[Build Ready] Portable $700 Budget Game Machine.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor | $124.99 @ Newegg |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard | $129.37 @ Newegg |
| Memory | Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $44.99 @ Newegg |
| Hard Drive | Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $59.99 @ Newegg |
| Hard Drive | Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $72.99 @ Newegg |
| Video Card | XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card | $139.99 @ Newegg |
| Case | Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case | $78.98 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply | $49.99 @ Newegg |
| Optical Drive | Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer | $22.98 @ Newegg |
| Total | ||
| Prices include shipping and discounts when available. | $724.27 |
Hello BaPC! I'm a college student building his first gaming PC. I wanted to ask you guys, the experts, if my choice in parts make sense. The budget is ~$700, but I'm willing to stretch the budget in order to meet the goals I want from this PC.
The Purpose: This PC will primarily be used for gaming and streaming. I would like to be able to play games such as FFXIV and TERA smoothly, as well as games like DOTA2 and LeagueOfLegends on high settings and high FPS. Also, this PC will be travelling with me a lot, which is why I chose the CM Storm Scout for it's handles. I hope to have this build finalized before the end of the week, which is when I'll buy the components.
Side Notes: I have a Micro Center about 60 miles away from where I live (which equates to about $30 in gas money for a round trip to pick up any components). I would assume that, because of these circumstances, I would be better off not going for any deals which Micro Center may offer, correct? Which leads me to another question; how often does Micro Center have Mobo/CPU combo deals, and how much could I save on one of these deals?
Build related questions:
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Is this case too small if I plan on upgrading the CPU and buy an aftermarket heat-sink?
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Should I try to downgrade any of these components to put more money into a better GPU? I feel that I came to a compromise on the 6870 to afford the Z77 so I can have options on upgrades in the future.
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Will the front panel connections be usable with this motherboard?
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Would this build handle livestreaming (twitch.tv) while maintaining smooth FPS in-game, or would I need an i5?
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I often browse r/gamingpc & r/buildapc and see beautiful PC guts with matching wires and the like. Are the wires bought separately so they can make everything match, or all the components specifically chosen to achieve this sort of beauty?
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Are mail-in rebates reliable? I have had friends who never get their rebates, and tell me that I should pretend that I am buying components as if the rebates aren't included in the costs.
Thanks again, BaPC.
Posted Jun 24, 2012, 2:02 AM UTC