Recommended Posts

Hello guys, I was thinking of buying a new laptop but thought I'd just assemble a PC instead because I really want to experience proper gaming after using a laptop for the last ~6 years and the fact that it would offer better performance/price ratio.

I have a few questions first:

  • Does an i5 significantly improve gaming over an i3?
  • To what extent does the CPU affect gaming?
  • Does a quad-core affect gaming or will it in the near future? Quad-core vs dual-core.
  • Will an SSD do any good other than improve boot time and other things? I'd be mostly gaming.

---------------------------------

Okay, from the guide...

1. I'll be starting from scratch so I would want to know what Graphic/Video card, CPU, RAM, MB, HDD, Case, Cooling I should buy.

Since I am going "budget", I guess it's going to be an AMD system.

Is the Radeon HD 7850 1 GB good for today's games and hopefully for the next ~5 years?

Do you reckon I go for an i3/i5/something AMD?

I think I'll go for 8 (4 x 2) GB RAM

I don't know much about Motherboards. Anything that will last in terms of compatibility and not become ancient anytime soon.

I think >=700 GB would do me good. Will adding an SSD make sense if I just really want to game?

2. My budget is around ~$1,100. Prices in India are higher so I have to keep that in mind as well.

?I can stretch my budget a little bit if it's really necessary. ~INR 60,000

3. I'll be using my computer to play games in High. Games like AC:III, BF:3, Torchlight 2, Borderlands, etc.

I'll also be using it to watch MKV videos that do not work flawlessly on my current laptop. They are 720p videos. A little Photoshop, Picasa here and there. I listen to a lot of music so would adding a Sound Card do any good?

4. What is the standard gaming screen size? I will not be SLI/Crossfire-ing.

5. I'll be buying these components by the month of May or June.

6. As far as I know I will not be overclocking.

I don't need an optical drive but I guess a cheap DVD Burning/Reading thing won't hurt.

I don't care for 3D, Touch.

I am an audiophile.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1135118-budget-gaming-pc-~1000~/
Share on other sites

hey...

really cant stress this enough... (don't feel like typing for ages)

get the best combo of motherboard and CPU...something like

Asus P9X79 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard - ?179.99

Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - ?224.99 inc VAT

GTX 660 - ?160

use rest for RAM. CASE, and what ever else

reason... this will last you the longest time...

1. BTW huge diff between i3, i5, i7

2. CPU is the bottleneck factor - hence ensure you have really gd and there is an upgrade path

3. Huge-ish... depending on who you ask, Processor has load of room*... ie even if not mult-threaded... app/game... if something comes up... background processes... then this will happen on the free cores.

4. yes... and no.... spend money on other things..., if you have left over then get one.

if your building a gaming machine... then AMD is out.

just get what i suggested above you wont be disappointed.

I am going to group questions together as you are asking the same question in variation.

Does an i5 significantly improve gaming over an i3?

To what extent does the CPU affect gaming?

Does a quad-core affect gaming or will it in the near future? Quad-core vs dual-core.

Some current games are capable of running 4 threads and thus a Quad-core / i5 would improve upon performance over a Dual-core / i3. With next generation you will see the threads rise with the likes of Crysis 3. (You also have cache / on board graphic differences - directed specially for the i3 vs i5 question)

Will an SSD do any good other than improve boot time and other things? I'd be mostly gamin

Yes you will see an improvement in boot time and some performance on other applications depending on access patterns and SSD choice.

  • Does an i5 significantly improve gaming over an i3?
  • To what extent does the CPU affect gaming?
  • Does a quad-core affect gaming or will it in the near future? Quad-core vs dual-core.
  • Will an SSD do any good other than improve boot time and other things? I'd be mostly gaming.
  • Is the Radeon HD 7850 1 GB good for today's games and hopefully for the next ~5 years?

1) Define significantly. Base your budget around the best GPU and CPU you can, but if it's for gaming, GPU comes first.

2) Some, although it depends heavily on the game. Again, base the build off the GPU.

3) Yes, again though, it depends on the game.

4) Boot and load times, but for those two things alone an SSD is a huge improvement.

5) Today is a mid-range card. It will run games on high at 1080, but probably not ultra? Five years from now? No one can say, it'll probably chug along at low, low resolutions in five years, assuming it still has driver support.

Is the Radeon HD 7850 1 GB good for today's games and hopefully for the next ~5 years?

You should aim for a GPU with 2GB and 5 years is asking alot maybe 3 years?

5. I'll be buying these components by the month of May or June.

Haswell Processors from Intel will be out around that time on a new socket LGA 1150 so you might want to wait until then.

I had to build a PC for a friend not too long ago, he was aiming for 900? more or less; so I'll tell you how thing ended up there in case that helps you choose some things, the prices I put are from the time it was built:

Proc: Core i5 3570K ~ 193?

Sink: Cooler Master Hyper 612S ~ 44?

MB: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ~ 120?

Power supply: Aerocool Strike-X 600W (it was a cheapish 80 Plus Bronze) ~ 60?

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3-1600 16GB (2x8GB) CL9 ~ 92?

HDD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB (because he already had a 1TB barracuda to put too) ~ 115?

Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB ~ 185?

Plus external case and a DVD recorder, everything ended up ~870? and I'd say that equipment should last for some years after all the motherboard allows for overclocking and SLI or Crossfire setup, and he can always push CPU and graphics card a little further. At that time a 660 or 660 Ti was quite out of range, don't know how it'd be now.

The last poster suggestions are good, personally would drop the ram the 8 gig

What resolution you plan on running you're games? That's the most important question you'll have to ask yourself because it will greatly affect the video card choice.

Remember also that new console are coming out this year, witch mean that the port of those games will run slow on a good hardware today, you can do a good 2 year with those video cards

A CPU can limit frame rate .. pair a GTX670/680 with an i3 and the i3 won't be able to keep up with what the GPU can produce.

You'd have to look at actual numbers. It's possible an i3 with a GTX680 could drop a game from 80 to 60 fps. 20 fps loss, but still above 60.

IMO there are bigger factors in processor choice, namely do you need a quad core, and will you overclock which will push you one way or another.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • After I installed KB5095093, the volume on my ARM laptop won't go above 20%. It's stuck on the hearing protection level, which is pretty much useless if you want to listen to anything. I rolled back.
    • Amazon Prime Day slashes Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch Ultra by 45 percent by Karthik Mudaliar Samsung’s flagship Android smartwatch has received one of its steepest Prime Day cuts. Amazon has dropped the 2025 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra in Titanium Blue to $357.24, saving buyers around $292 from its $649.99 list price. That's a 45 percent discount (purchase link below). The 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra uses a titanium casing and a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 480 and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It includes LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS for more accurate outdoor route tracking. The 2025 model has 64GB of storage, a 590mAh battery, sapphire crystal glass, 10ATM water resistance, IP68 protection, and MIL-STD-810H durability testing. Its health and fitness tools include heart rate monitoring, sleep coaching, Energy Score, Running Coach, body composition analysis, temperature sensing, and ECG support, where available. This model is best suited to Android users who regularly run, hike, cycle, or train outdoors and want cellular access without carrying a phone. The larger battery, rugged construction, bright display, and dedicated Quick Button also make it a stronger option than Samsung’s regular Galaxy Watch models for extended workouts and demanding environments. Grab the Titanium Blue Galaxy Watch Ultra before the Prime Day price resets: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) [Sold and Shipped by Amazon] Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Google begins rolling out its post-Epic Play Store billing model next week by Karthik Mudaliar Google has confirmed that its redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure will take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area. The changes will let eligible developers offer their own payment systems or send users to an external website for purchases, while separating Google’s platform service fee from the cost of using Google Play Billing. The rollout puts concrete dates and detailed rate cards behind the broader Android policy overhaul Google announced in March. That announcement followed a proposed settlement with Epic Games intended to resolve their long-running disputes over app distribution and payments, although the U.S. portion of the agreement still requires court approval. Under the new billing choice program, developers selling digital content or services can display an alternative payment option alongside Google Play Billing. They may also direct users to their own websites to complete a purchase. Developers can use Google’s standard payment-choice screen or design one that complies with the company’s user-interface rules. Choosing another payment processor does not eliminate Google’s cut altogether. The company will continue charging a service fee for transactions associated with apps distributed through Google Play, regardless of whether payment is handled by Google, an alternative provider, or a developer’s website. Google argues that this fee covers the value and infrastructure provided by Android and the Play Store. For developers earning up to $1 million annually, the service fee will generally be 10 percent. That rate also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. When Google Play Billing is used in the U.S., U.K., or EEA, Google will add a separate 5 percent billing fee, and developers processing payments elsewhere will not pay that additional charge. This means Google’s familiar flat 30 percent commission is disappearing, but developers will not necessarily see a dramatic reduction on every transaction. An in-app purchase from an existing user processed through Google Play Billing can still reach a combined 30 percent. The biggest savings are likely to come from subscriptions, smaller developers covered by the $1 million tier, and companies able to move customers to their own payment infrastructure. Google is also offering lower rates through its Apps Experience and revamped Games Level Up programs. Apps and games that satisfy the company’s requirements can qualify for 15 percent service fees on new-install transactions and 20 percent on existing-install transactions. The criteria include performance and reliability standards, support for additional Android device categories, and selected platform features. Those program rates are scheduled to become available in the initial markets and Australia on September 30. For consumers, the immediate effect will depend on whether developers adopt alternative payments and pass any savings on through lower prices. For developers, however, June 30 begins a more flexible but considerably more complicated Play Store economy in which distribution, billing, install dates, revenue thresholds, and program participation can each affect Google’s final cut. Google is also separately developing a Registered App Stores program designed to simplify the installation of qualifying third-party stores. That initiative is expected to arrive with a major Android release later in 2026 and will launch outside the U.S. first. Google says the rest of the world will receive the changes by September 30, 2027, although billing rates for markets outside the US, UK, and EEA have not yet been announced.
    • 38% off a super insane price is still an INSANE price.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      464
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      81
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!