinion, if you’re looking for the most performance at the high-end, without getting hit by diminishing returns too much (much higher cost for not that much more performance), this is what you want.
What games can this video card handle?
This card will run nearly any game at 1920 x 1200 (or 1080 for 1080p) maxed out, with less or more AA/AF, depending on the game, as well as most games at 2560 x 1600, although with lowered details in some games.
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Tier 7:
$560 – Radeon HD 7970 3GB
Simply put, this card features the fastest single-GPU on the market. It also has a reputation as an excellent card for overclocking, with a lot of potential.
While I used to recommend two Radeon HD 6950 2GB at this price point, I’ve stopped recommending this due to micro-shuttering issues. If you want one of the fastest video card solution without messing with Crossfire, SLI or dual-GPU video card setups, this is the way to go.
For more info about it, read our article: 10 Facts about the Radeon HD 7970
Alternative:
- $680 – Two SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6970 2GB in Crossfire
– This is the least expensive AMD dual-card setup, when only considering dual-card setups that are less susceptible to micro-shuttering than lower-end dual-card setups. Performance wise, compared to a single Radeon HD 7970, the two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire usually have no problem outperforming it, although that may not be the case with games with poor Crossfire scaling or lack of support. Also ideal for triple monitors setups.
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RAM:
Tier 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7:
$48 – Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CAS 9 1.5v
Is 8GB of RAM necessary?
Except for a few exceptions, according to Tom’s Hardware, current games and applications won’t take advantage of more than 4GB.
However, if you’re like me and like switching back (Alt-Tab or Alt-Esc) to your desktop to check something while pausing your game and keeping it open, 8GB will greatly improve the responsiveness of your PC.
Also, if you intend on keeping this Gaming PC for more than say, 1-2 years, 8GB is worth it, especially now, considering that RAM prices have been dropping and haven’t been this low in a long time.
That way, you know that you’ll be future-proof for a while and that you can alt-tab out of your games with minimal lag.
This is exactly why all the Mainstream Gaming PC Tiers now features 8GB of RAM. That way, you know that you’ll be future-proof for a while and that you can alt-tab out of your games with minimal lag.
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Is it worth it to get RAM with higher frequencies (e.g. 2000MHz RAM vs 1600MHz RAM)?
In my opinion, there is little incentive to move to faster frequency RAM, as this usually only brings only a small performance increase, nothing noticeable (According to Tom’s Hardware ), while costing quite a bit more in some cases.
Maximum amount of RAM: Except for the ASRock H61M/U3S3 which supports two sticks of RAM for a maximum of 16GB (Two stick of 8GB), all the motherboards in this guide support four sticks of RAM, for a maximum of 32GB (4 sticks of 8GB) of RAM.
Faster or More RAM?
Can’t decide between getting faster (Higher frequency) RAM, or more (More GB) RAM?
I recommend going with more RAM, as this will allow your PC to be more future-proof and it will improve its responsiveness when you’re using demanding programs/games.
In short: More RAM will give you more performance, in the long run.
Other Upgrades:
If you want a 16GB kit, here is my recommended upgrade:
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Heatsinks and CPU cooler clearance:
Every kit that I recommend in this guide feature either no heatsinks or small heatsinks that don’t raise too much above the RAM sticks.
Why?
- Because RAM heatsinks barely make any difference when it comes to RAM temperatures. Besides, even if you overclock it/raise the voltage (at your own risk), RAM temperatures aren’t a problem as long as you have decent airflow in your case.
- Tall RAM heatsinks can get in the way of larger aftermarket CPU Coolers, preventing you from installing your aftermarket CPU Cooler!
Important: RAM can require manual configuration within the BIOS to reach its full potential or function properly!
By default, some RAM kits will boot at lower frequencies than they are rated for. This is perfectly normal, it does not mean that your RAM is defective.
You simply have to go within the BIOS (The first thing that you see when your PC starts) and enable XMP, for your RAM to function at its rated speed. If XMP is not available or doesn’t work for some reason, you can adjust the RAM settings manually, such as frequency (In MHz, usually linked to the CPU, look for a CPU:RAM ratio), voltage (e.g. 1.65v) and timings (a series of numbers, such as 9-9-9-24). Refer to your motherboard manual and your RAM specifications for more information.
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Storage:
Quick tip: Get the most performance out of your SSD, by selecting AHCI in your BIOS/EFI options. Unless you use two SSD or HDD in RAID 0 or 1 that is, in which case you want to select RAID.
SSD for Tier 4 and 5:
$135 – Sandisk Ultra 120GB SATA II 2.5″ SSD
Who are SSDs for?
SSDs are for you if don’t mind paying more for:
- Much faster OS boot, Shutdown, Sleep and Hibernation
- Much faster program and game loading, meaning that you don’t have to wait as long for your program or your game to load.
SSD vs two hard drives in RAID 0:
Two Samsung F3 1TB can reach sequential reads of close to 300MB/s, which is higher than the 285MB/s of a 1st generation SandForce SSD, such as the Corsair Force, or OCZ Agility/Vertex 2. So that must mean that two hard drives in RAID 0 are just as good/fast as a SSD, right?
No, not even close. See, sequential reads are best scenarios, like when you’re copying a file from one hard drive to another (Assuming that you’re not bottlenecked by a USB 2.0 connection here). In that best-scenario case, two HDDs in RAID 0 can match a SSD speed.
However, in real-life, what matters the most are random 4K reads, which represents typical OS loading, program loading, game/game level loading. In those cases, a SSD can easily be fifty times as fast as a single Velociraptor HDD, considered by most as the fastest consumer HDD, scoring 52.1MB/s Random 4K Reads for a Vertex 2 SSD, vs 0.7MB/s for the Velociraptor, according to AnandTech. Needless to say, even with two Samsung f3 1TB in RAID 0, the figure for the HDDs wouldn’t increase much beyond 1.5-2.0MB/s.
That is why two hard drives can seem like a match for a single SSD on paper (due to often advertised sequential transfer rates) and why they really are not match for a SSD in real-life situations (due to the more real-life usefulness of 4K random reads/writes).
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2.5″ to 3.5″ bracket adapter:
Note that the Sandisk Ultra (recommended for Tier 4-5) and OCZ Vertex Plus SSDs do not include a 2.5″ to 3.5″ adapter bracket, which is necessary to install the SSD in your case if it doesn’t support 2.5″ drives. All other recommended/alternatives 2.5″ SSDs include a 2.5″ to 3.5″ Bracket.
However, all Tiers either have a case that support 2.5″ drives or have a SSD with an included adapter, so you do not need to buy an adapter if you stick to the recommended case and SSDs.
If you pick a case that doesn’t support 2.5″ drives natively and that the SSD that you pick doesn’t include a 2.5″ to 3.5″ adapter, I recommend the $5- Rosewill RX-C200P 2.5″ SSD / HDD Mounting Kit for 3.5″ Drive Bay adapter.
Required SATA cable, Tier 4 and 5 only:
Since the Tier 4 and 5 motherboards only includes two SATA cables (used by the hard drive and optical drive), you’ll need to buy an extra SATA cable to hook up the SSD to the motherboard. I recommend and included in the Tier 4/5 budget this Additional 18″ SATA Cable for Tier 4-5
SSD for Tier 6 and 7:
$190 – Corsair Force GT 120GB 2.5″ SATA III SSD
For Version 3.2, the SSD for Tier 6 and 7 remains the 120GB Corsair Force GT.
Compared to the Corsair Force 3, the Corsair Force GT uses the same SandForce 2nd generation controller, yet is a notch faster as it makes use of synchronous NAND flash vs slightly slower and less expensive asynchronous NAND flash memory.
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SSD Alternatives
120GB (Tier 4-5-6-7) will hold the OS (Windows 7) as well as a few programs/games, depending on their size.
If 120GB isn’t enough for you or if you want an higher-end model, here are some SSDs alternatives:
- $245 – Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 180GB 2.5″ SATA III SSD
- $265 – OCZ Vertex Plus 240GB SATA II 2.5″ SSD
- $340 – Plextor PX-M3S 256GB SATA III 2.5″ SSD
For other options and alternatives, take a look at our The Best SSDs and HDDs For Your Money article.
You can skip the SSD if you need or want to cut down on costs:
Personally, I think that SSDs are the type of upgrade that once you’ve experience, you don’t want to without, because it makes the PC experience that much better, since the PC feels so much responsive.
However, If you feel like a SSD doesn’t make enough of a performance different to justify its cost or if you need/want to cut $135/$190 from the overall cost of Tier 4, 5, 6 or 7, you can remove the SSD from a Tier and go only with a hard drive, while still having perfectly functional PC. That’s the great part of building your custom PC, you choose the parts that go in it
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Hard Drive for Tier 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7:
$86 – Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB SATA 6.0Gbps
Seagate new Barracuda hard drives:
In November, Seagate launched their latest Barracuda line-up of hard drives, featuring higher density, with 1TB per platter.
Performance wise, they simply dominate the competition, as you can see here in this HardwareCanucks review.
Reliability wise, Seagate is second only to Samsung, so I have no problem recommending those hard drives as you’ll see below.
The Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 is one of those new Seagate Barracuda hard drives that offers great performance.
Reliability
Reliability wise, the Samsung F3 tops the chart, followed closely by the Seagate Barracuda and then the Western Digital Caviar Black is right behind them. The Hitachi drives are the least reliable, with a 4% return rate, all according to an article by Hardware.fr.
All hard drives and all SSDs are prone to failure though, which is why you should Have a Backup System that you can rely on!
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Alternatives
- $127 – Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB SATA 6.0Gbps
– One of those new Seagate Barracuda hard drives that offers great performance. 1TB for $127.
- $162 – Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB SATA 6.0Gbps
– One of those new Seagate Barracuda hard drives that offers great performance. 2TB for $162.
- $231 – Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB SATA 6.0Gbps
– One of those new Seagate Barracuda hard drives that offers great performance. 3TB for $231.
- $214 – Seagate Momentus XT 750GB 2.5″ Hybrid Hard Drive
– The Seagate Momentus XT 750GB 2.5″ Hybrid Hard Drive has a 8GB flash drive cache, allowing to offer performance close to a SSD when data is read from the cache, as well as the high capacity of a hard drive. See this Hardware Canucks review for more information on how it performs.
Following the major flooding in Thailand last fall:
If you were not aware of this yet, there has been a horrible flooding in Thailand last fall, which has resulted in:
A horrible human tragedy and Western Digital/Seagate (who now pretty much owns Samsung hard drive division) been forced to cut down their production of hard drives since October, due to either factories or suppliers of hard drive parts that were affected by the flooding.
While production has resumed in many factories, it will most likely take another 5 to 8 months before availability to return to normal and for prices to return to what we were used to before, according to Seagate and Western Digital statements.
SATA II 3.0Gb/s vs SATA III 6.0Gb/s: No performance difference for hard drives!
SATA 3.0 Gb/s (SATA II) and SATA 6.0Gb/s (SATA III) refer to the speed of the connection between the drive and the motherboard.
However, the best hard drives reach about 210MB/s (or 1.68Gb/s) in best scenarios. SATA 3.0Gb/s is plenty enough to handle that and for hard drives, SATA 6.0Gb/s does not offer any performance advantage, since the hard drives can’t even max out a SATA II 3.0Gb/s connection.
Only modern SSDs take advantage of SATA 6.0Gb/s due to their higher transfer rates.
In other words, if you take two otherwise identical hard drives, the SATA III model will not be faster than the SATA II model. SATA III for hard drives is just a marketing scheme
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Optical Drive:
Tier 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
$19 – ASUS SATA 24X DVD Burner
This drive is able to read and burn CDs and DVDs. Silent, compatible with all major formats including DVD-RAM.
The motherboard includes two SATA cables (One will be used for the hard drive and one for this DVD Burner), so no need to worry about cables.
Also, seeing as DVD Burners often go out of stock, here are a two alternatives that you can use to replace it. All are SATA based.
Upgrades:
If you’d like to watch BluRay movies or TV shows, this $58 – ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray will do the job. However, note that it can only read CDs, DVDs and Bluray disks, not burn any of them.
If you want the ability to burn Blu-Ray disks as well, then the $80 – Lite-On Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE SATA is what you want.
Regarding Blu-Ray playback:
As far as I know, you still require a specific software to playback Blu-Ray disks on a PC.
Based on various reviews and feedback on various forums, PowerDVD 11 3D Ultra is the software that I recommend to you.
It is fully compatible with Windows 7 and shouldn’t give you any problems.
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Case:
Tier 3 and 4
$50 – Rosewill DESTROYER 3 x 120mm case fans
- Cooling wise, this case includes three 120mm case fans, ensuring proper cooling for your Gaming PC. You can add up to four additional ( 1x bottom, 2x side, 1x top) 120mm case fans if you want to.
Features wise, you get:
- Mesh design front panel with dust filters.
- A hard drive cage that natively supports up to three 2.5″ drives (perfect for the SSD)
- 2x USB 2.0, E-SATA, Audio out and MIC in.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
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Tier 5 and 6:
$100 – Corsair Carbide Series 400R 3 x 120mm case fans
Recently launched, the Corsair Carbide 400R received excellent reviews and seems to be loved by a lot of people. I can’t blame them, this case offers terrific value for $100
- Cooling wise, this case includes three 120mm case fans, with the two in the front of the case having white LEDs. The case supports up to 10 fans (four 120mm, six 120mm/140mm).
Features wise, you get:
- A solid steel design, with a unique industrial look.
- 2x USB 3.0, 1x FireWire, Audio out, MIC in at the top
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
- Fan filters
- Thumbscrews
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Tier 7:
$150- COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower USB 3.0 Black Interior
This is the latest version of the Cooler Master HAF 932, now with USB 3.0 ports on the front and the inside panel painted in black.
- Cooling wise, this case includes three 230mm and one 140mm case fans. You can add an additional 120mm case fan in the GPU duct, which I recommend below in the Cooling section. It is included in the budget of Tier 7 and is highly recommended to ensure proper cooling for the two Radeon HD 6950 in Crossfire.
Features wise, you get:
- A unique industrialized/military look with the inside painted in black and fans with red LEDs.
- Tons of space to build your computer inside of it and five internal 3.5″ drive bays, allowing for plenty of SSDs and HDDs.
- 4x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA, Audio out, MIC in at the top and 2x USB 3.0 via the bracket in the middle of the front of the case. All of these need to be connected to your motherboard to be functional.
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes, rubber and space to route and hide your wires.
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Other recommended cases:
If you a want with a different look, more case fans and/or other features, take a look at my list of other recommended cases:
- $110- Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 3x120mm + 1x200mm
- $90- Thermaltake Armor A90
- $100- LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 3x140mm 1x120mm
- $120- NZXT WHISPER 2x80mm 2x120mm
- $130- COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper 3x200mm 1x120mm
- $125- NZXT Phantom, in Black
- $125- NZXT Phantom White Full Tower
- $160- Corsair Graphite 600T
- $70 – Cooler Master Storm Scout 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm
- $90 – LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B 3 x 120mm case fans
- $100 – NZXT Phantom 410 Black 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans
- $100 – NZXT Phantom 410 White 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans
- $100 – SILVERSTONE Precision PS06B-W 1x180mm 1x120mm
- $100 – NZXT H2 H2-001-BK Black 3x120mm
- $100 – NZXT H2 H2-001-WT Black 3x120mm
- $100 – Fractal Design Arc Midi 3x140mm
- $120 – Antec Eleven Hundred 1 x200mm + 1x120mm fans
- $140 – Antec P280 3 x 120mm fans
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Power Supply:
Tier 3:
$40 – ENERMAX NAXN ENP450AST 450W
With Tier 3 featuring a Radeon HD 6870 and a Core i5-2400, two parts that doesn’t draw that much power, I’m making a recommendation for a 450W unit.
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 450W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 30A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
At only $40 for a reliable 450W power supply, this is one great bargain.
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Tier 4:
$60 – Silverstone 500W 80PLUS
With Tier 4 featuring a more power-hungry video card, I’m making a recommendation for a more powerful power supply here, a Silvertstone 500W unit.
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 500W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 34A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is also 80PLUS certified, making it fairly efficient, so that you don’t waste money on your electricity bill.
Its efficiency also helps it remain fairly cool and quiet, as there is less wasted energy converted to heat to dissipate.
80 PLUS?
80 PLUS refers to a certification from an independant group that a PSU meets their requirements for the specified level of efficiency. Here’s a chart that shows the different required levels of efficiency depending on the specific 80 PLUS certification:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS
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Tier 5:
$70 – Rosewill HIVE 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular
Wait, a Rosewill power supply? “Mathieu must have gone mad!” you must be thinking.
Until recently, yes, most Rosewill power supplies were average at best and mediocre in many cases.
However, recently Rosewill started introducing some new, higher-quality power supplies to the market and the Rosewill HIVE series is one of them.
The Rosewill HIVE series is based on the same power supply platform as the OCZ ZS series.
The OCZ ZS series was well reviewed by many websites, including by JohnnyGuru who reviewed the OCZ ZS 550W and gave it a 9/10 for performance and 8.5/10 for build quality.
With the Rosewill HIVE being based on the same power supply platform, it should perform just as well and offer very decent reliability.
Value wise, this power supply is pretty much unbeatable. It is rated to deliver up to 550W (has been found to be capable of even more), is rated for 38A on the 12V line, is 80PLUS Bronze certified and finally, it is modular.
All of that for only $70, which is why this power supply offers outstanding bang for your buck and which is also why I’m recommending for Tier 5 of the Mainstream Gaming PCs.
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Modular power supply?
A modular power supply is one that allows you to only plug in and only use the power cables that you actually need, instead of being stuck with a bunch of unused power cables that you need to hide somewhere in your case, that are resulting in less of a cable mess.
Alternative
- $80 – Rosewill Capstone 550W 80 PLUS Gold
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Tier 6:
$80 – Seasonic M12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 620W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 48A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is 80 PLUS Bronze certified, to insure good efficiency, a lower power bill, less heat and noise, compared to a less efficient and/or lower quality power supply.
It is also modular, allowing you to use only the power cables that you need, resulting in a cleaner build.
Alternative
- $90 – Rosewill Capstone 650W 80 PLUS Gold
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Tier 7
$90 – Rosewill Capstone 650W 80 PLUS Gold
Yes, another Rosewill power supply. Remember that what matters is not the brand, but who actually made it. In this case, SuperFlower (an excellent power supply manufacturer) made it and it was the 750W unit was reviewed by JohnnyGuru who gave it a 9.5 for performance and 8.5 for build quality.
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 650W, not that you should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 54A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is 80 PLUS Gold certified, to insure excellent efficiency, a lower power bill, less heat and noise, compared to a less efficient and/or lower quality power supply.
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Power Consumption:
How to calculate power consumption:
I recommend using the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator. Here are the settings that I used:
- CPU depending on the Tier, 90% TDP. For Tier 6-7, it is overclocked to 4.5GHz/1.4V
- Video Cards depends on the Tier
- Two sticks sticks of DDR3
- One regular SATA drive + One Flash SSD
- 1 DVD-RW/DVD+RW Drive
- 4 USB Devices
- 4 x 120mm regular fans
- System Load: 90%
- Capacitor Aging: 20%
A quick note about the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator:
While this is the main tool that I use to estimate power consumption, do note that sometimes, I’ll do some additional research on my own to verify these numbers. This is why you may notice that the numbers that I give below may or may not match what the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator gives you. In doubt, stick with my numbers or ask us on the forums.
Give your power supply some overhead:
While you can match a 650W PSU with a 630W requirement, it is good practice to add about 75-100W (100-125W if you overclock) of overhead, so that your PSU doesn’t run at full capacity all the time, as that will reduce its lifespan, increase its chance of failure, increase its heat output and its noise output.
Estimated Power Consumption, per Tier:
According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, with the settings that I described above, it is estimated that this system will require at load (peak usage), the following Watts out of a power supply. The minimum requirements are in Italic, while my recommendations (including overhead) are in Bold:
- 360W/450W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Radeon HD 6870 1GB (Tier 3).
- 395W/500W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Geforce GTX 560 Ti (Tier 4).
- 440W/550W with the Intel Core i5-2500 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB (Tier 5).
- 510W/620W with the Intel Core i5-2500K, overclocked to 4.5GHz/1.4v and the Radeon HD 6970 (Tier 6).
- 530W/650W with the Intel Core i5-2500K, overclocked to 4.5GHz/1.4v and the Radeon HD 7970 (Tier 7).
- 700W/800W with the Intel Core i5-2500K, overclocked to 4.5GHz/1.4v and two Radeon HD 6970 in Crossfire.
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Other recommended upgrades:
- $130 – XFX PRO750W XXX Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 750W
- $163 – Corsair Professional Series Gold 750-Watt 80 Plus Gold
– For any Tier, if you desire an high-quality 750W power supply that’s highly efficient (80 PLUS Silver) and modular.
- $155 – XFX PRO850W XXX Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850W
- $180 – NZXT HALE90-850-M 850W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular
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Cooling:
CPU Cooler
Tier 3 and 4: Stock Cooler
To save on costs, I recommend using the cooler included with the CPU.
While there are better coolers, the one that is included is good enough to keep the CPU at safe temperatures.
However, here are two reasons why you may choose to upgrade your CPU Cooler:
- To keep your CPU temperatures lower, which improves the reliability of your PC and the longevity of your CPU.
- To lower noise, as the stock cooler can get noisy at times, especially during prolonged work sessions, or in a warm room.
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Tier 5:
$26 – Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Hyper Plus offers the best value for an after-market CPU Cooler, offering great cooling performance for a mere $26.
Considering that the Tier 5 CPU will not be overclocked, the point of this CPU Cooler is to reduce the temperature of the CPU and the noise compared to the Intel stock CPU Cooler.
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Tier 6 and 7
$50 – EVGA Superclock CPU Cooler
Recommended by Brian, our collaborator for “The Best CPU Coolers for your money” article, the EVGA SuperClock CPU Cooler offers great performance at a great cost.
High-End performance at a mainstream price, just like the builds in this article
Want a better CPU Cooler?
The $83 – Thermalright Silver Arrow
Thermal Interface kit:
Note: The CPU Coolers that I recommend already include thermal compound, so you don’t need to buy any.
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Case Fans:
If you want to add a case fan to help keep your computer components cool or to replace the fans that came with your case, here are my recommendations:
- $12- CM Long-Life Sleeve .6k-2k RPM 21-77CFM 13-32dBA PWM
- $17- CM Barometric Ball .6k-2k RPM 26-86CFM 13-30dBA PWM
- $10- AC Fluid Dynamic .3k-1.35k RPM Max 57 CFM w/ 4 Pin PWM
- $17- Scythe SFF21E Sony Fluid Dynamic 1.2k RPM 49CFM 20dBA
- $17- Scythe SFF21F Sony Fluid Dynamic 1.6k RPM 64CFM 28dBA
- $17- Silverstone 2Ball .8k-2.4k RPM Max 110CFM 17-40dBA fan contr.
- $25- Noctua SSO .9k-1.1k-1.3k RPM 33-54CFM 13-20dBA adj. speed
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Sound Card:
6 or 8 channels sound card: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this sound card will handle many different sound setups, including headphones, a microphone and more. While integrated audio on a PC used to be absolutely horrible, it has gotten much better in the last few years, thus why I have no trouble recommending it.
Integrated sound won’t cut it?
No problem, I can understand your desire to have better than “good enough” sound and I don’t blame you. Here’s what I recommend to you, in order of price:
- $35 – ASUS Xonar DG
- $52 – ASUS Xonar DS
- $83 – Creative X-Fi Titanium 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI-e 1x
- $83 – ASUS XOnar DX
Compatibility wise, just make sure that you have a PCI or PCI-Express slot free on your motherboard for your sound card.
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Network:
Ethernet RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this network adapter will allow you to access your local network and Internet, using a standard LAN cable.
If a LAN network is not an option or if a wireless network is preferable for you, know this before you use wireless for a Gaming PC:
The problem with wireless is that:
- It’s not as reliable as LAN, with signals dropping out, interference and the like.
- It induces additional latency compared to LAN, which is the last thing that you want when you’re playing online, especially with first-person shooters.
In short, for reliability and getting a low ping, LAN is simply superior (and cheaper!).
If you understand that and still want to go with wireless, here my recommendation:
The Rosewill RNX-N180UBE Wireless USB 2.0 Dongle 802.11b/g/n w/ 5 dBi Antenna, which connects in a USB 2.0 port.
It comes with a base, so that you can move it away from the PC for better reception and a 5dBi external antenna to improve reception further more. It support 802.11b/g/n, with transfer rates up to 300Mbps.
- $50 – TRENDnet TEW-684UB Dual Band 802.11b/g/n 450Mbps USB2.0
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Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:
- The budget only considers hardware.
- You may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or, if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents.
If you decide that you need an OS, here are some recommendations:
Windows 7
Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. Considering that you’ll have 4GB of RAM or more, along with a dedicated video that also has memory (512MB or 1GB), you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system, which is not enough now, nor in the future if you decide to upgrade.
Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, more functional, less annoying, consumes less resources and brings DirectX 11 to the table.
Three Available Versions:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
- Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows. Also good to know: You’ll need at least the pro version to take advantage of Remote Desktop Connection.
- Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.
OEM vs Retail:
The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.
The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.
Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.
OEM Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM SP1
– $99
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM SP1
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM SP1
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
– $173
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
– $250
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
– $265
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Linux
A lot of people these days boot more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distribution and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandriva, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.
While Linux does not offer the wide compatibility of Windows with video games, gaming on Linux is still possible, through projects such as Wine, Cedega and Crossover. For more on the topic of Linux Gaming, I invite you to read this excellent article from AnandTech: Linux Gaming: Are we there yet?
What about Word processing, Excel and other Windows-based programs that you need? Linux, being an open platform, has many free alternatives for you. For Word/Excel and such, try LibreOffice.
Cost: Free
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Conclusion
What do you think of the latest version of the Mainstream Gaming PCs? Let me know if you have any suggestion to improve this article or your opinion on it by leaving a comment below. Additionally, if a part goes out of stock, let me know.
Don’t agree with my choices? Have a better idea?
Feel free to leave a comment. There’s always place for improvement and after some research I may change the part according to your suggestion.
Building this PC?
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
1. You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
2. Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
3. Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
4. Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Recommended step-by-step guides to build your PC:
1. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
2. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Software (EFI/BIOS, Windows, etc.)
Free Assistance
If you have any question(s) about the build, simply head over to the forums and our community will be there to assist you.
No worries, there are no stupid questions here on Hardware Revolution. We all started from scratch and learned through our mistakes. We”ll just help you make sure to avoid those mistakes
If you want to have your final build double-checked and get my opinion on it before ordering, or for anything else, don’t be shy, just post a thread on the forums.
Build your Gaming PC today!
Why should you?
For the same price, you’ll get more performance out of your custom PC, or you’ll save money while getting the same performance compared to a retail PC. Not to mention that retail PCs come with tons of bloatware and limited warranties. Why settle for less?Stop relying on HP, Dell and other companies:
Build your own custom PC today. It’s easier than you think!This Build includes all the parts/cables that you need and it was double-checked to ensure compatibility. Simply order your parts, set aside some time, grab a screwdriver and build your own personal PC. No worries, we’ll (the HR community) be there to assist you if you have questions or need help.
Then you’ll be able to say, “See that computer over there? Yeah, I built that.” Talk about being proud of a job well done.
Want or need a less expensive or a more powerful Gaming PC? No problem.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC that’s less expensive and that can handle older video games or newer video games at a lower resolution/lower settings, head over to our Budget Gaming PCs article.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC that can handle all of the latest video games maxed out at a 1080p (1920 x 1080) on a 120Hz monitor or to play video games on a multiple monitor setup or to play games in 3D, head over to our High-End Gaming PCs article.
Want or need a Gaming PC in a much smaller case? No problem.
Tier 4 or Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs are Gaming PCs that come in a much smaller Mini-ITX case.
Performance wise, Tier 4 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 1 of the Budget Gaming PCs, while Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 2 of the Budget Gaming PCs.
Do note that they both come with a SSD (Solid State Drive), meaning that they boot and launch games/applications much more quickly than the equivalent Budget Gaming PC.
If you want more power, check out the High-End HTPCs/SFF Gaming PC, which, at its stock settings, offers performance equivalent to somewhere in between of Tier 6 and Tier 7 of the Gaming PCs, while still being in a case that is more compact than the usual Gaming PC case.
However, thanks to its outstanding pre-assembled, all-in-one liquid-cooling, it can be overclocked to offer even more performance, without sacrificing reliability nor noisy.
All of those builds being HTPCs (Home Theater PCs) as well, you can rest assured that they are very quiet too.
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Category: Gaming PC
