Gaming PC at INR 40,000 (Approx)

[CitizenVish]

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A: Gaming

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: Yes

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: 45,000 (Would prefer to be as lower than this number as possible)

4. Planning to overclock?
A: Not necessarily, but if it is safe and worth it/essential, then wouldn't mind

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: 250 GB (ongoing pricing is making me limit this)

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A: Full HD (1920 × 1080); Screen size preferred: 20-22 inches

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 5

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: I would prefer building it myself, but wouldn't mind if the dealer would get it done for me

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: Tomorrow

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Yes

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: None

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Living in Mumbai; Not open to looking outside

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: Yes, please read on.

I am really confused. I have read countless number of threads for the past 2 weeks, and am very familiar with the suggested configurations.

My main confusion is whether to go for an Intel setup or to go for an AMD one. I know the Intel Core i5 processors are ridiculously fast, but I am just wondering if the Intel configuration would be a balanced set up and whether an Intel processor would be overkill.

From what I understand, 1600 MHz memory is a good improvement over 1333 MHz one. Please correct me if I am wrong here. Also, I would prefer having USB 3.0 ports and SATA 6.0 Gbps support.

For example, what would be better vis-à-vis gaming:
1) Intel Core i5 9320 + H67 board + 1333 MHz RAM + HD 6850
2) AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE + A97 board + 1600 MHz RAM + HD 6870

Also, out of curiosity, if the graphics card were to be the same, which of the above (Processor + Motherboard + RAM) would be better for gaming?

Last, is 4 GB RAM enough for gaming? And, since I plan to go in for a 2.1-channel setup, would a basic sound card yield any improvement?

I plan to buy from Lamington Road, Mumbai, tomorrow, and would appreciate any tips and pointers and suggestions.


Thanks and Regards

 

[Jaskanwar Singh]

yes a 955BE + 6870 will do better imo. games are becoming less of processor dependent. big example - BF3.
onboard sound will suffice.

Component | Make | Price Processor |AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE|5800
Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 (rev. 3.1)|4800
RAM |G-skill F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT(4Gx1)|1350
Graphic Card |Sapphire HD6870|11750
HDD |Seagate 250GB 7200.12|3400
DVD Writer |ASUS 24X Sata Black DVD|1150
PSU |Corsair GS600|4000
Case |NZXT GAMMA|2000
Monitor |Benq G2220HD|6950
Keyboard & Mouse |Logitech MK200|700
UPS |Intex 1KVA|1800
Speakers |Logitech Z313|1625
| Total |45325

dont you have a HDD currently?

 

[vickybat]

Nice config jas but i would like to give a small suggestion to op here since he's buying from lamington road.

@ CitizenVish

Buddy i would suggest you to buy Msi Gtx 560-ti twin frozr II @ 12.5K from lamington road.

Mahabir computers is the dealer who has this card for the aforementioned price. My pune brother called them up and confirmed. Msi 560-ti hawk is 13.5k but that goes way out of your budget. He would be buying the same for his friend.

560-ti twin frozr II is a much better performer than 6870 and will cost you 800 bucks extra and is truly a worthy upgrade. For the price, it has become one of the hottest sellers in lamington road and has a very high demand. 6870 is also a very capable card but 560-ti simply looks tempting here for the price being so close to a 6870.

 

[rchi84]

I agree with vicky. The 560ti is a better card than the 6870 and twin frozr ii is an awesome cooler even if you aren't into ocing. Go for it with your eyes closed.

 

[d6bmg]

560ti is obviously better card than 6870, but it will overshoot the OP's existing budget by 2K. But not all 560ti cards are good. 560-ti twin frozr II or 560-ti kawk are only few of the good 560ti available in the market.

 

[vickybat]

^^ Can you explain how its gonna overshoot op's budget by 2k and your statement "not all 560ti cards are good"?

Can you name one bad 560-ti? I know that all reference 560-ti's are ahead of 6870 and that's because of general product lineup.
,Afaik, there are lot other 560-ti's which are as good as msi cards and they are Asus 560-ti direct cu II top, Gigabyte 560ti SOC, Calibre 560-ti , Zotac 560-ti AMP,
KFA2 560-ti Anarchy etc.

All the above 560-ti's are factory overclocked and perform close to a gtx 570. So your statement regarding "not all 560ti cards are good" is completely wrong.
Yes some are pricey but that does not make them bad.

 

[Cilus]

Vicky, nice suggestion, my vote also goes for the 560 Ti Twin Frozr II @ 12.5K.

 

[$$Lionking$$]

All Good... but use dual channel XMS3 2x2GB its only 150/- bucks up on single 4gb stick.
2nd.. use Asus M4A88T MLE > One helluva board!!! B)

and if u can go for a higher clocked phenom thats always a plus!!!

Enjoy!!

 

[Cilus]

Lionking, Gigabyte GA880-GM USB 3 is any day better than the Asus M4A88T MLE, in terms of performance as well as features.
The Asus board has only two Ram slots whereas Gigabyte one has 4 slots. Gigabyte one is having USB 3.0 support, missing in Asus too.
Also 880-GM-USB3 is a AM3+ socket based one, has support for Bulldozer processors. It support FX 4100, 6100 and 8100 processors out of the box.

 

[CitizenVish]

Jaskanwar Singh
Thanks for the suggestion; no, I do not have a hard disk. I had an old IDE hard disk that I got rid of a month back with my old system.

vickybat
Thank you for the tip; if I may bother you once more, would it be possible for you to get me the phone number for this shop? I tried Google, but no go. Haven't tried JustDial though.

rchi84, d6bmg, Cilus, $$Lionking$$
Thank you for your comments.


So, in all, 4 GB 1333 MHz RAM would suffice, and not much is gained by a basic sound card. Thanks for clearing these.


Off-topic: What does "op" stand for?

 

[Santa Maria!]

OP = Opening Post, or Original Poster

 

[mithun_mrg]

OP=Original poster

 

[$$Lionking$$]

Cilus - yeah i'd rather go for m4a87td usb3 its for about 5.2k than GB 880G. u get sb850 there instead of the 710....

@16gb Ram support & usb3 - I'd rather pay for asus with Anti-Surge. Asus tech is really useful!!!

 

[vickybat]

vickybat
Thank you for the tip; if I may bother you once more, would it be possible for you to get me the phone number for this shop? I tried Google, but no go. Haven't tried JustDial though.

Sure mate here goes the number:

Mahabir computers - 09819208392

 

[d6bmg]

@vickybat: I was talking about this 560ti: MSI N560GTX-Ti-M2D1GD5/OC, which is under performer power hungry card. Link

 

[vickybat]

^^ The above card is not bad at all and runs at reference speeds. All 560-ti's consume more power than their amd counterparts.

The dual cooler looks nice as well and will definitely assist overclocking. If priced below the twin frozr II version, it will make a decent buy over a 6870.

 

[CitizenVish]

@ Santa Maria!, @ mithun_mrg
Thanks guys; should've guessed

@ vickybat
Thanks a ton mate, but they had run out of this card by the time I saw your post and called them up.


Update

I was unable to go to Lamington Road yesterday. Plan to go there and buy the stuff tomorrow.

A couple of queries:
How are these two motherboards?
Asus M5A97 (INR 6000)
MSI 880GMA-E45 (INR 5400)

 

[d6bmg]

^^ Oh, ok.

 

[CitizenVish]

First, sorry for the long delay in posting this; things have been rather effy.

So, on Monday (07-Nov-2011), I did go to Lamington Road and bought the PC. I bought everything from Theitwares, and I must say, Rahul was particularly helpful. Here's the kit I bought.

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE & Asus M5A97: INR 12,600
I went for this motherboard as it is a full ATX one, and for some reason, I wanted that. Plus, it is the lowest-spec 97x series board and has the features I wanted (USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps). The only concern that I have is the lack of an IGP; so, if the graphics card develops an error, I'm PC-nude. Last, somehow I felt justified in paying the extra for a 965 over a 955.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB): INR 1800
I had decided to go in for a dual-channel setup. It cost a mere 100-150 bucks more.

Seagate Barracuda 250 GB: INR 4000
No comments here.

ASUS 24X DVD Writer: INR 1100
Again, no comments.

SeaSonic S12II 520: INR 3600
The Corsair GS600 wasn't available, and I asked Rahul which is the one he would recommend for my setup. He said to go ahead with the SeaSonic 520. Must say, that was a good call. This PSU is good, and reading the reviews from various sites only re-affirmed that. Will that 80 watt drop in available power hit me hard; I don't think so. I've no intention of a multi-GPU setup or extreme overclocking, so 520 watts suffices I guess.

Sapphire HD 6870: INR 11,700
That shop which vickybat mentioned no longer stocked that card, and the cheapest 560 Ti that I could find was a Zotac Amp one, @ INR 13,700. I so wanted to go in for an HD 6950, especially the MSI TF one (a cool four grands more). But, for two reasons, I could not extend my budget any more.

Corsair Carbide 400R*: INR 4700
Pleasant surprise, isn't it? So here's what happened. We (me and my father) go to the shop and are looking at the various cabinets. My dad WANTED the 400R because it was big, had more space, looked/felt very solid, and had a couple of extra fans thrown in. Knowing how hot the operating temperatures can get in my house, I could see why his suggestion made sense. I took the plunge and got myself the Behemoth. Is it a worthy upgrade over a Gamma; yes. Is it a worthy upgrade over a Gamma at the potential cost of a higher GPU; that's a grey area. But the case does bring a smile on my face every time I see it.

Samsung SyncMaster SA350: INR 8700
I had originally bought a BenQ LED monitor @ INR 7000. After going home, it emerged that it wasn't working; yes, we did not test it in the shop. Even more worrying, my mother did not like the monitor and did not care if it saved money. She wanted a Samsung one. Decision made; next day, I got a Samsung one. Must say, I'm impressed.

Numeric 1KVa UPS: INR 4500
Somehow, Intex and iBall did not feel right. APC was another one grand over the Numeric one. Please do provide the links to sites or the numbers of shops which stock UPS at the prices mentioned in the suggested configs.

As for the other things (speakers, and keyboard and mouse), right now, I've made temporary arrangements. Will take a call on these soon.


How has the PC been:
In one word, AWE-EFFIN-SOME. I had no clue what I was missing out on the games I love (World in Conflict, Civilization V, etc.). The detail is beautiful, just beautiful. And, I'm still getting used to 15-sec boot times.



For the future:

• My bro's a FIFA fan, and I've to buy the Xbox controller.
• After buying a 6 Gbps-compatible board, I'm thinking I'll go in for an SSD, cause whatever I've read up until now, has been very impressive.
• Haven't overclocked the CPU or the GPU yet cause there's been no need to. If I really have to, then I guess I need to get a custom cooler for the CPU.

Lessons learned:

• The more you toil on the Internet (specifically, TDF), the easier would be your purchase. I have been spending the better half of the past 1 month (prior to the purchase date) merely going through various hardware sites and multiple reviews, and it helps.
• Could I have gotten a better deal; perhaps, and perhaps not. In the end, do what you have to (shop from one place or walk the entire market), but be satisfied. If you aren't, no point buying. I'm very happy with my purchases and other than that monitor fiasco, shopping was quite good. Did I overspend, yes. But I think it was worth it.
• Also, getting a balanced PC in your budget and as per your needs is the right approach. Though an Intel build would have been faster, I didn't want to be "locked" so to speak. Additionally, I'm certain that the above speed bump won't translate much into visible improvement vis-a-vis gaming, my main (can call it sole) purpose for buying the PC.
• I don't know who, but someone on this forum often says that one should get a good cabinet and a good power supply, as these are very less likely to be replaced over builds. He talks gold, fellows. The 400R is worth every bit of it, and SeaSonic power supplies are really good. And I don't know much about other company's monitors, but that Samsung monitor is a piece of kit.

Thanks to everyone who participated and helped me out. Appreciate it.



PS: Sorry for the long post.

 

[Cilus]

CitizenVish, congrats on your purchase and thanks for sharing the details. It will help any Mumbai buyers planning to get their system from ITwares.

And regarding Ram, I didn't suggest you a single 4GB module for cost cutting, the reason was to save one ram slots of your board and better future upgrades as 4GB is the standard size now for DDR3 modules and in near future they'll be the most available modules. So in future upgrades, running them in dual channel config would have been easier.

The PSU is also perfect; it can easily handle HD 6870.

Now enjoy gaming and welcome to the HD 6870 owners' club.