Moderate-High gaming build? Got some ideas, need some suggestions.

By cpu killer
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

cpu killer

Posted
Posted

Hey guys! So I actually have not posted on Neowin in a LONG time..but, I am considering building a new desktop for gaming (haven't had a desktop in over 3 years). Last time I built a desktop things were vastly different, and Intel's CPUs were still named Pentium..so I've been out of the game for a while.

I've spent the last 2 days doing my due diligence and researching on what's new and good, and have come down to a build I think is pretty well balanced. I was just looking for any input on components that might be better than the ones I've chosen, or cheaper within the price range at the same quality. Ideally I'd like to stay below $1200-1300, stay away from SSDs, and be able to run most modern games on max settings at 1080p (my monitor is a 24" Asus 1080p monitor).

Here it is:

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $217.99

Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core - $194.99

Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory - $40.99

Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-675M 675W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 - $89.99

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7970 OC 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 - $399.99

Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $74.99

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case - $39.99

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM - $17.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99

Total: $1176.91

One of my biggest dilemmas was if it is worth it to spend the extra $40 to get 16gb vs. 8gb of RAM. I did some reading that suggests i7s are overkill for gaming and that i5s are the sweet spot. Any and all input is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

- Vic

Grand Master

+PeterUK MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

Why stay away from SSD?

The ASUS P8Z77-V LK will likely have everything you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%2050001315%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13%2D131%2D819%5E13%2D131%2D819%2DTS%2C13%2D131%2D837%5E13%2D131%2D837%2DTS

Enthusiast

BigDavy

Posted
Posted

I agree about the SSD - one of those devices acting as a boot drive does improve the perceived responsiveness of the system.

If you're going to be gaming at 1080p, the 7970 is probably overkill - for example, the 7870 is around $140 cheaper, and you can use the money you'd save to put towards a modest SSD such as the 128Gb Samsung 830 (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820147163).

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Game I've been Working On

      By +pmrd · Posted

      I made a new Cinematic/Trailer for the game, this will be the intro, still a work in progress!  I also updated the Steam page with a ton of new screenshots! 👀 https://store.steampowered.com/app/3925340/Incoherence_Dark_Rooms/  
    • Microsoft Opens Fairwater: Wisconsin AI Campus Runs as One Supercomputer via 800G Ethernet

      By +TRS-80 · Posted

      Closed-loop cooling and a custom 800G network protocol let the $7.3B campus run as one AI training machine. Microsoft confirmed June 23, 2026, that its Fairwater campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, is fully operational — and the engineering behind it makes the facility something fundamentally different from every data center that came before it. Where conventional cloud infrastructure racks up general-purpose servers and parcels out workloads to each one independently, Fairwater links hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GB200 Blackwell GPUs into a single, coherent cluster using a two-story building design, 800-gigabit-per-second Ethernet fabric, and a proprietary networking protocol co-developed with OpenAI and NVIDIA. The result, according to Microsoft, is the closest thing to a purpose-built AI supercomputer that any company has ever placed in commercial operation. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/319205/20260627/microsoft-opens-fairwater-wisconsin-ai-campus-runs-one-supercomputer-via-800g-ethernet.htm  
    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +Edouard · Posted

    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By +TRS-80 · Posted

      Last comment on this article Decades of serving as a global manufacturing hub have allowed China to build a massive talent pool in the production sector that is almost unmatched worldwide. Decades of using "forced labor" have allowed China................. UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China https://www.ohchr.org/en/press...ibetan-and-other-minorities
    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By morpheus6969 · Posted

      BIG Meat Hands

  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      207
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      macoman
      62
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!