Ideal gaming rig for CRYENGINE 3 and $800 budget?

[zwyx1234]

Hello everyone. What would be your guys ideal gaming rig with an $800 budget? IM looking to play any CRYENGINE game on maximum settings, and things like battlefield 3 on maximum or near maximum settings. The budget range is roughly $800, though this can be stretched if needed. Im thinking of an Nvidia GTX 660 Ti or better, and an intel core i5 processor. In my opinion, the i7 is not worth it, though I may be wrong. On the AMD side im not sure. I wont need anything more than a quad core CPU. Im not planning on having more than one GPU. I dont care what you guys suggest, everything is open to discussion for the ideal CRYENGINE 3 gaming rig and a $800 budget.

 

[Skr13]

"I dont care what you guys suggest" ?

Well, even if you don't care, I will suggest you to tell us what resolutions is your monitor, that is important to know before choose the more suitable graphics card.
GTX 660 Ti is at the moment a bit old card if you plan to play CryEngine3 on maximum settings, to be honest when you say maximum settings is AA also at max? Because if you want that, a dual-gpu solution is more adequated.
About CPU, yes, Core i5 is the best for gaming, choose one with "K" that means the multiplier is unlocKed and can be Oced(aftermarket cooler is needed).

 

[Koenigstiger]

$800

I'm assuming you already have peripherals and a monitor yes?

 

[zwyx1234]

I probably wont exceed a monitor resolution of 1920 x 1080 or whatever is closest to that resolution. I will need everything. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. So the budget can be stretched. I also dont plan on buying anything until the summer time, when I will have a job and the money for it. When I say maximum settings, I don't require anti-aliasing. Also, I willl be fine without the *absolute* max settings, but just on the higeher end of the spectrum.

I also remember when the 660 Ti was new...and it was top of the line...Whats the best GPU around these days?

 

[Skr13]

I probably wont exceed a monitor resolution of 1920 x 1080 or whatever is closest to that resolution. I will need everything. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. So the budget can be stretched. I also dont plan on buying anything until the summer time, when I will have a job and the money for it. When I say maximum settings, I don't require anti-aliasing. Also, I willl be fine without the *absolute* max settings, but just on the higeher end of the spectrum.

I also remember when the 660 Ti was new...and it was top of the line...Whats the best GPU around these days?

Ok, for 1080p, and looking at your budget, maybe the GTX 760, it's tiny faster than GTX 660Ti, but is a bit more future-proof, due larger bus-256-bits vs 192(660ti), more memory bandwidth(192GB/s) vs 144GB/s(660Ti), more ROPs(32) vs 24(660Ti) and higher clock frequency, 980 vs 915(660Ti), even that 660Ti has more Cuda Cores, the 760 is a better card overall.
BTW, GTX 660Ti has almost 2 years old, and it was "just" a mid-to-high range card when launched, like Nvidia always do, x60 are usually mid-range, like 760 is.
So, you also need monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc, you really need have to search for a good deal somewhere, because if it was $800 only for the PC, well, you could build a very capable machine, but adding the monitor, and other peripherals, you will need to cut here and there...
Best gaming and single GPU these days is GTX 780Ti

 

[shuttlelauncher]

Wow, this community is amazingly helpful! I will suggest and agree with Skr13 when the i5 is definitely worth it and the i7 is just overkill for what we are all looking to do right now (play and create games). A good i5 "k" version is going to run you anywhere between 180-300 dollars. I would suggest this model as I have used it before and it works very well!

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K - Newegg.com

It is a 3rd generation, but I do not think that will be a problem and I think that if you wanted to go fourth gen, I would wait a year or two more. There really isn't that much of a difference other than the CPU graphics that they have on there and some clocking things, but that CPU will do you just fine for a few years or until you upgrade.

This motherboard is both cheap and an effective buy. Not only is ASUS in my opinion one of the best board makers (unless you are paying $600+ for your mobo) but I think that it is cost effective.

ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

The GTX 760 is the ideal card for your budget. There are cheaper cards, but this prevents you from spending much more money down the road. I might even have to buy a new card and I have a graphics card that I paid $200 for and I will need to upgrade soon in order to keep up with current games (Including Traction Wars). EVGA is a great company and I think that for $10 bucks more, this is their best 760 card. With the $10 dollar rebate that is happening right now it is the same price as the model just under it.

Newegg.com - EVGA 02G-P4-3765-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Dual Superclocked w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card

Now you have to find a case. I use this case on my own machine and it has great ventilation, tons of room, and is a full case that doesn't take up too much space. It has 2 USB 3.0 ports and a few other bells and whistles.Overall it is a fairly cheap metal case that will last you a lifetime. I have taken my computer into our storm shelter when tornadoes come through and I baby this thing. I had to run inside the shelter with it (A little heavy due to the metal. A little on the heavy side FYI) in my arms and I bumped the sides of the entrance against concrete and also metal bars and there is not a scratch on it. Very durable, and very cheap for what it is.

Antec Three Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded 2 x USB 3.0 - Newegg.com

You are going to need a hard drive and some RAM now. Both are cheap and easy to find so I will not try to find you those. As for a good PSU (Power Supply Unit I believe) I would go with something like this. It is an absolutely fabulous PSU that I use myself and I think it is a great buy. Granted, it is not cheap but you keep from having to spend a lot more in the future on a bigger power supply. Unless you are going to be running an i7 with dual GTX780s, I wouldn't worry

SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

I have tallied the cost up and you are at $880 dollars for this PC. Granted, this is a higher end PC that I gave you so you will have to modify it because after buying a HDD, RAM, a monitor, a mouse, and all of you other needs, it is going to run you close to the $1100 range :/ That is what you get for building one though. You will definitely need windows also, but still, I do think that this is extremely expensive considering I spent $1200 dollars on my whole machine and I didn't even get this nice of specs. Again, change it as you please but those are just some starting points and whether you want to upgrade or downgrade any of them is up to your money.

Hope these guys and I have helped!

 

[Koenigstiger]

I have an i5-4670k and it I'm extremely happy with it (coming from a Core 2 duo, lol) which I paid $269

What I would suggest you to do is save up enough for a base machine (I.E the essentials, Motherboard, Tower, CPU, etc) and just build upon that

I myself still need to get a new Graphics card, PSU, and more RAM plus a few other things but I've spent about $600-700 so far

I have stuff from my old machine in this one.

 

[shuttlelauncher]

I do hope that I picked sufficient enough parts, and I agree with Koenigstiger. You basically need to build your machine and just work your way up with the peripherals and OS and stuff. Otherwise, you are going to end up in an endless money-pit build that you don't need.

 

[Skr13]

I agree with shuttlelauncher's suggested componenets above, although, I don't think he needs that kind of PSU, it's a bit too much for this config, mainly because the budget is not that big.
Some 650W PSU from a good brand like, Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, etc featuring 40+ Amps on +12v rail is sufficient to feed the PC.
I share the same opinion, that a more powerfull PSU is more future-proof, but he shouldn't cut on other crucial components, to just save money for a better PSU.
About RAM, yes, 8GB ddr3 @ 1600MHz is the minimum and enough for today's apps/games.
An SSD would be great, especially for Windows and programs, but if can't be added due the budget, well, you can live with an 7200 RPM HDD, for sure.

 

[shuttlelauncher]

Yeah sorry, I keep forgetting how big a 750w is. I got it on sale for $75 bucks and thought that it was not very big so I do think that would work. That would cut the cost down by a lot. I suggest a Corsair or Seasonic since they have been around so long and have had good ratings and experience. Who am I to say this though because I suggested an overpowered part :/